Abstract

In reshaping the historical material on the Second Punic War, Tiberius Catius Asconius Silius Italicus' boldest statement is located in restoring the gods as active participants in Roman epic narrative. Hercules is the mythical character that yields the most insight for our assessment of what paradigms of heroism operate in Silius' Roman epic. This chapter deals with the treatment of Hercules as a paradigm of divinity in light of other critics' discussion of the question of the epic 'hero' and in particular of Roman heroism in Silius' poem. The Silian deities, however, stand conspicuously more massive than Virgil's Juno, Venus, Jove, and Allecto. In the narrative of the siege of Saguntum in the first two books of the Punica , the Spanish town is associated with Hercules via the figure of Zacynthos, who accompanies Hercules back from Geryon's island. Keywords: Hercules; human divinity; Juno; Punica ; Roman heroism; Saguntum; Second Punic War; Tiberius Catius Asconius Silius Italicus

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.