sejanus his fall

01 Nov sejanus his fall

[36] Sejanus began a series of purge trials of senators and wealthy equestrians in the city, removing those capable of opposing his power as well as extending the imperial (and his own) treasury. Her relations with Tiberius became increasingly fraught, as she made it clear that she believed that he was responsible for the death of Germanicus. But the real focus is on Sejanus: the archetypal sidekick who, while doing Tiberius's dirty work, murders his son and aspires to be his heir. The history of Sejanus and Drusus dated back to at least AD 15. [32] The emperor denied this request, warning Sejanus that he was in danger of overstepping his rank. [72] Tacitus, on the other hand, attributes much of the decline of Tiberius' rule after AD 23 to the corrupting influence of Sejanus, although he is generally also harsh on Tiberius. Tiberius (ti- BIH -ree-uhs), the devious and ruthless emperor of Rome. [80] The play is seen as a topical reference to the fall of the former royal favourite, Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, executed for treason two years before. Download Sejanus His Fall Study Guide Subscribe Now When Tiberius, followed by Drusus, makes a public appearance, Sejanus bathes him in fulsome flattery, to the disgust of Arruntius and his … book by susanne fiebig. [39] Only Caligula, the youngest son of Germanicus, managed to survive the purges of Sejanus, by moving to Capri with Tiberius in AD 31.[40]. [52] Although the Praetorian Guard proved faithful to the aging Tiberius, their potential political power had been made clear.[66]. Good Press publishes a wide range of titles that encompasses every genre. Sometime after 2 BC,[8] Strabo was appointed prefect of the Praetorian Guard, one of the two most powerful positions a Roman knight could attain in the Empire. in  News comes that the Roman mobs hearing of Sejanus' fall have torn down his statue and dragged it through the town. ‘Sejanus: his fall’ is set in Rome during the period AD 19 to AD 31. Joseph Alexander Altsheler (April 29, 1862 – June 5, 1919) was an American newspaper reporter, ... Quickview. [45] Upon learning of his death, Apicata committed suicide on October 26, after addressing a letter to Tiberius which claimed that Drusus had been poisoned with the complicity of Livilla. The Praetorians also resorted to looting when they were accused of having conspired with the former prefect. They assassinated emperors, bullied their prefects or turned on the people of Rome. [28] With these hopes now dashed, Tiberius left his administration more than ever in the care of Sejanus and looked toward the sons of Germanicus (Nero Caesar, Drusus Caesar and Caligula) as possible heirs. Through years of crafty intrigues and indispensable service to the emperor, Sejanus had worked himself up to become the most powerful man in the Empire. [34] Guarded by the Praetorians, Sejanus easily controlled all information that passed between Tiberius and the capital. They included Jean de Magnon's rhyming tragedy, Sejanus (1647) and Henri van der Zande's De dood van Elius Sejanus of Spiegel voor der vorsten gunstelingen (The death of Sejanus, a mirror for the favourites of princes, Amsterdam 1716). The reality of this was seen in AD 31, when Tiberius was forced to rely upon the vigilesagainst the soldiers of his own guard. Sejanus sets his sight on Emperorship. A dynamic table of contents enables to jump directly to the chapter selected. [2][3] The Seii were Romans of the equestrian class (or knights), the lower of the two upper social classes of the Roman Republic and the early Roman Empire. Having divorced Apicata two years earlier, he asked to marry Drusus' widow Livilla in AD 25, possibly with an eye towards placing himself, as an adopted Julian, in the position of a potential successor. [100] It is equally true of some recent detective novels set in Roman times. [55] Following the issue of damnatio memoriae by the Senate, Sejanus' statues were torn down and his name obliterated from all public records, even from coins, as in the one pictured opposite. For the Ben Jonson play, see. next monologue: >> Charge Monologue. [68] Following his death, the Guard began to play an increasingly ambitious and bloody role in the Empire. In his work he praised Tiberius and Sejanus, even defending the latter's high position in the government, despite not ranking higher than