Rome: Words of Marcus Tullius Cicero/My poor heart is in peices

[alexandral]

I'll try to be quick with this because I need to pick Sasha from school/do our Monday library trip in 20 minutes, but if I don't write things down my heart can burst. :D As balenoptera was saying, what did I do before the age of LJ?

I loved this episode, but my heart is in pieces for everyone. I never thought I would say this about Brutus (I remember thinking during the history classes "at least the man received his comeuppance") I feel such a pity for him, and in a way I understand why he did what he did. But ** shudders ** watching the beautiful and incredibly sad scene in which he tries to wash himself clean and knowing what the future generations are going to think about his acts, I WAS CRYING!!





- Vorenus gone of his rails completely. I don't like him any less for this, but his scenes were very painful to watch. But all props for Kevin MacKidd who did a great job.

- I was actually pleased (if the word pleased can be applied here) that the reason of split between Pullo and Vorenus wasn't anything to do with Aventine. The timing of Pullo's slip of tongue was very very bad, but the rest of the events are very believable for me. So much believable that it hurts.

- But of course being in the army again is going to help Vorenus a little, and then Pullo will find the children and then they are going to be together again


I must admit with shame that my knowledge of Roman history is very weak. Enjoying Rome so much makes me want to understand more about the history, Romean gods, etc. I apologise very much because I should be really finding some literature about this, but if you don't mind filling me in

- Was Agrippa ever in love with Octavia?

- Did Cicero write that fabulous speech in reality? It absolutely has made my day. Roman cenate as presented in this show reminds me of some controversial days in Russian Duma (Senate) where they had a brawl once.


Alexandra's picture of the day: Titus Pullo on a horse speeding ahead to the rescue of his brother's children:





PS: I have to run!!!!!!!!!!! I hope my grammar is only as bad as usual. :D

Comments

[queenofthorns.livejournal.com]

Was Agrippa ever in love with Octavia?

I can’t speak to anyone’s emotional state, but IRL, Agrippa married Octavia’s daughter by Marcellus (who was replaced for the show by Glabius, but who was in fact, alive and well during the events depicted now. He and Octavia had several children as well.) So they have played fast-and-loose with history here.

Did Cicero write that fabulous speech in reality?

Cicero wrote something very similar to that (the Second Phillippic – I linked to it in my post on the episode) and indeed delivered (or wrote, anyway) multiple orations against Marc Antony. (IRL, also, he didn’t run away – his friend persuaded him NOT to appear to deliver the speech in person because they were sure Marc Antony would react as he did on the show!)

They’re called the Philippics because they were modeled on Demosthenes’ speeches against Philip of Macedon, by the way.

I was very angry with Vorenus for being so horrible to Pullo – but I think he knows how horrible he was. And yay for the picture!

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

Oh, thank you so much for all this information!!

IRL, also, he didn’t run away – his friend persuaded him NOT to appear to deliver the speech in person because they were sure Marc Antony would react as he did on the show!

I thought that running away was rather a clever thing to do. :D

I was very angry with Vorenus for being so horrible to Pullo – but I think he knows how horrible he was. And yay for the picture!

I know, I was so heart-broken for Vorenus. And I am not trying to justify anyone here (because I will like Vorenus "until the end of times" and this liking is not really connected to how good/bad he behaves himself, I am just like this) but Vorenus just is mentally ill, in a very serious way. And I felt it was rather unfortunate that Pullo mentioned Evander at this point of time, I was expecting him to be more careful about this. Though Vorenus is crazy I think for Pullo to say "Okay I f**cked her. Me and every guy..." was wrong. But again, my liking for Pullo goes beyond all this too. :D And he is going to rescue the children as you predicted. :D

EEEEEE! And now I can go and read your post!!!

[queenofthorns.livejournal.com]

And I felt it was rather unfortunate that Pullo mentioned Evander at this point of time, I was expecting him to be more careful about this.

My take was that he was incredibly careful as long as it mattered - as long as there was a chance that Niobe and Vorenus could have their marriage work out, Pullo kept his mouth shut. And he only said it under incredible provocation - for Vorenus to ask Pullo how Pullo has been a friend to him NOW? How is that even possible?

Though Vorenus is crazy I think for Pullo to say "Okay I f**cked her. Me and every guy..." was wrong.

Oh, but see, here again, I think Pullo was incredibly hurt - he SWORE ON HIS MOTHER'S BONES - we know how much his mother meant to him - and Vorenus completely discounted and didn't believe him after all, so he was all "OK, fine, you jerk, you want to believe whatever you want to believe" so he says the most ridiculous thing possible (I mean, just the question of OPPORTUNITY - since Pullo was with Vorenus most of the time, how the hell would this even have happened? But Vorenus was past thinking about this sort of logic or listening to Pullo at all - how many times does Pullo remind Vorenus that Niobe LOVED him? That HE loves him? And yet Vorenus does not hear this.)

I actually think it's good Pullo snapped back at Vorenus - I think Vorenus always takes Pullo completely for granted, and I also think he has underestimated this guy a lot and it was nice to see Pullo, though still loving his friend, just know that there wasn't going to be any way out of this.

I do think that Vorenus WANTED to push Pullo away. But ... he hurt Pullo very badly, I think, and I don't like that he did that.

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

And he only said it under incredible provocation

Unfortunately, the type of secret Pullo kept is like double-edged sword. When it is revealed, it is usual that the other person feels betrayed. "You haven't told me that you know!!" Whatever a person in the Pullo's position did this for, a person in Vorenus' position is not liable to forgive it easily.


Oh, but see, here again, I think Pullo was incredibly hurt - he SWORE ON HIS MOTHER'S BONES - we know how much his mother meant to him - and Vorenus completely discounted and didn't believe him after all, so he was all "OK, fine, you jerk, you want to believe whatever you want to believe" so he says the most ridiculous thing possible

I don't know. I am not trying to criticize Pullo (because it was indeed a very difficult situation), but saying something like this either means Pullo doesn't understand Vorenus's mental state (and we saw it is not the case because Pullo was saying how he know Vorenus wants to die) or it means he just had that urge to hurt the other person which everyone has once in a while in an argument like that. I am not criticizing Pullo, but it could have been better if he just hit Vorenus. Or something.

I do think that Vorenus WANTED to push Pullo away. But ... he hurt Pullo very badly, I think, and I don't like that he did that.

Oh, I think they hurt each other pretty badly. I think Vorenus believed what Pullo said about Niobe. I have seen people in the break-down state believe even sillier things.