ModernMarvel Posted December 19, 2006 Report Share Posted December 19, 2006 (edited) In the Blue Corner: Yelling at Jupiter, having the hots for your sister, making fun of Senator's wives for their lack of sexual expertise in front of their husbands, claiming to be a living god to name a few......CALIGULA!!!! And in the Red Corner: Dressing for marriage as a woman, burning Rome to build his playhouse, killing his mother Agrippina, and slaughtering many Christians including Paul, and that's just being modest.....NERO!!!! Who will win in this battle royale of Nut-bars? You decide!!!!!! Marv's vote: Caligula Edited December 19, 2006 by ModernMarvel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lost_Warrior Posted December 19, 2006 Report Share Posted December 19, 2006 In order to do this properly we would have to know which of these things were actually true, and which were wild speculation or politically motivated rumors. Still, my vote goes to Caligula. Nero has a few redeeming qualities at least. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Honorius Posted December 19, 2006 Report Share Posted December 19, 2006 (edited) i voted for nero...mainly due to his musical prowess ... i just cannot get over the stories surrounding his concerts..eg people jumping off the theatre walls, women giving birth and people pretending to die so they could be taken out of the theatre. Edit: Spelling >.< Edited December 19, 2006 by Honorius Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caldrail Posted December 19, 2006 Report Share Posted December 19, 2006 Firstly both would have you put to death for suggesting they were short of sanity. Caligula - No, not a raving looney, but a very maladjusted young man. He had no restraint on his malicious mickey-taking and in an immature fashion attempted to explore the limits of his power over others in much the same way a young child does with his parents. Claiming to be a living god? Well he wasn't alone there. Lots of autcratic rulers with fawning courtiers came to that conclusion. Nero - A young man who grew up to self determination despite his mothers control. Again he discovered he could do anything and decided to have a good time all of the time. And just to make it better, he'd give everyone else a good time by performing in public. Nero didn't burn rome - he was 35 miles away in antium when that started. He also rushed back to organise relief efforts. It was his lack of judgement that he chose to build his palace on former residential land. Did the christians deserve burning? No not really, although there is some circumstantial evidence that christian activists had something to do with it. Case unproven. Murdering his mother? Truth is nero was left little choice but to. You want a real nutcase? Elagabulus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Germanicus Posted December 19, 2006 Report Share Posted December 19, 2006 Caligula gets my vote, that is if Psychopaths are considered nutty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Primus Pilus Posted December 19, 2006 Report Share Posted December 19, 2006 Basing this on the perception of the personalities and only on the surviving written historical record only... Caligula is the appropriate choice for me. His behavior, even if he was perfectly sane (and even if some of the stories are clearly embellished) better describes "craziness" than Nero's more eccentric habits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ModernMarvel Posted December 19, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 19, 2006 ARG! I forgot about 'ole Heliogabulus! Yeah, he was a real prize winner. This poll was more or less me at 1 in the morning on a sugar rush from too much kool-aid and tangerines. I jut had to go with Caligula simply because Nero at least had a cover story for most of his stuff. Like the burning, I know he was away, but I still think he set the whole thing up. Afterall, you dont have to be present to be a murderer, like when his mom was killed (Stab here! eww...brutal). Marv Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaius Paulinus Maximus Posted December 19, 2006 Report Share Posted December 19, 2006 Caligula gets my vote, i think the guy had a very very wicked sense of humor and although in his own mind he probably thought the things he was doing were amusing, to everyone else around him they were probably terrifying. Yes by the end of his days he was 100% fruit-cake! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caldrail Posted December 20, 2006 Report Share Posted December 20, 2006 Caligula vs nero, and its looking as if as Nero's superior talent and fun personality is winning out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ModernMarvel Posted December 20, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 20, 2006 He's great at parties from what I'm told Marv Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rameses the Great Posted December 20, 2006 Report Share Posted December 20, 2006 Forget Caligula beeing a mind job, he was a nut job! I don't think Nero was evil, just oblivious and egocentric which can be very dangerous if the emperor of Rome. Putting his horse in the Senate you just can't beat that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caldrail Posted December 21, 2006 Report Share Posted December 21, 2006 Nero, like most powerful romans, had a nasty streak. He wasn't known as a pleasant character. But it was caligula who threatened to impose his horse Incitatus as a consul of rome, and that was done to insult the senate. 'My horse could do a better job than you lot'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Augusta Posted December 21, 2006 Report Share Posted December 21, 2006 May I put in a word for our Gaius? Mad? No. Just a tyrant with epilepsy. It sends you funny, ya know! Come to think of it, I don't think either of them was mad in a clinical sense. Nero - very complex young thing, becoming emperor at 16 years of age! Great Gods - I look at my son and think - Jove help us all! To sum up: the pair of them were spoilt brats handed enormous power on a plate. But if someone put me in a time machine and I had to find out which Caesar I would be brought before, I'd choose Caligula. I think I could humour him and get away with it. As for Nero - I'd run a mile..... Nero, like most powerful romans, had a nasty streak. He wasn't known as a pleasant character. But it was caligula who threatened to impose his horse Incitatus as a consul of rome, and that was done to insult the senate. 'My horse could do a better job than you lot'. Well said, Caldrail - it's what I've always believed about this incident. Have you read Balsdon? Forget Caligula beeing a mind job, he was a nut job! I don't think Nero was evil, just oblivious and egocentric which can be very dangerous if the emperor of Rome. Putting his horse in the Senate you just can't beat that! And let's not forget those 'seashells' Ram! Caligula vs nero, and its looking as if as Nero's superior talent and fun personality is winning out I would have a great problem with Nero. I could act him off the stage and he'd never forgive me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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