198 LORENZO SANNA
and Alcidamas have to fight against stronger and dreadful enemies;
Pollux, in order to survive, has to fight Amycus, a gigantic and terrible
monster (V.Fl. 4.188 et pauor et monstri subiit absentis imago; 4.201–
2 mortalia nusquam / signa manent); Alcidamas, in the boxing match
during the funeral games in honour of Opheltes, braves the enormous,
dreadful Capaneus (6.731–2 constitit inmanis cerni inmanisque timeri
/ Argolicus Capaneus...). In both passages the opponent’s abuse
makes clear the contrast between the horrible mortal combat and the
ephebe’s pure world. The boy’s beauty and frailty are plainly inade-
quate, ‘out of place’, and must be eliminated, disfigured by those who,
in the boxing match, have the role of the ferus warrior, the enemy of
the boy-hero on the battlefield. Amycus mocks the young age and the
ephebic beauty of Pollux. He intends to return the boy’s body to his
mother disfigured:
Quisquis es, infelix celeras puer: haud tibi pulchrae
manserit hoc ultra frontis decus oraue matri
nota feres. Tune a sociis electus iniquis?
Tune Amycis moriere manu?
(V.Fl. 4.240–3)
Make haste, whosoever thou art, unhappy boy; no longer shall the
beauty of that fair brow remain to thee, nor shalt thou take back to thy
mother the face she knew. Wilt thou, the choice of cruel comrades, wilt
die by the hand of Amycus? (tr. Mozley 1934)Capaneus addresses Tydeus and Hippomedon, who are trying to save
Alcidamas’ life, furiously and aggressively, perfectly in line with his
ante diem uultu gressuque superbo / uicerat aequales multumque reliquerat annos. /
Siue catenatis curuatus membra palaestris / staret, Amyclaea conceptum matre pu-
tares). Also the puer delicatus of Flavius Ursus is praised by Statius for pudor and an
even-tempered mind, more mature than his years (Silv. 2.6.48–9 Nam pudor ingenuae
mentis tranquillaque morum / temperies teneroque animus maturior aeuo). Concern-
ing these two delicati the poet compares, among other models, precisely the boxer
Pollux (2.1.111 Amyclaea conceptum matre putares; 2.6.45–7), and uses phrases
almost identical to those in which he refers to Alcidamas (Theb. 6.756–7 maturius
aeuo robur; Silv. 2.1.40 probitas maturior aeuo, 2.6.49 animus maturior aeuo), con-
firming the presence of just one canon of reference, lexical and thematic, for the puer
delicatus and for some situations of the boy-hero in the epos; cf. also Achilles’ preco-
cious strength (Ach. 1.148 uis festina parat tenuesque superuenit annos) or Partheno-
paeus’ premature craving for glory (Theb. 9.716 cruda heu festinaque uirtus).