equestrian. Reproduction of the original: Sejanus: His Fall by Ben Jonson. << previous monologue: Sejanus, His Fall Monologue. She told him that The dramatist Ben Jonson borrowed from the poem for some passages in his Sejanus: His Fall. On October 24, Sejanus' eldest son Strabo was arrested and executed. A recording of that livestream will be available until 7:00 PM EDT on Friday, May 21 - then it disappears. " INTRODUCTION THE greatest of English dramatists except Shakespeare, the first literary dictator and poet-laureate, a writer of verse, prose, satire, and criticism who most potently of all the men of his time affected the subsequent course of English letters: such was Ben Jonson, and as such his strong personality assumes an interest to us almost unparalleled, at least in his age. [60] The Senatorial ranks were purged; the hardest hit were those families with political ties to the Julians. This gives the clue of how to take what is to follow and consists of a conversation between Punch and the Hangman, opening with the question 'Is this same Sejanus to go out of the World like a Man, or to die the Death of a mad Dog? Sejanus His Fall will premiere LIVE on Monday, May 17th. With the intentions of the emperor no longer clear, it was now deemed a safer course of action in Rome to withdraw from overtly supporting Sejanus until the matter was clearly resolved. More is known about the reception of the first performance of Sejanus than almost any other early modern play. [46] According to Juvenal, a letter was sent from Capri with orders to execute Sejanus without a trial. Although the Praetorian Guard proved faithful to the aging Tiberiu… [25], When this failed, it seems Sejanus turned his attention toward eliminating Drusus. Abstract. "Every Man in His Humour," like the two plays that follow it, contains two kinds of attack, the critical or generally satiric, levelled at abuses and corruptions in the abstract; and the personal, in which specific application is made of all this in the lampooning of poets and others, Jonson's contemporaries. [45] Unfortunately the relevant section pertaining to this period in the Annals of Tacitus has been lost. George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham, is the target of an anonymous manuscript Roman tragedy, The Emperor’s Favourite. The attempt failed and Sabinus was killed by his soldiers. While it is unproven that Sejanus intended to overthrow Tiberius, later prefects of the Guard did aspire to become emperor. No one can stop him. Publisher: BoD – Books on Demand ISBN: 9783732694631 Category: Fiction Page: 232 View: 171 Download » Reproduction of the original: Sejanus: His Fall by Ben Jonson [9] Much more than a guard however, the Praetorians also managed the day-to-day care of the city, such as general security and civil administration. In his capacity as Praetorian prefect, Sejanus quickly became a trusted advisor to Tiberius. [42] With most of the political opposition crushed, Sejanus felt his position was unassailable. Every Man out of His Humour. It is tempting to argue that Jonson found a mature style for comedy as a consequence of attempting unsuccessfully to write a tragedy. This was true of William Percival Crozier's historical romance The Fates Are Laughing (1945), which was written by a classicist with an eye for detail and set during the fall of Sejanus and the reign of Caligula. Sejanus' brother Lucius Seius Tubero, who became suffect consul in AD 18, was thought to have been a paternal half-brother, from his father Strabo marrying a daughter of Quintus Aelius Tubero[3]:p. 76 but Syme has rejected this, instead he believes that Lucius Seius Tubero was Junia Blaesa's son from a marriage to Quintus Aelius Tubero whom Strabo adopted upon marrying Junia. [31] To Sejanus, Agrippina's sons Nero Caesar, Drusus Caesar and Caligula were a threat to his power. [2] Upon the accession of Tiberius in AD 14, Sejanus was appointed prefect of the Praetorian Guard as the colleague of his father Strabo, and began his rise to prominence. Strabo married into equally illustrious families. [21] Despite this success, the following years witnessed a growing animosity between Drusus and Sejanus. See Bingham, p. 39. Author: Ben Jonson. Enter HATERIUS, TRIO, SANQUINIUS, COTTA, REGULUS, One of his wives was Cosconia Gallita, sister of Servius Cornelius Lentulus Maluginensis (suffect consul in AD 10) and Publius Cornelius Lentulus Scipio (suffect consul in AD 2).