Ancestors, Status, and Self-Presentation in Statius' Thebaid

Polynices' shamefaced self-presentations in Thebaid 1, Adrastus' sympathetic response, and Jupiter's eventual punishment of both characters are read as elements of a debate on the evitability of ancestral stigma and the value of lineage in assessing character and status. In arguing that Polynices can establish an identity independent of his kingroup, Adrastus reveals his ignorance of Jupiter's hostility to and the Fury's ultimate control of Polynices. While the failure of Adrastus' arguments contributes to the Thebaid's negative representation of kinship, more constructive relationships between kin and the absence of hostile divinities permit Statius' speakers to validate similar arguments in the Silvae.