Desigualdades sociales y praxis jurídica en Apuleyo

Resumen

The novel, Metamorphosis, depicts a world in which de facto social inequialities are apparent in certain passages. There are allusions to situations of extreme poverty and great wealth, and descriptions of characters, both honestiores and humiliores, of all kinds (rich landowners, members of the provincial aristocracy, workers living in the towns, small landowners, and so on), as well as the peculiar situation of the slaves. But none of the characters, faced with an unfair social system which seemingly needs modifying, take any steps to change it, some because they appear unable to do so, others because they benefit from the system. This article is concerned with studying these social inequalities and their reflection in the legal praxis of the time, and both de iure and de facto inequalities are found to exist. The de iure inequality is shown in the types of punishment meted out, which depend on the social status of the accused. That is, the novel points to clearly discriminatory aspects of the current legal system. But apart from this, the novel shows de facto injustice in two forms: the way in which justice is administered (as it appears in the novel) and the fact that certain offences go unpunished. Thus Apuleius' depiction of the legal praxis is as accurate as his description of the social system. It is part of the ironic and pessimistic vision of this world given by the author, doubtless an echo of the sentiments of the society of his time.