Doug Stanhope

The consuls forget his birthday, and so he sacks them. And probably the most notorious story of all at least this is how it's understood, is that he made his horse in Catartus a consul. Yes. Actually, that's not quite what Suetonius says, but we'll be looking at that and perhaps teasing out what that whole story might have been.

The consuls forget his birthday, and so he sacks them. And probably the most notorious story of all at least this is how it's understood, is that he made his horse in Catartus a consul. Yes. Actually, that's not quite what Suetonius says, but we'll be looking at that and perhaps teasing out what that whole story might have been.

And when you were reading that, people on the YouTube will have been able to see that, but when you talked about having throats cut, you turned and kind of grinned at me in a menacing way. And I think there is a slight element of kind of very, very dark comedy there. About me or about Caligula, or are we the same?

And when you were reading that, people on the YouTube will have been able to see that, but when you talked about having throats cut, you turned and kind of grinned at me in a menacing way. And I think there is a slight element of kind of very, very dark comedy there. About me or about Caligula, or are we the same?

And when you were reading that, people on the YouTube will have been able to see that, but when you talked about having throats cut, you turned and kind of grinned at me in a menacing way. And I think there is a slight element of kind of very, very dark comedy there. About me or about Caligula, or are we the same?

About you, about Suetonius' account, and perhaps about Caligula himself, wouldn't you say? I mean, there's a kind of quality of grand guignol. About all three of these people. So I think Suetonius is clearly revealing. I think there's a certain quality of black humor there. And actually, when I was translating, I felt it very, very kind of vividly.

About you, about Suetonius' account, and perhaps about Caligula himself, wouldn't you say? I mean, there's a kind of quality of grand guignol. About all three of these people. So I think Suetonius is clearly revealing. I think there's a certain quality of black humor there. And actually, when I was translating, I felt it very, very kind of vividly.

About you, about Suetonius' account, and perhaps about Caligula himself, wouldn't you say? I mean, there's a kind of quality of grand guignol. About all three of these people. So I think Suetonius is clearly revealing. I think there's a certain quality of black humor there. And actually, when I was translating, I felt it very, very kind of vividly.

But it's clear that this is often Caligula's as well. So there was one particular account which I absolutely loved because it actually reminded me of the malevolent dwarf Quilp in Charles Dickens's old curiosity shop. And it's Suetonius' description of Caligula standing in front of a mirror.

But it's clear that this is often Caligula's as well. So there was one particular account which I absolutely loved because it actually reminded me of the malevolent dwarf Quilp in Charles Dickens's old curiosity shop. And it's Suetonius' description of Caligula standing in front of a mirror.

But it's clear that this is often Caligula's as well. So there was one particular account which I absolutely loved because it actually reminded me of the malevolent dwarf Quilp in Charles Dickens's old curiosity shop. And it's Suetonius' description of Caligula standing in front of a mirror.

Though he had a naturally off-putting and hideous face, he worked diligently in front of a mirror to make it even more so, contorting it into all kinds of fearsome expressions. Yeah, that's what I do. People who've watched the YouTube will be able to see. So I guess the question is, pretty much as it was where we were talking about Tiberius yesterday, is what is going on?

Though he had a naturally off-putting and hideous face, he worked diligently in front of a mirror to make it even more so, contorting it into all kinds of fearsome expressions. Yeah, that's what I do. People who've watched the YouTube will be able to see. So I guess the question is, pretty much as it was where we were talking about Tiberius yesterday, is what is going on?

Though he had a naturally off-putting and hideous face, he worked diligently in front of a mirror to make it even more so, contorting it into all kinds of fearsome expressions. Yeah, that's what I do. People who've watched the YouTube will be able to see. So I guess the question is, pretty much as it was where we were talking about Tiberius yesterday, is what is going on?

How do we explain all the horrors and the depravities and these kind of grotesque anecdotes that sometimes shade into the kind of the blackest kind of comedy? Did they actually happen? Yeah. If they did, what's the explanation? Was Caligula mad? Was he a sadist? Or is it a bit like we decided, I think, that Tiberius was? Has he been the victim of fake news?

How do we explain all the horrors and the depravities and these kind of grotesque anecdotes that sometimes shade into the kind of the blackest kind of comedy? Did they actually happen? Yeah. If they did, what's the explanation? Was Caligula mad? Was he a sadist? Or is it a bit like we decided, I think, that Tiberius was? Has he been the victim of fake news?

How do we explain all the horrors and the depravities and these kind of grotesque anecdotes that sometimes shade into the kind of the blackest kind of comedy? Did they actually happen? Yeah. If they did, what's the explanation? Was Caligula mad? Was he a sadist? Or is it a bit like we decided, I think, that Tiberius was? Has he been the victim of fake news?

Yeah. And I guess that's why Suetonius' portrait of Caligula has been so influential, because it absolutely that idea that absolute power corrupts absolutely. Caligula seems to be the model illustration of that. So since Suetonius is so important to our understanding of Caligula and it's played such an important role in propagating the image of him as the kind of ultimate mad, bad emperor.

Yeah. And I guess that's why Suetonius' portrait of Caligula has been so influential, because it absolutely that idea that absolute power corrupts absolutely. Caligula seems to be the model illustration of that. So since Suetonius is so important to our understanding of Caligula and it's played such an important role in propagating the image of him as the kind of ultimate mad, bad emperor.

Yeah. And I guess that's why Suetonius' portrait of Caligula has been so influential, because it absolutely that idea that absolute power corrupts absolutely. Caligula seems to be the model illustration of that. So since Suetonius is so important to our understanding of Caligula and it's played such an important role in propagating the image of him as the kind of ultimate mad, bad emperor.