Literature: Literary Context

Ancient Greek and Roman Epic Poetry

Epic poems, such as Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey and Virgil’s Aeneid, heavily feature themes of war and conflict.
These works often show dual perspectives of war: honour and glory in battle but also devastating losses and human suffering.
Epic heroes possess physical strength and wit, with characters like Achilles, Odysseus, and Aeneas demonstrating these qualities amidst warfare.
Propaganda is a theme present in Aeneid, representing Roman war conquests as heroic and pre-ordained, with Virgil’s work serving Augustus’ political purpose.

Tragedies and Plays

Drama from ancient Greek and Roman periods also presents war and related themes. Aeschylus’ The Persians, Euripides’ The Trojan Women, and Aristophanes’ Lysistrata centre on the impacts of war.
These plays highlight the tragedy of war, the fate of the conquered, and the fallout on civilian life.
Satirical plays like Lysistrata critique the continuous warfare in Greece, showing women withholding sex to bring about a peace treaty.

Historical Texts and Accounts

The wars of Classical Civilisation are extensively covered in historical texts such as Herodotus’ Histories, Thucydides’ History of the Peloponnesian War, and Tacitus’* Annals*.
Understanding these works provides an overview of warfare strategy, political context, and the leaders and states involved.
Thucydides, a general in the Peloponnesian War, provides a clear-eyed account devoid of divine intervention, unlike the epic poems.
Tacitus’ accounts of warfare under the Roman Empire, including accounts of mutinies and battles, reveal the inner workings and considerations of war, notably in the context of imperial expansion.

Literary Techniques and Devices

Metaphors, similes, personification – these and other rhetorical devices are used to make vivid the experiences and consequences of war.
Epic similes and vivid imagery in Iliad depict battle scenes, armour, and death, immersing the reader in the battlefield.
Tragic irony and dramatic symbolism in plays convey the futility and destructiveness of war.

Understanding the context, themes, and techniques employed in Classical literature is key to understanding how war and warfare were conceptualised and communicated in ancient Greece and Rome. Reviewing a range of texts across genres provides a broad view, helping to compare and contrast representations of warfare across different literary forms and cultural contexts.