# Vitellius — Short Fiction character guide

> Vitellius in Short Fiction by Gustave Flaubert.

**Role:** supporting

**First appearance:** 0011-herodias

## Snapshot

The Roman Governor of Syria, whose impending visit throws Herod's palace into a fever of preparation and political dread.

## Who they are

Vitellius never quite arrives in the early pages, but his anticipated presence looms over Antipas's birthday banquet like a verdict waiting to be read. The tetrarch's impatience and anxiety about the governor's arrival expose his precarious position between Roman authority, Jewish unrest, and his own idolatrous reputation. Vitellius's offstage power drives the palace's diplomatic theater, making every banquet arrangement and every flattering gesture a calculation aimed at imperial favor.

## Relationships

### [Herod Antipas](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_22_se/characters/herod_antipas)

_professional_

Vitellius is a Roman governor who meets with Herod Antipas in a tense political negotiation.

### [Aulus](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_22_se/characters/aulus)

_family_

Aulus is Vitellius's son, accompanying his father on a diplomatic visit to Herod Antipas.

### [Herod Antipas](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_22_se/characters/herod_antipas)

_professional_

Vitellius is a Roman governor who meets with Herod Antipas in a tense political negotiation.

## In the story

### [I: The Curse](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_22_se/chapters/i-the-curse)

Not present in this chapter.

### [II: The Crime](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_22_se/chapters/ii-the-crime)

Not present in this chapter.

### [Herodias](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_22_se/chapters/herodias)

The Roman proconsul who arrives at the feast, representing the political pressure on Herod.

### [II: The Voice](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_22_se/chapters/ii-the-voice)

Roman proconsul, suspicious and calculating, orders the pit opened to reveal Iaokanann.

### [III: The Banquet](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_22_se/chapters/iii-the-banquet)

Roman proconsul observing the feast with disdain for Jewish customs and growing concern over the unrest.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_22_se/characters/vitellius
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_22_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_22_se/characters