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The ''Achilleid'' (; ) is an unfinished
epic poem In poetry, an epic is a lengthy narrative poem typically about the extraordinary deeds of extraordinary characters who, in dealings with gods or other superhuman forces, gave shape to the mortal universe for their descendants. With regard to ...
by
Publius Papinius Statius Publius Papinius Statius ( Greek: Πόπλιος Παπίνιος Στάτιος; , ; ) was a Latin poet of the 1st century CE. His surviving poetry includes an epic in twelve books, the ''Thebaid''; a collection of occasional poetry, the '' ...
that was intended to present the life of
Achilles In Greek mythology, Achilles ( ) or Achilleus () was a hero of the Trojan War who was known as being the greatest of all the Greek warriors. The central character in Homer's ''Iliad'', he was the son of the Nereids, Nereid Thetis and Peleus, ...
from his youth to his death at
Troy Troy (/; ; ) or Ilion (; ) was an ancient city located in present-day Hisarlik, Turkey. It is best known as the setting for the Greek mythology, Greek myth of the Trojan War. The archaeological site is open to the public as a tourist destina ...
. Only about one and a half books (1,127
dactylic hexameter Dactylic hexameter is a form of meter used in Ancient Greek epic and didactic poetry as well as in epic, didactic, satirical, and pastoral Latin poetry. Its name is derived from Greek (, "finger") and (, "six"). Dactylic hexameter consists o ...
s) were completed before the poet's death. What remains is an account of the hero's early life with the
centaur A centaur ( ; ; ), occasionally hippocentaur, also called Ixionidae (), is a creature from Greek mythology with the upper body of a human and the lower body and legs of a horse that was said to live in the mountains of Thessaly. In one version o ...
Chiron In Greek mythology, Chiron ( ; also Cheiron or Kheiron; ) was held to be the superlative centaur amongst his brethren since he was called the "wisest and justest of all the centaurs". Biography Chiron was notable throughout Greek mythology for ...
, and an episode in which his mother,
Thetis Thetis ( , or ; ) is a figure from Greek mythology with varying mythological roles. She mainly appears as a sea nymph, a goddess of water, and one of the 50 Nereids, daughters of the ancient sea god Nereus. When described as a Nereid in Cl ...
, disguised him as a girl on the island of Scyros, before he joined the Greek expedition against Troy.


Composition

Based upon three references to the poem in the '' Silvae'', the ''Achilleid'' seems to have been composed between 94 and 96 CE. At ''Silvae'' 4. 7. 21–24, Statius complains that he lacks the motivation to make progress upon his "Achilles" without the company of his friend C. Vibius Maximus who was travelling in
Dalmatia Dalmatia (; ; ) is a historical region located in modern-day Croatia and Montenegro, on the eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea. Through time it formed part of several historical states, most notably the Roman Empire, the Kingdom of Croatia (925 ...
(and to whom poem is addressed). Statius apparently overcame this self-described writer's block, for in a poem from the posthumously published fifth book of the ''Silvae'' he refers to an upcoming recitation of a section from the ''Achilleid''. This reference is believed to date from the summer of 95, and Statius presumably died later that year or early in the next, leaving the ''Achilleid'' unfinished.


