50 pages • 1 hour read
The Twelve Caesars
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VitelliusChapter Summaries & Analyses
Sections 1-17 Summary
Suetonius is unsure whether Vitellius was born into an aristocratic or a common family. He managed to achieve preeminence and wealth as an associate of Caligula, Claudius, and Nero. Vitellius was able to claim the city of Rome and role as emperor after Otho’s suicide. However, he had a taste for both cruelty and luxury, especially lavish banquets. The armies soon defected from him and sided with the general Vespasian. Vitellius was killed when Rome was taken by Vespasian’s forces.
“Vitellius” Analysis
While Vitellius (15 CE-69 CE) depended on military force to claim the imperial office, like his rivals Otho and Vespasian, Suetonius demonstrates Vitellius’s unsuitability by emphasizing his obsession with excessive feasting and his cruelty. Again, Suetonius deems luxurious habits a sign that an individual is unsuited for the responsibilities of power. Excessive habits are linked to sadism again as well.
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