Sinon and Laocoon in Quintus of Smyrna’s Posthomerica: A Rewriting and De-Romanisation of Vergil’s Aeneid?

Abstract

This chapter compares the episodes of Sinon and Laocoon in Quintus of Smyrna’s Posthomerica and Vergil’s Aeneid. Unlike most previous research, the comparison does not look at the two scenes from the angle of source criticism, but from a narratological perspective. It is argued that Quintus to a large degree removes the specific Romanitas from the famous Vergilian scene and thus redrafts the final days of Troy in a new, cleaned-up, and seemingly more objective manner. By doing so, Quintus raises a claim for Greek authority in literary and cultural terms, communicated through a Homeric voice with corresponding weight.