Madness features in many ancient epics: not only do characters go mad, but madness often plays an important thematic role. This book examines the representation and poetic function of madness in epic poetry (including the work of Homer, Virgil, and Ovid), addresses the difficulty of defining madness, and discusses how each epic explores the theme in a unique way.

Valerius Flaccus' Argonautica narrates the mythological quest for the Golden Fleece and the early stages of the ill-fated love affair of Jason and Medea, a tale already familiar from Greek epic tragedy, but given a Roman twist by the first-century AD epic poet. This book provides readers who have not yet encountered the Argonautica with a general introduction to the work and, through comparisons with Apollonius' Argonautica and Virgil's Aeneid, offers specialists a re-evaluation of this important Silver Latin epic.