Sejanus and Tiberius
Was Tiberius a good emperor? Why do you think that modern sources might
argue that he was a good leader while ancient sources condemn him?
How does Tacitus describe Sejanus’s character? What qualities does
Sejanus have that allow him to gain control over Tiberius and why
doesn’t the Senate do anything about it?
How does Tacitus characterize Agrippina? In what way does her
personality contrast with Sejanus’s?
Claudius and Nero
In his description of Claudius, how does Tacitus employ the
themes of history and memory to foreshadow the emperor’s loss of
control over his reign? In what way does Tacitus depict Claudius as a
passive participant in his own history?
How does Tacitus use the topics of excess, the written word, violence
and death in his description of Nero to suggest that Nero is a
leader who lacks his own voice yet somehow manages to transform Rome
into a city that seems more foreign than familiar?