Salammbô: Analysis of Major Characters
"Salammbô: Analysis of Major Characters" delves into the intricate relationships and conflicts among the key figures in Gustave Flaubert's historical novel set in ancient Carthage. Central to the narrative is Hamilcar, the powerful suffete whose return from war uncovers a rebellion among his mercenaries. His daughter, Salammbô, serves as a priestess of the moon goddess Tanit and becomes embroiled in a love triangle with two men: the noble Narr'havas, a Numidian chief, and Mathô, a giant Libyan mercenary. Salammbô's arc is marked by her internal struggle, ultimately leading to her tragic demise alongside Mathô after a series of betrayals and the loss of her chastity.
Other pivotal characters include Hanno, a member of the Council of Elders, who struggles to maintain order among the mercenaries, and Spendius, a cunning former Greek slave who manipulates the situation to his advantage. Through the interactions and fates of these characters, Flaubert explores themes of love, loyalty, and the consequences of war, set against the backdrop of ancient Carthaginian culture. This analysis provides a deeper understanding of the motivations and destinies that drive the story’s dramatic events.
Salammbô: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Gustave Flaubert
First published: 1862 (English translation, 1886)
Genre: Novel
Locale: Carthage
Plot: Historical
Time: Third century b.c.e.
Hamilcar (ah-meel-KAHR), the suffete of third century Carthage. A great feast is given, in his absence, for his thousands of mercenaries. He arrives home to find them in rebellion, and after several reversals, he conquers and destroys them.
Salammbô (sah-lahm-BOH), the daughter of Hamilcar and the priestess of the Carthaginian moon goddess, Tanit. She utters a curse on the angry barbarians who, after their defeat by the Romans and the delay with their back pay, begin pillaging the palace of Hamilcar. When Mathô later invades the sacred temple, she screams for help, though she is attracted to him. To regain the sacred veil of Tanit, which he has stolen, she goes in disguise to his tent and submits to him. The broken chastity chain between her ankles betrays her to her father, who angrily offers her to Narr' Havas. At the wedding, she contrasts drunken Narr' Havas with gentle Mathô, who is tortured by the Carthaginians. She drinks a cup of poison and dies with Mathô.
Narr' Havas (nahr ah-VAHS), a Numidian chief sent by his father to learn warfare under Hamilcar. He falls in love with Salammbô after she appears on the palace balcony. He deserts the rebellious barbarians to help Hamilcar and is promised marriage with Salammbô after Hamilcar finally defeats the mercenaries.
Mathô, a gigantic Libyan chief of mercenaries, also in love with Salammbô. Following the payment by the Council of Elders of a gold piece to each soldier, he leads his followers out of Carthage to Sicca to await the return of Hamilcar. Guided by Spendius, he then returns to Carthage and sacrilegiously goes into the Temple of Tanit, to Salammbô's sleeping quarters. Although he is discovered, none dares hinder his escape because he wears the sacred veil. He is finally captured by Hamilcar's army, tortured and lacerated, and taken to the nuptial dais of Salammbô, who joins him in death by drinking poison.
Hanno (ah-NOH), a fat, suppurating member of the Council of Elders who appears in Sicca in his costly litter and, in unintelligible Punic, tries to persuade the barbarians to go home and there await their back pay. He is almost killed by the soldiers, who are aroused by Spendius as he falsely translates Hanno's words.
Spendius (spahn-DYEWS), a former Greek slave who is now shrewdly and craftily serving Mathô. Because Spendius has lived for many years in Carthage, he is able to tell his master of the delightful possibilities of Salammbô. He stirs up the mercenaries with a false translation of Hanno's speech, and they accept him as a chief; he then leads them toward Carthage. He guides Mathô into the city through the aqueduct to the Temple of Tanit, the goddess in whom the Carthaginians put their trust.
Gisco (zhees-KOH), a famous warrior sent by Carthage to turn back the barbarians at the gate of the city.