Nero: artist or monster (or both)? This course will focus on the personality and politics of the emperor and the reaction he evoked in contemporary and subsequent accounts of his reign, concentrating especially on the powerful picture of Nero and the Neronian regime painted by the Roman historian Tacitus in his "Annals," with supplementary evidence from Suetonius's "Life of Nero," imperial inscriptions, and visual propaganda. Topics discussed will include Tacitus as a historian, public and private life in Neronian Rome, how to die well, and whether Nero really sang of the Fall of Troy while Rome burned.
For CLST Major requirements, this course can be used for the Literature and Performance track. |