Concealing a War to Promote a War

Rhetoric and Wrath in Valerius Flaccusʼ «Argonautica» Book V

Abstract

When Jason and his men arrive in Colchis, Aeetes faces two simultaneous problems: the civil war he is waging against his brother Perses and the threat to his reign posed by the presence of the Argonauts in his domains. The speech the Greek leader then delivers displays a particular use of the rhetoric of a just demand, which inflames the anger of the Colchian king. The characters seem to fulfill their roles in the traditional hero-tyrant scheme with which the episode has been studied. However, an analysis of Jason’s speech and Aeetes’ reaction reveals clues that subvert this scheme: Is Jason really the tyrant of the passage, while Aeetes could function as a hero? This article aims to answer this question with evidence drawn from their dynamics. It is concluded that, indeed, beneath subtle details in Jason’s arguments and Aeetes’ reaction and response, a momentary subversion of the commonly accepted hero-tyrant paradigm can be evidenced.