50 pages • 1 hour read
SuetoniusThe Twelve Caesars
Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 121A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Essay Topics
How does Suetonius’s personal background influence his writing in The Twelve Caesars?
What are the characteristics of a virtuous ruler or a tyrant in The Twelve Caesars? Name specific examples.
Are there any cases where Suetonius complicates his own categories of tyrant and virtuous ruler? If yes, how?
Do you think Suetonius’s historical account is reliable or unreliable?
Discuss three instances where Suetonius uses historical evidence. How does this evidence support or undercut Suetonius’s reliability?
How do Suetonius’s views of destiny and fate influence the biographies in The Twelve Caesars?
Based on Suetonius’s writing, especially in “The Deified Julius” and “The Deified Augustus,” what do you think Suetonius believed about the fall of the republic and the rise of the emperors?
How does Suetonius portray women in the imperial family? You can focus on either positive or negative examples.
Does Suetonius display an aristocratic bias? Support your answer with evidence from the text.
Discuss three cases where you think Suetonius’s claims about the Caesars can be challenged. Drawing only from The Twelve Caesars, discuss how Suetonius is incorrect or biased and consider what the actual historical truth may be.
