I think Nero ascending as emperor so early on in life (age 16) was probably the catalyst for Nero's transformation. By his death, Nero was an egotistic, power-hungry and ambitious man, but he was only 30. Power is extremely addicting and I think Nero was not mature enough to handle the amount of power that he received as emperor of Rome. For example, the Greek games got moved up for him and he forbid anyone from leaving while he was performing and I think this show of immaturity and insecurity only exemplifies how Nero was not mature enough to handle all the power he had been given. Nero had desires and the power to act out those desires which only exacerbated Nero's abuse of his power. He comes across as completely contemptible but I think it is important to remember how young Nero was and I believe his misfortunes could have been avoided if he had waited to ascend the throne or had created a council of advisers and distributed power around so that he didn't have all the power of the Roman government.
His immaturity may well have been a factor. Regarding the council of advisors, he did have one for the first five-six years after he ascended to the throne (Oct. 54-62), namely the philosopher Seneca, his old tutor, and the most powerful military commander in Rome, Burrus, the Prefect of the Praetorian Guard (died in 62). He also had his mother, Agrippina, but then banished her just a few months after he began his reign.
Nero's mother stood out to me as a possible cause for the way he was. She seemed to have trained him to rule ruthlessly, and admired him as well. It says in the reading that she was warned he might kill her, and she said she wouldn't care if he would rule. He probably grew up thinking there were no consequences for his actions, which made him inadequate in battle because he could not anticipate consequences. He killed at will and with passion, as with his pregnant mistress who he kicked to death. He seemed to regret it later, though, because he took a boy lover who looked like her. Perhaps if Nero was raised with normal discipline and an understanding of how his actions would affect others, then he might have been a better ruler and had more restraint.
I think you are right that Nero must have regretted killing Poppaea. Regarding his mother, I am less sure. The question is, how bad Agrippina really was. The quote, for example, "let him kill me as long as he becomes ruler," sounds as if someone may have invented it in hindsight. Roman historians and biographers were not like modern scholars, but often more interested in the entertainment and the moral instruction of their audience than in historical truth.
I think that there was a number of catalysts that led to Nero's poor choices and evil rule of the Roman Empire. As the Suetonius reading points out, Nero descended from a number of dishonest and "evil" people. For example, his father was described as "hateful in every walk of life," for purposefully running out over a boy, gouging eyes out of people who were criticizing him, and committing acts of adultery and incest. Clearly, genetics played somewhat of a role. It also didn't help Nero that his father died when he was very young and his mother was banished, so he was raised by his aunt. Furthermore, Nero committed very evil acts due to his growing insecurity and craving for popularity. He basically thought that if he didn't kill rivals, they would destroy him. He also longed for immorality and fame, and would do anything to gaint those attributes.
Does that mean that people whose parents are criminals are doomed to become criminals too, and that's what happened with Nero? Or was the way he was socialized the deciding factor?
I think there were a wide variety of factors that contributed to Nero becoming "evil", beginning with his lack of a real role model. His father and his father's father and even his grandfather's father were all known as corrupt rulers who had violent tempers and were unnecessarily cruel. Nero was never really able to witness how a good emperor ruled and was ignorant to the type of relationships he needed to develop with everyday citizens as well as the Senate (which includes the upper call elite). He also was an incredibly indulgent man which prompted him to always place himself above that of his people. This excessive lifestyle also translated into a type of "all or nothing" mentality which was shown through his extremist views. There never seemed to be any type of compromise with him and he always seemed to dwell on one side of the spectrum or the other, never in the middle.
I believe that Nero became evil because of his position as emperor. Not every Roman emperor is evil, but he was given complete control over Rome. The fact that he was given that much power and nobody could stop him is one of the most contributing factors in my opinion. I feel like if we knew what Nero's home life was like, Nero's nature could be easier to understand. It seems to me that he was brought up with a sense of entitlement, like most of the upper class Romans. When the "soothsayer prophesied that Nero would live to be emperor and kill his mother," the mother says she is okay with it as long as he is emperor". With his family history of "evil", Nero really had no example of a positive male role model. I just think it would be interesting to see what Nero grew up with and how much it affected him.
