The Secret History · Question
How does The Secret History develop the theme of Hypocrisy and Deception?
Answer
The Secret History by Procopius develops Hypocrisy and Deception across the chapters the companion marks for this theme.
Procopius exposes the hypocrisy of Justinian and Theodora, who publicly pose as pious and just rulers while privately engaging in deceit, broken oaths, and calculated cruelty to maintain power.
Procopius admits he had to hide the truth in his earlier works due to fear, highlighting the deception required to survive under a tyrannical regime.
The gap between public piety and private depravity, as seen in the court's moral hypocrisy and secret machinations.
Antonina's elaborate lies and Belisarius's willful blindness exemplify the theme of deception, as the general prefers to distrust his own eyes rather than confront his wife's infidelity.
Evidence in the book
- Foreword by the Historian
Procopius admits he had to hide the truth in his earlier works due to fear, highlighting the deception required to survive under a tyrannical regime.
- The Secret History
The gap between public piety and private depravity, as seen in the court's moral hypocrisy and secret machinations.
- How the Great General Belisarius Was Hoodwinked by His Wife, Whose Lover Became a Monk
Antonina's elaborate lies and Belisarius's willful blindness exemplify the theme of deception, as the general prefers to distrust his own eyes rather than confront his wife's infidelity.
- II: How Belated Jealousy Affected Belisarius’s Military Judgment, to the Joy of the Enemy
Antonina deceives John the Cappadocian with oaths, and Belisarius swears sacred oaths to Photius while still loving his wife, planning revenge but not harm to her.
- Character and Appearance of Justinian
Justinian is portrayed as deceitful, false, hypocritical, and two-faced, never truthful and skilled in dissembling his thoughts.
- X: How Justinian Created a New Law Permitting Him to Marry a Courtesan on Her Promise to Repent Her Past; and the Truth About the Apparent Quarrels of a Happy Pair
Justinian and Theodora feign opposition to each other to manipulate public opinion and consolidate power.
- XI: How the Defender of the Faith Ruined His Subjects
Justinian claims to secure peace by bribing barbarians, but this only encourages further invasions.
- XII: Proving That Justinian and Theodora Were Actually Fiends in Human Form
The emperor and empress use deceptive methods such as forged letters and false claims of inheritance to rob the Senate and wealthy citizens.
