Commentary #8 (Fulvia)

How Fulvia Put the “B” in Witch

In Rhetoric Retold: Regendering the Tradition from Antiquity Through the Renaissance, Cheryl Glenn addresses “Woman’s Place in Roman Society: Historical and Literary.” In this portion of the handout, we read about the disdain men held for women, especially those who might aspire to public service. A quote from Cicero seems to sum it up: “How great will be the misfortune of that city, in which women will assume the public duties of men. . .”

Cicero was also quick to criticize specific women who dared to assume “man’s work,” which included any kind of involvement in politics. One insubordinate woman whom her contemporaries had cast as pure evil is Fulvia, former wife of P. Clodius, C. Scribonius, and finally of Mark Antony. What had she done to deserve such contempt?

Well, it seems Fulvia ditched kitchen cookery for political crookery, thus alienating both the men and women of her day. After Caesar died in 44 B.C., Antony took power – with remarkable participation from his better half. Fulvia’s apparent devotion to her husband’s success could have been construed as excessive as she became the first wife of a Roman leader to be totally involved in her spouse’s business. (She was also the first Roman woman to have her likeness replicated on coins.)

While Antony was handling business in Egypt, Fulvia took it upon herself to protect his interests by entering into a civil war with Octavian. Antony, who at this time was smitten with Cleopatra, let it be known that he furious with his wife for causing a major rift between him and Octavian. Spurned by the man she loved, Fulvia retreated from life and died at age 40. Following Fulvia’s death, Octavian and Antony were reunited; and just to demonstrate there were no hard feelings, Antony married Octavian’s sister (Answers.com).

None of the above would really convince me that Fulvia was all that bad. After all, she was just trying to be of assistance to her beloved husband. However, there is one activity ascribed to Fulvia that goes beyond what is acceptable, and it occurred after Cicero was assassinated and his detached head and hands had been displayed on (possibly nailed to) the rostrum of the Roman Forum. Per Cassius Dio, and according to “The Roman World,” “Antony’s wife Fulvia took Cicero’s head, pulled out his tongue, and jabbed the tongue repeatedly with her hairpin, taking a final revenge against Cicero’s power of speech.”

That, my friends, is when Fulvia crossed the line.
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Works cited

Answers.com: Online Encyclopedia, Thesaurus, Dictionary and More. Oct. 14, 2007.

“The Roman World.” Ancient Worlds. 14 Oct. 2007.