Charles McNelis (Georgetown University): Achilles and Odysseus in Statius' "Achilleid"
When:
Friday, November 1, 2024
12:00 PM - 2:00 PM CT
Where: Kresge Hall, Classics Seminar Room (4364), 1880 Campus Drive , Evanston, IL 60208 map it
Audience: Faculty/Staff - Student - Public - Post Docs/Docs - Graduate Students
Contact:
Caitlin Kelley
Group: Department of Classics
Category: Academic, Lectures & Meetings
Description:
Statius' Achilleid takes as its subject the hero Achilles prior to his participation in the Trojan War. Even though this chapter of Achilles' life is not pronounced in the Iliad, Statius depicts the hero in a way that develops ideas about the hero that are familiar from the Homeric poem. Similarly, the treatment of Odysseus, the hero of the Odyssey, in the Achilleid reflects aspects of that Homeric poem. This paper will focus particularly on Achilles' interactions with Odysseus in the Achilleid as a way to bring to light important dynamics of Statius' own poem as well as the larger epic tradition.