I believe that Nero's childhood was a big factor in him becoming evil. His birth occured at a tyrannical reign of his uncle Gaius and so his childhood was very unstable. He and his family were banished and his father died when he was three. So his mother was raising him until Gaius died and Claudius became emperor and gave Nero back everything Gaius took. I feel that because his mother raised him and because he did not have a male figure around him until Senaca, he was deprived of that authority figure. The power that he was given at such a young age could have definitely also been why he became evil. Even though he had a mentor he wasn't really taught the "do's and don't's" and so his actions were all okay when he looked at them. His mother also raised him in a way that made him believe that there was no consequences for his actions.
I think the biggest thing that made Nero so sadistic and cruel was his upbringing: an absent/dead father when he was very young, and a mother who seems not exactly sane, judging by the reading. (Interestingly enough, it seems that a lot of history's brutal men had awful and unstable upbringings (see, Hitler and/or Stalin).) I wouldn't put all the blame for Nero's evil nature on his mother, since he might have just been born a sociopath or something similar. It just seems like she's the one who raised him for most of his young life which is when a person is supposed to build a stable psyche and moral compass.
Also, the bit about Nero allegedly sexually abusing women and boys makes it seem like he was abused previously in life, as the Center for Sex Offender Management reports that "between 40%-80% of sex abusers have a history of sexual abuse, while 20%-50% have a history of physical abuse".
I think that Nero was evil because of a combination of things that happened to him. First of all, he became emperor at 16. Adding on to this, Nero's father died and he was raised by his mother. This also could have possibly led him to have a "spoiled attitude" I believe that him becoming emperor at this young of an age led him to develop his over-indulgent lifestyle. The way his mother raised him might have also played a role. Nero's mother was said to have raised him to be an emperor, allegedly even going so far as saying that she did not care if Nero killed her, just as long as he became emperor.
I believe that when looking into what might have caused Nero to turn evil, we must first look at what makes any man make irrational decisions. This in essence would really give a plausible answer because after all Nero was only human.What really makes men make terrible decisions is insecurity. Having any doubt as to the intentions of another, or whether or not to trust that person is what really pushes man kind to its edge. It is for this reason that I think that what truly pushed Emperor Nero to be evil was the fact that he had so many insecurities in his life. Take his mother for example, all she ever did was raise him to be emperor which in a young 16 year old mind would raise doubts as to the intentions of such actions. Was she doing it for him or for her? The second body to blame was the senate, because it was they who started plotting against Nero, and once he found out who had started these ideas, he would never trust the senate again. These insecurities really pushed Nero to the brink of insanity because he did not know where to turn to or whom to trust.
I think what turned Nero evil was a combination of coming into power too early as well as having a mother who craved power. Nero's father was dead, but would have been a terrible role model just the same as Nero's grandfather and uncle. Nero had some guidance, but it was most likely very difficult for him to break the family habit of cruelty. Meanwhile, Nero's mother was thirsty for power in Rome. She practically ran the city for a number of years by using Nero as a puppet. Only after the damage had been done did Nero finally banish his mother once and for all from Italy. Although exile was a step in the right direction, the leaders of Rome were too far detached from Nero and the rich people saw him as a growing threat to their wealth. He was mentally unstable from all the power he had inherited at such a young age and was truly unfit to rule. The early power combined with an unstable upbringing resulted in the corruption and insanity that would ultimately consume his life.
Do you think that if Nero's mother was not power hungry or more attentive to Nero as a child that Nero might have not become evil? Was Nero's mother the only source of Nero becoming evil? At what point was Nero's evilness not influence by his mother?
From the Ancient History Sourcebook it sounds like Nero had a lot of extravagant activities that he liked to engage in and in which he wanted domination, power, and pride. Although arguably he had power and wealth he was always on a quest for more. From the sounds of it Nero wanted ultimate adoration of his subjects, that's why he rode around on Caesar's chariot. However, no matter how much adoration, as shown through his male wife lover Sporus. I think that Nero turned evil because he never received the divinity that he thought he deserved, and because he was eased into a life of evil. Nero was not born evil, he was slowly brought towards evil. It was when Nero started killing for fun that he really turned evil. I'm not sure whether Nero's turn towards evil could have been avoided. I think that if he got more attention as a child from his mother and father that might have helped. Otherwise Nero turned evil of his own accord.
