Livy's Women of Multiplicity: The Paradoxical Nature of Roman Morality in Ab Urbe Condita

Contrary to many ancient Roman narratives of conquest and politics, Livy’s Ab Urbe Condita explores the role of women in the political and social development of Rome during the Golden Age of glory. In relation to the dominant masculine ideals of virtue and honor (virtus), Livy presents powerful female figures that have both positive and negative impacts upon the morality of their male counterparts and, by extension, the political state of Rome. With the basis of my personal translations of Livy’s treatment of different women, this paper will primarily discuss the use of the paradoxical nature of the female figure, specifically through the characters of Tullia, Tranquil, the Sabine Women and Lucretia, as a rejection of the set (masculine) moral standards of the time (exempla) in favor of more flexible ideals that fit the changing conditions and needs of the Roman people. The discussion of female immorality will be separated into two sections: the intentional malice of Tullia and Tanaquil as a symbol of external foreign influence threatening traditional Roman morals and the violated purity of the Sabine women and Lucretia as a symbol of the natural evil that exists in all human beings. In representing these different sets of women as both agents of political power and detriments to the stability of a male-dominated state, Livy illustrates the multi-dimensional nature of Roman values and defines them outside of the limitations of masculine virtus. His depiction of women exemplifies both the benefit and necessity of moral conflict in order to redefine, but ultimately strengthen the moral fabric of Roman society. Livy’s treatment of women not only revealed the inherent problem with allowing fixed ideals to govern society, but also encouraged his own audience to reflect upon the state of Roman morality at a time when the superpower was rapidly declining.