 | edt4 (110)
11/08/2005 |  A lot of what we know about Nero comes from the chronicler Seutonius, whom I believe wrote his account of Nero's life and death some years after the Emperor had died. Allowing for the negative propaganda such a chronicler probably indulged in, Nero does come across as one of the more monstrously flamboyant of the Roman Emperors. As has been mentioned below, he supposedly had an affair with his manipulative mother (although she was the one who allegedly initiated the incest in order to gain further control over him) and then had her murdered. He had been infatuated with his wife, who died prematurely. When he saw a boy who resembled his wife, he had the boy castrated and then "married" him. He used Christians as human torches to illuminate athletic events that were held at night, and St. Paul apparently was killed on Nero's orders. The story of Nero fiddling while Rome burned is probably apocryphal, but he does seem to have been far more interested in art, music and acting than he was in the mundane business of governing. When he was forced to commit suicide, he supposedly muttered, "What an artist dies in me!"
(5 voted this helpful, 0 funny and 0 agree) |
 | Drakainia (0)
07/15/2004 | From what I've read, Nero wasn't exactly bad for Rome, especially when placed against the backdrop of his successors and the preceding Emperors. And he's definitely an interesting character, insisting on performing on stage, even if it meant raveling to Greece and disgracing himself to do so. My favorite anecdote is his proposing his going in front of enemy troops and crying, maybe not the most intimidating of strategies, but an original and amusing one.
(0 voted this helpful, 0 funny and 0 agree) |
 | scarletfeather (53)
03/27/2004 | I'm really impressed with Enkidu for coming up with this list. I don't know much about Roman emperors, but I do know that Nero had an affair with his mother and then had her killed when he got tired of her. He wasn't exactly a respectful son.
(4 voted this helpful, 0 funny and 0 agree) |
