Epic Themes in Propertius II.9

VIRTUALLY nothing has been written about elegy 11.9 although it remains one of the finest examples of Propertius' adaptation of epic themes to elegy. For this reason it forms a nice counterpart to 11.8, a poem in which Propertius employs epic parallels in order to explore the discrepancy between literary and real erotic situations. There the Homeric hero Achilles functions as a standard against which Propertius measures himself in life and love and finds himself lacking.' In 11.9 Propertius again experiments with epic themes as he explores his complicated relationship with Cynthia. If Propertius discovers in 11.8 that he is no Achilles, he states openly in 11.9 that Cynthia is neither a Penelope nor a Briseis. And although the poem is ostensibly an explication of Cynthia's character, Propertius obliquely reveals his own nature through reference to epic themes. Like the preceding elegy, 11.9 is a poem about fidelity. The two poems also share the same dramatic context: Cynthia has left Propertius for another man. The poet is much more candid in this poem, however, about Cynthia's infidelity and initially displays a kind of bitter sympathy towards the rival with whom he shares a common fate. The opening couplet (iste quod est, ego saepefui: sedfors et in hora/hoc ipso eiecto carior alter erit, 1-2) stresses the cyclical nature of Cynthia's involvements and recalls the view of life and love which Propertius expressed in 11.8

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