Heroism and Passion: The Saints Perpetua and Felicitas

How readers define the actions of Saints Perpetua and Felicitas is largely a matter of semantics, and in such case, a number of questions arise when one analyzes the piece as a text with heroic undertones. Some of the most important focuses are: What are heroic models? Does the story exude these qualities? Are martyrs heroes? If so, what makes that problematic?

The construction of “The Passion of SS. Perpetua and Felicitas” adheres to the archetypal construction of a heroic piece—the calling, the journey, the overcoming of evil, followed by the hopeful return. Here, Perpetua and Felicitas are called through faith and later journey to prison, then to absolution in the emperor’s arena. While it is most evident that there was no return for either martyr, their success is still largely a matter of point of view. In death, Perpetua and Felicitas were successful—if only indirectly—in promoting belief in Christianity. Their zeal to die, although idiosyncratic of martyrdom, unambiguously expresses a lack of fortitude with which to face the world while continuing to actively promote their religion. The latter statement does not describe the qualities of a hero or heroine. On the other hand, the saints’ actions are balanced by their fundamental resolve, or an unwillingness to renounce their faith.