I think Nero ascending as emperor so early on in life (age 16) was probably the catalyst for Nero's transformation. By his death, Nero was an egotistic, power-hungry and ambitious man, but he was only 30. Power is extremely addicting and I think Nero was not mature enough to handle the amount of power that he received as emperor of Rome. For example, the Greek games got moved up for him and he forbid anyone from leaving while he was performing and I think this show of immaturity and insecurity only exemplifies how Nero was not mature enough to handle all the power he had been given. Nero had desires and the power to act out those desires which only exacerbated Nero's abuse of his power. He comes across as completely contemptible but I think it is important to remember how young Nero was and I believe his misfortunes could have been avoided if he had waited to ascend the throne or had created a council of advisers and distributed power around so that he didn't have all the power of the Roman government.
ReplyDeleteHis immaturity may well have been a factor. Regarding the council of advisors, he did have one for the first five-six years after he ascended to the throne (Oct. 54-62), namely the philosopher Seneca, his old tutor, and the most powerful military commander in Rome, Burrus, the Prefect of the Praetorian Guard (died in 62). He also had his mother, Agrippina, but then banished her just a few months after he began his reign.
DeleteNero's mother stood out to me as a possible cause for the way he was. She seemed to have trained him to rule ruthlessly, and admired him as well. It says in the reading that she was warned he might kill her, and she said she wouldn't care if he would rule. He probably grew up thinking there were no consequences for his actions, which made him inadequate in battle because he could not anticipate consequences. He killed at will and with passion, as with his pregnant mistress who he kicked to death. He seemed to regret it later, though, because he took a boy lover who looked like her. Perhaps if Nero was raised with normal discipline and an understanding of how his actions would affect others, then he might have been a better ruler and had more restraint.
ReplyDeleteI think you are right that Nero must have regretted killing Poppaea. Regarding his mother, I am less sure. The question is, how bad Agrippina really was. The quote, for example, "let him kill me as long as he becomes ruler," sounds as if someone may have invented it in hindsight. Roman historians and biographers were not like modern scholars, but often more interested in the entertainment and the moral instruction of their audience than in historical truth.
DeleteI think that there was a number of catalysts that led to Nero's poor choices and evil rule of the Roman Empire. As the Suetonius reading points out, Nero descended from a number of dishonest and "evil" people. For example, his father was described as "hateful in every walk of life," for purposefully running out over a boy, gouging eyes out of people who were criticizing him, and committing acts of adultery and incest. Clearly, genetics played somewhat of a role. It also didn't help Nero that his father died when he was very young and his mother was banished, so he was raised by his aunt. Furthermore, Nero committed very evil acts due to his growing insecurity and craving for popularity. He basically thought that if he didn't kill rivals, they would destroy him. He also longed for immorality and fame, and would do anything to gaint those attributes.
ReplyDeleteDoes that mean that people whose parents are criminals are doomed to become criminals too, and that's what happened with Nero? Or was the way he was socialized the deciding factor?
DeleteI think there were a wide variety of factors that contributed to Nero becoming "evil", beginning with his lack of a real role model. His father and his father's father and even his grandfather's father were all known as corrupt rulers who had violent tempers and were unnecessarily cruel. Nero was never really able to witness how a good emperor ruled and was ignorant to the type of relationships he needed to develop with everyday citizens as well as the Senate (which includes the upper call elite). He also was an incredibly indulgent man which prompted him to always place himself above that of his people. This excessive lifestyle also translated into a type of "all or nothing" mentality which was shown through his extremist views. There never seemed to be any type of compromise with him and he always seemed to dwell on one side of the spectrum or the other, never in the middle.
ReplyDeleteI believe that Nero became evil because of his position as emperor. Not every Roman emperor is evil, but he was given complete control over Rome. The fact that he was given that much power and nobody could stop him is one of the most contributing factors in my opinion. I feel like if we knew what Nero's home life was like, Nero's nature could be easier to understand. It seems to me that he was brought up with a sense of entitlement, like most of the upper class Romans. When the "soothsayer prophesied that Nero would live to be emperor and kill his mother," the mother says she is okay with it as long as he is emperor". With his family history of "evil", Nero really had no example of a positive male role model. I just think it would be interesting to see what Nero grew up with and how much it affected him.
