Lo spettacolo di Teoderico. Dinamiche dello sguardo nel panegirico di Ennodio

THE SPECTACLE OF THEODERIC. DYNAMICS OF THE GAZE IN ENNODIUS’ PANEGYRIC
In the panegyric dedicated to him, Theoderic, portrayed as an epic hero, is the centre of
attention, presented as an authentic, extraordinary spectacle. In scenes of a strongly iconic nature,
Ennodius insists on elements that stimulate a primarily visual perception of his figure.
All eyes converge on him: those of his interlocutors, of the audience, of the writer who follows
and directs the reader’s gaze. In some cases, it is the main character who puts himself on
stage, expressing his explicit desire to perform in order to constitute an exemplum and arouse
attraction and admiration. The spectacularisation of reality is reflected both on an ideological
level, in the work’s encomiastic purpose, and on a poetic level, in an admirable, ‘spectacular’
style, appropriate to the object of representation.