The princeps and the poet: considerations on the structure and internal arrangement of Martial’s Book 8

Abstract

The internal architecture of a poetry book, that is, the arrangement or disposition of the poems within it, can affect the interpretation of both the poem individually and the set of which it is a part (the book). In the case of Martial’s work, whose epigram books are carefully organized, this aspect should also not be ignored. In this paper, I describe how the epigrams are organized within the Book 8. I also try to demonstrate that such an arrangement aims, above all, to contribute to the poetʹs greater objective, which is the construction of the praise of the dedicatee and dominant figure in the book: the emperor Domitian.