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Re: If Tacitus and Graves were accurate lyringlas Send a noteboard - 09/04/2010 05:26:43 PM
If "I, Claudius" and it's source material are accurate depictions of the character of Livia, she was an evil EVIL b:censored:h of epic proportions, making maybe even Cersei Lannister seem like a sweet person.



So she had her faults... she she might have killed off Julia the elder's children in order to secure succession of Tiberius and Germanicus to the throne...there may have been speculation that she killed Augustus... (coughs) Augustus needed her for her family, and eventually (once all the Juliae heirs started dying off) for her sons. He must have loved her for some reason though, because he left her everything, which was unprecedented, because noble women never owned anything, even in the early empire. Women's estates were either managed by their husbands, or by their fathers remotely (the "remotely managed" method was often implemented by Roman women to allow them to manage their own affairs under the guise of their fathers doing so...even if their fathers lived in Hallas Palestinas).

These events might have happened, but if a man did these things, it wouldn't have been looked down upon as harshly. This is similar to women in business that have stern personalities and thus are called bitches, whereas men are just called business savvy and efficient. She was an ambitious woman in the fledging Roman empire (I mean empire only in the sense that Augustus is the first "real" emperor, even though Marius, Sulla, and Julius were before him), and so any and every action she took was scrutinized and demonized to astounding proportions. Simply being out in public, and holding meetings with men directly created all sorts of misogynistic backlash from the upper crust.

She was definitely an interesting lady to study.

edits: me being a dumb ass
This message last edited by lyringlas on 09/04/2010 at 05:27:49 PM
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The greatest King in Fantasy - 09/04/2010 05:18:42 AM 1900 Views
King Arthur. Hands down. - 09/04/2010 06:40:15 AM 1279 Views
I would argue with you. - 09/04/2010 06:54:53 AM 1249 Views
That's the point, though. Arthur's humanity is what makes him so admirable. - 09/04/2010 06:59:07 AM 1283 Views
I have to agree with Dannymac - 09/04/2010 02:04:44 PM 1280 Views
But he's not in a modern fantasy novel. - 09/04/2010 07:37:14 PM 1298 Views
when I read the actual book... - 10/04/2010 12:08:21 AM 1301 Views
I'm going with the most likely historical version of King Arthur - 09/04/2010 06:45:26 PM 1331 Views
My money is still on Aragorn - 09/04/2010 12:47:43 PM 1393 Views
Aragorn is so awesome... - 09/04/2010 02:05:42 PM 1257 Views
Arwen's character is just never fleshed out, though. - 09/04/2010 02:18:30 PM 1224 Views
Re: Arwen's character is just never fleshed out, though. - 09/04/2010 02:49:45 PM 1281 Views
Hm - 09/04/2010 03:23:53 PM 1335 Views
Mostly, yes, but there are a few exceptions - Galadriel, Eowyn, and above all Luthien. - 09/04/2010 03:32:00 PM 1226 Views
Re: Mostly, yes, but there are a few exceptions - Galadriel, Eowyn, and above all Luthien. - 09/04/2010 03:45:37 PM 1488 Views
I can't agree about the goddesses. - 09/04/2010 04:34:15 PM 1331 Views
Re: I can't agree about the goddesses. - 09/04/2010 04:55:34 PM 1226 Views
If Tacitus and Graves were accurate - 09/04/2010 05:09:20 PM 1317 Views
Re: If Tacitus and Graves were accurate - 09/04/2010 05:26:43 PM 1236 Views
I rather liked her depiction in Rome. - 09/04/2010 05:34:37 PM 1320 Views
Re: I rather liked her depiction in Rome. - 09/04/2010 05:45:06 PM 1386 Views
Re: I rather liked her depiction in Rome. - 10/04/2010 11:14:26 AM 1393 Views
I don't know if I'd call it bad, per se. - 10/04/2010 11:37:55 AM 1474 Views
Re: I can't agree about the goddesses. - 09/04/2010 05:02:50 PM 1276 Views
Eh, the other Vala don't do much of anything either. - 09/04/2010 05:31:42 PM 1243 Views
Re: Eh, the other Vala don't do much of anything either. - 09/04/2010 05:44:03 PM 1287 Views
Re: I can't agree about the goddesses. - 09/04/2010 05:06:49 PM 1391 Views
I call bullshit - 09/04/2010 08:09:49 PM 1229 Views
Re: I call bullshit - 09/04/2010 08:31:16 PM 1249 Views
Re: I call bullshit - 10/04/2010 08:04:15 AM 1333 Views
I didn't realize it was fashionable to call Tolkien sexist. - 10/04/2010 05:12:07 PM 1326 Views
Re: I didn't realize it was fashionable to call Tolkien sexist. - 12/04/2010 11:00:23 AM 1197 Views
Exactly. - 13/04/2010 03:08:46 AM 1307 Views
Re: Exactly. - 13/04/2010 08:54:01 AM 1372 Views
I was going to say something similar. - 09/04/2010 03:21:45 PM 1247 Views
Re: Aragorn is so awesome... - 09/04/2010 08:00:25 PM 1242 Views
Re: Aragorn is so awesome... - 09/04/2010 08:37:12 PM 1255 Views
He's good, but then he just doesn't have to face so many things. - 09/04/2010 02:22:04 PM 1527 Views
Doesn't have to face many things? - 09/04/2010 07:59:27 PM 1299 Views
Re: Doesn't have to face many things? - 09/04/2010 08:38:51 PM 1139 Views
Re: Doesn't have to face many things? - 10/04/2010 08:24:33 AM 1236 Views
Re: Doesn't have to face many things? - 10/04/2010 05:08:42 PM 1398 Views
Re: Doesn't have to face many things? - 12/04/2010 10:55:12 AM 1194 Views
He really wasn't a king in majority of the story though - 12/04/2010 05:54:23 PM 1194 Views
I'm sure there are many, but one coming to mind is Prince Josua from Memory, Sorrow and Thorn - 09/04/2010 02:23:57 PM 1247 Views
Oh yeah I liked him a lot *NM* - 09/04/2010 04:09:59 PM 594 Views
Josua Lackhand is a great fantasy King! - 09/04/2010 05:14:39 PM 1308 Views
Arutha was never King. *NM* - 09/04/2010 07:18:30 PM 562 Views
I'm going to go with a tie... - 09/04/2010 04:22:42 PM 1263 Views
Joffrey and the Stag! *NM* - 09/04/2010 09:53:56 PM 566 Views
ROFL *NM* - 09/04/2010 11:39:36 PM 542 Views
Artur Hawkwing - 10/04/2010 03:34:02 AM 1409 Views
??? - 10/04/2010 10:30:13 AM 1664 Views
Simba *NM* - 10/04/2010 08:40:38 AM 615 Views
Manwe - 10/04/2010 10:31:54 AM 1563 Views
Bah. He's hardly a character. *NM* - 12/04/2010 01:07:29 AM 692 Views
Arutha, the Prince of Krondor - 12/04/2010 01:06:14 AM 1308 Views
Westley - 13/04/2010 02:59:36 AM 1245 Views
Leto Atreides II - 13/04/2010 05:07:29 AM 1200 Views
I'll agree with that! *NM* - 13/04/2010 11:33:10 AM 566 Views

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