# Hanno explained — Salammbô

> Chapter companion for Salammbô by Gustave Flaubert.

## What happens

Matho, consumed by desire for Salammbô, vents his frustration to Spendius, who remains indifferent. Narr'Havas arrives to ally with the Mercenaries, sealing a blood pact with Matho. The Barbarians incite rebellion across Punic territories, exploiting Carthage's oppressive taxation and cruelty. Matho is appointed commander-in-chief, and the army grows as reinforcements pour in. The chapter details the strategic decisions to besiege Utica and Hippo-Zarytus, while Narr'Havas returns for elephants and cavalry.

## Themes in this chapter

### Love and Obsession

Matho's obsessive desire for Salammbô drives him to irrational threats and actions, contrasting with Spendius's calculated pragmatism.

### Colonialism and Rebellion

Carthage's colonial exploitation incites widespread rebellion among Libyan tribes, who join the Mercenaries to overthrow the Republic.

### Power and Corruption

Carthage's corrupt governance, exemplified by exorbitant taxes and cruel punishments, leads to its vulnerability and the Barbarians' uprising.

## Character check-ins

### Matho

Frustrated by his obsession with Salammbô, Matho threatens to kill her and accepts Narr'Havas's alliance, becoming the schalishim of the Barbarians.

### Spendius

Remains calm and strategic, advising Matho to be patient and focusing on the siege of Utica.

### Narr'Havas

Joins the Mercenaries, offering elephants and troops, and performs a blood pact with Matho.

### Hanno

The Suffet Hanno concludes his preparations and leads a Carthaginian army against the Barbarians, but arrives too late for surprise.

### Autaritus

Mentioned as the commander of the main body of Barbarians occupying Tunis and the plain of Carthage.

## Key lines

> I ought to have carried her off! ... I should have seized her, and torn her from her house! No one would have dared to touch me!

Matho laments not abducting Salammbô, believing he could have done so without opposition.

_Reveals Matho's obsessive and impulsive nature._

> I will provide you with elephants (my forests are full of them), wine, oil, barley, dates, pitch and sulphur for sieges, twenty thousand foot-soldiers and ten thousand horses.

Narr'Havas offers substantial military resources to the Mercenaries in exchange for alliance against Carthage.

_Highlights Narr'Havas's strategic value and the scale of the rebellion._

> Carthage was sapping the strength of these nations. She wrung exorbitant taxes from them, and arrears or even murmurings were punished with fetters, the axe, or the cross.

Carthage's oppressive taxation and brutal punishments drained the resources and spirit of subject nations.

_Explains the widespread resentment that fuels the rebellion._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/salammb_se/chapters/vi-hanno
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/salammb_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/salammb_se/chapters