Study Questions for Assignment 17
Tacitus, Annals, Pages
284-397 (bks XIII-XVI)
- Page 284. Who were
Burrus and Seneca and how does Tacitus describe their
characters?
- Page 285. How does
Tacitus describe the speaking abilities of the emperors from Julius Caesar
through Nero?
- Page 289. Who was
Acte and what was Agrippina's attitude toward Nero and his relationship with
Acte?
- Page 291. What was
Agrippina's reaction to Britannicus's murder, and why?
- Page 306. Who was
Poppaea and what was she like?
- Pages 314-316. How
did Agrippina die?
- Pages 327-331 Describe
the cause, progress, and suppression of the rebellion of the Britons under
Boudicca.
- 337-339 Why did
Seneca want to retire? Why didn't Nero allow him to?
- 341-343 On what
charge did Nero divorce Octavia? How old was she when died?
- 362-366 How did
Nero profit by the Great Fire of Rome? What regulations were implemented to
prevent future fires in the rebuilding of the city? ( cf. Book 5 of Livy, the
sack of Rome by the Gauls and the subsequent askewed rebuilding of
Rome)
1- What is Tacitus's
attitude toward the Christians? Why? (See this page for more ancient
references to the Christians.)
1- 373 How did
Epicharis distinguish herself from the other conspirators? How does Tacitus's
view her actions?
1- How did Poppaea
die?
1- 388 (last
paragraph) What attitudes does Tacitus reveal in this paragraph about the
character of the men involved in all the evils of Nero's reign, and about the
cause of it all?
1- Why do you think so
many men were so weak and cowardly in the face of Nero's
tyranny?
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