Early Modern Drama · Character Archetypes

SATRIUS

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)SAT.
Words236
Characters1294
Typicality0.29 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP idA04632.5
BritDrama no.1412
ClusterCluster 20 — Conjurers, witches & physicians

Important excerpts

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

Full speech

My lord, There is a gentleman of Room would buy— Please your lordship, It is EUDEMUS, the physician To LIVIA, DRUSU'S wife. A Tribune place, my lord. Fifty sestertia. It is, my lord; your Lordship's answer? The place, my lord. It's for a gentleman, Your lordship will well Like off, when you see him; And one, you may make yours, by the grant. Thank your lordship. He shall, my lord. Reputed so, my lord: and of deep practice. Your fortune's made unto you now, EUDEMUS, If you can but lay hold upon the means; Do but observe his humour, and — believe it — He's the noblest Roman , where he takes — Here comes his lordship. This is the gentleman, my lord. Most divine! Tut, he's not yet Looked after, there are others more desired, That are more silent. I do accuse thee here, CREMUTIUS CORDUS, To be a man factious, and dangerous, A Sour of sedition in the state, A turbulent, and discontented spirit, Which I will prove from thine own writings, here, The Annal's thou hast published; where thou bitest The present age, and with a vipers tooth, Being a member of it, darest that ill Which never yet degenerous bastard did Upon his parent. And turns away! Better, my lord, withdraw, You will betray what store, and strength of friends Are now about you; which he comes to spy. Wee'll search him.

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.