Lovers' games in De nuptiis Philolgiae et Mercurii by Marciano Capela
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Abstract
In his work De nuptiis Philologiae et Mercurii, Martianus Capelal proposes an allegorical epithalamium (books I and II) in which Mercury seeks a wife, and Philology is chosen for that role. Between books III and IX the wedding banquet takes place, in which the Liberal Arts, ladies of honour of Philology, expound the contents of the disciplines they represent. In addition to the frequent "direct" readings of the work, which postulate it as a source of valuable information, there are others that focus on elements such as fiction and parody, which turn this manual into a controversial Menippean satire that, rather than proposing models of knowledge, criticizes and ridicules them. In line with this interpretation, in the present work we will focus on the initial section of the allegorical epithalamium (II.99-109), in which Philology performs a numerical-literary game to find out if her name and that of her fiancé are compatible for married life. We seek to demonstrate that the use of mathematical play, of Pythagorean and hermetic tradition, is subverted by the pen of Martianus and put in function of the love game as one more resource in his parodic composition.
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