Games and War: Statius, Silius Italicus, and The Failed Heroic Succession of Valerius Flaccus’ Pollux

Abstract

In Statius’ Thebaid, Alcidamas’ agonistic identity, drawing on Pollux’s heroism in Valerius, is threatened during the games and collapses in war: Valerius’ virtus finds no place in Statius. There’s a similar opposition between athleticism and war in Silius’ Punica, where Podaetus’ failure metapoetically signals that martial epic outclasses epic games.

Topics & Concepts