|
The Nobilitas -team is looking for your ideas and comments. Join and show your support for Nobilitas. Teaser dialogues
Thumbs ranking
DescriptionWe need a teaser dialogues in Latin which can be used in marketing the idea. They can be used in literary form or with slideshow of concept art.
ShotsBroken wax mask as a visual elementHere is a few second clip which demonstrates the idea of using a broken wax mask as a visual element for the project. Cicero De legibus 1.1 - 1.5I think this could very well be used as one of the teaser dialogues. It's short, easy to grasp and funny. Still this would be a teaser for more academic audience, but we need the support of that group also to make this project happen. From: http://www.thelatinlibrary.com/cicero/leg1.shtml Characters: T. Pomponius Atticus, Q. Tullius Cicero, M. Tullius Cicero Atticus:[1] Lucus quidem ille et haec Arpinatium quercus agnoscitur, saepe a me lectus in Mario: si enim manet illa quercus, haec est profecto; etenim est sane vetus. Qvintus: Manet vero, Attice noster, et semper manebit: sata est enim ingenio. Nullius autem agricolae cultu stirps tam diuturna quam poetae versu seminari potest. Atticus: Quo tandem modo, Quinte? Aut quale est istuc quod poetae serunt? Mihi enim videris fratrem laudando suffragari tibi. [2] Qvintus: Sit ita sane; verum tamen dum Latinae loquentur litterae, quercus huic loco non deerit quae Mariana dicatur, eaque, ut ait Scaevola de fratris mei Mario, canescet saeclis innumerabilibus, nisi forte Athenae tuae sempiternam in arce oleam tenere potuerunt, aut quam Homericus Ulixes Deli se proceram et teneram palmam vidisse dixit, hodie monstrant eandem, multaque alia multis locis diutius commemoratione manent quam natura stare potuerunt. Quare glandifera illa quercus, ex qua olim evolavit nuntia fulua Iovis miranda visa figura, nunc sit haec. Sed cum eam tempestas vetustasue consumpserit, tamen erit his in locis quercus quam Marianam quercum vocabunt. [3] Atticus: Non dubito id quidem. Sed hoc iam non ex te, Quinte, quaero, verum ex ipso poeta, tuine versus hanc quercum severint, an ita factum de Mario, ut scribis, acceperis. Marcus: Respondebo tibi equidem, sed non ante quam mihi tu ipse responderis, Attice, certen non longe a tuis aedibus inambulans post excessum suum Romulus Proculo Iulio dixerit se deum esse et Quirinum vocari templumque sibi dedicari in eo loco iusserit, et verumne sit ut Athenis non longe item a tua illa antiqua domo Orithyiam Aquilo sustulerit; sic enim est traditum. [4] Atticus: Quorsum tandem aut cur ista quaeris? Marcus: Nihil sane, nisi ne nimis diligenter inquiras in ea quae isto modo memoriae sint prodita. Atticus: Atqui multa quaeruntur in Mario fictane an vera sint, et a nonnullis quod et in recenti memoria et in Arpinati homine versatur, veritas a te postulatur. Marcus: Et mehercule ego me cupio non mendacem putari, sed tamen nonnulli isti, Tite noster, faciunt imperite, qui in isto periculo non ut a poeta sed ut a teste veritatem exigant, nec dubito quin idem et cum Egeria conlocutum Numam et ab aquila Tarquinio apicem impositum putent. [5] Qvintus: Intellego te, frater, alias in historia leges obseruandas putare, alias in poemate. Marcus: Quippe cum in illa ad veritatem, Quinte, quaeque referantur, in hoc ad delectationem pleraque; quamquam et apud Herodotum patrem historiae et apud Theopompum sunt innumerabiles fabulae. Atticus: Teneo quam optabam occasionem neque omittam. Marcus: Quam tandem, Tite? CommentsAdding to the last comment, this is an attempt to make the first part of the dialogue seem more conversationary and easier to follow: Atticus: I see this is the grove and this is the Oak of Arpinium, about which I have read numerous times from the "Marius" poems. Quintus: It is that beautiful oak my brother wrote about indeed. Atticus: If the Oak of Arpinium is still standing, it has to be this, because it has to be very old. Quintus: My dear Atticus, the oak is still standing and will always be, because it has been grown out of imagination. Atticus: What do you mean Quintus? Am i just imagining this tree that I'm touching with my bare hand? Quintus: Of course not, dear Atticus. This oak is indeed real and ancient. But no tree planted and nursed by a farmer cannot live as long as a one planted by a poet into his verse. Atticus: What is this talk about poets planting things? Quintus: Poets are the farmers of things eternal. As long as the voice of Latin literature is there, will this place have an oak tree that will be called as Marius' oak tree. And as Scaevola says about the "Marius" poetry of my brother: "It'll last years, innumerous". Atticus: In short it seems to me that by praising your brother as a poet you are flattering yourself also. Quintus: Fine with me that is. In any case, are you really saying that your beloved Athens could have nurtured the olive tree of Acropolis for ever? Atticus: Of course not. Quintus: Or would the young palm tree that is nowadays presented in Delos be the same the Odysseus of Homer told he saw? Atticus: Impossible. It would've grown older than this oak. Quintus: Many other things have lasted longer alive in the stories than they could have done in the nature. But let's assume that this is the same "acorn bearing oak" from which once flew "the brown messanger of Jupiter, that miracle". When after storms and time have destroyed this oak, I'll bet in this area there'll still be an oak tree that is called as Marius' oak tree. It's very nice Mikko. You've captured the verse of the time perfectly. I'm wondering, though, if it'll sound too 'theatrical' when spoken aloud? I mean that's