This study looks at three episodes in Ovid’s Metamorphoses, namely the Hercules episode in Book 9 and the Pygmalion and Myrrha episodes in Book 10. These episodes are connected by the fact that, in each, the superficial interpretation of the text interacts with the tale’s underlying meaning and thus invites reassessment of that tale. This is a recurring feature throughout the Metamorphoses. The first chapter looks at the Hercules episode. It begins with a study of Ovid’s sources for the tale of Hercules and Deianira and is followed by a discussion of the episode itself. The central argument is that despite the amatory facade of the tale, the narrator systematically establishes Hercules’ lack of amorous interest in Deianira. The second chapter examines the Pygmalion episode. It looks at recent critical interest in the implicit eroticism of the episode and further contributes to this area of discussion. This study has two parts. In the first, Venus’ contribution to the erotic undercurrent in the tale is discussed. In the second, the relationship between Pygmalion and the Iphis episode in Book 9 is examined. The third chapter discusses the Myrrha episode which immediately follows that of Pygmalion in Ovid’s epic. The central argument of this chapter is that Ovid deliberately establishes a ritual undercurrent of sacred marriage in the tale. This Cyprian cult practice was an important feature of the Myrrha-Cinyras legend and examination of this aspect in the Ovidian adaptation begins with an examination of the relevance of this ritual motif to that legend generally. This is followed by a discussion of how Ovid deliberately establishes the scared marriage as a backdrop to his own incest tale. This depends on the creation of an undercurrent of marriage and on the religious atmosphere which exists alongside it.

This thesis consists of an edition of the Aratea of Germanicus. In its preparation twenty eight manuscripts and many early editions were collated (most of them for the first time) and their relationships established as far as possible. In the construction of the text of the poem the manuscript evidence was evaluated and a large number of conjectures sifted. The text is followed by an English translation and a commentary which discusses the text and the sources of the poem, defends the text printed and comments on other matters such as the author's style and imitations of earlier Latin poets. There is a discussion in the introduction of the sources, date and authorship of the poem.

This thesis attempts to provide for the first time an English commentary on poems from the second book of Ovid's Amores. Included is a text of poems 1-10, to which the present commentary is confined. No independent collation of the manuscripts has been attempted in view of the meticulous work already done in this area by modern scholars, and the text offered would not claim to be a new recension; the readings of the codex Hamiltonensis 471 (Y), however, a manuscript of only fairly recently recognized antiquity, have been taken into account and are documented along with those of P and S, the other antiquiores, in a select apparatus which is intended for use in conjunction with the critical notes in the commentary. The commentary proceeds on a line by line basis, dealing in detail with specific points of literary, linguistic and textual interest as they arise; wider issues, however, such as the conventions of poetic diction and the use of particular ranges of imagery, also find a place in discussion. The interpretations and elucidations of the older editors have been accorded special attention, and the ipsissima uerba of those such as Heinsius and Burman are regularly cited. Striking features of Ovidian style are naturally noted throughout. Each poem has in addition an introduction which gives an outline of its content and structure, and endeavours to place the piece in its literary and contemporary social setting. Particular attention is paid to the contribution made by ovid's work to the elegiac tradition established by Tibullus and Propertius, and an attempt is made to assess the extent of Ovid's originality and the measure of his achievement in individual elegies. A select bibliography for each poem is also offered. The thesis as a whole, therefore, aims to illuminate and to enrich the reading of Amores ii. 1-10 in particular, and in so doing to make some contribution also to the critical assessment and appreciation of Ovid's poetry in general.

The following study consists of an examination of all those verbal parallels between the works of Vergil and the Annales of Tacitus, which have been noted by commentators, together with my own additions to the material, with the purpose of establishing the validity of the parallels suggested, and assessing their artistic significance. By comparing with the usage of other writers the parallels noted, and, in doubtful cases, considering also the distribution within Vergil's works of language possibly imitated by Tacitus, we can reduce considerably the number of probable direct verbal imitations. Some of the parallels are in themselves invalid, and, for others, there are possible alternative sources in the works of other writers or in the common literary currency of the day. The list of probable direct imitations of Vergil still remains substantial. An examination of imitated phrases in their Vergilian contexts shows that although some are isolated examples, they tend to be concentrated in certain scenes, often clustering within a few lines of one another. Tacitus is especially familiar-with the description of the storm in Aeneid One, Book Two in general, and the Council of the Latinsin Book Eleven. There are consistent relationships between phrases which reveal both his attitude to the characters in the Aeneid. And his preoccupation with the tragic elements in its themes. Within the Annales, Vergilian imitations are important less as simple stylistic elements than as a means of heightening the implications of their contexts. Patterns of relationship are established, integral to the portrayal of Tiberius, Germanicus, and Nero. As with many examples in their Vergilian contexts, a main linking idea is power and the individual's relation to it, particularly the relation between oppressor and victim. The tragic themes of the Aeneid reappear in the Annales. Vergilian material is thus an important means whereby Tacitus presents his interpretation of historical events.

