Practicing Magic: An Evaluation of Magic, Gender, and Power in Tacitus' Annales

Abstract

Tacitus’ Annales recounts the lives, reigns, and intrigues of the first ruling dynasty of Rome, from Tiberius to Nero. Among the machinations of the Julio-Claudians, and those within their court, Tacitus relates the various plots of prominent people who use venenum to manipulate or secure their power. This thesis considers four main figures’ plots of venenum in Tacitus’ Annales: Agrippina’s murder of Claudius (12.66–7), Nero’s use of venenum against Britannicus (13.15–7) and attempted use of venenum against Agrippina (14.3), Sejanus’ plot against Drusus (4.8), and Piso’s ambiguous involvement in the death of Germanicus (2.69). This work analyzes Tacitus’ portrayal of venenum in each of these four episodes, as well as his depiction of the main figures in these accounts on conversation with the literary stereotype of the witch, in order to better understand Tacitus’ negative comments on the Julio-Claudian imperial system. Ultimately, this work will demonstrate that Tacitus engages with the literary discourse of magic as a way to call attention to and critique the transgression of gendered and imperial power during the highly privatized Julio-Claudian principate.