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published in 1896. The novel Quo Vadis? quickly became an international
bestseller, and was translated into over forty languages. In 1905, Sienkiewicz
was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature. The novel, set in Nero’s Rome
in ad 64, picks up and renews the narrative formula of Nero vs. Christianity
that was introduced in the writings of early Christian theologians,
whereby the depraved imperial Antichrist is set against the heroic defenders
of the Christian religion. By appropriating some of the more notable
and compelling stories from early Christian tradition and merging them
with well-known and verifiable episodes from Roman history, Sienkiewicz’s
novel achieves a lively and appealing synthesis of real historical characters
and fictional ones, bringing together pagans, believers, and converts. The
action takes place at the end of Nero’s reign, and traces the difficult course
of true love between two fictional characters: Lygia, a Christian girl, and
Marcus Vinicius, a soldier in the Roman army. Although Marcus and
Lygia are drawn together by the positive, peaceful forces of Christianity
and its followers, and their relationship appears predestined, their love is
jeopardized by the evil emperor Nero, the Roman Antichrist. Thus, the
Nero vs. Christianity formula finds new expression in the novel: “Pagan
and Christian histories alike are personalized, domesticated and enlivened
through the melodramatic representation of a star-crossed love” (Wyke,
115). The novel assigns unqualified blame for the Great Fire to Nero, who
then punishes the innocent Christians to cover up his fault. At the end of
the novel, after Lygia is saved from death in the arena, Nero is overthrown
in anticipation of the Christian Church’s imminent triumph at Rome, as
promised by the apostle Peter.
In his depiction of the figures of Peter and Paul, Sienkiewicz borrowed
early Christian material and incorporated it into his vibrant narrative,
even taking his title from the story of a miracle recorded by early Church
fathers. As Peter was fleeing the atrocities of Nero, a vision of Christ
appeared to him on the Via Appia. Peter asks in Latin, Quo vadis, Domine?
“Where are you going, Lord?” and Christ reproaches him, “Since you are
abandoning my people, I am going to Rome, there to be crucified a
second time.” Thereupon Peter, secure in the knowledge that Rome is
destined to belong to Christ, returns to the city to care for the persecuted
Christians and meet his own martyrdom. Sienkiewicz’s skillful restaging
of traditional Christian legends against the backdrop of the Roman
Empire made the novel an instant and enduring popular success. Some
critics suggest that Sienkiewicz also introduced a contemporary populist
message into his narrative: by equating the land of “Lygia” with the site of
ancient Poland, the Christian girl and her brave protector, Ursus, become
QUO VADIS (1951) 17