When these two concepts are combined, the resulting figure is a dramatic archetype: a woman who is both exoticized and deemed dangerous.
After a failed conspiracy, she was executed in 48 AD and the Senate imposed damnatio memoriae , a decree to erase her name and image from all records. However, her legacy only grew. In literature, she is a stock character of the “whore empress”; in 19th-century medicine, the term for a nymphomaniac was a “Messalina”; and in modern times, writers like Honor Cargill-Martin have worked to reclaim her humanity from two millennia of slander. Arab mistress messalina
Agrippina, aware of Messalina's hold on Claudius, conspired against her, using her own charms to win over the emperor. In a shocking turn of events, Claudius, now under Agrippina's influence, ordered Messalina's execution. The once-powerful mistress was beheaded, allegedly on the orders of the emperor himself. When these two concepts are combined, the resulting
This public link is valid for 7 days and shares a thread, including any personal information you added. This link or copies made by others cannot be deleted. If you share with third parties, their policies apply. Can’t copy the link right now. Try again later. In literature, she is a stock character of