ReplyDeleteI believe that Nero's childhood was a big factor in him becoming evil. His birth occured at a tyrannical reign of his uncle Gaius and so his childhood was very unstable. He and his family were banished and his father died when he was three. So his mother was raising him until Gaius died and Claudius became emperor and gave Nero back everything Gaius took. I feel that because his mother raised him and because he did not have a male figure around him until Senaca, he was deprived of that authority figure. The power that he was given at such a young age could have definitely also been why he became evil. Even though he had a mentor he wasn't really taught the "do's and don't's" and so his actions were all okay when he looked at them. His mother also raised him in a way that made him believe that there was no consequences for his actions.
ReplyDeleteI think the biggest thing that made Nero so sadistic and cruel was his upbringing: an absent/dead father when he was very young, and a mother who seems not exactly sane, judging by the reading. (Interestingly enough, it seems that a lot of history's brutal men had awful and unstable upbringings (see, Hitler and/or Stalin).) I wouldn't put all the blame for Nero's evil nature on his mother, since he might have just been born a sociopath or something similar. It just seems like she's the one who raised him for most of his young life which is when a person is supposed to build a stable psyche and moral compass.
ReplyDeleteAlso, the bit about Nero allegedly sexually abusing women and boys makes it seem like he was abused previously in life, as the Center for Sex Offender Management reports that "between 40%-80% of sex abusers have a history of sexual abuse, while 20%-50% have a history of physical abuse".
I think that Nero was evil because of a combination of things that happened to him. First of all, he became emperor at 16. Adding on to this, Nero's father died and he was raised by his mother. This also could have possibly led him to have a "spoiled attitude" I believe that him becoming emperor at this young of an age led him to develop his over-indulgent lifestyle. The way his mother raised him might have also played a role. Nero's mother was said to have raised him to be an emperor, allegedly even going so far as saying that she did not care if Nero killed her, just as long as he became emperor.
ReplyDeleteI believe that when looking into what might have caused Nero to turn evil, we must first look at what makes any man make irrational decisions. This in essence would really give a plausible answer because after all Nero was only human.What really makes men make terrible decisions is insecurity. Having any doubt as to the intentions of another, or whether or not to trust that person is what really pushes man kind to its edge. It is for this reason that I think that what truly pushed Emperor Nero to be evil was the fact that he had so many insecurities in his life. Take his mother for example, all she ever did was raise him to be emperor which in a young 16 year old mind would raise doubts as to the intentions of such actions. Was she doing it for him or for her? The second body to blame was the senate, because it was they who started plotting against Nero, and once he found out who had started these ideas, he would never trust the senate again. These insecurities really pushed Nero to the brink of insanity because he did not know where to turn to or whom to trust.
ReplyDeleteI think what turned Nero evil was a combination of coming into power too early as well as having a mother who craved power. Nero's father was dead, but would have been a terrible role model just the same as Nero's grandfather and uncle. Nero had some guidance, but it was most likely very difficult for him to break the family habit of cruelty. Meanwhile, Nero's mother was thirsty for power in Rome. She practically ran the city for a number of years by using Nero as a puppet. Only after the damage had been done did Nero finally banish his mother once and for all from Italy. Although exile was a step in the right direction, the leaders of Rome were too far detached from Nero and the rich people saw him as a growing threat to their wealth. He was mentally unstable from all the power he had inherited at such a young age and was truly unfit to rule. The early power combined with an unstable upbringing resulted in the corruption and insanity that would ultimately consume his life.
ReplyDeleteDo you think that if Nero's mother was not power hungry or more attentive to Nero as a child that Nero might have not become evil?
DeleteWas Nero's mother the only source of Nero becoming evil?
At what point was Nero's evilness not influence by his mother?
From the Ancient History Sourcebook it sounds like Nero had a lot of extravagant activities that he liked to engage in and in which he wanted domination, power, and pride. Although arguably he had power and wealth he was always on a quest for more. From the sounds of it Nero wanted ultimate adoration of his subjects, that's why he rode around on Caesar's chariot. However, no matter how much adoration, as shown through his male wife lover Sporus. I think that Nero turned evil because he never received the divinity that he thought he deserved, and because he was eased into a life of evil. Nero was not born evil, he was slowly brought towards evil. It was when Nero started killing for fun that he really turned evil. I'm not sure whether Nero's turn towards evil could have been avoided. I think that if he got more attention as a child from his mother and father that might have helped. Otherwise Nero turned evil of his own accord.
ReplyDelete