Maryland classics professor lectures at Cornell on realities of Roman women

MOUNT VERNON — Judith Hallett, professor of classics and women’s studies at the University of Maryland, will speak at Cornell College on “Roman Women: Images and Realities” at 11:10 a.m. Monday, March 21, in Shaw Lounge of The Commons.

Hallett, author of “Fathers and Daughters in Roman Society: Women and the Elite Family,” will examine Roman women’s political involvements, familial and sexual roles, and literary education and engagements, plus look briefly at Roman women’s influence on later Western society.

Her presentation will address three well-known images of the ancient Roman women who lived during the classical period, focusing on the women of Rome’s political elite. The first image is furnished by the phrase “Caesar’s wife must be above suspicion,” which is attested in two ancient biographies, by the Roman Suetonius and the Greek Plutarch, of Julius Caesar. The second image is from Shakespeare’s “ Antony and Cleopatra,” the characterization of Antony as “the triple pillar of the world transform’d into a strumpet’s fool.” The third image comes from Vergil’s epic poem on Rome’s mythic origins, the “Aeneid,” which claims “woman is always a different and changing thing.”

Hallett’s talk is one of many events during the second half of the academic year to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the women’s studies program at Cornell.