James Romm s Dying Every Day Seneca At The Court Of Nero

James Romm’s Dying Every Day: Seneca at the Court of Nero follows the life of the philosopher Seneca, tutor to one of Rome’s most famous emperors. Seneca was a philosopher with a strict moral code, yet he worked for and with Nero on many of his heinous acts, either out of fear, desire for political favor and power, or both. As Romm explains, Seneca is a complex character, and the sources we have to draw upon are not always in agreement. The puzzle for historians is to piece together Seneca’s own writings, which rarely mention any real events or people, and connect them to the conflicting historical accounts of Seneca. Some say he was scheming and power-hungry, others say he was virtuous in spite of his amassing of wealth. Whatever the case, Dying Every Day attempts to take several historical sources and reconcile them into a single coherent story of Seneca’s time as one of Nero’s subjects and teachers. It would be impossible to talk about Seneca without also explaining the life of the emperor Nero. Seneca was brought out of exile back to Rome by Nero’s mother Agrippina specifically to tutor her son Nero. After a complicated series of incestual marriages, assassinations, and false accusations intended to manipulate the Senate, Nero ascends to the throne at the young age of 17. During his reign, he has his brother, mother, and wife killed, as each posed a threat to his absolute rule. Throughout this time, Seneca writes many speeches for Nero, often to excuse his behavior to