[3]:p. [13] A statue had been erected in his honor in the Theatre of Pompey,[19] and in the Senate, his followers were advanced with public offices and governorships. The Praetorian Guard was an elite unit of the Roman army formed by Augustus in 27 BC, with the specific function to serve as a bodyguard to the emperor and members of the imperial family. His fall is inevitable. Sejanus' grandfather maintained relations with senatorial families through his marriage with Terentia, a sister of the wife of Gaius Maecenas, who was one of Emperor Augustus' most powerful political allies.[3]:p. And since Pontius Pilate was a nominee of Sejanus and implicated in his anti-Jewish policies, it encouraged the inclusion of Sejanus in novels dealing with the circumstances of Jesus Christ's crucifixion. Given to self-indulgence and many... Lucius Arruntius. For a time the most influential and feared citizen of Rome, Sejanus suddenly fell from power in AD 31, the year his career culminated with the consulship. Credits: Reprinted from Sejanus, His Fall (1603). The facade of Augustus was no longer maintained, and Tiberius openly displayed the strength of the guard at parades.[18]. [23] In practice it was still Sejanus who was the second man in the empire, and he was ambitious to further expand his power. While his adopted son Germanicus restored order in Germania, Tiberius' biological son Drusus was sent to quell the uprising in Pannonia, accompanied by Sejanus and two Praetorian cohorts. Arruntius and Lepidus rejoice. [38] Agrippina and two of her sons, Nero and Drusus were arrested and exiled in AD 30, and later starved to death in suspicious circumstances. In England other royal favourites were seen in these terms too. Copy this link, or click below to email it to a friend. [15] With these changes in effect, Sejanus now commanded the complete loyalty of a force of around 12,000 soldiers, all of which were at his immediate disposal. [93] Later plays include a 5-act tragedy by A.Arterton (1875) and the privately printed Sejanus: A Tragedy in Five Acts by P. J. Sejanus His Fall: Stage History Essay Content: Paginated All Tom Cain. [91][92] Later there was another recycling of Jonson's tragedy in England by the Irish actor Francis Gentleman. Sejanus his fall by Ben Jonson, 1990, Manchester University Press, Distributed exclusively in the USA and Canada by St. Martin's Press edition, in English Sejanus his fall (1990 edition) | Open Library By overplaying his hand, however, Sejanus loses his … Sejanus His Fall Act 5. Nothing more is known of these performances, and the evidence about the … [75], Phaedrus was suspected of having alluded to Sejanus in his Fables and received some unknown punishment short of death (Cf. Sejanus his fall by Ben Jonson, 1970, Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, Da Capo Press edition, in English [64] Henceforth the Guard was at the disposal of the emperors, and the rulers were equally at the mercy of the Praetorians. He popularised the comedy of humours. [26] Tiberius was already in his sixties, thus the possibility of Drusus succeeding his father in the near future loomed large. [73], Among the writers who fell victim to the regime of Sejanus and its aftermath, were the historians Aulus Cremutius Cordus and Velleius Paterculus and the poet Phaedrus. [15] However this privileged position caused resentment among the senatorial class and the imperial family, in particular earning him the enmity of Tiberius' son Drusus Julius Caesar. Sejanus is also a leading figure in another Roman history play of about this time, the anonymous Tragedy of Claudius Tiberius Nero (1607). Show all albums by Ben Jonson Home. [84] This was followed in 1634 by another translation, Sir Thomas Hawkins' Politicall Observations upon the Fall of Sejanus, which had originally been titled Della peripetia di fortuna (Of Changes of Fortune) by its author, Giovanni Battista Manzini. In the early 3rd century, Plautianus was executed after a failed conspiracy against Septimius Severus. Sejanus his fall : Jonson, Ben, 1573?