![]() ![]() First, I show that there are intertextual similarities between Thersander’s sexual proposals to Leucippe and Arsace’s to Theagenes. Theagenes too is an example of sophrosyne (cf. ![]() In Heliodorus, Charicleia is traditionally represented as the virtuous Penelopean spouse (5.22). Leucippe, in this very episode, exemplarily defends her chastity. ![]() This new discussion of intrageneric intertextuality increases our understanding of a key virtue of the novelistic genre as a whole, as I argue that the intertextual similarities in the characterisation of Thersander and Arsace have consequences for the characterisation of the protagonists and relates to their well-known sophrosyne. This paper offers a new case study that enriches the latter focus and compares Achilles Tatius (books 5-6) and Heliodorus (books 7-8) with regard to the characterisation of the antagonists Arsace and Thersander. Up to now, scholars have focused on the sharing of narrative devices, recurrent themes, and features of characterisation. This paper contributes to the study of intrageneric intertextuality, a field of growing interest in novelistic scholarship. I also suggest that Homeric epic presents the ideal conjugal bond as being characterized by the potential for power exchange and role reversal rather than by strict hierarchy. I conclude that the poem portrays Achilles and Patroclus's relationship as a conjugal bond in order to highlight Achilles' alienation from traditional social structures as well as the excessive and transgressive nature of his affective responses. In this article, I show that Achilles and Patroclus in the Iliad are analogous to a husband and wife by presenting specific examples from the text of how their relationship structure and affective bond mirror those of Homeric husband-wife couples. Others have hinted at the possibility of a deliberate homoerotic subtext between the two heroes but have adduced little specific evidence other than the intensity of their emotional connection. Previous scholars have tended either to deny any erotic component to Achilles and Patroclus's bond or to assume that the Iliad unproblematically depicts them as lovers. Although the Iliad does not explicitly depict Achilles and Patroclus as lovers, I argue that the poem suggests an erotic dimension to their relationship by comparing them to husband-wife pairings in Homeric epic. ![]()
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