by Lawrence McNally
Interactive Tacitus Analysis
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Tacitus - Annals 14.6: Agrippina's Response

illic reputans ideo se fallacibus litteris accitam et honore praecipuo habitam , quod que litus iuxta non ventis acta , non saxis impulsa navis summa sui parte veluti terrestre machinamentum concidisset ; observans etiam Acerroniae necem , simul suum vulnus aspiciens , solum insidiarum remedium esse , si non intellegerentur ; misit que libertum Agerinum qui nuntiaret filio benignitate deum et fortuna eius evasisse gravem casum ; orare ut quamvis periculo matris exterritus visendi curam differret ; sibi ad praesens quiete opus . atque interim securitate simulata medicamina vulneri et fomenta corpori adhibet ; testamentum Acerroniae requiri bona que obsignari iubet , id tantum non per simulationem .
Section 14.6 Translation: There, reflecting that she had been summoned for that reason by a false letter and held in particular respect, and that the ship near the shore had not been driven by the winds, not dashed onto rocks, (but) had collapsed in the upper part of itself, like a land contrivance; noting also the slaughter of Acerronia, at the same time looking at her own wound, (she realised that) the only remedy against treachery was if it was not recognised; therefore she sent her freedman Agerinus to announce to her son that she had escaped a serious disaster through the kindness of the gods and his good fortune; she begged him to postpone the duty of visiting her, however much he was frightened by his mother's danger; for the time being, she needed rest. And in the meantime, feigning a carefree attitude, she applied antidotes to the wound and potions for her body; she ordered Acerronia's will to be sought out and her possessions to be sealed; this was the only thing not done as a pretence.

Passage Analysis

What Happens

Back in her villa, Agrippina pieces together the evidence with forensic clarity. The false letter, the excessive honour, the ship's mechanical collapse near shore (not in deep water), Acerronia's murder, her own wound—all point to attempted assassination, not accident. Her survival strategy is brilliant: pretend nothing happened. She sends Agerinus to Nero with a message that perfectly maintains the fiction—thanking the gods and Nero's good fortune for her escape from a "disaster." She asks him not to visit (buying time while avoiding confrontation) claiming she needs rest. Meanwhile, she performs normalcy: treating wounds, dealing with Acerronia's estate. Tacitus notes pointedly that sealing Acerronia's possessions is the only genuine act—everything else is calculated performance for survival.

Key Themes & Ideas

  • Forensic Intelligence: Agrippina analyses evidence like a detective—each detail builds the case for attempted murder.
  • Performance as Survival: Recognising truth means death; pretending ignorance offers the only hope.
  • Ironic Gratitude: Thanking Nero for his "good fortune" in her survival is masterful psychological manipulation.
  • Buying Time: Every action delays confrontation—she needs time to plan, gather allies, or escape.
  • Genuine Grief: Only Acerronia's affairs are handled without pretence—real loss amid performed calm.
  • Mother's Knowledge: She understands her son perfectly—knows that seeming ignorant might restrain him.

Tacitean Technique

  • Accumulation of Evidence: The series of observations builds logical proof—not emotion but reason reveals truth.
  • Participial Construction: "Reputans...observans...aspiciens" shows simultaneous mental processes.
  • Mechanical Metaphor: "Terrestre machinamentum" (land contrivance) emphasises the unnatural, engineered nature.
  • Historic Present: "Adhibet" and "iubet" shift to present tense for immediate actions.
  • Double Negative: "Non per simulationem" emphasises this alone was genuine.
  • Ellipsis: The understood "she realised" before "solum remedium" creates compressed thought.

Historical Context

Roman law required proper procedures for handling estates—Acerronia's will needed official sealing to prevent tampering. The freedman Agerinus held intermediate status between slave and citizen, making him an appropriate messenger who could travel quickly but whose death wouldn't cause major scandal. The medical treatments mentioned (medicamina, fomenta) reflect standard Roman wound care—herbal preparations and warm compresses. The phrase "benignitate deum" invokes divine protection, a common Roman response to surviving danger. Agrippina's strategy reflects the Roman concept of dissimulatio—strategic concealment of knowledge or emotion for political advantage. Her request that Nero not visit uses filial duty language ("visendi curam") whilst actually preventing further attack opportunities.

Questions to Consider

  • How does Agrippina's analytical response contrast with typical portrayals of women in ancient literature?
  • What does the phrase "terrestre machinamentum" reveal about her understanding of the plot's sophistication?
  • Why is sealing Acerronia's possessions the only non-pretended action—what does this reveal?
  • How does thanking Nero for his "good fortune" function as psychological warfare?
  • What are the risks and benefits of Agrippina's strategy of pretending ignorance?
  • How does Tacitus use the contrast between performance and reality throughout this passage?
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