The Twelve Caesars (Penguin Classics)
by Suetonius
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Book Summary Information
Author: SuetoniusEditor: Michael Grant
Introduction: Michael Grant
Translator: Robert Graves
Edition: Mass Market Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2003-05-06
ISBN: 0140449213
Number of pages: 384
Publisher: Penguin Classics
Book Reviews of The Twelve Caesars (Penguin Classics)
Book Review: If you want to rule, you've got to be cruel
Summary: 5 Stars
Suetonius gives us several characteristics of Roman society and the Caesars themselves.He gives us the vices and virtues of the Caesars. With their great power, great was their good and great was their evil. Some were good rulers with good morals, such as Titus and Vespian. Some were good rulers with some vices such as Julius Caesar and Augustus. And some were bad rulers with bad morals such as Nero and Caligula.
Nero's chapter is the most entertaining. I got a good chuckle out of it. No one could do decadence with such artistry as Nero. At his death, he mentioned amusingly, "Dead, and such a great artist!", mourning his own passing. Nero was also the vainest Caesar. He took up singing, although he was not very good at it. He entered and won all the contests because no one wanted to offend him. The captive audience would often fall asleep or try to escape somehow. He was jealous of anyone who had a better voice than him. He was a primadonna with no talent. Nero also lusted after his mother. Later on, he turned against her because of her controlling ways and her inability to keep her mouth shut. He tried to kill her in many different ways that seem cartoonish and comical, including pretending that he had forgiven her and inviting her to a party so that he could kill her. He sniffed her breasts one last time before seeing her off. But she got out of his trap that time too. Eventually, he did kill her, though he felt guilty about it afterwards. When Nero married a boy and turned him into a girl, a joke was made that the world would have been a better place, if Nero's father had done the same. (Nero would not have been born in a homosexual relationship). Like most Caesars, he was known for lust, greed, and cruelty. Added to this, he was also mad.
Tiberius was a good general, but he was remembered more for his greed, cruelty and lust. He turned into a dirty old man and was sexually interested in men, women, boys, and babies. Tiberius raped two young men and then broke their legs for complaining about it. He also invented a torture of tying the genitals of a victim after tricking them into drinking a lot of wine. This made it impossible to urinate.
Vespian and Titus were remarkable in that they did not knowingly put innocent people to death, unlike the other Caesars. They had a sensitive side that the others lacked which made them better rulers.
Supernatural events are recorded as factual. Caesars took omens and the way the entrails lay seriously. Many portents are given that are said to predict winning, losing, dying, and becoming a Caesar. Caesars used astrologers.
There was a lot of arbitrary cruelty and violence in Roman society. A chef was set in irons for serving the wrong kind of bread. There were many instances of torture and killing innocent people. One could easily be killed by the Caesar over trivialities, even though there was supposedly rule of law. Violence was a way of life and occurred frequently. Caesars had to be careful that they were not killed by those around him.
Roman society was nearly pansexual. Incest, pedophilia, prostitution, homosexuality, and adultery were all practiced and there seems to be just mild disapproval against such things. Julius Caesar was referred to as "Every woman's man, and every man's woman".
The greatness of a Caesar was determined by building colossal buildings, winning wars and territory, ruling justly, providing good entertainment, reducing taxes, and being generous with the public treasury, Caesars were often judged by how generous or stingy they were with the public purse or how much they taxed or cheated the populace.
Laws were made, enforced, and broken by the Caesars. Caesars were above the law. Only assassination was a punishment that they could not avoid. They did not hide their immorality they way politicians do today. They would enforce morality, but were not necessarily moral themselves. For example, a law was made to keep noble women from becoming prostitutes by choice. But the Caesar would not set a good moral example by remaining chaste or faithful.
But just because Caesars might torture people, does not mean that were not students of the liberal arts. After ordering torture, a Caesar might read or write a good book. Sort of proves that being highly literate does not make you ethical.
Romans loved a good show. Entertainment on a colossal scale frequently occurred. Chariot races, plays, gladiator shows, fake battles, feasts, and wild beast hunts were some of the entertainments.
Gluttony was on display. One Caesar ate to the point of puking. When he fell asleep, servants would try to induce vomiting. He would then administer an enema on himself.
Everything was done on a grand scale. Caesars were artists who painted with bold strokes and their canvass was their empire.
Summary of The Twelve Caesars (Penguin Classics)
As private secretary to the Emporer Hadrian, Suetonius gained access to the imperial archives and used them (along with carefully gathered eye-witness accounts ) to produce one of the most colourful biographical works in history. "The Twelve Caesars" chronicles the lives of the men who wielded absolute power over Rome, from the foundation of the empire under Julius Caesar and Augustus, to the decline into depravity and civil war under Nero, and the recovery and stability that came with his successors. A masterpiece of anecdote, wry observation and detailed physical description, this text presents us with a gallery of vividly drawn - and all too human - individuals.Born in 60 A.D., Suetonius served for several years as secretary to the Roman emperor Hadrian. His years in the palaces and halls of imperial government served him well when he set out to write this oftentimes eye-popping, tell-all account of the doings of the first 12 emperors, from Julius to Domitian, who make the good fellas of Mafia renown seem tame by comparison. From Suetonius we learn that Augustus was afraid of lightning and thunder and carried a piece of seal skin as protection against them; that Caligula slept with his mother and his sister; and that Nero outlawed mimes in Rome--which may mean that he wasn't such a bad man after all. Suetonius doesn't hesitate to say when he's reporting gossip that he has not personally verified, but what gossip it is! This translation, by the noted classicist Robert Graves, serves the ancient chronicler very well indeed.
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