The Thebaid’s Argonautic Program

Abstract This chapter focuses on Statius’ Thebaid, a poem whose use of programmatic allusivity in relation to Valerius’ Argonautica exceeds what we see in the work of the other Latin epicists studied in this book. In it the author examines two passages from the Thebaid that are rich in programmatic significance, the ekphrasis on Harmonia’s necklace in Book 2 and the consecutive prophecies of Melampus and Amphiaraus in Book 3. The author demonstrates that in these passages Statius allusively declares engagement with Valerius’ Argonautica to be an important feature of his epic technique. The chapter reveals that Statius’ interaction with Valerius’ narrative is designed to extract from his predecessor the macabre material he deemed suitable for his poem of fratricidal madness. It also suggests that Statius distinguishes his poetic enterprise from that of Valerius by replacing Valerian ambivalence with unmitigated horror.