OthoChapter Summaries & Analyses
Sections 1-12 Summary
Otho came from an old Etruscan family. He became a courtier at the imperial court during the reign of Nero and agreed to enter a sham marriage with Nero’s mistress, Poppaea Sabina. When Nero decided to marry Poppaea himself, Otho was unofficially exiled to become governor of Lusitania. Wanting revenge, Otho was an early supporter of Galba, although he turned against the elderly Galba when he declined to name Otho heir. When his army began to lose to a rival named Vitellius, Otho committed suicide.
“Otho” Analysis
Through his tragic death by suicide and the selfishness of his motives, Otho (32 CE-69 CE) represents for Suetonius the worst elements of the civil war of 69 CE. Like the other imperial claimants in the Year of the Four Emperors, Otho was able to claim the imperial throne due to his history with the court of Nero. Further, Suetonius highlights Otho’s ignoble motives for turning against Nero and Galba, presenting him as a negative example of an emperor.
