Statius, Thebaid 4

Statius, Thebaid 4 Synopsis

Modern readers are becoming increasingly drawn to the works of Statius, an erudite poet of the first century AD who gained particular popularity in Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages. Composed around AD 80-92, Statius' Thebaid is a twelve-book Latin epic which tells the mythological story of the expedition of the seven warriors against Thebes as they try to oust Eteocles from the throne in favour of his brother Polynices. Book 4 includes a catalogue of the attacking warriors, a depiction of a necromantic summoning of ghosts, and a description of the invading army's relief from thirst. In this volume Parkes offers the first full-length scholarly commentary on the whole of Thebaid 4, with text and apparatus criticus, an English translation, and a comprehensive introduction which discusses the various features of Thebaid 4, its relationship with the poem as a whole, and the place of the Thebaid in literary tradition - both in terms of its engagement with prior works and its impact on later literature. In addition to an analysis of Statius' linguistic usage and the book's textual problems, the commentary examines aspects of literary interpretation such as the development of the epic's themes, and the use of allusion.