She was one of Appius Claudius Pulcher's three daughters, and the wife of the consul, Quintus Caecilius Metellus Celer. Although married, Clodia greatly disliked the relationship, and she often had affairs with other men. Catullus was one of Clodia's several affairs, hence why he needed to use a pseudonym when writing about her.
After her affair with Catullus, Clodia also had an affair with Marcus Caelius– an affair that would end in both scandal and a murder trial. In 56 BCE, Marcus Caelius was tried for attempted murder and was defended by one of Rome's greatest orators: Marcus Tullius Cicero. In the defense, titled pro Caelio, Cicero shifted the attention away from Caelius by denouncing Clodia's character. In this scathing speech, Cicero addresses Clodia by a scandalous moniker: Medea Palatina– Medea of the Palatine. For the sake of the trial, Cicero strategically slandered
Many Latin students are familiar with the romantic, swoon-worthy words of Catullus. The prolific phrase, "Vivamus, mea Lesbia, atque amemus" (Let us live, my lesbia, and let us love) highlights his profuse (and prevailing) passion. Of Catullus' 116 surviving poems, 25 are directed toward his clandestine lover and muse, "Lesbia."
However, Lesbia was merely a pseudonym; the name "Lesbia" stems from the island Lesbos, home to the prolific Greek poet, Sappho. Greatly enamored by Greek poets, Catullus was particularly influenced by the poets Callimachus and Sappho. The pseudonym serves as an ode to Sappho's works. One of his poems, Carmen 51, is even crafted in Sapphic meter. So, who really was this "Lesbia," capable of catching the hearts of readers even thousands of years after her death?
Many historians speculate that "Lesbia" may have been Clodia Metelli, also known as Clodia Pulchra.
Clodia, and unfortunately, it worked; at the end of the trial, Caelius was acquitted.
Cicero's speech diminished Clodia's reputation, and she soon fell out of the limelight. However–despite the targeted attack against her character–Clodia is still remembered millennia later as the woman behind Catullus' famous poems: Lesbia.
Clodia
The Woman Behind Catullus' Lesbia
First Vice President Gabrielle Walker
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