This essay reviews the translation of Robert Graves, as revised by Michael Grant, of Suetonius' chapter on Nero, the last Caesarean Emperor. It portrays Nero as a man and a ruler who is so beset and eventually overcome by his personal insecurities and his vices that he became a bloodthirsty, paranoid and ineffective tyrant whose downfall after a short reign of 14 years between the ages of 17 and 31 came about because he was universally detested. The author's narrative style is compelling and revealing of stark reality. His treatment of his subject was advanced for his times because most contemporary historians tended to eulogize their rulers or deal with them superficially. However, the book may fall short of being a comprehensive and accurate analysis of Nero and his times in that it fails to offer a comprehensive explanation for the bizarre behavior and other events Suetonius recounts.
Genetic origins. Nero's ancestors in composite seemed to exemplify the tendencies which were later manifest in him. They were described in order of their remoteness in time from Nero, respectively, as having "an iron face and a heart of lead," "an indecisive man, though he had a furious temper," "without doubt the best member of the family," who nonetheless betrayed his patron Mark Antony to Octavius Caesar out of private erotic motives, "notorious for his arrogance, extravagance and cruelty," and last, Nero's father "a wholly despicable character," sadistically cruel, dishonest, disloyal and prone to sexual excess, including incest with his sister (214-215).
Upbringing. Nero was born under a curse uttered by his father, who said that "any child born to himself and Agrippina [Nero's mother] was bound to have a detestable nature and become a public danger" (216). After his father died and Agrippina was banished from Rome, Nero was a ward of his aunt, who hired a barber as his tutor. He was nearly assassinated by thugs sent by Messalina, the w...