Chrysothemis

Chrysothemis is a prominent society woman who briefly becomes Vinicius’s companion during his period of attempted escape from thoughts of Lygia. Their relationship belongs to the world of feasts, chariots, and elite leisure, but it cannot hold his attention: he remains haunted by Lygia and eventually dismisses Chrysothemis. Petronius later treats the episode as a welcome release from his own former association with her, making Chrysothemis a small but telling figure in the contrast between Roman pleasure and enduring attachment.

Identity and Social Setting

Chrysothemis moves within Rome’s wealthy social world. During the city’s revival in spring, she drives a splendid chariot drawn by four Corsican ponies along the Appian Way, accompanied by two Molossian dogs and surrounded by young men and senators. She recognizes Vinicius among the passing vehicles, invites him into her car, and takes him to a feast at her house. Her ease in initiating these encounters presents her as an active participant in elite sociability, rather than a distant figure introduced only through another character’s account.

Relationship with Vinicius

The feast at Chrysothemis’s house lasts through the night. Vinicius drinks heavily and later remembers that, when she mentioned Lygia, he became offended and poured a goblet of Falernian over her head. The next day Chrysothemis visits him and takes him again to the Appian Way; she then supps at his house and tells him that both Petronius and her lute-player have long since wearied her and that her heart is free. She and Vinicius appear together for a week, but the relationship gives no promise of permanence.

Lygia remains present even when Chrysothemis’s name is absent from their conversations. Vinicius continues to feel that Lygia’s eyes are upon him, and the thought that his conduct might grieve her fills him with regret. After Chrysothemis becomes jealous over two Syrian women whom he has purchased, he dismisses her rudely. He continues pursuing pleasure for a time, partly out of spite toward Lygia, but the diversions lose their appeal: pleasure becomes loathsome and leaves him with reproaches. Chrysothemis does not cause this deeper crisis; her brief companionship instead shows how little his old habits can relieve it.

Connection to Petronius

When Vinicius later confesses to Petronius how troubled and divided he has become, Petronius jokes that news travels quickly among slaves and accuses him of having seduced Chrysothemis. He says he will send her pearl-embroidered slippers, explaining that this is his way of telling her to walk away. The exchange indicates that Petronius, too, had been involved with Chrysothemis, and that Vinicius’s brief relationship has ended that association. Petronius presents the outcome as a double benefit: Vinicius did not accept Eunice, and Petronius is free of Chrysothemis.

Narrative Significance

Chrysothemis’s role is limited in duration but useful in the novel’s account of Vinicius’s change. Her chariot rides, feasts, and renewed courtship offer concrete instances of the pleasures that once defined his world. Yet the week they spend together cannot erase his thoughts of Lygia, and his continuing dissatisfaction marks the weakening hold of that life. Through Petronius’s amused response, the episode also connects Vinicius’s private struggle to the social circle they share, while keeping Chrysothemis’s own characterization grounded in the few actions and relationships the narrative provides.