Joseph Jordan Nero Debate Paper Roman History The reign of Nero has been generally accepted to be a period of insanity and darkness in the Roman empire, however there is also new light being shed on this period of Roman history. It is true that Nero was a determined and violent man who was willing to smash any obstacle in his path in order to secure his throne, but did this necessarily make him any worse than his predecessors? If anything, atleast for a period, Nero was one of the more humane Roman leaders. Politics, whether it is in ancient Rome or even in the modern day, is a dirty game that demands certain reprehensible actions in extraordinary situations. The company one keeps plays a huge role in a leader’s actions as well, when
Rhetorical Strategies in Julius Caesar In Julius Caesar, Antony and Brutus deliver two speeches, both of which are driven by three rhetorical devices; ethos, logos and pathos. Though both were able to use the rhetorical strategies effectively, Antony’s speech ended up above both. Antony and Brutus, Begin with establishing their credibility first. Brutus breaks into ethos by talking about his honor, he tells the plebeians to keep his honor in mind. He also lets everyone know that Caesar was “ambitious” and he had to “slew” him because of it.
In the first line of his speech, “Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears” (Line 1), he is building a connection with the crowd, letting them know that he is one of them, their friend, and that they are all part of the great country of Rome. His speech is aimed at the hearts and minds of the audience, trying to turn their hatred of this now dead leader upon his murderers, Brutus and the other conspirators. As he goes further into his speech he uses repetition, another form of pathos, to persuade the audience against Brutus, saying this such as, “But Brutus says he was ambitious, And Brutus is an honorable man” (Lines 1415), and, “I thrice presented him a kingly crown, Which he did thrice refuse. Was this ambition?” He is destroying the credibility of Brutus in the minds of the people, thus making all that was said in Brutus’ speech seem untrue, or
Despite the increased responsibility and independence the senate became more subservient to him, “Though at first the senate showed real independence, it soon realised the risk of encroaching too far” (Scullard). This was due to the fact of the growing treason trials and Sejanus’ influence, senators afraid of their safety began to win favour by sycophancy. Whilst through his reserved temperament and ambiguous instructions led confusion to the senate steering towards deterioration, Tacitus notes he remarked them “men fit to be slaves”. This declining power of the senate under Tiberius became more obvious when he administered the empire from Capri failing to create the diarchic balance, Scullard writes “Tiberius had tried and failed and his failure was made irremediable by his retirement to Capri” illustrating the impact on Princeps becoming more dominating issuing imperial
Senator Paine has made an argument that is both extremely immoral and also very smart. He says that in order to run your district well you have to “play ball” and do some dirty work to accomplish your goals. In the movie Paine makes deals with someone in order to get particular votes in his favor. As a member of the senate, Paine is trying to please his people by giving them what they want, and if you must do some immoral tasks to do this then so be it. As Machiavelli said, “The ends justify the means.” As long Senator Paine is doing these things for the good of the state rather than the good of himself, it is necessary to make these compromises of one’s principles.
Augustus paid lip service to many of the Republican institutions in the Roman government, with the main institution being the Senate in my opinion. This could be in fact due to the ability of the Senators power to overthrow him if they were in a disagreement of some sort. The generosities Augustus lists in the Res Gestae points to the many times he gifts the populace and the soldiers of Rome. One could deduce how Augustus more or less flaunts his power and money to try and gain the favor of the people, without actually caring what they may think. Gifting the soldiers keeps them in high morale and respect for his authority, so as to be willing to go to battle under any condition Augustus sees fit.
Around 400 BC Plato, one of Socrates greatest admirers, wrote a dialog of the speech Socrates makes at the trial where he was accused of not recognizing the gods that the state recognized, and for corrupting the youth of Athens. Socrates is brought before a jury to defend his case and uses the method of cross-examination to prove his argument. Throughout the duration of the trial, Socrates uses concrete evidence and his distinctive logical to prove to his accusers that he is innocent. Instead, Socrates establishes a strong argument for his claim that he is essentially one of the most positive influences on the youth while recognizing that the gods do exist. Before Socrates went to trial to prove his innocence, in addition to already believing he was the wisest in all of Athens, he confirmed his assumption by asking the oracle.
The army were forms of bribery. Senate – the First triumvirate was a major blow to the Senate and its influence and role within the Roman society. Yet it played a large role in the formation as they drew the members together. The Senate felt threatened by Pompey’s popularity and Caesar’s power. By promoting and supporting Pompey (sole consul) over Caesar, the
To what extent was the reign of Tiberius successful? An evaluation of Tiberius’ success or otherwise is difficult. Ancient sources are quick to point to his failings, right from his accession to the ‘princeps’, which Suetonius claims only came about by default, “for want of any better choice”. Tacitus may not be as theatrical in his treatise on Tiberius, but he too was often critical of the emperor, highlighting how Tiberius was cruel and arrogant, and how Tiberius’ murder of his potential rival, Agrippa Postumus, was callous. Such subjectivity clouds much of the ancient appraisals of Tiberius.
These were not laws but were important to peace. Probably the most radical part was the clause which set up an elected group of 25 barons to check that the king did as was promised. Only three clauses in the Magna Carter are still valid today. One says that London and all other towns and ports shall enjoy their ancient liberties and customs. Many people think that King John was a bad King, this is largely due to stories surrounding Robin Hood and the fact he charged high taxes and imprisoned people without good reason.