The Aethiopica, by Heliodorus of Emesa
synthesis and attempt to overcome epic theater
Keywords:
Heliodorus of Emesa, synthesis, overcoming, epic, theaterAbstract
In this text, in homage to Professor Jacyntho Lins Brandão, I intend to demonstrate that Heliodorus of Emesa, active in the 4th century AD and one of the five authors of the so-called Ancient Greek Romance, with his work The Aethiopica, created a synthesis of epic poetry, represented mainly by the Homeric Iliad and Odyssey, with the Attic Theater of the 5th century BC. Nowadays, it is well established that this author frequently makes allusions and intertextual games mainly with the two great classics of the Greek epic e with theater. However, he does not operate in a servile or submissive manner. He starts from tradition to create his narrative, but works in a critical and creative manner. Furthermore, I want to argue that Heliodorus aimed to produce a work morally superior to the Homeric epic, by constructing a character, that is, Theagenes, the hero of the narrative, with a more dignified behavior than that of Achilles, from a certain point of view. In this way, his novel would also have a moral and educational quality superior to that of Homer's works. This becomes clear throughout the novel in moments when Heliodorus makes a series of subtle and coded self-praises, in passages that invite the reader to interpret the text and make his/her own assessment, as I intend to demonstrate.
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