Nero Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus; 15 December AD 37 – 9 June AD 68), was the fifth Roman emperor and final emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, reigning from AD 54 unti ...

Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus and his reign have featured in music, literature, the arts, and in business.

Literature

* Sienkiewicz, Henryk. 1896. ''

Quo Vadis ''Quō vādis?'' (, ) is a Latin phrase meaning "Where are you marching?". It is also commonly translated as "Where are you going?" or, poetically, "Whither goest thou?" The phrase originates from the Christian tradition regarding Saint Pete ...

'': The persecutions of Christians in Nero's Rome. * Kosztolányi, Dezső. 1922. ''Nero, the Bloody Poet'': A novel imagining Nero's crimes as the acts of an envious poet. * Graves, Robert. 1934. ''

I, Claudius ''I, Claudius'' is a historical novel by English writer Robert Graves, published in 1934. Written in the form of an autobiography of the Roman Emperor Claudius, it tells the history of the Julio-Claudian dynasty and the early years of the Ro ...

'': Nero is depicted prior to the death of his predecessor, Emperor Claudius *Gyles, Mary Francis. 1947.
Nero Fiddled While Rome Burned
" ''

The Classical Journal ''The Classical Journal'' (CJ) is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal of classical studies published by the Classical Association of the Middle West and South. Print edition The journal currently has about 2300 subscribers, including app ...

'': explores the history behind the legend of Nero playing the fiddle as Rome burned. *Wishart, David. 1996. ''Nero'': Nero's reign seen through the eyes of Titus Petronius. * Massie, Allan. 1999. ''Nero's Heirs'': The death of Nero and the civil war that followed. * Holt, Tom. 2003. ''A Song for Nero'': Nero's double is killed, and the real Nero must try to survive as a street musician. * Scott, Manda. 2010. ''The Emperor's Spy'': The story of the

Great Fire of Rome The Great Fire of Rome ( la, incendium magnum Romae) occurred in July AD 64. The fire began in the merchant shops around Rome's chariot stadium, Circus Maximus, on the night of 19 July. After six days, the fire was brought under control, but before ...

, featuring Nero as a secondary character. * Riordan, Rick. 2016–2020. ''

The Trials of Apollo ''The Trials of Apollo'' is a pentalogy of fantasy adventure and mythological fiction novels written by American author Rick Riordan that collectively form a sequel to the ''Heroes of Olympus'' series. It is set in the same world as the Riordan ...

:'' Nero and two other evil Roman emperors have survived into modern times because their infamy has essentially made them gods. Nero is known as "the Beast" and serves as the adoptive father of one of the heroes of the series, demigod Meg McCaffrey. Nero is an antagonist in the entire series, but is featured most prominently in the first and last books of the

pentalogy A pentalogy (from Greek πεντα- '' penta-'', "five" and -λογία ''-logia'', "discourse") is a compound literary or narrative work that is explicitly divided into five parts. Although modern use of the word implies both that the parts are r ...

. In the first book, ''

The Hidden Oracle ''The Hidden Oracle'' is a fantasy novel based on Greek and Roman mythology written by American author Rick Riordan. It was published on May 3, 2016, and is the first book in ''The Trials of Apollo'' series, the second spin-off of the ''Percy Ja ...

,'' Nero tries to destroy the Grove of

Dodona Dodona (; Doric Greek: Δωδώνα, ''Dōdṓnā'', Ionic and Attic Greek: Δωδώνη, ''Dōdṓnē'') in Epirus in northwestern Greece was the oldest Hellenic oracle, possibly dating to the second millennium BCE according to Herodotus. Th ...

and is thwarted by Meg and Apollo. In the final book, ''The Tower of Nero'', Apollo, Meg, and their friends must have a final showdown with Nero and his minions at his headquarters in New York. * Georges, Margaret. 2017. ''The Confessions of Young Nero'': The story of Nero's rise to power as told by the young emperor himself. * Georges, Margaret. 2018. ''The Splendor before the Dark'': Continuation of the story to the final years of Nero's reign.

Comics/graphic novels

*''

The Adventures of Nero ''The Adventures of Nero'' or ''Nero'' was a Belgian comic strip drawn by Marc Sleen and the name of its main character. The original title ranged from ''De Avonturen van Detectief Van Zwam'' in 1947 to ''De Avonturen van Nero en zijn Hoed' ...

