Triumph (episode of Rome)
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| "Triumph" | |
|---|---|
| Caesar's Triumph | |
| Season | 1 (2005) |
| Episode | 10 (HBO; see BBC editing) |
| Air date(s) | November 6, 2005 (HBO) December 28, 2005 (BBC) |
| Writer(s) | Adrian Hodges |
| Director | Alan Taylor |
| Setting | Rome |
| Time frame | 45 BC ( April 12 being the date of Julius Caesar's famous "Gallic Triumph") See also: Chronology of Rome (TV series)>Chronology of Rome |
| Link | [HBO episode summary] |
| Prev: Utica Next: The Spoils | |
Unanimously proclaimed Dictator by the Senate, Caesar pronounces the war over, and prepares for five days of feasting and games honoring his "triumph." No longer an enlisted soldier, Pullo eyes a pastoral future with Eirene; Vorenus runs for municipal magistrate, with Posca's help; Octavian retrieves Octavia from her self-imposed exile; and Servilia invites a revenge-minded Quintus Pompey into her home, to Brutus' dismay.
Contents
Plot summary
Memorable quotes
Slave: Domina, Atia of the Julii is here.Servilia of the Junii: Atia...Atia in my house...
Historical and cultural background
- April 12, 45 BC was the date of Caesar's famous "Gallic Triumph"
- The Battle of Munda – which occurred March 17, 45 BC in Hispania – would have occurred between episodes #10 and#11, although it is not mentioned in the series. It was the last military action in "Caesar's Civil War", and the end of the Optimates military opposition to Caesar.
- The only other man to be granted such sweeping powers over Rome – at least while it was still a Republic – was Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix, who used the power to turn the Republic into a bloodbath. This might explain why there has been so much resistance to Caesar gaining such power. Ironically, a young Julius Caesar himself had to flee the city while it was in Sulla's power, and Sulla himself commented in his memoirs that he regretted sparing Caesar's life because of the young man's notorious ambition.
Inaccuracies and errors
- Although Brutus proposes in the Senate that Caesar be awarded the title of Imperator, this seems to be an error on the part of the writers. While any Roman magistrate or military commander (especially Caesar) was said to be imbued with the quality of Imperium ("the power vested by the state in a person to do what they consider to be in the best interests of the state"), this is not what the title of Imperator means. The title "Imperator" — in republican times (its meaning would change during the Empire) — was a military honor granted by a Legion to its commander, and was a required honor for a Roman general to be able to petition the Roman Senate to be allowed to hold a triumph. Caesar would already have received this honor, as he was being granted a triumph. The office which embodied the powers that the Senate seems to be offering Caesar — and what Brutus probably should have said — is Dictator.
- Historically, this was not the first time that Caesar was voted the office of Dictator. After the defeat of the Optimates at the Battle of Munda, however, he was elected to the office for 1 year, which was very unusual. Dictatorial appointments were for six months - and usually ended much sooner (see Cincinnatus). Caesar would go on being voted in as Dictator by the Senate repeatedly, which was also unusual, until he eventually was appointed Dictator for Life. This had only ever been done once before, when Lucius Cornelius Sulla seized Rome and turned the city into a slaughterhouse. In the series, the writers skip over the details and simply have the Senate offer Caesar the office of Dictator (or "Imperator", see point above) for 10 years, and then have one senator mention to another in passing that Caesar is now Dictator for life.
- Vercingetorix of the Gauls is depicted as being executed as part of the Triumph, although this does not seem to have been the practice. Such captives were held, or executed at the Tullianum, not in public as part of the cermony. Also, had he been executed publicly, he would have been beheaded (or possibly have had his throat slit), not strangled. Stranglings were commonly used to dispose of people, but were done in the tullianum, as said above, not in public. It is generally assumed that Vercingetorix was executed by strangling in the prison after being featured in the triumph, though the possibility he may have been publicly executed at the Gemonian stairs is not completely excluded.
Character notes
None yetPlot notes
None yetEpisode characters
possibly incomplete
See also: Character appearances in Rome
Main cast
Guest stars
External links
- [Plot Summary] at [HBO]
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