Una aventura de Asterix

This album sees Asterix and Obelix return to Rome to assist Chief Vitalstatistix save face after a drunken boast made at the house of his despised brother-in-law in Lutetia. Basically his brother-in-law is quite a rich merchant, who doesn't have to travel any more because he has other people to do that for him. Anyway, Impedimentia (the Chief's wife) seems to be a little upset that her brother is a well to do merchant while her husband is the chief of a village that has basically rejected the Roman way of life.
The boast involved making a soup that was seasoned with Ceaser's laurel wreath (a band of leaves that sits on Ceaser's head, though normally held over the head by a slave, and even then they were only 'worn' on ceremonial occassions). The problem is that Ceaser has the wreath and Asterix and Obelix (after Obelix, who drunkenly agrees to help Vitalstatistix fulfil the boast) have to some how get it. While one would expect them to simply charge into Ceaser's palace and bust the place up, Asterix does remind Obelix that while the potion gives them superhuman strength, it does not make them invulnerable, and since Ceaser's praetorian guard are of a much higher calibre than the legionaries camped perpetually outside their village, that course of action is not open to them.
So they do the next best thing and attempt to sell themselves as slaves, but to get into Ceaser's household they can only be sold from one particular action house, and getting to be a slave there is no easy task, and even then, they end up getting sold to the wrong person (rather than Ceaser, they are sold to a rather well to do household, but not actually Ceaser's household).
Some have suggested that huge amounts of research have gone into these albums, and also it takes us inside the home of a well-to-do Roman. I would argue against that because, even though research has been done, the writers have no qualms in bending or distorting history to suit their purposes (particularly with the jokes regarding Brutus that appear occasionally). Further, one does not need to know anything about Roman history to enjoy the Asterix albums, however if one's entire knowledge of Ancient Rome is based upon Asterix albums, then I would have to say that one's knowledge of Rome is going to be sadly deficient.
I would suggest that this is probably more poking fun at life in the capital city. While Rome is the centre of the universe in this time, at the beginning of the album we jump to Lutetia for the backstory, which is also said to be the centre of the universe. The question that is raised is how can two places be the centre of the universe when there is only one universe? I would suggest that this has a lot to with national pride. Even then, while this attitude to one's capital city may be the case in Europe, it is not necessarily the case elsewhere. For instance here in Australia Canberra (our political capital) is a city where everybody wants to spend as little time as possible, while the two major cities compete against each other for being the best (and being a Melbournian I would have to say that my opinion is going to be biased).
I can't say that I notice much of the elitist attitude of the major city here in Melbourne, probably because Melbourne is more of a culture capital rather than a financial capital. Over in Sydney you will encounter many more over-priced restaurants and ridiculously high valued properties and suburbs, as well as a much more elitist attitude among the people that live there. The problem with these places is that unless you earn a relatively high income, it is very difficult to survive in a place like that. However, the attitude of being able to purchase goods at a shop that has the title 'by appointment of her majesty' (as you will see on Collins Street here in Melbourne) is very much a psychological thing. To have bought something from a shop like that (such as Hardy's Jewellers) and the fact that you read the financial newspaper, instead of the typical rags that the Hoi Poloi read, gives one the psychological belief that one is better than the Hoi Poloi. The truth is that it is all rubbish.
However the mind set of living in such a city and being able to shop at places like that, as well has having a house in a pricey suburb and driving an expensive car, creates the belief that one has succeeded, and gives the impression to those around you that unless they do the same thing then they have not succeeded. However it is all an illusion. People who drive BMWs and live in Toorak are just as likely to suffer depression as those who live in Sunshine and drive a $500.00 Datsun Sunny (if it still actually drives). Sometimes though, those who live among the Hoi Poloi, and drink in their pubs, have much more of an identity than those who are constantly trying to prove themselves among their peers. In the end it is all a matter of identity, and in many cases an identity that you are trying to create for yourself. Sometimes, actually, most times, the quiet, humble, ascetic identity can be much healthier than trying to obtain a high valued, elitist, identity, namely because one does not have to forever maintain that identity at a price that one simply cannot afford. ( )

