Réécritures d’un mythe homérique à travers le temps

The myth of Paris enjoyed different re-writings and interpretations in Latin epic of the Early Empire. In the Aeneid, the role of Paris as an adulterer and abductor is undermined by the poet in order to avoid tarnishing the Troian royal gens ; moreover, Virgil incorporates elements from unhomeric traditions which heighten the character. The Neronian period goes even further in the rehabilitation of Paris. The emperor takes him as an exemplum of the agonistic way of life, making him the hero of his Troica. The Ilias Italica implies also a more positive judgement on Paris than the Iliad. On the contrary, the moralizing trend of the Flavian era leads to a negative view of the character in the Punica and in the Achilleid. Both Silius and Statius take him as a foil to their hero, Scipio or Achilles. In the Punica, the myth of Paris’judgement of the goddesses is an allegory for the choice of uoluptas against uirtus (under the influency of Stoic allegoresis), and in the Achilleid, Paris is the subject of a violent uituperatio. To sum up, the myth of Paris illustrates a debate about ethical values in Latin epic : the problem of the relationship (complementarity or opposition) between uirtus and luxuria.

Ancient history · Art · Emperor · EPIC · Folio · HERO · Humanities · Judgement · Literature · Mythology · Classical Antiquity Studies · Historical and Literary Analyses · Historical and Literary Studies · History · Philosophy

• Exitium Troiae funestaque flamma. Il personaggio di Paride nell’ Ilias Latina

  Giuseppe Aricò•Philologus•2023

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