Hypatia · Chapter
XVIII: The Prefect Tested explained
Philammon, seeking freedom and his sister, finds himself among the Goths.
What happens
Philammon, seeking freedom and his sister, finds himself among the Goths. Wulf and Smid plot to remove Orestes and marry Hypatia to Amalric to secure power in Alexandria. A riot breaks out, and the Goths rescue Orestes from a mob of monks. Orestes, now their guest, plans a cruel revenge on his attacker, the monk Ammonius. Philammon, under Wulf's protection, remains sober and on guard while the others feast.
Themes in this chapter
Corruption of Power
Orestes, the Prefect, abuses his authority by promising a slow, torturous death for Ammonius, showing how power can corrupt and lead to cruelty.
Hypocrisy of Institutions
The monks, who are supposed to be pious, are shown engaging in violent riots, while Orestes, a representative of Roman law, uses his power for personal revenge.
Innocence and Disillusionment
Philammon, in his search for his sister, is thrust into the violent and cynical world of the Goths and Roman politics, leading to a loss of innocence.
Characters to notice
- Philammon
Returns to the Goths seeking freedom and his sister. He is protected by Wulf and remains sober during the ensuing feast.
- Wulf
Plots with Smid to remove Orestes and marry Hypatia to Amalric. He saves Orestes from the mob and takes Philammon under his protection.
- Smid
Wulf's companion in plotting. He is skeptical of the plan but agrees to sound out the guards.
- Amalric
The Amal, whom Wulf intends to marry to Hypatia. He leads the rescue of Orestes and invites him to feast.
- Orestes
The Prefect, attacked by a mob of monks and rescued by the Goths. He becomes their guest and plans a slow revenge on his attacker.
- Ammonius
A monk who struck Orestes with a stone. He is captured and brought before Orestes, who promises him a slow death.
Key passages
“Use? you purblind old hamster-rat, who think of nothing but filling your own cheek-pouches!—to give him a wife worthy of a hero, as he is, in spite of all—a wife who will make him sober instead of drunk, wise instead of a fool, daring instead of a sluggard—a wife who can command the rich people for us, and give us a hold here, which if once we get, let us see who will break it!”
Wulf angrily explains to Smid that the purpose of marrying Hypatia to Amalric is to give him a wife who will improve him and help them gain control over Alexandria's wealthy citizens, thereby securing their power.
Wulf reveals his strategic motive for the marriage plot.
“Why, with those two ruling in Alexandria, we might be masters of Africa in three months. We'd send to Spain for the Wendels, to move on Carthage; we'd send up the Adriatic for the Longbeards to land in Pentapolis; we'd sweep the whole coast without losing a man, now it is drained of troops by that fool Heraclian's Roman expedition; make the Wendels and Longbeards shake hands here in Alexandria; draw lots for their shares of the coast, and then—”
Wulf outlines his grand plan to conquer Africa by using Hypatia and Amalric as puppet rulers, and by coordinating with other barbarian tribes to take advantage of the region's weakened defenses.
Wulf's ambition extends beyond Alexandria to the conquest of the entire African coast.
“I intend to spend at least four hours tomorrow in killing this pious martyr. He will have a good time to think, between the beginning and the end of the rack.”
Orestes, the Prefect, tells the Goths that he plans to torture the captured monk Ammonius for four hours before killing him, giving him time to reflect on his actions.
Orestes's cruel intention reveals his thirst for revenge.