Tempo narrativo e discorsi diretti in Erodiano, I.16-II.3

The death of Commodus and the rise to throne of Pertinax (1.16-2.3) are somehow unique in the work of Herodian and can justify the admiration for his work in Late antiquity and Byzantium. Well-known rhetorical tools coexist and contribute to structure the narrative. Particularly effective are the extraordinary slowdown due to the high number of discourses, which at the same time animate the narration; the stylistic elaboration that leads to an accurate stylistic characterization of protagonists.