Nero's Deferred Journey and the Augustian Revels explained

What happens

Themes in this chapter

• Decadence and Excess

  The planned feast on the pond of Agrippa with lupanaria and nymphs exemplifies Roman decadence.

• Tyranny and Corruption

  Nero's whimsical tyranny is shown in his desire to destroy Rome and his manipulation of the Augustians.

• Love and Sacrifice

  Vinicius's lingering love for Lygia and his suffering contrast with the court's hedonism.

Characters to notice

• Nero

  Terrified by an omen in the temple of Vesta, he defers his journey to Achaea and dreams of building colossal monuments in Egypt.

• Marcus Vinicius

  Supports Nero during his faint, is questioned about Lygia, and is urged by Petronius to indulge in the upcoming festivities.

• Petronius

  Skeptically flatters Nero's ambitions, advises Vinicius to seek pleasure, and criticizes the Christians for bringing sadness into the world.

• Tigellinus

  Plans a feast on the pond of Agrippa with lupanaria and nymphs, and offers to find the man stronger than Croton.

• Vatinius

  Jests with Petronius about making boots for the sphinx, showing his role as a court jester.

• Rubria

  The vestal virgin who faints at the temple; Nero remarks on her beauty.

• Croton

  Mentioned as having tried to kill Vinicius but was killed by a stronger barbarian.

Key passages

• “I will give command to cut through the isthmus of Corinth; I will rear such monuments in Egypt that the pyramids will seem childish toys in comparison; I will have a sphinx built seven times greater than that which is gazing into the desert outside Memphis, but I will command that it have my face.”

  Nero boasts of his grandiose plans to cut the Isthmus of Corinth and build colossal monuments in Egypt, including a sphinx with his own face, dwarfing the pyramids.

  Reveals Nero's megalomania and desire for immortal fame.

• “Weariness tortures me. I have remained in Rome at the will of the goddess, but I cannot endure the city. I will go to Antium. I am stifled in these narrow streets, amid these tumbledown houses, amid these alleys. Foul air flies even here to my house and my gardens. Oh, if an earthquake would destroy Rome, if some angry god would level it to the earth!”

  Nero expresses his boredom and disgust with Rome, wishing for an earthquake to destroy the city so he could rebuild it as his capital.

  Foreshadows the Great Fire of Rome and Nero's destructive impulses.

• “I am afraid that thou hast spoiled life for thyself. If thou canst not be a Grecian, be a Roman; possess and enjoy. Our madnesses have a certain sense, for there is in them a kind of thought of our own.”

  Petronius warns Vinicius that his Christian-influenced melancholy is ruining his life, urging him to embrace Roman hedonism.

  Highlights the conflict between Christian values and Roman decadence.