Poetic models

Statius' primary models are
Homer Homer (; , ; possibly born ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Despite doubts about his autho ...
and the poems of the
Epic Cycle The Epic Cycle () was a collection of Ancient Greek epic poems, composed in dactylic hexameter and related to the story of the Trojan War, including the '' Cypria'', the ''Aethiopis'', the so-called '' Little Iliad'', the '' Iliupersis'', the ' ...
which touch on the life of Achilles. In the opening of the ''Achilleid'', Statius asks that his poem not stop with the death of Hector (''nec in Hectore tracto sistere'' 1.6) as the ''
Iliad The ''Iliad'' (; , ; ) is one of two major Ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the ''Odyssey'', the poem is divided into 24 books and ...
'' does but that it continue through the whole Trojan cycle, invoking these two important models. His style in the ''Achilleid'' has been seen as far more reminiscent of
Ovid Publius Ovidius Naso (; 20 March 43 BC – AD 17/18), known in English as Ovid ( ), was a Augustan literature (ancient Rome), Roman poet who lived during the reign of Augustus. He was a younger contemporary of Virgil and Horace, with whom he i ...
than
Virgil Publius Vergilius Maro (; 15 October 70 BC21 September 19 BC), usually called Virgil or Vergil ( ) in English, was an ancient Rome, ancient Roman poet of the Augustan literature (ancient Rome), Augustan period. He composed three of the most fa ...
, his major influence in the composition of the ''Thebaid''. Statius tried to revise the image of the Homeric Achilles with the ''Achilleid'', just as Ovid did for the Virgilian Aeneas. While doing this, they also exploited the tension between the accepted epic narrative and competing traditions pertaining to the heroes' lives. On account of its unfinished state, the ''Achilleid'' is often referred to as a "fragment", but this is a misleading label. Fragments are typically pieces of writing that have become seriously destroyed in the process of being transmitted to its audience. Statius' ''Achilleid'' is a work that is partially completed that had already been polished and presented to the world in his lifetime. The structure of the narrative is deliberate and balanced. The first words of the poem are the pseudo-Homeric patronymic that introduces Achilles through his father's father, while the last word of the poem is mother. Achilles' childhood experiences are then told in the space left vacant by his two absentee parents.


