Caesar’s consort: images of Livia in literature from Antiquity to the Early Modern period

Women’s power has, traditionally, been negotiated through their male counterparts, arousing suspicion of the ‘undue influence’ of wives and mothers. As such, female consorts have faced intense scrutiny and their portrayal has been coloured by opinions of their male relatives. One of the most (in)famous consorts of history is Livia Drusilla, the wife of Augustus, Rome’s first emperor. By tracing the reception of Livia in literature from Antiquity to the early modern period, I demonstrate how different aspects of her intersectional identity were continually reimagined in conjunction with gendered discourses of power. While the reception of Augustus has received some scholarly attention, the appearance of Livia has focused on her portrayal in modern television programs, overlooking the important developments of intervening receptions. Her portrayal was further negotiated through a Christian lens that served, in Late Antiquity, to erode the relevance of Livia. Despite the emerging Christian models and ascetic values, Livia persisted as a model of authority. She is restored to a place of prominence through the reception of not only Augustus, but also of her sources. Thus, in the Twelfth-Century Renaissance, interest in Ovid led to the revival of interest in the imperial consort as a source of political and secular danger. Simultaneously, Livia informed emerging debates in philosophy about the role of the consort in contemporary politics. In the Italian Renaissance, Livia becomes more closely tied with the imperial ambitions of key figures such as Petrarch. As such, the reception of Augustus is a focal point that draws attention back to his consort. All of this paves the way for an explosion of interest in the imperial consort in Tudor and Stuart England. Here we find a complex figure, whose portrayal reflects a wide range of ancient sources, coloured particularly by the re-discovered works of Tacitus, which began to emerge from literary narratives into dramatic performances on the stage.

Through the study of Livia’s reception, I demonstrate more clearly the interest and utilisation of her sources from antiquity, providing a more nuanced understanding of their influence and transmission. Moreover, the appearance of Livia in context sheds light on contemporaneous debates around the role of women and their power. The selective use of Livia’s intersectional identities highlights the way in which authors in different periods were shifting their definitions of masculine and feminine behaviours