Zusammenfassung der Ressource
Germanicus & Piso
AND Regulus
- CHARACTERS
- Germanicus
- Well-respected - People from foreign
nations mourn his death. People break out
in grief, anger and complaints upon his
death. People wouldn't let Piso off from
this crime.
- Fair - Treats friend and foe alike.
Mercy towards enemies.
- Lenient towards Piso - Despite all
of the curses, he simply renounces
his friendship with Piso.
- Strong loyalty from friends - His
friends make sure that his death is
avenged.
- Associated with Alexander the
Great - Emphasises his greatness
and nobility.
- Died at young age.
- Noble family.
- Appearance, age,
manner and place of
death similar.
- Piso
- Immoral - Allows idleness,
hooliganism and bribery to
occur in the camp.
- Savage - Is suspected of
murdering Germanicus
with poison.
- Extreme behaviour - Uses human
remains, spells and curses, curse
tablets to curse Germanicus.
- Disrespectful - Is joyful
when Germanicus dies. He
goes to the temple and
sacrifices to the gods.
- Coward & Cynical - Piso realises
his final fate and kills himself
before. Takes the easy way out.
- Tiberius
- Modest - Gave a
"modest" speech
about Piso.
- Selfish - In the speech he gives, only
looks out for himself, not Piso.
Doesn't want to take the blame.
- High ranking (emperor).
- Biased towards Piso (at first) -
Tiberius allows Piso to be
governor of Syria.
- Plancina
- Arrogant - Became
more arrogant upon
Germanicus' death.
- Disrespectful - Changes
mourning clothes into
"happy" clothes when
Germanicus dies.
- Threw insults at Agrippina.
- Untraditional (for a woman) -
attended military exercises.
- Disloyal -
Abandons Piso in
his final
moments.
- Agrippina
- Elicits pity - Excessive show
of grief.
- Carries Germanicus' ashes
on her journey. Takes her
two children with her.
- Dramatic portrayal
of the ship arriving
at the harbour.
- Cast eyes.
- Loyal - Mourns greatly for
Germanicus. Will not give up
revenge.
- Strong - Comes out into the public even
when mourning and physically ill.
- Ambiguous
- From a noble family.
- Regulus
- Immoral - Tricking
people into giving him
their money.
- Does this a lot!
- Swears on his son's life
frequently.
- Aggressive in approach -
Interrogates his "victim".
- Insensitive - Visits Verania
when she is very ill and sits
right next to her.
- "Consider the
shamelessness of the man!"
- Verania
- Vulnerable
- Old
- Ill
- Easily deceived - Trusts
Regulus and ends up leaving
a legacy for him.
- Determined - Shouts at Regulus
even when dying.
- THEMES
- Immorality
- Regulus deceives
Verania who is old and
sick.
- Regulus swears on his young son's life.
- Regulus has no shame -
Visits a female when she is
vulnerable.
- Piso allows hooliganism, idleness
in the camp. Allows soldiers to
rampage through fields.
- Plancina changes
mourning clothes into
cheerful ones.
- Deception
- Regulus deceives Verania - Gives
her a false sense of security.
Acts like he is on her side.
- Piso's actions before his
death create a false
impression of his
intentions.
- Tacitus states that
Germanicus is
recovering, but then in
reality, he suddenly dies.
- Supernatural
- Curse tablets, human remains,
rotten flesh, evil objects found
outside Germanicus' house.
- Regulus angers gods by
swearing false oaths.
- Political
- Plancina attends
military
exercises.
- Tiberius' speech in the
Senate - Pushes blame
on Piso.
- Detailed description of law proceedings - Two days
allocated for presenting charges, after an interval of six
days, the accused should be defended for three days.
- Detailed description of the state's mourning process
- a break from legal business, law-courts abandoned,
private houses closed to clients.
- Loyalty
- Lack of loyalty - Plancina
leaves Piso during his
final moments.
- Germanicus' friends
swear that they will
avenge his death.
- When Agrippina approached
Brundisium, there was a great
show of support.
- Wealth &
Power
- Germanicus has great power - He is
loved by the whole nation, everyone
grieves for him.
- Germanicus is well-respected - Even
foreign nations and kings mourned his
death.
- Tiberius allows Piso to govern Syria.
- EVENTS
- Agrippina on ship
- Carrying Germanicus' ashes.
- Mournful reaction from crowds.
- With her young children.
- Agrippina is of
noble birth, had a
very fine marriage.
- Dramatic arrival at
Brundisium. "Everything
arranged for sadness".
- Cast down eyes.
- Germanicus poisoned
- Use of dark magic - human
remains, spells and curses,
inscribed lead tablets, rotten
flesh, evil objects.
- Men, allegedly sent by Piso, to
wait for signs of Germanicus
becoming ill.
- Germanicus instructs his
friends on what they ought to
do after his death.
- When it was thought that he
was getting better, he
suddenly became worse.
- Extreme Mourning
- Huge grief of the
province and the
surrounding people.
- Foreign nations and kings mourned.
- Agrippina did not delay her
revenge, despite grieving and
being sick.
- Upon hearing the rumours of
Germanicus' ill-health, grief, anger
and complaints broke out.
- The news of Germanicus' death
inflamed people so much that all
usual business stopped.
- "Everywhere [there was] silence and wailing."
- Both outward signs of mourning, but grieving deeper in their hearts.
- Groan from everyone as they
see Agrippina disembark.
- Tiberius' speech/Court
- Tiberius tries to reflect
any blame from himself.
- Piso was chosen by Augustus.
Tiberius only sent him to help
Germanicus.
- 2 days for presenting charges, after another
6 days the defendant should be defended
for 3 days.
- Three of Germanicus' friends make allegations against Piso.
- Piso was charged for
everything except the
crime of poison.
- Plancina betrays Piso/Piso's suicide
- She said that she would stay be
Piso's side (whilst he still had
hope of acquittal).
- As soon as it appears that all hope for
Piso is gone, Plancina gradually
distanced herself.
- Plancina promised that she
would be Piso's companion of
death.
- Regulus visits Verania
- Regulus visits Verania when
she is very ill. He sits very
close to her.
- Regulus had been
very hostile to
Verania's husband.
- He holds Verania in suspense
after he makes calculations.
- He makes his words seem
credible by saying that he
will consult a haruspex.
- He interrogates Verania on
which day and which hour
she was born.
- Verania leaves
legacy for Regulus
- As in danger, Verania
decides to write a will
and leave a legacy for
Regulus.
- Once she finds out that it was a lie, Verania curses at
Regulus for being a "wicked and treacherous and even
more than perjured" man.