Epictetus on Nero
What the Stoic philosopher actually said about the notorious Roman emperor
Epictetus, the great teacher, played his part in changing the leadership of Rome from the swill he had known in the Nero White House to the power and decency it knew under Marcus Aurelius. — Stockdale, Thoughts of a Philosophical Fighter Pilot
The Emperor Nero was, it’s fair to say, one of the most controversial Roman emperors. Some people believe that his bad reputation is unjustified and solely due to the propaganda of a handful of biased senators from later generations. I think that’s a difficult claim to substantiate. We shouldn’t dismiss historical evidence as biased without good reason. Moreover, in this article, I’m going to focus on some direct criticism of Nero which comes from a source much closer to him. A famous contemporary of Nero’s, who was not a senator, did not write popular histories, and was neither wealthy nor a member of the political elite. I’m speaking of the Stoic philosopher Epictetus.
After the purges, Nero’s behavior became even more erratic. He allegedly kicked his pregnant wife, Poppea, to death. The emperor then had a young boy called Sporus castrated, dressed him as a bride, and took him as his wife, in a full wedding ceremony — the boy reputedly bore a remarkable resesemblance to Poppea. With a young eunuch…
