De kracht van het verleden. De invloed van de Ilias op de karakterisering van Achilles en Ajax in de Posthomerica van Quintus van Smyrna

Quintus of Smyrna's Posthomerica is a late antique epic designed as a sequel to Homer in both contents and style. Fourteen episodically structured books tell the end of the Trojan war from Hector's burial onward. Among the first events is the death of Achilles and the subsequent judgement of arms which causes the suicide of Aiax Maior. This article examines how the Posthomerica deals with the multiform reception of these unhomeric stories and transforms them into Iliadic accounts that build on the Homeric characterization of Achilles and Aiax. Quintus uses intertextual references to make a strong connection with the Homeric model and bring the old story to a convincing end which is embedded in a younger literary tradition.

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