Chapter 1
Introducing Hannibal · Life of Hannibal · A-level Latin · OCR H443/03
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SubjectObjectVerbGenitiveAblativeConjunctionAdverb
Latin
English
Hannibal, Hamilcaris filius, Carthaginiensis.
Hannibal, son of Hamilcar, a Carthaginian.
si verum est, quod nemo dubitat,
If it is true — and no one doubts it —
ut populus Romanus omnes gentes virtute superarit,
that the Roman people surpassed every nation in courage,
non est infitiandum Hannibalem tanto praestitisse ceteros imperatores prudentia,
then it cannot be denied that Hannibal outstripped every other commander in skill by just as great a margin
quanto populus Romanus antecedat fortitudine cunctas nationes.
as the Roman people exceed all nations in bravery.
nam quotienscumque cum eo congressus est in Italia,
For as often as he engaged with the Romans in Italy,
semper discessit superior.
he always came away the victor.
quod nisi domi civium suorum invidia debilitatus esset,
And had he not been weakened at home by the jealousy of his own countrymen,
Romanos videtur superare potuisse.
he seems to have been able to defeat the Romans.
sed multorum obtrectatio devicit unius virtutem.
But the resentment of the many overpowered the courage of one man.
hic autem velut hereditate relictum odium paternum erga Romanos
Yet he kept alive the hatred of his father towards the Romans, handed down to him almost as an inheritance,
sic conservavit, ut prius animam quam id deposuerit,
so faithfully that he laid down his life sooner than he laid down that hatred;
qui quidem, cum patria pulsus esset et alienarum opum indigeret,
indeed, even once he had been driven from his homeland and depended on the resources of others,
numquam destiterit animo bellare cum Romanis.
he never once stopped waging war on Rome, at least in spirit.
Style notes this section · 16Word order · 2Repetition and structure · 3Word choice · 9Imagery and tone · 1Grammar · 1
Hannibal, Hamilcaris filius, CarthaginiensisCharacterisation
Hannibal, son of Hamilcar, a Carthaginian
The Life opens like an entry in a list: name, father, nation. Naming Hamilcar at once prepares for the inherited hatred of Rome that runs through the whole Life.
CarthaginiensisEmphatic position
a Carthaginian
His nationality is the last word of the opening sentence, so the reader is reminded straight away that this is Rome's great enemy.
quod nemo dubitatParenthesis
which no one doubts
Nepos breaks into his own sentence to insist that Rome's superiority is beyond question, which reassures his Roman readers before he praises Hannibal.
omnes gentesEmphasis
every nation
Rome is said to surpass not some peoples but all of them, which sets the highest possible standard for the comparison that follows.
omnes gentes … cunctas nationesVariatio
every nation … all peoples
The same idea is repeated in different words (superarit / antecedat, virtute / fortitudine), which keeps the long comparison from sounding repetitive.
non est infitiandumLitotes
it must not be denied
A double negative, "must not be denied", makes the praise of Hannibal sound reluctant but undeniable, as if the facts force Nepos to admit it.
tanto praestitisse ceteros imperatores prudentia, quanto populus Romanus antecedat fortitudine cunctas nationesParallelism
outstripped the other generals in skill by as much as the Roman people surpass all nations in bravery
The two halves of the comparison are built to match, tanto ... quanto, so Hannibal is ranked among generals exactly as high as Rome is ranked among nations.
prudentia … fortitudineContrast
in skill … in bravery
Hannibal excels in prudentia, intelligence and judgement, and Rome in fortitudo, courage. Nepos gives each side a different virtue, so he can praise Hannibal without making him braver than the Romans.
quotienscumque … semperEmphatic adverb
as often as … always
Two sweeping words leave no room for exceptions: Hannibal won every time he met the Romans in Italy, which is a strong claim to put to a Roman audience.
superiorEmphatic position
the victor
The sentence ends on "the winner", so the reader is left with the image of Hannibal coming away victorious.
nisi … debilitatus esset … videtur superare potuisseConditional
had he not been weakened … he seems to have been able to defeat
The past unreal condition imagines a Carthaginian victory, and the cautious videtur ("he seems") softens a claim that might shock Roman readers.
domi civium suorum invidiaCharacterisation
by the jealousy of his own citizens at home
Hannibal is beaten by his own people, not by Rome, which makes him a tragic figure betrayed by those who should have supported him.
multorum obtrectatio devicit unius virtutemAntithesis
the disparagement of many overcame the courage of one
Many are set against one, and spiteful criticism against true courage. The sentence sums up the whole Life in a single neat contrast.
velut hereditate relictum odium paternumMetaphor
his father's hatred, left to him as if by inheritance
Hatred of Rome is described as property handed down in a will, which makes it part of Hannibal's identity, something he was born into.
prius animam quam id deposueritHyperbole
he would give up his life before he gave up that
Hannibal would sooner lose his life than his hatred, which stresses how completely it controls him.
numquam destiterit animo bellare cum RomanisEmphatic negative
he never stopped making war on the Romans in spirit
numquam closes the chapter: even as an exile with no army, Hannibal keeps fighting Rome in his mind, which prepares for the rest of the Life.
