Join me on a road never before traveled. I am going to explore the differences between Caligula and Caligula. The first Caligula is the real life man - the one of legends. I will dissect his life down to a few pages of facts and cut through the enigma that is his life. Myths and stories will be pushed aside to explain what he was really like and how it really was back almost 2000 years ago. Afterwards I will re-examine one of the most infamous movies in history, Caligula (1979) which contains Malcolm’s second greatest cult performance. This will be a study, a summary and a review all rolled up into one neat package. Then I will compare the movie myth and real life story and see how close Penthouse came to the truth they said they portrayed. So take my hand and we will begin our historical journey and learning experience about the differences between truth and what is believed to be true. Don’t ever be afraid to learn new things.
He was born Gaius Caligula in the year
12 AD, son of Germanicus, a military leader who was one of the most loved Romans
of all early times. It would be hard to compare Germanicus (literally conqueror
of Germany) to anyone today. Think of how people in the US felt about Schwarzkopf
ten years back, or MacArthur 50 years ago. The United States has always held
military leaders in high regard and early Rome was no different.
Very little was know about Caligula’s early days
because even though he was a direct descendant of Augustus he wasn’t related
to the present Emperor, Tiberius. Only immediate members of the emperor’s
family would have been widely known by the public. His father died when he was
young and a massive funeral combined with great public mourning occurred. He was said to
have died naturally, but may in fact have been poised by his wife, but that can
only be debated. His death was a devastating blow to the Roman people who loved
him so. There would always be a deep sympathy and hope for the young Caligula to
turn into Germanicus’ successor, which is why he was so embraced. The current
Emperor Tiberius had been in power for as long as many people could remember. At
this point in time he was getting very old and increasingly cut off from the people. Many
couldn’t wait to see him go and would have loved to see Germanicus replace
him, however unlikely. This would not happen until 37 AD.
Caligula become known as a great orator, even giving a
moving eulogy at his father’s funeral at the tender age of seven. He never
lost this gift and the only times we know about his early days were the times
he made speeches, because they made such an impact. Because of this, he remained
influential to the people until his death. We know that he was a sickly child
suffering from many stomach problems and even epilepsy. In his adult life he was
an insomniac, but it is unknown that this or any other traits had manifested in
his youth.
An ambitious senator and advisor named Macro saw an
opportunity to increase his power by grooming Caligula to be Tiberius’
successor. The main problem was that Tiberius had a son who was an idiot, but
because of his royal heritage was destined to take the throne at his father’s
death. Macro was correct in that the people would embrace Caligula, but paid the
ultimate price for this. In 37, Tiberius finally died. The senate was able to
have his will annulled and therefore was able to get Macro’s protégé,
Caligula, in as the emperor instead of Tiberius’s son, Gemellus. It was out
with the old and in with the new, literally. It was the classic mistake, take
someone young and popular with the people, but with no experience and give him
the world and expect to be able to control and mold him.
For the first six months of Caligula’s reign, it
looked like they had made a wise decision. He did everything right and was the
perfect ruler. The Emperor won the admiration of the people and the senate. He
released all the political prisoners and abolished the sales tax. Caligula threw out many of the hated laws implemented by Tiberius. He sought approval
of the senate and vowed to work together with them to get
everything done. He didn’t act on his own or become a dictator. He started and
completed building projects as well as establishing more holidays and races to entertain
the people. In fact he worked so hard to do everything right that it made him
sick.
Six months of constant hard work took its toll on a man
who never worked in his life. He was bed ridden with exhaustion. For a time it
looked grim and people were devastated. Here was the return to the glory days of
Rome cut short after only six months. It was very common for people to never
recover from illnesses back then so the people began to camp out in front of the
palace waiting for any news of his health, businesses closed down and it was a
very somber time which would last over a month.
His illness would not prove fatal, at least not to him.
Others would be disposed of including Macro. He had outgrown his usefulness and
Caligula was also bothered that things were able to run smoothly without him.
The illness sparked a change in Caligula that he would never return from. He became more
dictatorial, he had people executed (Romans preferred forced suicide) that got in
his way. He would no longer be a lackey for the senate. The people who felt this
was the right way met his actions with approval.
Caligula wanted to produce an heir. He married in 33
and after a few years when he had not received an heir he chose a new wife. It
didn’t matter if she was married to someone else or pregnant at the time. He
was Emperor and above all, this was common practice. In 37 he remarried and was
soon divorced. He remarried again in 38 and once again produced no child, so he
got rid of her as well and was remarried for the last time in 39 to Caesonia, who would
produce his only child, a daughter Drusilla.
Caligula was very fond of his three sisters, most especially
Drusilla. He gave them the highest honor by naming them Vestal Virgins and even
having their likeness imprinted on a coin. No emperor had ever done anything
like this before. After the death of Drusilla in 38 he was totally devastated.
