Dall’epica al dramma all’epica: le Metamorfosi di Ovidio e l’Armorum iudicium di Pacuvio e di Accio

The theme of Armorum iudicium has its roots in the epic poetry of Homeric Cycle. Afterwards, it becomes the subject of lost tragedies by Aeschylos (among others) and, in Rome, by Pacuvius and Accius. Some unclear fragments are analyzed in comparison with the ample episode of the 13th book of Ovid’s Metamorphoses, with some reference also to Quintus Smyrnaeus’ Posthomerica. The presence of Roman archaic tragedy in the Metamorphoses is a difficult problem, which involves reflections on complex generic differences. Due relevance will be given also to the role of rhetoric in drama and in the Ovidian epic