The Lives of the Caesars · Question
How does The Lives of the Caesars develop the theme of Public Image and Propaganda?
Answer
The Lives of the Caesars by Suetonius develops Public Image and Propaganda across the chapters the companion marks for this theme.
Emperors actively craft their public personas through games, building projects, eulogies, and titles (like 'Augustus' or 'Germanicus'), while Suetonius also reveals how scandals, rumors, and insults are used to undermine or shape their reputations.
Augustus's careful cultivation of his public image, including his building projects, his edicts about restoring the Republic, and his efforts to present himself as the author of a stable government.
Caligula manipulates public perception by bewailing the murder of a retiarius, deploring the lack of public disasters, and threatening to destroy the works of Homer, Virgil, and Livy, showing his obsession with controlling his legacy.
Claudius's censorship, his triumph for the British campaign, and his edicts reflect his efforts to shape public perception.
Evidence in the book
- Book II: The Deified Augustus
Augustus's careful cultivation of his public image, including his building projects, his edicts about restoring the Republic, and his efforts to present himself as the author of a stable government.
- Book IV: Gaius Caligula
Caligula manipulates public perception by bewailing the murder of a retiarius, deploring the lack of public disasters, and threatening to destroy the works of Homer, Virgil, and Livy, showing his obsession with controlling his legacy.
- Book V: The Deified Claudius
Claudius's censorship, his triumph for the British campaign, and his edicts reflect his efforts to shape public perception.
- Book VI: Nero
Nero staged elaborate shows, including the reception of Tiridates, shaved his first beard in a public ceremony, and closed the temple of Janus to project an image of peace and victory.
- Book VII: Galba—Otho—Vitellius
Galba's strictness and unpopularity are reflected in the soldiers' verse and the theater crowd's chant. Vitellius's public display of devotion to Nero serves as propaganda for his own rule.
- Galba
Galba's reputation for stinginess and cruelty is mocked in popular verses and theatre, eroding his initial popularity.
- Book VIII: The Deified Vespasian—The Deified Titus—Domitian
Vespasian's humble origins and Titus's generosity are highlighted as part of their public image, while Domitian's pretence of modesty and interest in poetry is noted as a facade.
- The Deified Vespasian
Portents (the oak tree branches) and the prophecy of a ruler from Judaea are used to legitimize Vespasian's rule, while his modest behavior and reforms shaped his public image.