'': The title character

is named after the Roman emperor. In his debut appearance, the character believes himself to be the emperor himself after drinking poisoned beer. Later he regains his sanity, while all characters keep referring to him as ''Nero'' from that moment onwards. In the album ''De Rode Keizer'' (''The Red Emperor'', 1952) Nero travels back in time to

Ancient Rome In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman civilisation from the founding of the city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom (753–509 BC ...

and actually meets the real emperor Nero. *''

The Phantom ''The Phantom'' is an American adventure comic strip, first published by Lee Falk in February 1936. The main character, the Phantom, is a fictional costumed crime-fighter who operates from the fictional African country of Bangalla. The char ...

'': Nero is said to have been the original owner of The Phantom's "skull ring"

Art

Salvador Dalí Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech, Marquess of Dalí of Púbol (; ; ; 11 May 190423 January 1989) was a Spanish surrealist artist renowned for his technical skill, precise draftsmanship, and the striking and bizarre images in ...

's "Dematerialization Near the Nose of Nero" (1949) *

Henryk Siemiradzki Henryk Hektor Siemiradzki (24 October 1843 – 23 August 1902) was a Russian-born Polish painter based in Rome, best remembered for his monumental academic art. He was particularly known for his depictions of scenes from the ancient Greek-Roman w ...

's "A Christian Dirce" (1897) **" Nero's Torches" depicts Christians being

martyr A martyr (, ''mártys'', "witness", or , ''marturia'', stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an externa ...

ed on Nero's orders (1876) * John William Waterhouse's "The Remorse of Nero After the Murder of His Mother" (1878) *In 2010 the municipality of

Anzio Anzio (, also , ) is a town and ''comune'' on the coast of the Lazio region of Italy, about south of Rome. Well known for its seaside harbour setting, it is a fishing port and a departure point for ferries and hydroplanes to the Pontine Islands ...

dedicated a statue of the Emperor (born in

Antium Antium was an ancient coastal town in Latium, south of Rome. An oppidum was founded by people of Latial culture (11th century BC or the beginning of the 1st millennium BC), then it was the main stronghold of the Volsci people until it was conqu ...

) by Claudio Valenti

Software and video games

Nero AG Nero AG (known as Ahead Software AG until 2005) is a German computer software company that is especially well known for its CD/DVD/ BD burning suite, ''Nero Burning ROM''. The company's main product is Nero 2019, a piece of software that comp ...

and its products

, Nero Digital,

Nero Burning ROM Nero Burning ROM, commonly called Nero, is an optical disc authoring program from Nero AG. The software is part of the Nero Multimedia Suite but is also available as a stand-alone product. It is used for burning and copying optical discs such ...

(add an -E to ROM), Nero ShowTime, and features a

pictogram A pictogram, also called a pictogramme, pictograph, or simply picto, and in computer usage an icon, is a graphic symbol that conveys its meaning through its pictorial resemblance to a physical object. Pictographs are often used in writing and ...

of a burning Rome. *''

Fate/Extra ''Fate/Extra'' (stylized as ''Fate/EXTRA'') is a dungeon crawler role-playing game developed by Type-Moon and Imageepoch and published by Marvelous Entertainment for the PlayStation Portable. The game takes place in a parallel univers ...

, Fate/Extella and

Fate/Grand Order is a free-to-play Japanese mobile game, developed by Lasengle (formerly Delightworks) using Unity, and published by Aniplex, a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment Japan. The game is based on Type-Moon's ''Fate/stay night'' franchise, and w ...

'': A female version of Nero serves as a playable character that the players avatar can interact with. *'' Ryse: Son of Rome'': Nero plays as the antagonist. His sons portrayed in the game share no kinship with the real-life emperor and were rather based on real emperors

Basil I Basil I, called the Macedonian ( el, Βασίλειος ὁ Μακεδών, ''Basíleios ō Makedṓn'', 811 – 29 August 886), was a Byzantine Emperor who reigned from 867 to 886. Born a lowly peasant in the theme of Macedonia, he rose in the ...

Basil II Basil II Porphyrogenitus ( gr, Βασίλειος Πορφυρογέννητος ;) and, most often, the Purple-born ( gr, ὁ πορφυρογέννητος, translit=ho porphyrogennetos).. 958 – 15 December 1025), nicknamed the Bulgar S ...

, and Commodus. *''

Devil May Cry is a series of action-adventure games created by Hideki Kamiya. It is primarily developed and published by Capcom. The series centers on the demon hunter Dante and his efforts to thwart various demon invasions of Earth. Its gameplay consists o ...

