In book I M, N alliteration amounts to 24,8%; T, D – 16,5%; S – 10,5%, R – 6,7%. In book II the first place belongs to M, N alliteration – 22,8%; then: T, D – 16,1%; S – 11,8%; M, N, T, D – 5,9%. In book III the predominant alliteration is M, N – 19,8%; then: T, D – 15,09%; S – 12,5%; M, N, T, D (TH) – 5,6%. Book IV is atypical, as the number of M, N and T, D alliterations is identical, i. e. 19,1%. S constitutes 11,7%, while M, N, T, D – 6,9%. In Book V the most frequent alliteration is M, N – 20,0%, next we have T, D – 19,3%; S – 9,2%; M, N, T, D – 8,2%. Alliteration in books I–V of Lucan`s Pharsalia is mainly used to describe the character and actions of Julius Caesar. The narrator insists on his great energy, his ability to cope with critical situations, his extreme luck and Fortune’s favour during the struggle with the elements. Civil war brings about enormous chaos in the universe. The personified Roma is responsible herself for all the calamities that befall her. Yet alliteration is also used to describe more placid scenes, for example the scenery, such as cities (Iolcos, Brundisium) and rivers (Euphrates, Tigris). Sometimes alliteration emphasises certain religious elements, e.g. the sacred grove near Massilia. Alliteration is sporadically used in the account of the exploits of Pompey, Cato and Crassus. It plays an important role in the frequent descriptions of the elements that bring disaster on the army, in particular floods and droughts.
In Book IX T, D alliteration amounts to 21,8%, M, N – 16,8%, in Book X the most frequent alliteration is T, D – 21,2%, then M, N – 12,9%. In Book XI the first place belongs to alliteration T, D – 14,08%, M, N – 13,7%. In Book XII it is M, N alliteration that prevails – 16,4%, next we have T, D – 12,7%. In Book XIII the first place goes back to T, D alliteration – 17,8%, then we have M, N – 14,8%. In Book XIV, the same as in Book XII, the predominant alliteration is M, N – 22,2%, followed by T, D – 19,5%. The same tendency is also apparent in Book XV, with the most numerous alliteration being M, N – 22,5%, followed by T, D – 22,4%. The most important alliterations play a variety of roles in Books IX–XV. They describe the metamorphoses, e. g. Iphis changing into a man, Hippomenes and Atalanta into a lion, Acmon into a bird etc. They express great passions and the death of the protagonists. The alliteration clusters are found in the apotheosis of Romulus and Augustus, as well as the immortality of Heracles. Ovid uses them to describe the elements, such as the flood or sea storm, and powerful animals.
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