Gallien, år 50 før Kristus
Denne historie indeholder avanceret fortælleteknik, idet vi starter med at se Asterix og Obelix gående småfortvivlede rundt i Rom, mens de overvejer om de kan skaffe sig Cæsars laurbærkrans på en eller anden måde. Derefter får vi forhistorien:
Høvding Majestix har været i Paris sammen med hustruen Godemine og med Asterix og Obelix som livvagter. De besøger Godemines bror, Homøopatix, der omtaler Majestix som "Skrumlet" og i det hele taget er både irriterende og god til at beskænke sine gæster. Homøopatix' kone hedder Galantine. I en gang fordrukken sludder kommer Majestix til at love at Homøopatix og hustru vil blive bespist med en ret krydret med selveste Cæsars laurbærkrans næste gang de bliver inviteret.
Derfor havner Asterix og Obelix på Mission Impossible. Asterix snakker med en af Cæsars husslaver og via slavehandleren Typhus bliver Asterix og Obelix solgt som slaver til Claudius Quidest, med konen Alpaga, datteren Tibia og sønnen Imbecilius. Claudius har en slavefoged, Garedunord. Det var en fejl at Quidest købte dem, så de forsøger at få ham til at sælge dem igen ved at lave ultrastærk mad. Sønnen kan imidlertid vældig godt lide maden.
Så prøver de at gøre sig umulige ved at lave larm om natten, men det synes alle også er en god ide.
Ovenpå natteroderiet sender Quidest Asterix og Obelix til audiens hos Cæsars håndgangne mand Magnus Nullotaxus i stedet for ham selv.
Slavefogeden er jaloux og angiver dem til romergarden.
De havner i fangekælderen, hvilket de synes er helt fint, for om natten går de ud og leder efter laurbærkransen. De finder den dog ikke, så de går roligt tilbage til cellen, hvilket skræmmer romergarden en hel del.
En advokat Carolus Masius dukker op, men trods hans indsats får Asterix dommeren til at dømme dem til cirkusoptræden uden returbillet.
De refuserer da Cæsar ikke dukker op og går en tur i byen i stedet. Her møder de Imbecilius, der fortæller at Cæsar er kommet hjem efter at have vundet et søslag.
Asterix og Obelix tager ind på en kro, hvor de finder Garedunord i dyb søvn. De vækker ham og aftaler at bytte Cæsars krans med en af persille.
Alt går godt og Homøopatix får serveret bankekød på mere end en måde.

Albummet behandler druk, hor og slaveri og Idefix er kun med på et par steder på sidste side, så det er vist ikke for børn. ( )

It has been a long time since I read this one last, but some scenes come back as if only yesterday. The eighteenth volume of our heroes involves a bet between Chief Vitalstatistix and his brother-in-law, Homeopathix about who has access to power. In a drunken fit of rage the chief promises a stew seasoned by the wreath worn by none other than Caesar himself.

Of course what that means is Asterix and Obelix must get it, and via slavery, a riot at the Circus Maximus, a turn at street thuggery, and finally by chance they locate Caesar's personal slave who is 'coerced' into stealing the wreath and swapping it for one made of parsley.

This story is not bad, but lacks some of the cleverness of others, and as is often the case comes in with names that are frustrating to figure out, if in fact they hide puns. But there are a couple of doozies, as usual, such as Tapioca, wife of Homeopathix, Kumakros (a slave in Caesar's palace), and Fibula, Tibula and Metarsus (wife, daughter and son of Osseus Humerous, which in itself is a bone condition!).

It is interesting to note that this volume takes on more 'adult' themes such as drunkenness, slavery, debauchery and androgyny, to the point where they openly discouraged kids from reading purposely left Dogmatix out of the story (he shows in only two panels) and even the font was changed to a more difficult one for younger readers to decipher. ( )

Abraracourcix et Bonemine se rendent à Lutèce chez le frère de cette dernière, Homéopatix, qui est un riche commerçant. Astérix et Obélix les accompagnent mais, lors du repas du soir, le chef du village et Obélix se retrouvent saoûls et prétendent dans leur moment d'ivresse pouvoir voler la couronne de lauriers de Jules César (« Farpaitement ! »). Homéopatix met au défi Astérix et Obélix de le faire. ( )