-1637 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive. (London: John Benson, 1640) Text: Poets are borne not made; when I would prove This truth, the glad rememberance I must love Scene 10 Ben Jonson. [54] The remaining children of Sejanus, Capito Aelianus and Junilla, were executed in December of that year. It’s the eyes that give it away, staring maniacally as he expounds on his theories of how he will get to the top. A recording of that livestream will be available until 7:00 PM EDT on Friday, May 21 - then it disappears. [7] With her as an accomplice, Drusus was slowly poisoned and died of seemingly natural causes on September 13, AD 23. [62] The political turmoil continued until the death of Tiberius in AD 37, after which he was succeeded by Caligula. [54] Riots ensued, in which mobs hunted down and killed anyone they could link to Sejanus. Little is known about the life Sejanus led prior to this date, but according to Tacitus, he accompanied Gaius Caesar, adopted son of Augustus, during his campaigns in Armenia in 1 BC. Suspecting the scope of his favourite's ambition, Tiberius leaves Rome, setting his agent Macro to spy on him. Posts about Sejanus His Fall written by urbanora. Sejanus His Fall will premiere LIVE on Monday, May 17th. Ben Jonson's Sejanus, his Fall (1603) is one of only two tragedies produced by this prolific dramatist. Some of them have been marginalised by Tiberius and Sejanus, whereas others have been favoured and elevated. [61] Arrests and executions were now supervised by Naevius Sutorius Macro, who succeeded Sejanus as the Prefect of the Praetorian Guard. All Rights Reserved. Sejanus His Fall  The reforms of Sejanus most significantly included the founding of the Castra Praetoria, which established the Praetorian Guard as the powerful political force, for which it is primarily known today. [12], When Strabo was assigned to the governorship of Egypt in AD 15, Sejanus became the sole commander of the Praetorians and instigated reforms that helped shape the guard into a powerful tool of the principate. [10] Furthermore, their presence served as a constant reminder to the people and the Senate of the substantial armed force which served as the basis for the imperial power. [57], Enraged upon learning the truth, Tiberius soon ordered more killings. Arruntius, however, sees in Macro a worse monster than Sejanus. [87] The story of Sejanus, with reference to the Earl's imprisonment in the Tower on a charge of treason, is interpreted as an argument for absolute monarchy, direct rule without the intermediary of politicians. [37] Among those who perished were Gaius Asinius Gallus, a prominent senator and opponent of Tiberius who was linked to Agrippina's faction. While the Praetorian Guard was formally established under Emperor Augustus, Sejanus introduced a number of reforms which saw the unit evolve beyond a mere bodyguard, into a powerful and influential branch of the government involved in public security, civil administration and ultimately political intercession; these changes would have a lasting impact on the course of the Principate. [48] He stepped down as consul, forcing Sejanus to do the same[49] and conferred an honorary priesthood upon Caligula, rekindling popular support for the house of Germanicus. This was prefaced with a tongue-in-cheek dedication to Lord Bute, denying that there can be any comparison between the conduct of Sejanus and that of his lordship. As early as AD 20, Sejanus had sought to solidify his connection with the imperial family by betrothing his daughter Junilla to the son of Claudius, Claudius Drusus. [19] We also know from this source that Cordus starved himself to death. According to the Bingham dissertation, while the Guard had been formally established by Augustus in 27 BC, the first prefects were not appointed until 2 BC. [50] The ensuing confusion was successful in alienating Sejanus from many of his followers. [6], According to the ancient historian Tacitus, Sejanus was also a former favourite of the wealthy Marcus Gavius Apicius, whose daughter may have been Sejanus' first wife Apicata. Tiberius is Emperor, and Lucius Aelius Sejanus his right hand man. The ancient historian Cassius Dio wrote: Sejanus was so great a person by reason both of his excessive haughtiness and of his vast power, that, to put it briefly, he himself seemed to be the emperor and Tiberius a kind of island potentate, inasmuch as the latter spent his time on the island of Capreae.[43]. Rome the next day or that he would arrive in Rome the next day or that he would arrive Rome! Reading VOLPONE, or the FOX Posts about Sejanus his right hand man by conspirators the! 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