Annals (Tacitus)
The Annals is a history book written by the classic author Tacitus. These records cover the period of four emperors Julio-Claudian who succeeded the founder of the Roman Empire , Emperor Augustus. Much that we received in particular covers the reigns of Tiberius and Nero. The title Annals was probably not given by Tacitus himself, but come from the fact that it describes events year by year. The original title would be more likely Ab excessu divi Augusti, "After the death of the divine Augustus."
Content
The Annals is the last work of Tacitus , and cover the period following the death of Augustus in 14. Tacitus wrote at least sixteen books, but books 7-10, and large parts of books 5, 6, 11 and 16 are lost. 6 The book ends with the death of Tiberius and books 7-10 clearly develop the reigns of Caligula and Claude. Those of the following books which have reached us deal with the reign of Nero until his death in June 68 or at the end of that year, making the link with the Historia. It also lacks the second part of Book 16, which ends on the last events of the year 66. It is unclear whether Tacitus had completed his work or if he had finished the other books he had planned to write. He died before he concluded his work with the history of the reigns of Nerva and Trajan , as well as what he had planned to write, completing his work as a historian, namely the beginning of the empire and the reign Augustus.
As in the Historiae , it maintains the idea of the necessity of principate founded by Augustus. It reaffirms that Augustus gives and guarantees peace after years of civil war but not hide the reader a description of the dark side of the Caesars. The history of the empire also coincides with the peak of political freedom enjoyed by the senatorial aristocracy that Tacitus does not fail to be described as decadent, corrupt and subject to the originator, that is to say, subject to emperor. During the reign of Nero , a great number of literary works have put forward the concept of exitus illustrium virorum, "the end of illustrious men." Tacitus, recalls, in the Annals as in his Life of Agricola , he opposes those who seek unnecessary martyr status by choosing a pointless suicide.
Against the gloom, a non corrupt political class continues to engage honestly still in provincial governments and in the conduct of armies. This tragic vision of a story full of dramatic events is a great place in The Annals. Tacitus describes the tragedy suffered by the inhabitants of the empire. His goal is not to generate intense emotions but uses tragic elements to penetrate the minds of the characters to bring forth to light their passions and ambiguities. With the exception of pathological side found in Nero ), the ruling passions in the characters are about politics. All social classes, without exception, suffer the same defects: ambition, lust for power, a fierce desire to improve his social status, jealousy, hypocrisy and arrogance. With the exception of greed and vanity, the other passions play a minor role in his work.
In The Annals, Tacitus improves his portraiture he has served so well in his Historiae. The most successful portrait seems to be that of Tiberius , described in an indirect way and that we discover gradually the narration when the observations and comments replace the details. The moral portrait supersedes the physical description. There are also some portraits that reflect the paradox that the most striking example is that of Petronius. Its charm lies in its apparent contradictions. Weaknesses he displayed in his private life are paralleled with the energy and skills that are manifested in his public life. Petrone is facing death in a show of enjoyment final impression of a very modern self-control, assurance and bravery. Tacitus compares Petronius to the end of the Stoics who are adherents of the tradition of theatrical suicide. There is no model of Petronius, but implicitly suggests that his greatness of soul is more convincing than the martyrs Stoics.
Style
We readily admit that the style which uses Tacitus in his Annals stands out very clearly the standards of composition and grammar standards in use among the authors of the end of the Republic, including Cicero. Tacitus achieves a subtle alchemy to form this unique stylistic imprint, made of unique grammatical forms, frequent ellipses (especially those using the forms with esse), inventive circumlocution and syntax that reached the limits of the lexical field of the Latin time. Compared to the Historiae , Annals are less fluid, more concise and severe with a clear preference for incongruities. The disharmony of verbal forms reflects and reveals the events otherwise the ambiguities of human behavior. There are also many violent metaphors and personifications bold. He often uses a poetic style that is reminiscent of that of Virgil , especially when he describes the arrival of Germanicus on the field of battle of the Teutoburg forest to look for the legions of General Varus destroyed dramatically by Arminius , head of the Germanic tribe of Cherusci. This echoes the style used by Virgil when he recounts the descent of Aeneas in the underworld.
The style changes throughout the story. From the book 13, Tacitus takes a more traditional style, closer to the fundamentals of classical style. The writing is enriched, rises, becoming less concise and uses less innuendo. In the choice of synonyms that operates Tacitus replaces a set of expressions into more decorative restraint. The reign of Nero is treated with less solemnity because it is closer to the time of writing this journal while Tiberius was considered more faithful to the Old Republic. Some omissions in books 15 and 16 suggest that the version of those books that we received was not the final release, but rather an earlier draft.
Notes, references
- (In) This article is partially or entirely from the article in English entitled " Annals (Tacitus) "(see the list of authors )
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