The Deified TitusChapter Summaries & Analyses
Sections 1-10 Summary
Titus succeeded Vespasian to the imperial office as his eldest son. Suetonius describes Titus as handsome, strong, and kind, and loved by the Roman public. Nonetheless, he was criticized for cruelty and extravagance before he became emperor, especially for his affair with the Jewish queen Berenice, though he ended that relationship upon becoming emperor. When Mount Vesuvius erupted, Titus offered to the survivors “not just the concern of an emperor but the love which only a parent can provide” (Section 8). Further, he was not vindictive toward people who conspired against him. After a reign of just two years, though, he fell ill and died suddenly.
“The Deified Titus” Analysis
In an inverse of how Suetonius describes Tiberius’s reign as emperor, he depicts Titus (39 CE-81 CE) as a vicious and decadent youth who grew into a virtuous ruler after becoming emperor. This raises the question of whether Titus would have been so positively remembered had his reign lasted longer than two years. However, Suetonius speaks of these claims as mere rumors. While Suetonius describes Tiberius’s inherent qualities as generally negative, he asserts that Titus’s innate character was virtuous, as revealed by his actions once he gained power.
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