Clodia 66

vol. IV p.105-107

66) Clodia

The second daughter of Claudius nr. 296, older than her brother Publius nr. 48 (Cic. Cael. 36), so born around 660 = 94. Still unmarried at the time of her father’s death (678 = 76, cf. Varro r. r. III 16, 2), she is first mentioned as the wife of Q. Metellus Celer in 691 = 63 (Cic. ad fam. V 2, 6; cf. Plut. Cic. 29, 2). <60> The whole world knew that she was unfaithful to him and was constantly dissatisfied living with him, but only her opponents suggested that she had brought on his sudden death in 695 = 59 through poison (Cic. Cael. 34. 60. Cael. in Quintil. instr. or. VIII 6, 53: Clytaemnestra). Clodia was unrivalled amongst the seductive, immoral, and infamous women in Rome at the time. <page break 105/106> We can only work out how richly gifted she must have been, with all the charms and merits of her body and her mind, from the magic she put on men as a mature woman. But it’s only absurd rubbish that she wooed Cicero and had it in mind to marry him, and that Terentia’s jealousy from this gave rise to the two great speakers and Clodia, as well as her brother, being bitter enemies (Plut. Cic. 29, 1; cf. Harnecker Berl. philol. Wochenschr. IV 226). <10> But two of the most talented and most significant men of the younger generation spent a long time shackled in her chains, and it’s these circumstances which we owe our thanks to for painting us a picture of Clodia’s love and hate. It’s now almost universally agreed that she is the one who stoked the love of the greatest lyrical poet of Rome. Ovid. trist. II 427 says that Catullus called his beloved Lesbia a made-up name, <20> and Apul. apol. 10 says that she was called Clodia. Her identity as this sister of the tribune Clodius was already put forward by a few humanists, then founded in detail especially by Schwabe (Quaest. Catull. 53-135), and later defended against repeated attacks, so that it could be taken as certain (cf. about the history of this debate, Teuffel-Schwabe⁵ I 444 § 214, 3. Fenner Quaestiones Catullianae [Barmen 1896] 5f.). <30> The evidence lies in the fact that the basic features of the images given by Catullus about his Lesbia match up with those Cicero gives about the historical Clodia. Even while she was still receiving homages from Catullus, she was throwing out her net towards the highly talented and passionate M. Caelius Rufus; after [Caelius] broke up with her, she pursued him with an implacable hatred, and even had him brought before the courts. <40> The defence speech, which Cicero made for Caelius in this trial, is essentially an attack on Clodia only made up of burning hatred and biting scorn. This, along with Catullus’ poems, make up the sources for our knowledge about this remarkable woman. For Clodia’s highly valued beauty (Catull. 86, 5f. etc.), it’s only her dazzling eyes which are specifically mentioned (Cic. har. resp. 38), which, along with her so-called affinity for her brother, <50> earned her the epithet of Hera βοῶπις (Cic. ad Att. II 9, 1. 12, 2. 14, 1. 22, 5. 23, 3); the fact that she enjoyed dancing and did it gracefully is mentioned by Schol. Bob. p. 304 Or. on Cic. Sest. 116. If she didn’t have a fine taste in literary matters, she wouldn’t have kindled the sparks of genius in Catullus into flames (cf. Catull. 36, 1 about her dislike of the bad poets; the love of them both is celebrated in Propert. III 34, 87 and by Sidon. Apoll. ep. II 10); <60> her influence in political matters would have remained unknowable if she weren’t a very intellectual woman. But all her charms were balanced out by her wild sensuality and lack of discipline. She was generally called Quadrantaria, and although Plutarch (Cic. 29, 2) didn’t know what to make of this nickname any more, which was used a lot by Caelius (in Quintil. inst. or. VIII 6, 53) and Cicero (suggestions in Cael. 62. 69), <page break 106/107> Drumann’s interpretation (G. R. II 381, 53) is likely correct: that this is what the street prostitutes were called, who would please anyone for a single quadrans, ie for the lowest price. Cicero particularly liked to make fun of the rumour that she was living in an incenstuous relationship with her brother Publius (Cael. 32. 36. 38. 78; Sest. 16. 39; de domo 92; har. resp. 38. 42. 59; ad Att. II 1, 5; ad fam. I 9, 15; ad Q. fr. II 3, 2; cf. Vell. II 45, 1. Plut. Cic. 29, 2), <10> and implications made by Catullus (72, 2. 79, 1) are based on this (or on some relationship with Sex. Clodius nr. 12). It’s up to the literary historians to give an idea for how Clodia seduced and rejected her poet, how she gave herself to him and became faithless, and how this changing love affair, which went on from 693 = 61 to 696 = 58, was reflected in his poems; how his love-rival had similar experiences has already been touched on (cf. vol. III p. 1267f.). <20> In the end, both turned their backs on their beloved with the deepest disgust, who had sunk to loving everybody (from roughly the same time, Cic. Cael. 32: amica omnium, fragment of a speech by Caelius in Quintil. VIII 6, 53 and Catull. 11, 17). After Caelius’ trial in 698 = 56, Clodia is no longer named. In the year 709 = 45, Cicero wanted to buy a plot of land from a Clodia, and was corresponding with Atticus about that up until the beginning of the following year (ad Att. XII 38, 4. 42, 1. 47, 1f. XIV 8, 1), but it’s uncertain whether this was his old enemy who had connections with Atticus. Her identity with the Clodia mentioned in ad Att. IV 6, 3, the step-mother of L. Metellus who was tribune of the plebs 705 = 49, is unlikely.

([Münzer.])

This article is referenced by: Ap. Claudius Pulcher (296), Sex. Clodius (12)

2b: I like this, really just as much as you'll say

This person is on the following family trees: The patrician branch of the Claudii