Argument and Dramatis Personae

________________________________________________
_ AELIUS SEJANUS, son to Seius Strabo, a gentleman of Rome, and born at Vulsinium; after his long service in court, first under Augustus; afterward, Tiberius; grew into that favour with the latter, and won him by those arts, as there wanted nothing but the name to make him a co-partner of the empire. Which greatness of his, Drusus, the emperor's son, not brooking; after many smothered dislikes, it one day breaking out, the prince struck him publicly on the face. To revenge which disgrace, Livia, the wife of Drusus (being before corrupted by him to her dishonour, and the discovery of her husband's counsels) Sejanus practiseth with, together with her physician called Eudemus, and one Lygdus an eunuch, to poison Drusus. This their inhuman act having successful and unsuspected passage, it emboldeneth Sejanus to further and more insolent projects, even the ambition of the empire; where finding the lets he must encounter to be many and hard, in respect of the issue of Germanicus, who were next in hope for the succession, he deviseth to make Tiberius' self his means, and instils into his ears many doubts and suspicions, both against the princes, and their mother Agrippina; which Caesar jealously hearkening to, as covetously consenteth to their ruin, and their friends. In this time, the better to mature and strengthen his design, Sejanus labours to marry Livia, and worketh with all his ingine, to remove Tiberius from the knowledge of public business, with allurements of a quiet and retired life; the latter of which, Tiberius, out of a proneness to lust, and a desire to hide those unnatural pleasures which he could not so publicly practise, embraceth: the former enkindleth his fears, and there gives him first cause of doubt or suspect towards Sejanus: against whom he raiseth in private a new instrument, one Sertorius Macro, and by him underworketh, discovers the other's counsels, his means, his ends, sounds the affections of the senators, divides, distracts them: at last, when Sejanus least looketh, and is most secure with pretext of doing him an unwonted honour in the senate, he trains him from his guards, and with a long doubtful letter, one day hath him suspected, accused, condemned, and torn in pieces by the rage of the people.

DRAMATIS PERSONAE

       TIBERIUS.                   HATERIUS.
       DRUSUS SENIOR.              SANQUINIUS.
       NERO.                       POMPONIUS.
       DRUSUS JUNIOR.              JULIUS POSTHUMUS.
       CALIGULA.                   FULCINIUS TRIO.
       LUCIUS ARRUNTIUS.           MINUTIUS.
       CAIUS SILIUS.               SATRIUS SECUNDUS.
       TITIUS SABINUS.             PINNARIUS NATTA.
       MARCUS LEPIDUS.             OPSIUS.
       CREMUTIUS CORDUS.           Tribuni.
       ASINIUS GALLUS.             Praecones.
       REGULUS.                    Flamen.
       TERENTIUS.                  Tubicines.
       GRACINUS LACO.              Nuntius.
       EUDEMUS.                    Lictores.
       RUFUS.                      Minisri.
       SEJANUS.                    Tibicines.
       LATIARIS.                   Servi etc.
       VARRO.
       SERTORIUS MACRO.            AGRIPPINA.
       COTTA.                      LIVIA.
       DOMITIUS AFER.              SOSIA.

SCENE, ROME _

Read next: Act 1 Scene 1

Read previous: Preface

Table of content of Sejanus: His Fall


GO TO TOP OF SCREEN

Post your review
Your review will be placed after the table of content of this book