Odi(tque moras): Abridging Allusions to Vergil, Aeneid 12 in Statius, Thebaid 12

Abstract

I argue that various allusions to Aeneid 12 in Thebaid 12 abridge the earlier narrative, cutting out difficult scenes so that Theseus and Creon’s duel becomes a more straightforward battle between right and wrong than that of Aeneas and Turnus. These “abridging allusions” are one of several techniques used to thematize narrative speed in Thebaid 12, in contrast to the thematization of delay in earlier books. I first discuss delay as a central feature in the two epics, then examine Statius’ abridging allusions and situate them in various ongoing debates about the poem and its relationship with the Aeneid.

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