Although editions of Nemesianus have been surprisingly numerous, very few of them have contributed appreciably to our understanding of this author, and most texts have been based on a very limited number of manuscripts. There has been no commentary of any length since that of Burman (1731) and there has never been one in English covering the whole corpus. The present thesis is an attempt to remedy these deficiencies. There is a text of the Eclogues and Cynegetica which is the first to have been based on an examination of all the known manuscripts, and a detailed and accurate apparatus criticus is provided. Readings of interest for which there is no room in the main body of the apparatus criticus have been included in an appendix. The textual history of both the Eclogues and the Cynegetica is thoroughly discussed. The question of the authenticity of the Eclogues is examined and Nemesianus's authorship is held to be proved. There is a commentary, mainly concerned with textual and grammatical matters, on both the Eclogues and the Cynegetica. A complete list of editions of Nemesianus to date is provided, as well as a bibliography. There is also an excursus on the scansion of final -o in Latin poetry and an Index Verborum.

This thesis will examine Horace’s two books of Satires and his collection of Epodes and will look at three main aspects of the collections: how the three volumes are connected through a shared dialogue with each other, the issue of genre and the task of literary self- fashioning against a problematic political landscape. In particular, I will look at the influence of Lucilius on Horace and show how Horace’s reworking of Lucilian satire plays a vital role in his presentation of himself and his development as a poet. I will examine the Lucilian allusions and intertextuality found within Horace’s work and will show how Horace’s treatment of iambic poetry is connected to his refashioning of Lucilian satire. Horace’s first book of Satires, where the poet announces himself with his updated version of Lucilius’ genre, works as a vital reference point for the following two collections. I will show how the three volumes are linked through repeated references to and echoes of each other as Horace employs his previous work for different effects throughout the collections. I will examine how Horace continually uses what has gone before – either his own work or that of his generic predecessor Lucilius – to progress and establish himself as a poet. I will also consider the political context of Horace’s early work and the effect of this on Horace’s establishment as a poet and his handling of different genres. I will show how Horace adopts and adapts satire and iambic poetry to create literary works appropriate for both the poetic and political tastes of his time.

The commentary examines the first 192 verses of Thebaid 6, which describe the preparation and events before the funeral of Ophletes/Archemorus. The commentary explores the cultural effect and “affect” of the text. Philological and intertextual issues are discussed throughout. Textual problems are treated where appropriate. The introduction provides an overview of major themes, concepts and contexts. In the commentary itself, discursive notes introduce shorter lemmata that encompass textual, metrical, linguistic and cultural-historical issues as well as literary interpretation. Theb.6.1-24 describes the summoning of competitors to the first games at Nemea, places those games within the tradition of the other Panhellenic games and finishes with the first simile in the book. The commentary discusses the epinician, aetiological and anachronistic features of the language here and introduces the concept of the “hanging simile”. vv. 25-53 describe an “epic” Dawn, detail the lamenting in and around the palace and summarize the consolation speech of Adrastus. The commentary examines how reader expectations are defeated and how Roman and Greek rituals merge at this point. The rhetorical features of consolatio and the ineffectiveness of oratory to console are considered. vv. 54-83 focus is on the funeral couch of Opheltes. The commentary discusses the metapoetic comment in this passage; also the use of ekphrasis and the emotional significance of the gifts placed on the pyre. vv. 84-117 detail the cutting down of the grove for the funeral pyre, following aspects of the traditional topos and finishing on a second simile, the latter anachronistically describing direptio. The commentary draws out the Greek and indigenous Italian elements of this passage and shows how the language foreshadows future conflict. The animated and hyperreal nature of the landscape is explained in the commentary. vv. 118-134 the gods above and below are given equal altars and the funeral procession starts. The commentary discusses the infernal gods in the context of the poem, elucidating Roman and “Oriental”, as well as Greek, motifs. vv.135-192 Eurydice, mother of Opheltes begins a lament but, on seeing Hypsipyle, she turns it into a recriminatory speech. The commentary examines her speech as an intertextual node around which other mothers, distraught and guilty because of a lost child, can be seen. Her speech, language and non-verbal communication are then associated with these intertexts. Focus is also upon how the speech changes in terms of tone, elevation and erratic structure, and illuminates the historical/eternal conflict between birth mother and wet-nurse. The generic relationship between epic narrative and dramatic structures, such as tragedy and mime are made throughout the commentary especially at 25-192.

