Salammbô · Chapters
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Chapter companions for Salammbô by Gustave Flaubert.
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Chapter 1
I: The Feast
The Mercenaries, after the First Punic War, hold a lavish feast in the gardens of Hamilcar Barca. Tensions rise as they feel betrayed by Carthage, leading to violence, destruction, and sacrilege. Salammbô, Hamilcar's daughter, appears and attempts to calm them with a song and speech, but her presence stirs deep emotions in Matho and Narr'Havas.
Chapter 2
At Sicca
The Mercenaries depart Carthage for Sicca, where they await payment and grow restless. Their idleness leads to disputes and plotting, culminating in the arrival of the Suffet Hanno, whose attempt to placate them fails, inciting the Barbarians to march on Carthage.
Chapter 3
III: Salammbô
Salammbô performs a moonlit ritual on her palace terrace, expressing her deep devotion and longing for the goddess Tanith. She summons the high priest Schahabarim, who recounts the cosmogony of the gods but refuses to let her see the sacred veil, warning that it would mean death. The chapter ends with the sight of the Barbarian army approaching Carthage.
Chapter 4
IV: Beneath the Walls of Carthage
The mercenary army, having marched from Sicca, encamps before Carthage, demanding full payment and more. Gisco is sent to negotiate and begins paying the soldiers, but Spendius and Autaritus stir up distrust among the Libyans and Gauls, warning of Carthaginian treachery. The soldiers escalate their demands, calling for Hanno's head and even brides from noble families, leading to a breakdown in negotiations. The chapter vividly describes the fortifications of Carthage and the city's layout as seen from the camp.
Chapter 5
V: Tanith
Matho and Spendius infiltrate the temple of Tanith in Carthage to steal the sacred zaïmph, a divine veil that grants power to Carthage. Matho hesitates due to sacrilege but is persuaded by Spendius's arguments of revenge and invincibility. After seizing the veil, Matho flees through the city amid chaos and curses from Salammbô, ultimately escaping to the Barbarian camp.
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