Messalina and Silius

Cambridge Latin Anthology – Messalina

In this course, Prof. Christopher Whitton (University of Cambridge) explores the story of Messalina and Silius in Tacitus’ Annals. It will be particularly useful for those reading the ‘Messalina’ set text for OCR Latin GCSE (J282). In the first lecture, we explore the figures of the emperor’s wife, Messalina, and her lover, Silius. After that, in the second lecture, we turn to the figures of the emperor, Claudius, and his freedman, Narcissus. In the third lecture, we think about Tacitus as a historian, and the choices he has made when telling this story – including the fact he has chosen to tell it at all – before turning in a short fourth lecture to a couple of further reading suggestions.

Messalina and Silius

In this lecture we explore the figures of Messalina and Silius, focusing in particular on: (i) the figure of Messalina: her ancestry, her marriage to Claudius, her children; her reputation after her death; (ii) the depiction of Messalina in Tacitus: as a dangerous power behind the throne; as a nymphomaniac; (iii) Messalina’s depiction in other authors, e.g. Juvenal (‘meretrix Augusta’, Sat. 6.114-35), Pliny the Elder (NH 10.83); (iv) the figure of Gaius Silius: his family background, his political career; his good looks; his ‘marriage’ of Messalina; (v) the depiction of Silius in Tacitus: his initial passivity; the extent to which he was attracted to Messalina; his more active role later on in the relationship; his death; and (vi) the extent to which the relationship between Messalina and Silius was actually a plot to oust Claudius.