Contents


Book 1

Lines 1–13. The introduction states the goals and scope of the epic, including the intention to cover the entire life of Achilles, not simply up to Hector's death as was done in the ''Iliad''. The ''Achilleid'' opens with a traditional epic invocation of the
Muses In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, the Muses (, ) were the Artistic inspiration, inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the poetry, lyric p ...
and
Apollo Apollo is one of the Twelve Olympians, Olympian deities in Ancient Greek religion, ancient Greek and Ancient Roman religion, Roman religion and Greek mythology, Greek and Roman mythology. Apollo has been recognized as a god of archery, mu ...
, requesting inspiration for the poet's work and outlining the content of the poem to follow. The Muses are the first to be addressed (''Ach''. 1.1–7): As in Vergil's ''
Aeneid The ''Aeneid'' ( ; or ) is a Latin Epic poetry, epic poem that tells the legendary story of Aeneas, a Troy, Trojan who fled the Trojan War#Sack of Troy, fall of Troy and travelled to Italy, where he became the ancestor of the Ancient Rome ...
'' and Statius' own ''Thebaid'', the very first words present the poem's primary topic, expanded with a clause joined by the Latin enclitic conjunction '' -que''. While the structure of the first line puts the ''Achilleid'' within the Vergilian tradition of martial epic, Philip Hardie sees the last line quoted above as an indication of Statius' debt to Ovid.Hardie (1993) 63 n. 8. Specifically, the choice of the verb ''deducere'', "to lead down", evokes the invocation in the ''Metamorphoses'' in which Ovid asks the gods to lead down (''deducite'') to his own time a "perpetual song" (''perpetuum carmen''), with which Hardie also compares Statius' "Troy's whole story" (''tota Troia'', literally: "all of Troy"). Lines 14–19. Statius praises
Domitian Domitian ( ; ; 24 October 51 – 18 September 96) was Roman emperor from 81 to 96. The son of Vespasian and the younger brother of Titus, his two predecessors on the throne, he was the last member of the Flavian dynasty. Described as "a r ...
and dedicates the epic to this emperor. Lines 20–94.
Thetis Thetis ( , or ; ) is a figure from Greek mythology with varying mythological roles. She mainly appears as a sea nymph, a goddess of water, and one of the 50 Nereids, daughters of the ancient sea god Nereus. When described as a Nereid in Cl ...
, worrying that the Greek troops preparing to head to Troy will soon come to recruit her son and thus greatly endanger his life (for he is fated to die if he goes to Troy), asks
Neptune Neptune is the eighth and farthest known planet from the Sun. It is the List of Solar System objects by size, fourth-largest planet in the Solar System by diameter, the third-most-massive planet, and the densest giant planet. It is 17 t ...
if he will sink the Trojan fleet carrying
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
and Helen. Neptune denies this request, stating that the war is fated. Lines 95–197. Thetis goes to
Thessaly Thessaly ( ; ; ancient Aeolic Greek#Thessalian, Thessalian: , ) is a traditional geographic regions of Greece, geographic and modern administrative regions of Greece, administrative region of Greece, comprising most of the ancient Thessaly, a ...
, where the centaur
Chiron In Greek mythology, Chiron ( ; also Cheiron or Kheiron; ) was held to be the superlative centaur amongst his brethren since he was called the "wisest and justest of all the centaurs". Biography Chiron was notable throughout Greek mythology for ...
has been raising and tutoring Achilles. She tells Chiron that she wants to take her son back and then enjoys a night of eating, singing, and drinking with them in his cave. Lines 198–282. Thetis decides that she must hide Achilles on
Lycomedes In Greek mythology, Lycomedes (), also known as Lycurgus (mythology), Lycurgus, was the most prominent king of the Dolopians in the island of Skyros, Scyros near Euboea during the Trojan War. Family Lycomedes was the father of seven daughters ...
' island of Scyros and takes him there while he sleeps. Once he wakes, she tries to convince him to hide himself there disguised as a girl. He refuses to accept this plan despite her promises that no one else will ever find out. Lines 283–396. Achilles is finally convinced to follow his mother's advice when he witnesses the daughters of King Lycomedes performing a dance at a festival of Pallas. Achilles is immediately struck by the outstanding beauty of one of these women, Deidamia, and so agrees to disguise himself as a woman and live among the king's daughters in order to be near her. Thetis dresses her son in women's clothing and teaches him how to act feminine, then presents her "daughter" to King Lycomedes and asks for him to care for and protect her among his own daughters. The king agrees to her request. One of the main themes up through this section, and as an undercurrent for the rest of the book, is that of maternal anxiety on the part of Thetis. Some authors have made note of the strong emphasis on and significance of Thetis and her concern here, especially as compared to in other Classical works. Konstan points out that many scholars have interpreted the depiction of Achilles disguised as a girl as symbolizing his maturation from a child living among women to an adult. Konstan believes that Statius in fact focuses more on the humorous aspects of the story, thus providing a comedic contrast to the serious tones of war by "delight ngin the naughty humor of the situation and the deflation of epic pretentiousness." Lines 397–466. The Argives (Greeks) in various regions prepare for the Trojan War. Lines 467–559. The Greeks muster their forces at Aulis but notice that Achilles is missing. The prophet Calchas sees in a trance that Achilles has been hidden on Scyros, and Ulysses and
Diomedes Diomedes (Jones, Daniel; Roach, Peter, James Hartman and Jane Setter, eds. ''Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary''. 17th edition. Cambridge UP, 2006.) or Diomede (; ) is a hero in Greek mythology, known for his participation in the Trojan ...
depart to fetch him. Lines 560–674. Achilles continues to fall in love with Deidamia, who has by now discovered his true identity and is helping him to maintain his disguise. Achilles rapes Deidamia in a sacred grove and she makes the conscious decision to forgive him for this indiscretion and keep it a secret. She becomes pregnant and gives birth to their child (
Neoptolemus In Greek mythology, Neoptolemus (; ), originally called Pyrrhus at birth (; ), was the son of the mythical warrior Achilles and the princess Deidamia, and the brother of Oneiros. He became the progenitor of the ruling dynasty of the Molossian ...
, although he is never referred to by name in the ''Achilleid''). Lines 675–818. Ulysses and Diomedes arrive at Scyros, are entertained by Lycomedes, and set out gifts for his daughters. When Achilles alone is attracted by the shield and helmet and not the more womanly items, his identity is revealed, as Ulysses had intended. Achilles, now convinced to follow the Greek heroes to war, explains for the first time his relationship with Deidamia and their baby son and persuades Lycomedes to allow him to officially marry his daughter. Lines 927–60. Deidamia sees the future and recites a speech of despair, expressing her hope that Achilles will one day return to her.


