Salammbo by Gustave Flaubert [PDF]

Information: Salammbo

• Author: Gustave Flaubert
• Publication Date: 1862
• Main Characters:
  • Salammbo: Daughter of Hamilcar Barca and priestess of the goddess Tanit, torn between religious devotion and her fascination with the mercenary leader Matho.
  • Matho: A Libyan mercenary chief who leads the revolt against Carthage and becomes obsessed with Salammbo after stealing the sacred veil.
  • Hamilcar Barca: Carthaginian general and Salammbo's father, a brilliant military strategist who returns to defend Carthage against the mercenaries.
  • Spendius: A cunning former Greek slave who becomes Matho's advisor and manipulates events to serve his own interests.
  • Narr'Havas: A Numidian prince who switches allegiances between the mercenaries and Carthage, and is promised Salammbo's hand in marriage.
• Brief Summary: Salammbo is set in Carthage around 240 BC, following the Mercenary War that erupted after the First Punic War. The novel centers on the conflict between Carthage and its unpaid mercenary armies, led by the Libyan warrior Matho. Salammbo, the daughter of Carthaginian general Hamilcar Barca and a priestess of the goddess Tanit, becomes entangled with Matho after he steals the sacred veil known as the Zaimph. The story traces their doomed connection against a backdrop of sieges, battles, and political intrigue. It culminates in a devastating conclusion where personal passion collides with the demands of war and religious duty.
• Thematic Analysis: The novel explores the destructive tension between desire and duty, embodied in the relationship between Salammbo and Matho, who are separated by culture, loyalty, and war. Flaubert also examines the nature of power, both political and religious, showing how institutions manipulate individuals for their own survival. The theme of civilization versus barbarism runs throughout the narrative, though Flaubert deliberately blurs the line between the two, suggesting that cruelty exists on all sides.
• Historical Context: Flaubert based Salammbo on the historical Mercenary War (241-237 BC), drawing primarily from the accounts of the Greek historian Polybius. He traveled to Tunisia in 1858 to visit the ruins of Carthage and research the landscape firsthand. Published in 1862, the novel caused a sensation in France, sparking debates among historians and critics about the accuracy of its depictions and the boundaries between history and fiction.