Early Modern Drama · Character Archetypes

NERO

in Sejanus His Fall — Jonson, Ben

Metadata

PlaySejanus His Fall
AuthorJonson, Ben
Year (catalogued)1640
First performance1603
Decade1640s
GenreTragedy
Play typeAdult Professional
CompanyKing's Men
Speech prefix(es)NER.
Words168
Characters950
Typicality0.38 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP idA04632.5
BritDrama no.1412
ClusterCluster 6 — Battlefield messengers & soldiers

Important excerpts

No keyword-matching excerpt could be extracted (the cluster label doesn't share vocabulary with this character's speech).

Full speech

'Twere best rip forth their tongues, sear out their eyes, When next they come. That's strange! What's that? I, to SEIANUS? But, there is somewhat else? Would! You hear, SEIANUS is come back from Caesar? Tiberius sitting at his meat, In a farm house, they call Spelunca , sited By the seaside, among the Fundane hills, Within a natural cave, partly of the grot (About the entry) fell, and overwhelmed Some of the waiters; others ran away: Only SEIANUS, with his knees, hands, face, Overhanging Caesar, did oppose himself To the remaining ruins, and was found In that so labouring posture, by the soldiers That came to succour him. With which adventure, He hath so sixth himself in CAESAR'S trust, As thunder cannot move him, and is come With all the height of CAESARS praise, to Room. Noble friends, be safe: To lose your selves for words, were as vain hazard, As unto me small comfort: Fare you well. Would all Rome's sufferings in my fate did dwell.

Plot summary

Plot — Sejanus His Fall
While disaffected Romans whisper, the favourite Séjamus dominates the court with his spies and corruptly sells offices; it is rumoured that he seeks imperial status for himself. He has an affair with Livia and arranges the death by poison of her husband Drasiis} He and the Emperor MibETUS plot to destabilize the opposition, effectively led by Agtippinal To that end, they have Silii§ and @6rdus tried for treason before the Senate; Silius pre-empts the verdict by publicly committing suicide. Sejanus persuades Tiberius to retire from: Rome, but makes him suspicious by seeking to marry Livia (and so become part of the imperial family). Leaving Sejanus as his deputy in Rome, Tiberius also assigns Maer to watch and act against him. Sejanus returns to favour when he saves the Emperor’s life after a rockfall. The legalized harassment of dissent is stepped up: Agrippina’s son @aligala escapes from Rome with Macro, but his mother and brothers are arrested and condemned. Rumours of Tiberius’ debaucheries circulate in Rome, while his treatment of Sejanus seems increasingly ambiguous: the favourites’ allies and enemies seem both to be given high office. Portents like the appearance of a Biantisiake inside Sejanus’ statue prefigure his fall. He professes atheism, accepting only the power of Fertile, but at a religious ceremony the statue of Fortune turns her face from him. The Senate is summoned to hear a communication from the Emperor, and rumours circulate that Sejanus is to be invested with supreme power. Meanwhile, Macro plans a coup with selected officials. The senators greet Sejanus with flattery, but Tiberius’ letter strips him of power. He is beheaded, and the mob tears his body to pieces and pulls down his statues; his children are also killed at Macro’s instigation.