I would throw money at this show and probably volunteer to direct an episode or two.
incest! Domitian supposedly had an affair with Titus' daughter Julia after refusing to marry her while Titus according to master of sensationalistic gossip Suetonius could have had a fling with Domitian's wife near the end of his (i.e. Titus') life
I feel like this show could play really interestingly with perception, and alt POVs, leaving you unsure of what's going on-- ie, are Domitian and Julia having an affair, or are they just the two closest in age to each other, and were both stuck in Rome during an intensely traumatic time, and it has left them with a Bond (TM). So from Titus's POV, Domitian is rudely refusing to marry Julia, and then if it is played later from Julia's, it's clear that she really doesn't want to marry Domitian, but her 'no' just isn't loud enough, because Roman patriarchy, and from Domitian's, he wants to marry Longina far more than Julia, but also sees Julia as 'his'. Likewise, does Titus see Berenice as True Love, while Berenice is being more political about it, and making reference to Cleopatra (whose descendants are around Rome at this time) You could even take it right back to Titus's flashbacks, with the lines being the same each time, but the play being different-- is Britannicus poisoned? Does he just have a seizure? Does Nero insist people keep eating confidently and cruelly, or is it less clear? The Roman mind goes instantly to poison, but, as Emma Southon points out when discussing Livia, sometimes people just die.
I would probably fan Domitian the competent creepy tyrant. Competence is so rare...
(Having been watching the recent BBC documentary about new discoveries in Pompeii, you could have plotlines about the need to resettle refugees from the city, and possibly heartwarming and less heartwarming attempts to find each other)
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branchandroot
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Date: 2025-01-22 07:53 am (UTC)incest! Domitian supposedly had an affair with Titus' daughter Julia after refusing to marry her while Titus according to master of sensationalistic gossip Suetonius could have had a fling with Domitian's wife near the end of his (i.e. Titus') life
I feel like this show could play really interestingly with perception, and alt POVs, leaving you unsure of what's going on-- ie, are Domitian and Julia having an affair, or are they just the two closest in age to each other, and were both stuck in Rome during an intensely traumatic time, and it has left them with a Bond (TM). So from Titus's POV, Domitian is rudely refusing to marry Julia, and then if it is played later from Julia's, it's clear that she really doesn't want to marry Domitian, but her 'no' just isn't loud enough, because Roman patriarchy, and from Domitian's, he wants to marry Longina far more than Julia, but also sees Julia as 'his'. Likewise, does Titus see Berenice as True Love, while Berenice is being more political about it, and making reference to Cleopatra (whose descendants are around Rome at this time) You could even take it right back to Titus's flashbacks, with the lines being the same each time, but the play being different-- is Britannicus poisoned? Does he just have a seizure? Does Nero insist people keep eating confidently and cruelly, or is it less clear? The Roman mind goes instantly to poison, but, as Emma Southon points out when discussing Livia, sometimes people just die.
I would probably fan Domitian the competent creepy tyrant. Competence is so rare...
(Having been watching the recent BBC documentary about new discoveries in Pompeii, you could have plotlines about the need to resettle refugees from the city, and possibly heartwarming and less heartwarming attempts to find each other)