Week Five

BOOKS XII-XIV: "Managing" a tyrant: Seneca vs. Nero's women (Agrippina, Acte, Poppaea)

March 4, 2025, 7 PM -8:30 pm

How does the mother of Nero, Agrippina, advance her (and his) power over her uncle, the emperor Claudius? How does she get Claudius to marry her, and his (already engaged) daughter Octavia to marry Nero instead? How does her incest with and murder of Claudius (xii.67), as well as her murder of the Silanus brothers and Narcissus (xiii.1), "teach" and prepare Nero's own incest and murder (of his stepbrother) and his "liberation" from his mother (xiii.17)? What is the character of Agrippina? What is thought to be masculine about her ambition to rule or her pursuit of it (xiii.5, 6.2)?

Why did Agrippina (wrongly) assume that Seneca, whom she selected as tutor for Nero (at age 11), was her ally (xii.8.2)? How does Seneca (often with help from Burrus) thwart Agrippina's plan for (more) slaughter and domination, and control of her son (xiii.2)? What level of deception is Seneca encouraging Nero practice against his mother (xiii.2.3)?

What initial successes does Seneca have in speaking through Nero and having him reverse some of the evil practices of Tiberius and Claudius (xiii.3-5)? While Seneca cares to be honored for his talent, does he ever pursue that at the expense of the public good? will Nero (xiii.11.1-2)? What does Seneca's inability to prevent the Senate from adulation of the Emperor (xiii.8, also xiii.41.4) suggest about the temptations Nero is exposed to?

Was it wrong for Seneca to go along with young Nero's affair with the freedwoman Acte? What reasons does he have, and why is this thought necessary to keep Nero on their side (xiii.12)? Why is this the turning point of Agrippina's loss of power over her son Nero? Why did her attack on her son's mistress backfire, and what tyrannical traits of hers does it underline (xiii.13)? Why does her second approach, with flattery (and incest), also fail? Finally, why is threatening to raise Nero's stepbrother Britannicus to the throne the worst possible mistake (xiii.14)? Though Seneca did not know of Nero's murder of Britannicus ahead of time, should he have quit after hearing about it? Or is it necessary, even a moral duty, for Seneca to stay as an advisor? and even to pretend to approve of the murder by accepting the money confiscated from the poor boy's estate (xiii.18)? Apart from an intrafamily crimes, isn't Nero's regime still arguably more "decent" than Tiberius'? Isn't Seneca (with Burrus) still effective in moderating Nero (xiii.19-21)?

Why do Agrippina's "friends" suddenly stop seeing her (xiii.19) (except out of hatred)?

What is the character of Poppaea (xiii.45)? How does she worm herself into Nero's heart (xiii.46)? What is the relationship between audacity (hubris) and erotic desire (xiv.1)? What are the signs of Nero's increasing audacity? How does Nero's future wife Poppaea rule him, and persuade him to kill his mother? to divorce and then kill Octavia? Why does she want those women dead?

When the initial plot to kill his mother fails, Nero is terrified about what his mother will do to him, and he demands counsel from Seneca and Burrus. There is a long silence (xiv.7.3). Are they right to help Nero commit the murder? Is this necessary, even a moral duty? Why don't they wish to get the Praetorian Guard involved (xiv.7)?

Reading: xii.1-9, 22, 25-27.1, 37.4, 41-42, 59, 64-69; xiii.1-5, 11-21, 45-46, xiv.1-13

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