TO BE AND NOT TO BE: PLINY's PARADOXICAL TRAJAN

The style of the Panegyricus, proudly treasured by its author Pliny the Younger but condemned by modern readers, is integral to the speech's political ambition. Epigrammatic antithesis is employed frequently to highlight certain ethical paradoxes. This rhetorical device allows Pliny to characterise Trajan as uniquely qualified for imperial office; both military and civilian spheres are sketched. However, on the issue of Trajan's divinity, Pliny uses the speech's monumental length to obscure a more equivocal position. The Panegyricus negotiates a new - and influential - means of expression whilst adhering to the genre's celebration of the charismatic nature of imperial government.