Editing Statius (section)

===The ''Thebaid''===
{{main| Thebaid (Latin poem)}}

Based on Statius's own testimony, the ''Thebaid'' was written between c. 80 and 92, beginning when the poet was around 35, and the work is thought to have been published in 91 or 92.<ref>Feeney, Dennis ''The Oxford Classical Dictionary'' (Oxford, 1996) pg.1439</ref> The poem is divided into twelve books in imitation of [[Virgil]]'s ''[[Aeneid]]'' and is composed in dactylic hexameter.<ref>Shackleton Bailey, D.R. ''Statius' Thebaid 1–7'' (Cambridge, 2003) pg.3</ref> In the ''Silvae'', Statius speaks of his extensive work in polishing and revising the ''Thebaid'' and his public recitations of the poem.<ref>''Silv.'' 5.2.161</ref> From the epilogue it seems clear that Statius considered the ''Thebaid'' to be his ''magnum opus'' and believed that it would secure him fame for the future. In the poem, Statius follows Virgil closely as a model (in the epilogue<ref>Theb. 12.810-19.</ref> he acknowledges his debt to Virgil), but he also refers to a wide range of sources in his handling of meter and episodes.
[[Image:Hoplites fight Louvre E735.jpg|thumb|right|400px|The ''Thebaid'' describes the siege of Thebes by the seven Argive champions]]

The poem's theme is the myth of the [[Seven against Thebes]], the story of the battle between the sons of [[Oedipus]] for the throne of [[Ancient Thebes (Boeotia)|Thebes]]. The poem opens (Book 1) with the disgraced Oedipus' curse on his two sons, [[Eteocles]] and [[Polyneices]], who have decided to hold the throne of Thebes in alternate years, one ruling, the other in exile. Jupiter plans a war between Thebes and [[Argos, Peloponnese|Argos]], although Juno begs him not to incite it. Polyneices in exile fights with [[Tydeus]], another exile at [[Adrastus]]' palace; the two are entertained and marry Adrastus' daughters. In Book 2, Tydeus goes to Eteocles to ask him to lay down the throne and yield power, but he refuses and tries to kill Tydeus with an ambush. Tydeus slaughters the Thebans and escapes to Argos, causing Adrastus and Polyneices to declare war on Thebes (Book 3). In the fourth book the Argive forces gather, commanded by the seven champions Adrastus, Polyneices, [[Amphiaraus]], [[Capaneus]], [[Parthenopaeus]], [[Hippomedon]], and Tydeus, and march to Thebes, but at [[Nemea]], Bacchus causes a drought. The army meets [[Hypsipyle]] who shows them a spring then tells them the story of the Women of [[Lemnos]] (Book 5). While she is speaking, her ward, [[Opheltes]], is killed by a snake; in Book 6, the Argives perform games for the dead child, instituting the [[Nemean Games]]. In 7, Jupiter urges the Argives to march on Thebes where battle breaks out during which Amphiaraus is swallowed in the earth. In 8, Tydeus, wounded and dying, kills Melanippus and eats his head; a battle over his body leads to the death of Hippomedon and Parthenopaeus (Book 9). In 10, Juno causes sleep to overcome the Thebans and the Argives slaughter many in the camp; [[Menoeceus]] sacrifices himself to save Thebes and Jupiter kills the wicked Capaneus with a thunderbolt. In 11, Polyneices and Eteocles join in single combat and kill each other; [[Jocasta]] kills herself and [[Creon of Thebes|Creon]] assumes power, forbidding burial of the Argive dead. In the final book, the Argive widows go to [[Athens]] to ask [[Theseus]] to force Creon to allow their husbands' burial while [[Antigone]], Polyneices's sister, and [[Argia]], Polyneices's wife, burns him illicitly. Theseus musters an army and kills Creon. The ''Thebaid'' ends with an epilogue in which the poet prays that his poem will be successful, cautions it not to rival the ''[[Aeneid]]'', and hopes that his fame will outlive him.

Modern critics of the ''Thebaid'' have been divided over interpretations of the epic's tone. Earlier critics in the 19th and 20th century considered the poem a piece of elaborate flattery that vindicated the regime of Domitian; however, more recent scholars have viewed the poem as a subversive work that criticizes the [[authoritarianism]] and violence of the Flavians by focusing on extreme violence and social chaos.<ref>Hardie, P. ''The Epic Successors of Virgil: A Study in the Dynamics of a Tradition'' (Cambridge, 1993).</ref> Statius' use of [[allegory]] in the ''Thebaid'' and his abstract treatment of the gods has been seen as an important innovation in the tradition of classical poetry which ushered in Medieval conventions.<ref>Lewis, C. S. ''[[The Allegory of Love]]'' (1936) pp.48–56</ref> Finally, although earlier scholars criticized the style of the poem as episodic, current scholars have noted the subtlety and skill with which Statius organizes and controls his narrative and description.<ref>Coleman in Bailey, pg.13–18</ref> Other topics discussed in the scholarship on the Thebaid are the pervasive role of madness (furor), time, or the family.<ref>Venini 1964; Hershkowitz 1994; Hershkowitz 1995; Simms 2020; e.g. Bernstein 2003.</ref>