Essay
What does this passage tell us about Tacitus’ views on Claudius’ principate?
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Essay on Tacitus' views on Emperor Claudius' principate - 85% grade (first)
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B231107 - 730 words1. What does this passage tell us about Tacitus’ views on Claudius’ principate?
This passage comes from Book 12 of the historian Tacitus’ Annals, written about 50 years
after the death of Claudius. When writing about Claudius, Tacitus portrays Rome as a state in
decline as he focuses on Claudius’ poor decision-making and pliant personality during his
principate.
Tacitus shows contempt for the emperor within the first line by implying that Claudius lacked
any authority in his own imperial household. His dead wife, Messalina, had previously
threatened Claudius’ principate and reign due to her lust and manipulative personality. Yet,
although her death was necessary to protect the reputation of the imperial family, Tacitus
writes “the household was wrenched apart” as he was “submissive to spouses’ commands”,
portraying Claudius as lacking fortitude and resolve, the opposite of how an emperor should
lead. This passage is satirical as Claudius is put into the role of a comic Paris who must
choose a woman and just like the mythological character, he ends up picking the worst
possible choice1. Thus, one could say that Tacitus views the emperor’s choice as complacent
and ruinous for Rome by mirroring the choice which catalysed the Trojan War.
Tacitus immediately sheds light on the fact that his freedmen - Callistus, Pallas and Narcissus
- are taking the lead when choosing who his new wife should be rather than the emperor
himself. This delineates Claudius as a feckless leader who is guided by men inferior to his
position and unworthy of such monumental decisions. Here, Tacitus emphasises how his
principate had reversed traditional imperial authority and the usurpation of power by
low-ranking men. The notion that anyone around the emperor could exercise power over him
1
Vessey. (1971). Thoughts on Tacitus’ Portrayal of Claudius. The American Journal of Philology, 92(3),
385–409.
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