Pudicitia and Sexual Desire in the Representation of Octavia and Poppaea: Historical-Mythological Paradigms of Femininity in Tacitus’ Annales and the Octavia of Pseudo-Seneca
Abstract
This paper aims to comparatively analyze the contrasting depictions of the figures of Octavia and Poppaea in Tacitus’ Annales and the pseudo-Senecan Octavia, based on the notion of pudicitia, in relation to its associated behaviors and sexual protocols. It argues that the development of these two models of femininity responds to differing positions regarding imperial violence: the acceptance of tragic destiny and the adaptation to circumstances. This is particularly evident through the intertextual analysis of the historical-mythological exempla employed and the points of contact and divergence that can be established between the historiographical genre and Roman tragedy.
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