Hercules in the Thebaid

This chapter considers Statius’ use of Hercules and Herculean imagery in the Thebaid, and shows that Statius’ handling of Hercules reflects an attempt at constructing a new model of heroism in the political arena. It begins by showing that the myth of Hercules had unfavorable associations under Domitian because of Nero’s extensive appropriation of this mythical figure. Statius’ investigation of the Hercules paradigm in the Thebaid contributes to showing that, although Domitian recovered the Hercules comparison abandoned by his father Vespasian and exploited by Nero, he was no Nero. In the process, Statius redefines Herculean heroism in light of stoic theories of passions, relying on Seneca’s De Clementia and on a subtle reading of Seneca’s Hercules Furens. In particular, the chapter focuses on a series of passages featuring Tydeus, Polynices, Capaneus and Menoeceus. It also provides a reading of the ekphrasis of Hercules’ crater in book 6.