how it's written in books, and sounds fine when read, and when readers have time to stop and ponder upon each argument. But in an actual conversation there are intevening remarks "thats true/fair", "sure", "of course", "I understand/concur", "what do you mean" etc. People repeat things to make a point heard, they simplify their arguments to get them understood etc. That might make it more "conversationary" instead of making it so that it sounds read directly from a dialogue in a book.. Just to keep everyone updated, we're making progress with this one. We will record an example diaglogue above in the beginning of December and this week we'll start preparing some graphic material too. Here's a very quick English translation with some background information and comments. Characters: -Titus Pomponius Atticus was Cicero's financial supporter, school buddy from childhood, publisher of his works etc. In other words probably Cicero's most loyal and trusted friend. He was few years older than Cicero. Atticus was not active in politics. -Quintus Tullius Ciceros was Cicero's younger brother who also knew Atticus from their schooldays and even married Atticus' daughter. His career in politics owed probably a lot to his brother's success. -Marcus Tullius Cicero was a Roman statesman, philosopher and orator. With his skills in speaking and writing he raised into almost highest echelons of Roman society. Scene: -The scene is the country side near the provincial city of Arpinum, some way from Rome. Cicero's family was from Arpinum and he had land posessions there alongside a villa. Another famous person from Arpinum area was Gaius Marius. Cicero had written a poetic work about him earlier. -We do not know the age of Atticus, Quintus and Marcus in this scene, but all this probably is set to happen when they all are in their twenties or thirties (probably before the death of Q. Mucius Scaevola at 82 BCE). They are on leisury walk at the premises and discussing with each other when they arrive to a very old oak tree. Dialogue: Atticus: I see this is the grove and this is the Oak of Arpinium, about which I have read numerous times from "Marius". If the oak is still standing, it has to be this, because it has to be very old. Quintus: My dear Atticus, the oak is still standing and will always be, because it has been grown out of imagination. No tree planted and nursed by a farmer cannot live as long as a one planted by a poet into his verse. Atticus: What do you mean Quintus? What is this talk about poets planting things? In short it seems to me that by praising your brother as a poet you are flattering yourself also. Quintus: Fine with me that is. In any case, as long as the voice of Latin literature is there, will this place have an oak tree that will be called as Marius' oak tree. And as Scaevola says about the "Marius" of my brother: "It'll last years, innumerous". Or are you really saying that your beloved Athens could have nurtured the olive tree of Acropolis for ever? Or would the young palm tree that is nowadays presented in Delos be the same the Odysseus of Homer told he saw? Many other things have lasted longer alive in the stories than they could have done in the nature. But let's assume that this is the same "acorn bearing oak" from which once flew "the brown messanger of Jupiter, that miracle". When after storms and time have destroyed this oak, I'll bet in this area there'll still be an oak tree that is called as Marius' oak tree. Atticus: I don't have doubts about that at all. So I'm not asking this you anymore, Quintus, but from the poet himself: was that oak seeded only from your verses, or did you hear from someone that it had happened to Marius as you wrote? Marcus: I'll answer you, but only after youself, Atticus, have answered to me. Is it sure that after his death Romulus walked nearby your house and announced to Proculus Julius that he is indeed a God named Quirinus and commanded a temple to be built there? And is it true that in Athens, also nearby your house, Aquilo took Orithyia away with him? These are after what the stories tell us. Atticus: Why an Earth you ask me such a thing? Marcus: Just to keep you away from digging the details out from the folk-stories! Atticus: But still many would like to know about the details mentioned in "Marius", are they true or false. And because you did wrote about a man from Arpinum from recent past, there are those who expect you to tell the truth. Marcus: Damn me if I want to be taken as a liar, but my dear Titus, those few you talk about are fools when they expect to learn the truth, that is expected from the witness in court, from a poet. No doubt they believe that Numa had a conversation with Egeria and that an eagle put the hat on head of Tarquinius. Quintus: To my understanding you are saying, dear brother, that one must follow different rules when writing history than when writing poems. Marcus: Of course, Quintus, because the history is measured against the truth while poetry is measured against pleasant feelings. Be that Herodotos, father of history writing and also Theopompos recite numerous tales. Atticus: It seems that I now have the opportunity I have been waiting for, and I won't let it pass. Marcus: What opportunity that is, Titus? |
Jump to comment form
Comments
Good concept, definitely worth developing.
I'm sure it does, I had a twenty minutes spare-time this morning so all I could do was to lookup a pic of statue and quickly Photoshop it there. Consider it just a demonstration of a concept :-)
The idea is good but it looks a bit artificial.
You must login or register to comment