Delusions of Grandeur: Lucretian ‘Passages’ in Livy

Livy begins his narrative of the Second Punic War by preparing his readers for surprises. Though the memorability of the war rivals the subjects of a Herodotus or Thucydides, for Livy it will make up but a part of a much larger whole. And a central reason for the war’s memorability will be the reversals it contains, the places where those who know the whole story Livy has to tell will nevertheless find the Carthaginians so near to victory. The reason for these successes is of course Hannibal; but beyond causing the unexpected, he himself will offer his own interpretative challenges to the reader.