latin dissussions page 2
rmc3jy
latin7-10.docx1. Recall your responses from the questions asked earlier in this section. How do feel about your responses now? Would you change any of your answers in light of this story? Would the two poets agree with your answers? Log onto the discussion board and participate the discussion about the parts fate, faithfulness, honesty, adultery, duty, trust, and the role of women played in the story of Antony and Cleopatra. Include your responses to the questions above as the beginning of your post. Express your opinions freely, but keep the discussion focused on Antony and Cleopatra.
2. In retrospect, most historians see the reign of Augustus as a great and momentous event that ended civil war, brought peace to Roman and Italian citizens, and resulted in the flourishing of the arts. However, at the time of Augustus' rise to power there was no such consensus. No one knew if young Octavian would live without being assassinated, if he would put the best interests of the state before his own, or if he was even mentally capable of handling the position of "World’s Most Powerful Person." Many Roman citizens, especially the aristocracy, were fully against the reign of Augustus and the end of the Republic. They did not wish to sacrifice their political freedom to one man. Although Augustus did a masterful job of keeping Republican traditions alive, it was ultimately an authoritarian rule that became a type of monarchy. While Augustus himself was a great ruler, many of those who followed in his line were not, resulting often in tyrannical periods.
Okay, so the question is: what is freedom worth? If you were a Roman aristocrat at the time of Augustus' rise to power, how would you feel about being forced to give up your political and (some of) your personal rights? Keep in mind that you would have been raised in a period almost uninterrupted civil conflict of Romans killing Romans. Would you be ready to make a personal sacrifice and see a greater good? Or would you be unwilling to put power in the hands of one person? Incorporate what you know about the Civil Wars and the reign of Augustus with your personal opinions on this topic.
3. Many historians, ancient and modern, point to the end of the 2nd Punic War as the beginning of the end not for Carthage, but for the Roman Republic. Within a century of Carthage’s destruction, the Roman Republic was in the process of a complete collapse, ultimately becoming an empire under Augustus. Historians reason that two factors led to this collapse, both directly resultant from Rome’s victory. First, Rome no longer had any serious enemies that could deliver a viable threat to the city or even Italy. The Roman citizen could now become lax and let go his conservative, frugal, and virtuous morals that built Rome up to such a great height that it could defeat Carthage. Secondly, it was argued that once Carthage had been defeated, the Mediterranean became such an opportunity to gain riches that greed eventually tore the aristocracy (which was supposed to manage the new provinces) apart. As much as the Romans hated and feared Hannibal and Carthage, some felt in retrospect that having such a strong enemy to compete with was what had made Rome great in the first place. Consider this in light of this country’s history and current situation. The United States did not attain its current status of “superpower” until it entered the Cold War with the Soviet Union. And now, in the post-Cold War era, there is a new Hannibal in the figure of Osama Bin Laden. A second Carthage to replace the Soviet Union may be emerging in the form of China. Do you think a country needs enemies to be successful? Do citizens of great nations need the pressure of competition to be great?
