Biggus Dickus

Encyclopedia : B : BI : BIG : Biggus Dickus

Biggus Dickus is a fictional Roman nobleman and officer in the Monty Python film Life of Brian.

From left to right: a Roman Centurion (John Cleese), Pontius Pilate (Michael Palin), and Biggus Dickus (Graham Chapman).

He is married, according to his friend Pontius Pilate, to Incontinentia Buttocks. Like his friend, he has a speech impediment – he lisps. This is a cause of hilarity when he reads down a list of incarcerated wrongdoers, for example, "theveral theditiouth thcribth from Thaetharea". This is funny not only because he speaks with a lisp but because he is a cruel man who hasn't the slightest clue that he has a speech impediment (apparently everyone is too afraid to tell him).

We can assume Biggus to be of patrician descent and hold at least the grade of legate, as, again according to Pilate, he "commands a cwack wegion" and "wanks as high as any in Wome" [sic].

Whether "Biggus Dickus" refers to the man's cognomen and/or agnomen or should be taken to mean his nomen and praenomen (i.e. Biggus from the gens Dicka) is debatable. While it would be more appropriate for Pilate, in the formal public settings as depicted in the film, to use his friend's full name, it was common for agnomina, or nicknames, to refer to a physical trait. In any case, the name is obviously meant to be taken completely seriously, as indicated, in the film, by Pilate's treatment of soldiers who commit a career-limiting move by doubting the name's veracity.

Biggus Dickus

See also