Humor in the Historical Works of Tacitus

In this dissertation, I argue that Tacitus used humor as an important rhetorical strategy in his historical works. Well-known features of Tacitus’ style, including variatio, weighted alternatives, and appendix sentences, can create and are used to create humor. I employ a combination of ancient and modern theories of humor (most notably Cicero and Quintilian among the ancients and in modern scholarship the linguistic theories developed by Victor Raskin and Salvatore Attardo) to identify and analyze Tacitean humor more precisely. My analysis focuses especially on places where Tacitus’ employment of humor complements and reinforces his cynical portrayal of imperial power. In the first chapter, I outline my theoretical framework. In the second, I apply it to Tacitus’ portrayals of Otho and Vitellius in the Histories. I argue that Tacitus’ portrayal of Otho uses humor to emphasize dynamic contradictions in his behavior, while his portrayal of Vitellius avoids humor by treating him with uncomplicated contempt. In the third chapter, I tackle Tacitus’ portrayal of Nero, another historical figure that Tacitus frequently portrays through humor. I focus particularly on Tacitus’ use of humor to center Nero’s habit of public performance and Tacitus’ insinuation that such performances were both worthy of mockery and part of what kept Nero in power. In the fourth and final chapter, I examine two episodes: the treason trial of Libo Drusus in Annals 2 and the bigamous marriage of Messalina in Annals 11. In both these episodes, I examine Tacitus’ use of humor focused on a situation rather than on a single character, as in the earlier chapters. In the conclusion, I suggest a few directions for further study and possible further implications of the phenomena that I examine. Throughout, I argue for both the presence and the significance of humor in Tacitus. By recognizing its presence, we can refine our ideas about individual characters and episodes that appear in the Histories and Annals. Humor is also an important element of Tacitus’ previously recognized ability to create a strong impression in the minds of his readers without making an explicit argument for the ideas he evokes.Doctor of Philosoph