Book 2

Lines 1–22. After praying to his mother for forgiveness, Achilles sets sail from Scyros with Ulysses and Diomedes. Lines 23–48. Deidamia and Achilles each grieve, separately, for the loss of the other. Ulysses tries to take Achilles' mind off his wife. Lines 49–85. Ulysses tells the story of the events leading up to the war on which they are about to embark and expresses his indignation at Paris' reckless abduction of Helen and the threat that he feels toward society as a whole as a result. Lines 86–167. Per Diomedes' request, Achilles tells of his youth, his hunting exploits, and the teachings of Chiron. The poem ends with the closure of Achilles' narrative.


Influence of and critical responses to the ''Achilleid''

The ''Achilleid'' has generally received far more positive criticism than the ''Thebaid''. One branch of this focuses on comparisons between the two poems; many scholars see a drastic difference between the "serious" and "Iliadic" ''Thebaid'' and the playful "Ovidian" ''Achilleid''. Some have seen the ''Achilleid'' as Statius' attempt to write an entirely new multi-generic type of epic as a challenge to the Virgilian model. Others have noted the importance of female emotions and feminine characteristics in the poem. Finally, some have interpreted the character of Achilles as a subversive foil for Domitian. Critics have also said that the ''Achilleid'' was a failure because Statius wrote it as an attempt to constitute an alternative epic tradition, which he was unsuccessful in doing. However, it has also been argued that Statius' alternative epic tradition has influenced some of his successors. Claudian's ''De raptu Proserpinae'' emulated Statius' alternative epic tradition, leaving his work seemingly unfinished. Claudian believed that the inevitability of Homeric and Virgilian narrative was the cause of Statius' inability to proceed. Other writers such as
Dante Alighieri Dante Alighieri (; most likely baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri; – September 14, 1321), widely known mononymously as Dante, was an Italian Italian poetry, poet, writer, and philosopher. His ''Divine Comedy'', originally called ...
borrowed from Statius and thought highly of his style;
Giovanni Boccaccio Giovanni Boccaccio ( , ; ; 16 June 1313 – 21 December 1375) was an Italian people, Italian writer, poet, correspondent of Petrarch, and an important Renaissance humanism, Renaissance humanist. Born in the town of Certaldo, he became so ...
was inspired by him; and
Geoffrey Chaucer Geoffrey Chaucer ( ; – 25 October 1400) was an English poet, author, and civil servant best known for ''The Canterbury Tales''. He has been called the "father of English literature", or, alternatively, the "father of English poetry". He w ...
studied and imitated Statius. The influences of Statius and the ''Achilleid'' are also clearly seen in
Edmund Spenser Edmund Spenser (; – 13 January 1599 Old Style and New Style dates, O.S.) was an English poet best known for ''The Faerie Queene'', an epic poem and fantastical allegory celebrating the House of Tudor, Tudor dynasty and Elizabeth I. He is re ...
's ''
The Faerie Queene ''The Faerie Queene'' is an English epic poem by Edmund Spenser. Books IIII were first published in 1590, then republished in 1596 together with books IVVI. ''The Faerie Queene'' is notable for its form: at over 36,000 lines and over 4,000 sta ...
'', especially in one Canto of Book III. Statius' ''Achilleid'' also had a great impact in the realm of opera in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries across Europe. These operas raised the issues of transvestitism, biological sex, and social gender. When a woman played the character of Achilles, the audience saw a woman playing the role of a man pretending to be a woman. When a
castrato A castrato (Italian; : castrati) is a male singer who underwent castration before puberty in order to retain a singing voice equivalent to that of a soprano, mezzo-soprano, or contralto. The voice can also occur in one who, due to an endocrino ...
played Achilles, the unveiling of the "girl" forced the observation of a contrast between the fictional character who sheds his false
gender identity Gender identity is the personal sense of one's own gender. Gender identity can correlate with a person's assigned sex or can differ from it. In most individuals, the various biological determinants of sex are congruent and consistent with the in ...
on Scyros and the singer who cannot. Some directors such as Giulio Strozzi, Ippolito Bentivoglio, and Carlo Capece, chose to embody the spirit of Carnival: the greatest hero of antiquity puts on a female disguise to pursue his love and sexual desires. For later writers such as Pietro Metastasio and Paolo Rolli, the myth teaches that gender is essential, in that the masculinity of Achilles is a primal force of nature that cannot be hidden, and it is a crucial component of his heroism. The first treatment of the "Achilleid" for the operatic stage was ''La finta pazza'', "the woman feigning madness," performed in Venice in 1641. Following that was the opera, '' Achille in Sciro'', first performed in Ferrara in 1663.


