History,Sex And Scenography In The Octavia

With the Cambridge commentary by Rolando Ferri (2003) as point of departure, the article examines the claim that the Octavia is dependent on historians of the Flavian reign, but concludes that the case is unproven. As for the alleged allusions to the love poetry of Statius, the article argues that the similarities are coincidental and points instead to the striking parallels between the drama's depiction of the beautiful Poppaea as the darling of Venus and the short-lived Neronian cult of Poppaea as Diva Poppaea-Venus. Focusing on dramaturgy, the final section examines the commonly discarded links between the drama's implied scenography and the rich and varied resources of the imperial stage, concluding that the ignotus at each and every turn is laying out his plot ‘in accordance with the custom of those working for the stage’ (secundum consuetudinem scaenicorum).