Notes on the text 2
HamilcarisHamilcar
of Hamilcar
Hamilcar Barca, Carthage's leading general in the First Punic War (264 to 241 BC), who went on to build a new Carthaginian power in Spain. He died there in 229 BC.
patria pulsus essetExile
he had been driven from his homeland
Hannibal was forced to leave Carthage in 195 BC, when his enemies there told the Romans he was plotting with Antiochus. He spent the rest of his life at the courts of foreign kings (chapters 7 to 12).
Questions to think about · 3
- Nepos opens by comparing Hannibal with the Roman people. Why might a Roman writer, writing for Roman readers, choose to praise Rome's greatest enemy so highly?
- According to this chapter, what stopped Hannibal from defeating Rome? How far does Nepos blame Hannibal himself?
- How does Nepos make Hannibal's hatred of Rome seem like a family inheritance rather than a personal choice?
Nepos and the Life of Hannibal background
Cornelius Nepos (about 110 to 24 BC) came from Cisalpine Gaul, the north of Italy, and spent his working life in Rome, where he knew Cicero and was a close friend of Atticus. His main work, De Viris Illustribus (On Famous Men), was a large collection of short biographies that set Romans side by side with foreigners. The Life of Hannibal belongs to the book on foreign generals, the only book to survive whole.
Nepos is a biographer, not a historian: he wants to show what kind of man Hannibal was, so he picks out telling episodes and passes quickly over the rest. Notice how often he steps in to tell the reader what to think, and how he balances praise of Hannibal against the greatness of Rome.
Vocabulary in this section · 80 wordsVocabulary tester
Hannibal, -alis (m.) Hannibal, Carthaginian general
Hamilcar, -aris (m.) Hamilcar, Hannibal's father
filius, -i (m.) son
Carthaginiensis, -e Carthaginian; (as noun) a Carthaginian
si (conj.) if
verus, -a, -um true, real
sum, esse, fui be
qui, quae, quod who, which
nemo, neminis (m.) no one, nobody
dubito, dubitare, dubitavi, dubitatum doubt; hesitate
ut (conj.) that
populus, -i (m.) people, nation
Romanus, -a, -um Roman
omnis, -e all, every
gens, gentis (f.) nation, people, tribe
virtus, -utis (f.) courage, valour, excellence
supero, superare, superavi, superatum surpass, overcome, defeat
non (adv.) not
infitior, infitiari, infitiatus sum deny
tantus, -a, -um so great, so much
praesto, praestare, praestiti, praestitum surpass, excel, outstrip
ceteri, -ae, -a the other, the rest
imperator, -oris (m.) commander, general
prudentia, -ae (f.) skill, good sense, foresight
quantus, -a, -um how great, as great as
antecedo, antecedere, antecessi, antecessum go before; surpass, excel
fortitudo, -inis (f.) bravery, courage
cunctus, -a, -um all
natio, -onis (f.) nation, people
nam (conj.) for
quotienscumque (adv.) as often as, whenever
cum (prep. + abl.) with
is, ea, id he, she, it; that
congredior, congredi, congressus sum meet; engage, fight
in (prep. + abl.) in
Italia, -ae (f.) Italy
semper (adv.) always
discedo, discedere, discessi, discessum go away, depart, come away
superior, -ius higher; victorious, superior
quod (conj.) and (connecting; quod nisi = but if not)
nisi (conj.) if not, unless
domus, -us (f.) home, house
civis, -is (m.) citizen, fellow-citizen
suus, -a, -um his own, their own
invidia, -ae (f.) jealousy, envy, ill will
debilito, debilitare, debilitavi, debilitatum weaken, cripple
Romanus, -i (m.) a Roman; (pl.) the Romans
videor, videri, visus sum seem, be seen
possum, posse, potui be able, can
sed (conj.) but
multus, -a, -um much; (pl.) many
obtrectatio, -onis (f.) disparagement, jealous criticism, resentment
devinco, devincere, devici, devictum conquer completely, overpower
unus, -a, -um one, alone
hic, haec, hoc this; he, she, it
autem (conj.) however, but, moreover
velut (adv.) just as, as if, as it were
hereditas, -atis (f.) inheritance
relinquo, relinquere, reliqui, relictum leave behind, bequeath
odium, -i (n.) hatred
paternus, -a, -um of a father, a father's, paternal
erga (prep. + acc.) towards
sic (adv.) so, thus, in such a way
conservo, conservare, conservavi, conservatum keep, preserve, maintain
prius (adv.) before, sooner (prius ... quam = before)
anima, -ae (f.) life, breath, soul
quam (conj.) than (with prius: before)
depono, deponere, deposui, depositum put down, lay aside, give up
quidem (adv.) indeed, in fact
cum (conj.) when, since, although
patria, -ae (f.) homeland, native land
pello, pellere, pepuli, pulsum drive out, banish, expel
et (conj.) and
alienus, -a, -um belonging to another, of others
ops, opis (f.) help; (pl.) resources, wealth
indigeo, indigere, indigui need, depend on (+ gen. or abl.)
numquam (adv.) never
desisto, desistere, destiti, destitum stop, cease
animus, -i (m.) mind, spirit, heart
bello, bellare, bellavi, bellatum wage war, fight