Date: 1878
Medium: Oil on canvas
Size: 37 x 66 in
Location:
The Remorse of the Emperor NERO after the Murder of his Mother 1878 by John Waterhouse is a powerful and moving account of the depravity of the Roman Emperor. Among his other evil deeds, Nero beheaded Saint Paul and accused Christians of conspiring to destroy him. The story also reveals his response to the fire.
Nero's depravity
“Nero's depravity after his mother's murder is truly shocking, and this is one of the most horrifying works in Roman literature.” -Anthony Dante. “Nero's depravity after the murder of his mother is truly shocking, and we fear that the rest of us are not far behind.”
Nero's beheading of Saint Paul
The Remorse of the Emperor Neror after the Murder of his Mother is a painting by John William Waterhouse, which portrays the emperor Nero's grief over the murder of his mother, Agrippa. Agrippa was a powerful empress who installed Nero as emperor in 54 AD. Agrippa had killed her husband, Claudius, and installed her son as emperor. Her murder is believed to have inspired the burning of Rome. Nero's persecution of Christians was systematic, and his bisexuality was widely believed.
After the fire, Nero pinned the blame for the crime on a small Christian community, which he deemed a dissident group of Jews. Nero also blamed Christians for the martyrdoms of Peter and Paul. But there is a rumor that Nero set the fire himself, singing “The Sack of Troy” in the flames. Another rumor claims that Nero was aiming to seize land for the construction of the Golden House.
Nero's accusation of Christians
The accusation of Christians after the murder of Nero's mother was a way of diverting suspicion away from the actual crime. Christians were seen as a dangerous offshoot of the Jews. Because they rejected the gods of Rome and served a king higher than Caesar, they were falsely accused of committing secret crimes. In times of panic, people believed the worst slanders and demanded the victims.
The Jewish legend of Nero's crucifixion reveals that he shot four arrows into the Temple, which led him to realize that God had permitted the destruction of the Temple. He asked a Jewish religious student to find a Bible verse that would fit the circumstances. The student chose Ezekiel's prophecy, which said God would wreak revenge on the heathen nation. He fled from Rome and converted to Judaism.
Nero's response to the fire
The fire raged through Rome during the reign of Nero, and his response to the tragedy was a disaster for Christianity. Rather than apologise for the fire, he acted in anger. Christians were thought to be scapegoats, so he tried to shift blame. This led to a later Roman policy of halfhearted persecution of Christians, earning him the title of Antichrist in the early Christian tradition.
While the fire raged through Antium, Nero had already left the city when the flames began to approach Domus Transitoria, his palace on the Palatine hill. He then went to campus Martius and opened the gardens there for the citizens, handing out food and creating impromptu shelters. While Nero did not return to the city, he was remembered by his citizens, including the people who flooded into the city to remember him.
Nero's death
The Remorse of the Emperor NERO after the Murder of his Mother was a masterpiece of Victorian literature, and is now a classic for fans of the era. Nero, who was only sixteen years old when his mother was murdered, had delusions of being an artiste. He wanted to please the Roman public and gain their support. He even set up some of the most famous public libraries in Rome. He has since become the archetype of the brooding and crazy antihero, and Oscar Wilde's work outlines what it takes to be a troubled soul.
The Remorse of the Emperor NERO after the Murder of his Mother (1878) was painted by British artist John William Waterhouse in response to an ongoing controversy among Britons. The portrayal of imperial Rome was widely criticized by conservative commentators for being alluring, while downplaying its moral degeneracy. Waterhouse's painting was a reaction to this, and presents Nero as an anti-hero, melodramatic, and unsuccessful.
Nero's remorse
John William Waterhouse's painting, Nero's remors, was a response to the “romanticizing” of ancient Rome by conservative commentators. The painting shows Nero mourning the death of his mother, Agrippa, who had installed him as emperor in 54 AD. Her murder is attributed to Nero, who praised her corpse after the killing. Nero also blatantly flaunted his bisexuality and systematized the persecution of Christians.
After his father's death, Nero was crowned Emperor and helped to rule the empire. He believed his mother was planning to kill him, and killed her. Nero later killed his first wife, Octavia, and his second wife, Sabina. Inspired by the injustices Nero had inflicted upon his family, Waterhouse used gold and shades of orange to represent royalty.