Heroic Self-Fashioning in Statius' Thebaid
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Heroic Self-Fashioning in Statius’ Thebaid Henry Ka Chun Tang St. Edmund’s College University of Cambridge This dissertation is submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Date of submission: June 2018 i ii Preface Declaration This dissertation is the result of my own work and includes nothing which is the outcome of work done in collaboration except as declared in the Preface and specified in the text. It is not substantially the same as any that I have submitted, or, is being concurrently submitted for a degree or diploma or other qualification at the University of Cambridge or any other University or similar institution except as declared in the Preface and specified in the text. I further state that no substantial part of my dissertation has already been submitted, or, is being concurrently submitted for any such degree, diploma or other qualification at the University of Cambridge or any other University or similar institution except as declared in the Preface and specified in the text. Some sections from chapter 2 (p143-164) have been reworked and expanded from my Master’s dissertation at the University of Oxford (2014). The length of this dissertation is 79,988 words. It does not exceed the prescribed word limit for the relevant Degree Committee. Henry Tang 26/06/2018 iii iv Abstract Heroic Self-fashioning in Statius’ Thebaid – Henry Ka Chun Tang This thesis will examine how heroes attempt to create their own heroic identity in Statius’ epic poem, the Thebaid. The Thebaid is a poem with no single central character, but a central group of heroes of relatively equal standing. Among this large crowd, each individual attempts to prove their heroic worth by manipulating narratives about themselves. In this way, they hope to improve their standing in society, and their chances of being remembered well by posterity. But heroic identity relies on the recognition of society, meaning reputation is difficult to control among the public. Therefore, these individuals must perform a heroic identity, so that society would actually recognise them in such a way. However, the Thebaid is a poem about failure. Few of the heroes remain alive by the end of the poem. Fewer still remain with their good reputations intact. In their attempts to push pass the limits of humanity to gain eternal fame, most commit terrible sins. The heroic greatness that they claim to have in their self-presentations is therefore called into question by the Thebaid’s narrative and its narrator, who condemns the actions of the heroes throughout the poem. Throughout my project, I will be interested in the gap that forms behind the heroic image, which the heroes create about themselves in their narratives, and those of the main narrator. The narrator will consistently undermine the efforts of the heroes, encouraging counter- interpretations to the heroic image that the characters hope to cement. In my first chapter, I will examine how the heroes create narratives about themselves by trying to control the discourse about their family. This can involve suppressing or even changing details from their family history, so that their ancestors will have a positive effect on their reputation. In my second chapter, I will examine how the heroes manipulate the rhetoric about monster-slaying. The heroes attempt to portray themselves as forces of good, removing evil monsters from the world; in reality, they themselves become monstrous through their actions, and become a source of evil to the world. My final chapter will examine the relationship between the text and contemporary Flavian society. I suggest that Flavian society was one that was self-conscious about self- portrayal, and that a discourse had arisen about the appropriate ways in which this should be done. I hope to show that the attempts of the heroes to make themselves look like heroes are a reflection of these contemporary anxieties. v vi Contents Acknowledgements ..................................................................................................................... ix Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 1 Heroic Self-Fashioning ............................................................................................................. 1 Self-Fashioning and Performative Identity ............................................................................... 2 Patterns of Epic Heroism .......................................................................................................... 6 The Aristos ................................................................................................................................ 7 Ktisis and Nostos ....................................................................................................................... 8 The Unheroic Hero .................................................................................................................... 8 The Roman Hero: Emperor and Empire ................................................................................. 11 The Roman Anti-Hero: Heroes of Civil War .......................................................................... 13 Philosophical Heroes: Tyrants and Sages ............................................................................... 14 The Nature of Fama ................................................................................................................ 16 Vehicles of Fama .................................................................................................................... 21 Tydeus: a Case Study .............................................................................................................. 22 Chapter 1 - Ancestors ............................................................................................................... 29 Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 29 The Rhetoric of Ancestry in Epic before Statius ..................................................................... 30 Romans and Models of Emulation .......................................................................................... 34 The Curse of Ancestry in Tragedy before Statius ................................................................... 36 Tragic Ancestry in the Thebaid ............................................................................................... 38 Polynices: Oedipodionides ...................................................................................................... 42 The Insecurities of Tydeus ...................................................................................................... 49 Adrastus: the Push and Pull of the Ancestors ......................................................................... 56 The Artistic Designs of Adrastus: Photoshopping the Family Pictures .................................. 60 More Lasting in Bronze? ......................................................................................................... 75 Ancestral Monuments and Roman Society ............................................................................. 77 Parthenopaeus: a Cultural Symbol of Youth and Beauty ........................................................ 80 Mother and Son ....................................................................................................................... 82 Trying to Look the Part of a Hero ........................................................................................... 86 Atalanta: Undermining the Heroic Look ................................................................................. 91 Parthenopaeus and the Lusus Troiae ....................................................................................... 94 The Final Position in the Catalogue ........................................................................................ 97 Parthenopaeus’ ‘Odyssey’ ....................................................................................................... 98 Parthenopaeus, Odysseus, and Boar-Hunting ....................................................................... 102 vii Parthenopaeus: Conclusion ................................................................................................... 103 Chapter 2 – Monster-Slayers ................................................................................................. 105 Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 105 Heroes and Monsters: Perspective and Rhetoric ................................................................... 107 Boundaries of Hybridity, Humanity, Divinity ...................................................................... 115 Oedipus and the Sphinx ........................................................................................................ 119 Adrastus’ Patera: Deified Figures ........................................................................................ 125 Hybridity ............................................................................................................................... 131 Perseus: Agent of Order or Chaos? ....................................................................................... 134 Men, Horses, Centaurs: The Crater and the Chlamys ..........................................................