| lawson |
11-04-2002 04:26 AM |
Augustus reigned for over fourty years without any major threat to his life. Other than the conspiracy of Jullus Antonius to kill him in the manner of Caesar’s assassination, he ruled virtually free of conspiracy. The fault of his adopted father, Caesar, who did more for Rome than any leader in the years before his rise to power, was taking too much power for himself and reminding the Roman people how much the Etruscan kings made them loathe autocratic rulers. Yet by the time Octavian became Augustus, he controlled the empire with such overwhelming power that by the end of his rule he had to lead the Senate to learn how to make their own decisions again since it had been so long. History shows that Augustus ended up with as much power as he did by appearing to refuse it every step along the way. This reason alone is a poor roadmap to success for an aspiring politician.
John Williams’ Augustus is a fictional account of Augustus’ rise to power and following reign as told by fake letters and memoirs. The book is factual though, and the character Williams makes out of the historical figure is worth examining. In Williams’ novel, what makes Augustus such a strong leader is his ability to persuade others to do what is best for Rome even if it is against their personal wishes, desires, or even opinions. It is the behind the scenes maneuvering that Augustus does in this novel to keep those that would destroy the empire placated or bound to him in some way, as in through marriage. Augustus gains faithfulness in his followers that help him with these maneuverings by always doing himself what is best for Rome even though it may cause him personal sorrow. When others see what Augustus has given up personally for Rome, especially those close to him, they are inclined to do likewise.
hmm, which did i vote for? that's my intro and thesis, rough draft obviously
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