The Lyre, the Emerald and the Fire
Features of the Literary Myth of Nero between Gomes Leal and Roberto de Mesquita
Abstract
Several Portuguese literary texts that appeared in the second half of the 19th century have as their subject the Roman emperor Nero. In these texts there are some recurring elements that are associated with the representation of the emperor, such as the scene in which Nero sings with his lyre while observing the burning of Rome. In addiction to this famous episode, there are other lesser known items, such as the Christians transformed into human torches or the emerald used to observe the gladiator fights. In this context, the paper examines the characteristics and symbolism of various literary depictions of Nero, analyzing texts by authors such as, among others, Teófilo Braga, Gomes Leal, Eugénio de Castro and the Mesquita brothers.
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