Roman Empire on Netflix
I watched episodes from the first season of “Roman Empire” on Netflix. The show is a historical docuseries that follows a different emperor’s story each season. This season is focused on Marcus Aurelius and his son Commodus. I really enjoyed how the series used a combination of (actually really good) acting, like a historical-based TV show, and interviews with historians like a typical documentary. This helped it stay engaging as well as emphasize the fact that it is historically accurate and educational. While I did not watch other emperor’s seasons, I do think I will keep watching and I am especially excited to watch Caligula’s season since he was a very interesting person. I cannot speak to the accuracy of the costuming, but they were all gorgeously made and really added to the ambiance of the show and helped keep it more engaging.
The show does a really good job of comparing Marcus Aurelius and Commodus. It is clear that Commodus took advantage of life as the emperor’s son by indulging a lot and not focusing on political issues or training to become a future emperor. Marcus on the other hand was always prepared, concerned with war, and was a philosopher. Ultimately, Commodus is sent to be with Marcus for him to focus on training. However, during this time, Marcus fell ill and a false rumor that he died spread across the empire. Knowing her son could not be emperor just yet, his mother aligns herself with one of her husband’s trustees in order to secure his spot as emperor and save her family. When it is discovered that Marcus did not actually die, it nearly causes a civil war, and the trustee and Marcus’s wife are killed. It takes this for Commodus to realize it is time for him to grow up and train.
One thing that they briefly touched on was the role of women in power. In order for women to have power, their husbands must have it first. This means, that they must do whatever they can to promote their husband. In this case, Commodus’s mother needs power in order to keep her family safe during the turnover of emperors, a very dangerous time for the family of ex-emperors. This is why she marries her husband’s most trusted. This also meant that many of the women whose husbands were in power were very clever and a little manipulative and had some power themselves because of the sway had and the work they put in.
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