The Rise and Fall of Achilles:
Character Development in Quintus of Smyrna's Posthomerica?
Scholars usually describe Quintus’ Posthomerica (ca 300 AD) as an episodic epic, implying that each of its 14 Books encapsulates self-contained narratives with a beginning, a middle, and an end. Some may go so far as to claim that one could read each Book individually, regardless of order, and the poem would still work as a complete piece. This perception implies that the Posthomerica consists of something close to a collection of individual epyllia, of short epics stitched together. While this is a valid interpretation, this paper goes a different direction, and aims to highlight the importance of narrative sequentiality within Quintus’ work. While each Book certainly retains a standalone quality, the poet also intertwines sequential development throughout the poem, allowing us to also view it as a piece of interwoven narrative arcs.
We shall focus on Books 1-3 as a study case, delving into the final moments of the post-Homeric Achilles during the Trojan War — his confrontations with Penthesilea and Memnon, and his demise at the hands of Apollo. By means of narratological scrutiny, we seek to uncover nuances of character development within this sequence. As such, we relativize the assumption that the Posthomerica is solely episodic and aim to highlight the importance of sequential development underlying its structure.
Finally, this paper seeks to define the terms “episode” and “sequence” within the context of ancient epic narrative and elucidate how these notions interplay in Quintus’ work. Through this exploration, we aim to shed light on the intricate tapestry of storytelling methods employed in the Posthomerica.