LIT 231
Prof. G. Steinberg

Response Paper:  Livy, Book XXI

Livy is an Augustan historian, writing about the history of Rome, including Rome's wars with Carthage (Dido's city).  The portion of Livy's history that we're reading deals with the Second (and last) Punic War between Carthage and Rome.  This war followed just a generation after the First Punic War, which Carthage lost.  Hannibal, one of the Carthaginian leaders during the Second Punic War, was the son of Hamilcar, one of the Carthaginian leaders during the First Punic War.

Choose one of the following areas as the focus of your response paper:

1. How does Livy characterize Hannibal?  What aspects of Hannibal's character does Livy criticize?  What aspects does he praise?  What do those aspects of Hannibal's character reveal about Livy's values?  Is Livy a typical Augustan Roman?  Look especially at Hannibal's speeches.  What does Hannibal reveal about his values and motives in his speeches?  What does Livy seem to think of Hannibal's ambitions?
2. How does Livy characterize the Roman leaders, especially the Roman consuls (Publius Cornelius Scipio, Sempronius, and Flaminius)?  What aspects of the consuls' characters does Livy criticize?  What aspects does he praise?  What do those aspects of their characters reveal about Livy's values?  Is Livy a typical Augustan Roman?  Look especially at the consuls' speeches.  What do the consuls reveal about their values and motives in their speeches?  What does Livy seem to think of their actions?
3. According to Toher (in Between Republic and Empire), historians were having trouble figuring out how to write history in the Augustan era.  Because of the social and political changes that Augustus and his government had instituted, history's traditional rationale for being didn't really apply anymore.  According to Toher, what was history's traditional rationale and purposes (more than one) in ancient Rome?  Do you see any signs that Livy is trying to do something new with history?  How might his history be going beyond the traditional purposes of history for the Romans (as described by Toher)?  In what ways does it adhere to those traditional purposes?  How might Livy be using traditional history for (or against) Augustan purposes?