Women in the ''Achilleid''

In ancient epic, women have been portrayed through various roles that help, hinder, and protect characters from disaster. Greek poets, such as Homer, have generally illustrated women as victims of conflict, the cause of conflict, negotiators among combatant men, and mourners of the dead. Roman poets, like Virgil, describe women in a similar light, but they also tend to complicate the portrayal of women, often depicting them as hindering a hero's destiny and stirring conflict among men. In the ''Achilleid'', classicist P. J. Heslin argues that Statius upholds the Roman trend of portraying women as "heroic blockers" with the development of Thetis' character. In the ''Achilleid'', Thetis is a prophet, protector, and hinderer to Achilles. She desperately tries to protect Achilles from going off to fight the Trojan War, knowing that he will die in battle if he goes. Thetis's initial reaction of anger to this knowledge (inspiring her idea to sink Paris's fleet) imitates the classic anger of the goddess Juno. However, her surge in anger does not help her protect Achilles. Thetis's supplication of Neptune mirrors Venus's supplication of Neptune in the Aeneid, except Thetis's attempt fails whereas Venus's succeeds. Thetis's maternal instinct to protect her child from danger fulfills one of the typical roles women play in ancient epic. She also hinders the course of Achilles' fate by trying to change his destiny, which is to become one of the most glorified heroes in Greek history. The other major female character in the ''Achilleid'' is Deidamia. Heslin argues that Achilles rapes Deidamia in order to assert his masculinity because dressing and acting like a woman makes him feel belittled. Deidamia's rape is just another example from epic tales that shows women as property, ultimately in the control of men. Her obedience to Achilles is further exemplified by her silence after the rape. After marrying Achilles, Deidamia then fulfills the role of the faithful wife waiting for her husband to return home from war. Heslin illuminates how the expectations for the behavior of Roman women during Statius's life can also be seen in the ''Achilleid'' through Thetis's instructions on how Achilles should act on Scyros. Thetis criticizes his "masculine" mannerisms and leaves him on Scyros to learn more about how to act in a womanly fashion.Heslin (2005). p. 126. Hence, this instruction on "womanliness" can be interpreted as insight into Rome's feminine world during Statius's lifetime.


Manuscripts

There are only a few manuscripts of the ''Achilleid'': * Trivulziano 792, 1391-1410, Milan, Archivio storico civico e Biblioteca Trivulziana * A 5 inf., 1401-1500, Milan, Biblioteca Ambrosiana * H 166 inf, 1401-1450, Milan, Biblioteca Ambrosiana * AE._XII.52, 1413, Milan, Biblioteca nazionale Braidense * It.173/15=alfa.K.3.29, 1401-1650, Modena, Biblioteca Estense * Lat.211=alfa.P.6.14, 1401-1500, Modena, Biblioteca Estense * Lat.939=alfa.M,9.22, 1401-1500, Modena, Biblioteca Estense * Ms.Pal.0069, 1401-1450, Parma, Biblioteca Palatina * Manoscritti, 98,1401-1500, Poppi, Biblioteca comunale Riliana * Ms.1721, 1401-1500, Rome, Biblioteca Angelica * Ms.B 30/1-2, Rome, Biblioteca Vallicelliana * Ms.C 95, Rome, Biblioteca Vallicelliana