'':

is the co-protagonist of ''

Devil May Cry 4 is a 2008 action-adventure game developed and published by Capcom. It was released for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Microsoft Windows platforms. It is the fourth installment in the ''Devil May Cry'' series and is written by Bingo Morihashi ...

'' and '' 5''. He is the son of the character half-demon half-human

Vergil Publius Vergilius Maro (; traditional dates 15 October 7021 September 19 BC), usually called Virgil or Vergil ( ) in English, was an ancient Roman poet of the Augustan period. He composed three of the most famous poems in Latin literature: t ...

, as well as the nephew of the series' protagonist

Dante Dante Alighieri (; – 14 September 1321), probably baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri and often referred to as Dante (, ), was an Italian people, Italian Italian poetry, poet, writer and philosopher. His ''Divine Comedy'', origin ...

, making him grandson of Sparda.

Film

*'' The Sign of the Cross'': Charles Laughton as Nero. *'' Fiddlers Three'': Francis L. Sullivan as Nero. *''

'': Peter Ustinov as Nero. *''

The Silver Chalice ''The Silver Chalice'' is a 1952 English language historical novel by Thomas B. Costain. It is the fictional story of the making of a silver chalice to hold the Holy Grail (itself here conflated with the Holy Chalice) and includes 1st century b ...

'': Jacques Aubuchon as Nero. *'' Roman Legion-Hare'': Mel Blanc as Nero *'' Nero's Weekend'':

Alberto Sordi Alberto Sordi (15 June 1920 – 24 February 2003) was an Italian actor, voice actor, singer, comedian, director and screenwriter. Early life Born in Rome to a schoolteacher and a musician and the last of five children, Sordi was named in hon ...

as Nero. *''

The Story of Mankind ''The Story of Mankind'' is a book written and illustrated by Dutch-American journalist, professor, and author Hendrik Willem van Loon. It was published in 1921. In 1922, it was awarded the Newbery Medal for an outstanding contribution to children ...

'':

Peter Lorre Peter Lorre (; born László Löwenstein, ; June 26, 1904 – March 23, 1964) was a Hungarian and American actor, first in Europe and later in the United States. He began his stage career in Vienna, in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, before movin ...

as Nero. *''

Barabbas Barabbas (; ) was, according to the New Testament, a prisoner who was chosen over Jesus by the crowd in Jerusalem to be pardoned and released by Roman governor Pontius Pilate at the Passover feast. Biblical account According to all four canoni ...

'':

Ivan Triesault Ivan Triesault (born Johann Constantin Treisalt; in Reval (now Tallinn) – January 3, 1980 in Los Angeles) was an Estonian-American actor. His parents were from the island of Hiiumaa. Life His first stage appearance was at the German Theat ...

as Nero. *'' Challenge of the Gladiator'': a Nero look-alike fools the Thracians into believing he is the real Emperor. *'' Star Trek'':

Eric Bana Eric Banadinović, (born 9 August 1968), known professionally as Eric Bana (), is an Australian actor and comedian. He began his career in the sketch comedy series '' Full Frontal'' before gaining notice in the comedy drama '' The Castle'' (19 ...

's character is named Nero; a song on the soundtrack is named "Nero Fiddles, Narada Burns" *''

History of the World, Part I ''History of the World, Part I'' is a 1981 American comedy film written, produced, and directed by Mel Brooks. Brooks also stars in the film, playing five roles: Moses, Comicus the stand-up philosopher, Tomás de Torquemada, King Louis XVI, an ...

Dom DeLuise Dominick DeLuise (August 1, 1933 – May 4, 2009) was an American actor, comedian, director, producer, chef, and author. Known primarily for his comedic performances, he rose to fame in the 1970s as a frequent guest on television variety sho ...

portrays a humorous version of Nero. *''Nero's Guests'' (documentary) film by

Deepa Bhatia Deepa Bhatia is a Bollywood film editor, producer and director based in Mumbai. She is known for editing commercially successful films like ''Tare Zameen Par'', ''My Name is Khan'', ''Rock On'', ''Kai Po Che'', ''Student of the Year'' and ...

follows the work of journalist P. Sainath in reporting the agrarian crisis in India and draws a comparison between citizens indifferent to the devastation of farmers and Nero's guests at the festivities who continued their enjoyment by the light of human torches. *

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

Secrets of the Dead ''Secrets of the Dead'', produced by WNET 13 New York, is an ongoing PBS television series which began in 2000. The show generally follows an investigator or team of investigators exploring what modern science can tell us about some of the great ...

