Actor in the Theatre of the Gods – Hannibal’s Dream in Silius Italicus’ Punica (3.163–221)

Abstract

The present study examines Hannibal’s dream – an episode in Silius Italicus’ Punica (3.163–221) – with special attention to theatrical structure, staging, and symbolic motifs (the admonition, the prohibition on looking back, the serpent). Reading Silius alongside earlier accounts (Silenus via Coelius, Cicero’s De Divinatione, Livy, Valerius Maximus) shows how Flavian poetics reshape inherited material: Silius tones down the spectacular concilium deorum, recasting Hannibal as an actor moved by divine direction rather than as a counsellor among the gods. Mercury’s harangue (o rector Libyae) urges action and frames the invasion of Italy; the ban on looking back, familiar from epic exempla, is transgressed in a way that serves dramaturgy rather than impiety. The ater serpens functions as a theatrical sign, not simply an allegory of “Carthaginian evil.” Overall, Silius’ version contributes to a Roman interpretative horizon, redirecting attention from the Carthaginian general to the theatre of the gods. In this perspective, Hannibal’s dream assists a Flavian remodelling of the Second Punic War and supports an imperial Roman self-image.