The Secret History · Chapter
How the Great General Belisarius Was Hoodwinked by His Wife, Whose Lover Became a Monk explained
This chapter details the adulterous affair between Antonina, wife of the great general Belisarius, and Theodosius, a young Thracian whom Belisarius had adopted as a son.
What happens
This chapter details the adulterous affair between Antonina, wife of the great general Belisarius, and Theodosius, a young Thracian whom Belisarius had adopted as a son. Despite being caught in the act, Belisarius is easily deceived by Antonina's lies. When a slave named Macedonia reveals the truth, Belisarius orders Theodosius killed, but the plan is betrayed by servants loyal to Antonina. Theodosius flees to Ephesus, but Antonina uses enchantments and caresses to convince Belisarius the charges are false. Theodosius returns, and Antonina brutally murders the witnesses. She later pressures Belisarius into killing Constantine for a remark against her. Eventually, Theodosius becomes a monk out of fear of exposure, but continues to secretly meet Antonina.
Themes in this chapter
Hypocrisy and Deception
Antonina's elaborate lies and Belisarius's willful blindness exemplify the theme of deception, as the general prefers to distrust his own eyes rather than confront his wife's infidelity.
Abuse of Power
Antonina uses her influence over Belisarius to murder witnesses and even Constantine, demonstrating how personal power can be abused for revenge and to cover up crimes.
Moral Decadence
The open adultery, lack of shame, and brutal murders within the household of a great general highlight the moral decay among the elite of the Byzantine court.
Characters to notice
- Belisarius
The great general, easily hoodwinked by his wife Antonina, despite catching her in adultery and receiving testimony from slaves.
- Antonina
Belisarius's wife, a wanton and manipulative woman who carries on an affair with Theodosius, murders witnesses, and pressures her husband into killing Constantine.
- Theodosius
A young Thracian adopted by Belisarius, who becomes Antonina's lover, flees to Ephesus, becomes a monk, but secretly continues the affair.
- Theodora
The Empress, initially feared by Antonina but later befriended after Antonina helps destroy Silverius and John the Cappadocian.
- Constantine
A man who sympathizes with Belisarius but remarks he would have killed Antonina rather than Theodosius, leading to his murder at Antonina's instigation.
- Photius
Antonina's rightful son, who is disregarded and threatened by his mother's plots, eventually forced to flee to Constantinople.
Key passages
“The father of Belisarius’s wife, a lady whom I have mentioned in my former books, was (and so was her grandfather) a charioteer, exhibiting that trade in Constantinople and Thessalonica. Her mother was one of the wenches of the theater; and she herself from the first led an utterly wanton life.”
Antonina's father and grandfather were charioteers, and her mother was a theater prostitute; Antonina herself was promiscuous from a young age.
Procopius provides background on Antonina's lowly and immoral origins.
“For so bound by love for the woman was he, that he preferred to distrust the evidence of his own eyes.”
Belisarius was so blinded by love that he chose to disbelieve what he saw with his own eyes.
Highlights Belisarius's willful ignorance and the power of Antonina's manipulation.
“She first cruelly cut out their tongues, it is said, and then cut their bodies into little bits which were put into sacks and thrown into the sea.”
Antonina had the tongues of the slave witnesses cut out, then dismembered them and disposed of the pieces in sacks at sea.
Describes the brutal punishment Antonina inflicted on those who testified against her.
