Week Three

BOOK IV: Tyranny Unleashed: Rise of Sejanus, King of Denouncers and the Emperor's Master. Expansion of Treason, and the End of Trust.

February 18, 2025, 7 PM -8:30 pm

Tacitus says Sejanus, the head of the Praetorian Guard, marks the "start and cause" of Tiberius' own violence or of empowering the violent (iv.1.1). This is in contrast to the (qualified) praise he has for Tiberius' reign before Sejanus (iv.6-7). What is the character of Sejanus, and how is he able to win access to Tiberius' innermost thoughts? How does he deceive and manipulate Tiberius into destroying members of the royal family (Agrippina and Nero)? Why in this regime do the worst of men rise to the greatest heights of power — and so quickly?

Why is it a mistake to do very great favors for Tiberius (—and remind him of it)? Why don't favors result in gratitude (iv.18.3)? How is this principle central to despotism? How do glory and virtue excite hatred (iv.33.4)?

Why do accusations explode, and how does trust disappear between friends and family members (iv.68-70)? What new types of "treasons" and accusations arise and what effect do they have (e.g. the crime of "praising Brutus," at iv.34; ii.50)? What new forms of flattery arise (iv.74)?

Is there a path of prudence between the reckless defiance of tyranny and degrading servility to it (iv.20.3)? Or is "speaking truth to power" nobler and better — is Lucius Piso more admirable than Marcus Lepidus (ii.34, iv.20-21)?

How is it a criticism of Tiberius to say that, unlike his predecessor Augustus, he disdained glory (iv.37-38)? How does "scorning renown mean scorning virtue" (iv.38)? What light does this shed on Tiberius' reaction to hearing insults and his withdrawal from Rome (iv.41-42, iv.57-58)? What purpose does Tacitus in tyrants' failure to escape infamy from posterity, and the glory of the writers who reveal them for what they are (iv.35.5, iii.65.1)?

Reading: iv.1-13, 17-21, 28-42, 52-54, 57-60, 66-71, 74

(The translation of the Annals that we are using is by Cynthia Damon (Penguin Books, 2012).)