This is the first commentary on the second book of Statius’ epic poem, the Thebaid, in nearly sixty years, and the only full-scale English commentary. My primary objective is to explain the meaning (in several senses of the term) of the Latin text. The subject matter of the thesis beyond the introduction is naturally dependent upon the content of each word, phrase, or larger section under consideration, but the following are some of the larger questions I have used to guide my exegesis. What is the literal meaning of each passage and how does it interact with various figurative meanings? What does each passage contribute to our understanding of Statius’ poetic usage and technique? Of Latin epic technique? How does it inform the dominant issues, themes, and images explored by book two? How does it interact with the rest of the poem (i.e., what structural or intratextual markers can be found and how do they influence the meaning of the passage under consideration or the structure and meaning of the book or poem as a whole)? How does it interact with other (especially epic) texts (i.e., what intertextual markers can be found and how do links with other texts affect the meaning of the passage under consideration, the poem as a whole, and the other texts)?
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