Per una lettura del Somnium di Luciano di Samosata

The article aims to analyze Somnium sive vita Luciani, the declamation delivered by Lucian in his hometown of Samosata in the early 2nd century. In fact, the work provides an introduction to the rhetorician's cultural vocation, revealing to the audience the reason for a choice that turned out to be a successful one. As is clear, the work is a retelling of the ancient fable of Heracles at the crossroads, narrated by Prodicus of Ceos. The author also suggests that the deep structure of the speech can be identified and that the entire story can be divided into segmentable units linked to a series of character functions. Therefore, applying a formalistic approach to Somnium helps to better understand and appreciate the literary qualities of this text.