Agrippina the Elder, among other noteworthy achievements, is considered to be one of the main contributors to Nero’s succession to Claudius’ throne. Nero’s decision to kill his mother was influenced by many different factors including but not limited to: her dominating nature while he was in power, her public admonishment of him, her sudden support of Britannicus, and the influence that his mistress Poppaea Sabina had over him. Dio states that, once Nero had come into power, “Agrippina managed for (Nero) all the business of the empire.” This was a handsome honour accorded to Agrippina, especially considering she was a female. Straightaway Agrippina was afforded substantial power and, according to Tacitus, was held in high regard by her son, the princeps. “...in public, every compliment was heaped upon the princess; and when the tribune, following the military routine, applied for the password, her son gave: ‘The best of mothers.’” With all of these honours, it can be suggested that Agrippina and Nero came to rule the throne together.
The use of the word 'mistress' explains her role at the time. Even though she was a ruler, to Mark Anthony she was a 'mistress' who had no rights. Being 'utterly devoted' to him didn't have any effect because 'he was killing her' by his behaviour, he seems to have the power. He also seems to have the power over Octavious’s sister
Nero’s power and strength derived from his mother, Agrippina the Younger. At the beginning of his rule Agrippina acted as a regent, taking control of many aspects of the empire. She manipulated Nero so much that she in essence ran the empire from behind the scenes. Her constant predilection for manipulation eventually causing her son’s rebellion and possible madness as he began to despise her, giving way to her fall of power and ultimately her death. In the words of Tacitus, “she could give her son the empire, but not endure him as emperor”.
Accounts differ greatly, but the results are the same, Claudius is dead and Agrippina’s son became Emperor. ‘…the fact remains that the death of Claudius certainly did not happen just by chance to complete a carefully laid plan and that Agrippina was not the woman to be deterred by scruples from putting the finishing touches to her work.’ Agrippina wanted her son to be emperor, thereby increasing her own power and influence. The highly suspicious and transparent way in which she got rid of Claudius lead many of the senate, even those who supported her, to be wary. ‘Agrippina with unscrupulous skill had so prepared the way for her sixteen-year-old son that the transference of power from Claudius to Nero was
While she prepares to exterminate the current king, she cries out “Unsex me here,/ and fill me from the crown to the toe top-full/ Of direst cruelty.” (Shakespeare. 1.5.48-49). Lady Macbeth is portrayed as a strong female character in the play because she goes against all expectations in order to become an ambitious and dominating female. She does not perform the typical maternal role as the weaker gender but gives up her female qualities in her pursuit of power and ambition. Because of this digression from the norms of society, Lady Macbeth stands apart from the other women of her society.
“My friends at home now hate me…” Medea even earned more enemies when helping Jason. For examples, she killed Pelias and his daughters. “There I put king Pelias…” Through the play, Euripides shows that Medea is an obedient wife when she had borne for Jason two sons. She always tries
Euripides has been accused of being a misogynist as well as the world's first feminist. In your view, do the portrayals of Medea and Jason allow such contradictory interpretations? Euripides' Greek tragic play, 'Medea', depicts a wife's desire to right the wrongs done to her by her husband and in the pursuit of satisfaction, she commits the heinous of crimes, infanticide. The play is set in a patriarchal society, where women are treated as mere tools to satisfy their male partners. Euripides' portrays Medea as both a weak and strong woman, being able to stand up to some of the male characters and simultaneously succumb to their presence.
How is Marlene presented as similar to and different from Margret Thatcher? Why does Churchill make these parallels? In Caryl Churchill’s Top Girls, we are shown a world of Post-Feminism and Thatcherism gone mad. Women speak over each other in dialogue, not really listening to what the other is saying, use rude language, and one character leaves her child in the care of her sister so that she may advance in her career. Churchill’s lead character in the play is paradoxically a female misogynist who takes on a stereotypically male business persona who climbs to the top of the corporate ladder.
Competitiveness within the women seems to push the women to judge what is right and wrong, based on jealousy and envy as much as religious and social morals. We also see this competitive spirit forming moral judgment and actions in Edith Wharton's story, "Roman Fever", where again, the focus is the moral decisions made by women and the male is blameless. As the story unfolds we learn that both ladies, in their youth, loved Delphin Slade, and Mrs. Slade realized this and thought of Mrs. Ansley as a threat. For this, she had always considered Mrs. Ansley an adversary, "Would she never cure herself of envying her?" (Wharton, 1072) The story evolves to paint the picture of a female competition in which Delphin is but a pawn, blameless and controllable by women.
Her actions ultimately lead to the murder of her first husband Camillo, her sexual presence and beauty creating jealousy and envy in the men that meet her. Vittoria is not an innocent character, but she is a product of women’s social limitations in the patriarchal society Webster has chosen to set the play in. Vittoria is undoubtedly the central character of the novel, the events throughout are as a result of her liaison with Brachiano, sparking a journey of murder and treachery. The title of the book ‘The White Devil’ describes Vittoria well, and helps display that she is not an innocent character. Being compared to the devil in a novel set in a heavily catholic country shows that she is evil, and the subtitle ‘The Tragedy of Paulo Giordano Ursini, Duke of Brachiano, With the Life and Death of Vittoria Corombona the famous Venetian Curtizan’ supports this.