Creation of Barbara, Creation of Rome

When Mrs. Ansley and Mrs. Slade meet unintentionally in Rome, they are left by their young, energetic (half-sister!) daughters to gaze on the Palatine and Roman Forum. Still respected for their majesty, yet undeniably beyond their prime, the two ladies mirror the existence of the Monuments, which capture their fascination as existence of a bygone era. Beyond this initial association, the Monuments serve as the perfect backdrop for the woman’s shared story and secrets, as the prejudices with which they have seen each other begin to crumble.

Long considered the birthplace of Rome, the Palatine stands as a fitting view for two women whose conversation slips into their shared past and the ‘birthplace’ of the hatred Mrs. Slade harbored towards Mrs. Ansley for twenty-five years. As a young woman, Mrs. Slade acted in jealousy against Mrs. Ansley by planting a note that drew the latter out into the cold night and almost caused her death; but her actions are not the first treachery the Palatine has witnessed. Romulus and Remus, the twin brothers responsible for the founding of Rome, had an argument over the height of the city walls that lead to Remus’ murder.

The note engineered out of Mrs. Slade’s fear of losing her fiancé Delphin to a rival (yet ironically only serves to initiate a secret tryst) fittingly sends Mrs. Ansley to the Colosseum. The Colosseum was known during the height of the Roman Empire as a fighting place, a place where gladiators, slaves and wild animals fell victim to each other for the benefit and entertainment of the Roman population. The Romans delighted in the battles and deaths acted out before them; and Mrs. Slade closely admits to schadenfreude in the manner with which she relates her side of the story: “I wanted you out of the way, that’s all. Just for a few weeks; just till I was sure of him. […] Of course I never thought you’d die” (Wharton 839); certainty, she felt relief when Mrs. Ansley fell into illness after being sent on what Mrs. Slade thought was a fool’s errand, uneventful and meaningless. The women are engaged, and have been for over twenty years in a fight of their own, one that Mrs. Ansley had been quite unaware of until Mrs. Slade decided she “could not bear it any longer!” (Wharton 838).

While working on renovations of the Colosseum in 2001, workers unearthed a secret passageway, most likely used by Emperor Commodus to escape from angry mobs (Newsweek). Workers have continued to restore the ancient building to the height of antiquity, and have continued to find new passageways and rough graffiti sketches. Similarly, the women both unearth secrets previously unknown; ones that unearth corners of their lives they were taught to always keep hidden. These secrets blast holes through their mutual perceptions of each other and the past.



Works Cited:

Nadeau, Barbie. "Rebuilding The Colosseum." Newsweek - National News, World News, Health, Technology, Entertainment and more... - Newsweek.com. 10 Sept. 2001. Web. .

"Romulus and Remus (Roman mythology) -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia." Encyclopedia - Britannica Online Encyclopedia. Web. .

Wharton, Edith. "Roman Fever." 1936