Notes


Bibliography

;Editions, translations, Commentaries * McNelis, Charles (2024) ''Statius: Achilleid''. Edited with introduction, translation, and commentary (Oxford
ISBN 9780198871453
* Shackleton Bailey, D.R. (2003a) ''Statius II. Thebaid, Books 1–7. Achilleid'',
Loeb Classical Library The Loeb Classical Library (LCL; named after James Loeb; , ) is a monographic series of books originally published by Heinemann and since 1934 by Harvard University Press. It has bilingual editions of ancient Greek and Latin literature, ...
no. 207 (Cambridge, MA) . * Shackleton Bailey, D.R. (2003b) ''Statius III. Thebaid, Books 8–12. Achilleid'',
Loeb Classical Library The Loeb Classical Library (LCL; named after James Loeb; , ) is a monographic series of books originally published by Heinemann and since 1934 by Harvard University Press. It has bilingual editions of ancient Greek and Latin literature, ...
no. 495 (Cambridge, MA) . ;Discussions * Bitto, Gregor (2016) ''Vergimus in senium. Statius’ Achilleis als Alterswerk'' (Göttingen) . * Coleman, K.M. (1988) ''Statius: Silvae IV'' (Oxford) . * Coleman, K.M. (2003) "Recent Scholarship on the Epics" in: Shackleton Bailey (2003a) 9–37. * Cowan, R. (2005) Introduction to the Bristol reprint of Dilke, ''Statius: Achilleid'' (Exeter) . * Davis, P.J. (2006) "Allusion to Ovid and others in Statius' ''Achilleid''", ''Ramus'' 35: 129–43. * Dilke, O.A.W. (1954) ''Statius: Achilleid'' (Cambridge). * Fantham, E. (1979) "Statius' ''Achilles'' and his Trojan model", ''Classical Quarterly'' 29: 457–62. * Feeney, D. (2004) "''Tenui ... Latens Discrimine'': Spotting the Differences in Statius' ''Achilleid''", ''Materiali e discussioni per l'analisi dei testi classici'' 52: 85–105. * Foley, P. Helene (2005) ''A Companion To Ancient Epic: Women in Ancient Epic'' . * Hardie, P. (1993) ''The Epic Successors of Virgil: A Study in the Dynamics of a Tradition'' (Cambridge) . * Heslin, P.J. (2005) ''The Transvestite Achilles: Gender and Genre in Statius' Achilleid'' (Cambridge) . * McNelis, C. (2009) "In the Wake of Latona: Thetis at Statius, ''Achilleid'' 1.198–216", ''Classical Quarterly'' 59: 238–46. * McNelis, C. (2015) "Similes and Gender in the ''Achilleid''," in: W. Dominik, C. Newlands, and K. Gervais (eds.) ''Brill's Companion to Statius'' (Leiden) at 189–206. * McNelis, C. (2015) "Statius’ ''Achilleid'' and the Cypria," in: M. Fantuzzi and C. Tsagalis (eds.) ''The Greek Epic Cycle and its Reception'' (Oxford) at 578–595. * McNelis, C. (2020) "Bacchus, Hercules and Literary History in Statius’ ''Achilleid''," ''Classical Journal'' 115: 442–55. * Mendelsohn, D. (1990) "Empty Nest, Abandoned Cave: Maternal Anxiety in ''Achilleid'' 1", ''Classical Antiquity'' 9: 295–308. * Newlands, C. (2004) "Statius and Ovid: Transforming the Landscape", '' TAPA'' 134: 133–55. * Parkes, R. (2008) "The Return of the Seven: Allusion to the ''Thebaid'' in Statius' ''Achilleid''", ''American Journal of Philology'' 129: 381–402. * Sanna, S. (2007) "Achilles, the Wise Lover and His Seductive Strategies (Statius, ''Achilleid'' 1.560–92)", ''Classical Quarterly'' 57: 207–15. * * Slavitt, David (1997) ''Broken Columns: Two Roman Epic Fragments'' (Philadelphia) . * Vessey, D.W.T.C. (1982) "Flavian Epic", in: E.J. Kenney & W.V. Claussen (eds.) ''The Cambridge History of Classical Literature, II: Latin Literature'' (Cambridge) at 558–96. .


External links


Lat.211=alfa.P.6.14
1401-1500,
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, Biblioteca Estense. * {{Authority control 1st-century books in Latin Poetry by Statius Unfinished poems Epic poems in Latin Trojan War literature Cultural depictions of Achilles Poetry based on the Iliad Thetis Cross-dressing in literature Skyros