Abstract
The article examines Claudian’s use of Stoic and Epicurean ideas to mount a vitriolic attack against Eutropius, the eunuch consul serving under the Eastern emperor Arcadius. Employed by Stilicho, the pre-eminent military commander of the Western emperor Honorius, Claudian, in book 1 of the In Eutropium, synthesizes Stoic and Epicurean tropes about bodily afflictions that reveal one's moral character. Claiming that Eutropius, a eunuch who had spent many years as a slave, is a monstrous proof of an offence committed against nature/God, Claudian’s polemic plays on the fears of his largely Christian audience about an imminent divine punishment which the split of the Empire between Theodosius’ sons confirms.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 227-244 |
Number of pages | 18 |
Journal | Acta Classica |
Volume | Supplementum XI |
Publication status | Published - 2022 |
Keywords
- Stoicism
- Epicureanism
- Christianity
- Claudian
- sexuality
- invective
- dynastic crisis