Orestes: Is Nero An Effective Leader?

Nero was a famous Roman emperor who ruled over Rome from 54 to 68. He notoriously murdered his mother, his pregnant wife, and countless other people, including other family members and Christians. Nero’s ability to lead is often called into question, even almost two thousand years after the act, because of his harsh methods. However, after carefully examining the text provided, I have come to the conclusion that Nero is indeed an effective leader because he was able to portray an appealing, yet harsh, image of himself to the public and maintain their respect, in spite of all his gruesome deeds. Nero’s seemingly most notable deed was the murder of his mother. In most cases, an occurrence like this would certainly lead to a loss of respect, however, Nero was able to embrace his actions and in turn, make himself seem honorable. Nero was an actor, and through his portrayal of Orestes he was able to compare himself to a known myth. In Orestes’s story, he murdered his mother to avenge his father’s death and regain his rule from his mother’s lover. The moral of this story is essentially that even though Orestes committed a heinous crime, it was, in reality, for the greater good of the people. When Nero compared himself to this myth, through play, I believe he was able to instill a

Children are often taught how to be leaders, and it seems that Nero is a prime example of what not to be like. Nero’s honorability is often called into question because it seems so difficult to respect such a cruel man, especially when people nowadays are being persecuted for far less harsh crimes. His methods of leadership, harsh rule, are also seen throughout history in what you do not aspire to be like, such as Hitler, Genghis Khan, etc.; however, these leaders, even if their leadership was brief, is no doubt