Tacitus, Annals, 15.20­-23, 33­-45. Latin Text, Study Aids with Vocabulary, and Commentary, 2013a

A purpose clause: quo = ut eo.
An indirect statement, with the
verb (esse) elided. nihil is the subject accusative, laetum the predicative
complement. sibi is in the dative of personal interest or reference. The
adverb perinde (‘equally’, ‘to the same degree’) modifies laetum. Hence:
Nero wanted to prove that ‘nothing (nihil) was ever (usquam) to the same
degree welcome (perinde laetum) to him (sibi) [sc. as Rome].’
struere and
uti (linked by the -que after tota) are historic infinitives (i.e. infinitives used
as main verbs). They serve to quicken the pace of the narrative as Nero’s
immorality spirals to new depths. The verb struere is especially interesting:
whilst it is used here to mean ‘to set up’ banquets, it can often be used
of ‘contriving’ or ‘plotting’ a crime. The word thus contains a hint of the
sinister undercurrent to Nero’s actions: they are paving the way for future
outrages. The arrangement is chiastic: verb (struere) + accusative object
(convivia) :: ablative object (tota urbe) + verb (uti).
The superlative celeberrimae,
qualified by the negative nouns luxu and fama (both ablatives of respect;
celeberrimae ... fama is an ‘almost tautological expression’ 137 ), paints a lurid
picture of the immorality of the banquet. More generally, banquets in
Tacitus are often used as the setting of profound immorality. In Annals 14,
Nero’s incest with his mother, Britannicus’ murder, and part of the plot
to kill his mother all occurred against the backdrop of a banquet. The
decadence and corruption of Nero’s court, of which Tacitus never ceases
to remind us, make this an appropriate setting for the crimes of the regime
and for demonstrations of his extravagance. Tacitus varies his vocabulary
(convivia, epulae) and, with luxu (instead of the more common luxuria),
chooses recherché diction to draw further attention to them and stress the
number of degenerate feasts occurring. 138
137 Woodman (1998) 172.
138 See more generally Woodman (2004) xxii: ‘given a choice of synonyms, Tacitus often
varies the linguistic norm by choosing the less common: luxus (“luxuriousness”)
for luxuria (“luxury”), maestitia (“sorrowfulness”) for maeror (“sorrow”), seruitium
(“servitude”) for seruitus (“slavery”).’