This thesis is a commentary on lines 1-650 of Prudentius’ hymn to the martyr Romanus. Although printed in modern editions as the tenth poem of Prudentius’ Peristephanon, a collection of poems on various martyrs, certain features of the work in form and content differentiate it from the rest of the collection. These features include its length (1,140 verses; almost twice as long as Peristephanon 2, the second longest), its title, its place in manuscript transmission, the fact that the city where Romanus’ martyrdom takes place is never mentioned, and the inclusion of long sections of anti-pagan invective. This commentary aims to investigate its singularity and attempts to establish how it fits into Prudentius’ oeuvre. In the commentary proper I provide a general philological and historical elucidation of the text. I particularly focus on language, on identifying and interpreting allusions, and on discussing themes that recur in Prudentius’ works as well as contemporary and earlier literature. In the Introduction I offer an overview of the life and works of the poet; the dating; the textual transmission; other extant sources on the martyr Romanus and the relationship between them; the question of whether this poem belonged to the collection of the Peristephanon; and generic and particular influences on the poem from both Christian and secular literature, which are often combined in the text in interesting ways. The exploration of all these aspects of the text together with the close reading offered in the commentary itself contribute to a fuller understanding of this remarkably complex work.

The first introductory chapter addresses the facts of Theodulf's life and career and the primary and secondary source material that supports these facts and attempts to establish a firm outline of his life and career. The second chapter looks at Theodulf's position and work in the court, and his relations with the court, in particular his relations with Alcuin. The chapter also discusses the importance of panegyric and patronage for Theodulf. The third and last introductory chapter is a detailed analysis of the poetry of Theodulf as a whole. This chapter looks at the subject, language and prosody of the poems and the influence on them from other poets. The six poems then follow. Each is first prefaced by a short introduction, then the text is given with a translation on the following page, the text and translation for each poem is then followed by a line by line commentary, noting literary and historical points of interest.

This thesis begins by outlining the origins of the elegy as a literary form, passing from the fragmentary remains of the Greek elegy, and of Roman love—poets before Catullus, to a brief discussion of the poetry of Catullus, Propertius and the elegists of the <u>Corpus Tibullianum</u>, indicating in each case the main differences between the literary attitudes of these posts and those of Ovid. A detailed analysis is made of the Ovidian erotic code, as contained in the <u>Amores</u>, the <u>Ars</u> and the <u>Remedia</u>, and other of the <u>Amatoria</u> such as the <u>Heroides</u> and the pseudo-Ovidiun <u>Pulex</u>, demonstrating inter-relationships between these works, and also any correspondences to particular components of Ovid's code in the works of earlier Greek and Roman love-poets. Some attempt is next made to show to what sitent Ovid's themes and mannerisms were adopted by continental poets of the sixteenth century. Neo-Latin poetry is first dealt with, as represented by Joannes Secundus, Beza, Bonnefonius and the writers included in the <u>Carmina Illustrium Poetarum Italorum</u>, 1576, the <u>Delitiae CC. Italorum Poetarum</u>, 1608, the <u>Delitiae c. Poetarum Gallorum</u>, 1609, and the <u>Delitiae Poeterum Bel icorum</u>, 1614. Vernacular writers discussed in this context include Alamanni, Ariosto, Bembo, Berni, Boiardo, della Casa, Chiabrera, Guarini, Marino, Mauro, Poliziano, Serafino, Tasso and Varchi in Italy and de Balf, du Bellsy, Belleau, Marat, Ronsard and Théophile in France.