-documentary
The Nero Files - Cause for a Cold Case Investigation
", written and directed by Klaus T. Steindl *''Horrible Histories: The Movie – Rotten Romans, Horrible Histories: The Movie'': Craig Roberts as Nero. *''La Casa de Papel (Parte 5), Money Heist (Part 5) Episode 1'': El Professor, The Professor(Money Heist) played by Serio Marquina mentions Nero.

Music

*Bob Dylan's "Desolation Row" references Nero (from the album Highway 61 Revisited) *Karel Kryl's "Bivoj" references Nero (from ''Karavana mraků'') *U2's "Mercy" references Nero (from ''How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb'') *Bad Religion's "Materialist" references Nero (from ''The Process of Belief'') *Ulver's "Nemoralia" references Nero (from The Assassination of Julius Caesar (album), The Assassination of Julius Caesar)

Stage productions

Opera

*Arrigo Boito's ''Nerone (Boito), Nerone'' *George Frideric Handel's ''Agrippina (opera), Agrippina'' (and a Handel's lost Hamburg operas, lost earlier opera called "Nero") *Pietro Mascagni's ''Nerone (Mascagni), Nerone'' *Claudio Monteverdi's ''L'incoronazione di Poppea'' *Anton Rubinstein's ''Néron (opera), Néron'' *Alessandro Scarlatti's ''Nerone fatto Cesare'' (1695) *Egidio Duni's ''Nerone'' (1735)

Plays

* Anonymous's ''The Tragedy of Nero'' (1624) published by Augustine Matthews *Víctor Balaguer's ''La Mort de Nerón'' (1894) *Wilson Barrett's ''The Sign of the Cross (play), The Sign of the Cross'' *Robert Bridges's ''Nero: From the Death of Burrus to the Death of Seneca the Younger, Seneca. Comprising the Conspiracy of Gaius Calpurnius Piso (conspirator), Piso'' (1894) *Pietro Cossa's ''Nero: A Play in Five Acts'' (1881) *Amy Freed's ''You, Nero'' (2009) *Nathaniel Lee's ''The Tragedy of Nero, Emperour of Rome'' (1674) *Stephen Phillips's ''Nero'' (1906) *Jean Racine's ''Britannicus'' (1669) *William Shakespeare's ''Henry VI, Part 1'': Henry references Nero (Act I, Scene 4) *William Shakespeare's ''Hamlet'': Hamlet references Nero (Act III, Scene 2) *William Shakespeare's ''King Lear'': Edgar references Nero (Act III, Scene 6), referring to Pausanias (geographer), Pausanias' account of the Alcyonian Lake *William Wetmore Story's ''Nero: An Historical Play'' (1872) *The 1955 Musical film, musical Damn Yankees features a song titled "Those Were The Good Old Days", in which the Devil laments the days of Nero 'fiddling through those lovely blaze.' *Enzo Condello's ''Nero and Seneca'' 2006.

Television

*The 1965 ''Doctor Who'' Serial ''The Romans (Doctor Who), The Romans'' (Derek Francis) * ''The Time Tunnel'' episode "The Ghost of Nero" revolves around the ghost of the emperor attempting to kill the descendant of his successor Galba. *''I, Claudius (TV series), I, Claudius'' (Christopher Biggins) *''Peter and Paul (film), Peter and Paul'' (Julian Fellowes) *''Nero (2004 film), Nero'' (Hans Matheson) *''Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of an Empire'' (Michael Sheen) *''Horrible Histories (2009 TV series), Horrible Histories'' (Jim Howick) *''NCIS (TV series), NCIS'': "Rekindled", Gibbs calls arsonist Billy Wayne "Nero" during Wayne's interrogation *''Succession (TV series), Succession:'' In ''“''Lion in the Meadow”, Tom tells Greg about the story of Nero and Sporus, and then tells him he would castrate and marry him. Later in “All the Bells Say”, Tom calls Greg “Sporus” as they discuss partnering up in a business deal *''Animaniacs (2020 TV series), Animaniacs:'' In "Rome, Sweet Rome", Nero is portrayed by Fred Tatasciore and is depicted as a caricature of Donald Trump. See also
Nero (Character) imdb.com page

References

External links

explores the history behind the legend of Nero playing the fiddle as Rome burned NOTE link appears not to be active {{DEFAULTSORT:Nero In Popular Culture Cultural depictions of Nero, Cultural depictions of ancient Roman people