He was closest to her and loved her more than anything. Llosing her as well
as his parents he must have felt truly alone. If there was any chance of him
coming back to the way he was in the beginning it was gone forever. He paid
Drusilla the highest honors, making her the first Roman consecrated as a
Goddess. He dedicated a festival to her, made her birthday a holiday and had
statues made for her. All of this was unheard of in those times.
The senate was happy to sit around and get nothing done
during his reign, but resented Caligula for denouncing them and stripping away
their powers while adding to his own. They only had themselves to blame. After
all, they pushed him through and should have realized what they were getting
into. The title of emperor translated into being the only one on Earth who has a
direct link from the gods to the people. Being emperor was to enjoy a godlike
status. He was also made a high priest and was constantly being bestowed with
powers by the senate. What did they expect by giving him godlike powers? How
surprising is it that he would act like a god given the power to? After all you
can’t tell a god what to do, so why should he listen to them?
Caligula considered himself one of the people. He
certainly related to them more then the royalty and the senate. He preferred the company of actors and gladiators than of the elite. This ensured
the respect of the people. In 39 he became the first Emperor in over 50 years to
leave Italy and visit the Roman provinces. Also he set in motion plans for the
conquering of Germany and England. Though he did not completely succeed he paved
the way for the next emperor to conquer England.
While he was away, a large conspiracy to overthrow and
murder Caligula was put down by him. Many were executed or forced to commit
suicide including Lepidus, Caligula’s homosexual lover. Also General
Gaetulicus who was in charge of 10 legions in Germany, possibly the most
powerful man in the empire behind Caligula was killed. This would prevent any
mutiny on his part. Also many rich people were killed for their possessions. His
aim probably wasn't to really conquer, but to attempt to live up to his father's
name.
In 40 he returned to a heroes welcome. He was seen as
very strong for being able to put down the conspiracy against him. It was at this time that
his personality traits got him in trouble with the rich and powerful. He was
high strung and nervous which led him to be very suspicious of those around him.
Maybe they were still plotting against him he thought, so he couldn’t afford to trust
anyone. He was an insomniac and would drive senators crazy by awakening them at
all hours to talk to because he couldn’t sleep.
He was arrogant and
foolish. Caligula would give huge sums of money away without much thought.
Anyone who served him faithfully could look forward to receiving huge amounts of
money. His relatives all prospered under him. He would spend it on lavish
objects or building projects. To make money he would auction off his own items
or booty and loved to play the auctioneer. He became the first person to tax
whores, even if they tried to escape by marrying their pimps. He was very cruel
and sarcastic. He was probably the first leader with a really wicked sense of
humor who loved to piss people off. He would make fun of anyone and anything
including himself, much to the annoyance of the senators because of the
humiliation they took from him. He loved jokes in bad taste, like saying his
horse could do as good a job as the senators. Caligula constantly denounced the
senate since he considered himself one of the people. If a senator even
disagreed with him he might be killed, but if a common person insulted him it
didn’t bother him.
In early 41 it all came to a crashing halt. His assassination was planned in January during the Ludi Palatini festival. He was
planning on putting on a performance of some kind and was talking to some actors
in a passageway on the way up to the stage when it happened. It was a small,
secluded area. He was asked for the password which he always gave a sarcastic
answer to, like they didn’t know who he was. Then the guard who asked him
stabbed Caligula in the chest, but he did not die. He was then stabbed from
behind and jumped by many that would stab him over thirty times before fleeing.
Soon after the assassins murdered his wife and daughter. His German bodyguards,
enraged, then jumped in and slaughtered as many of the assassins as possible.
The people were extremely upset about his murder and demanded revenge. They
crowded around the palace demanding the assassin. The rich and powerful were
really the only ones who hated him and they were in danger of bearing the wrath
of the people until they named Caligula’s uncle as the next emperor. Only
after his death were the many negative and crazy statements about him spoken in
attempts to discredit him. The picture they painted of him was of an evil man
gone insane with power and corruption who had to be stopped. The senate needed
to make themselves look good and make Caligula take the fall. This is why many
of the things most people associate with him – madness, syphilis, incest, etc.
are just not true.
He might not have been the best ruler, but he was far
from the worst and was genuinely loved by his people because he felt closer to
them than the rich. This was a decidedly different change from the tired old
regime of Tiberious, whom the people were truly glad to see go. He set out to be
the best emperor and wound up falling into the corruption just like any
politician would. The truth is that his reign of less than four years doesn’t
really deserve half the attention it gets when emperors who ruled far better or
far longer have been mostly lost through history. I think he receives the
attention he does because of all the wild stories and mystery that surrounded
him, because of this Caligula will forever be an enigma.
Now continue your journey to the Caligula Movie page.
This page © 1998-08 Alex D. Thrawn for www.MalcolmMcDowell.net