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Princesses and Others in Tacitus

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 September 2009

Ronald Syme
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Extract

The later books of the Annals exhibit a sharp divergence in structure and emphasis from the first hexad. Following upon Seianus and the sombre aftermath of Seianus in Book 6, the new epoch gave Tacitus welcome relief, with scope for colour and variety — and for dramatic effects of a different kind. The women of the Palace are on high show; and episodes like the follies and the fall of Messallina and the end of Nero's mother are accorded a treatment which some critics find lavish and disproportionate.

Type
Research Article
Information
Greece & Rome , Volume 28 , Issue 1 , April 1981 , pp. 40 - 52
Copyright
Copyright © The Classical Association 1981

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References

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