In John
William’s novel, Augustus, the life of Gaius Octavius Caesar is
presented through fictional letters composed by historical figures. At times,
the reader even gets to hear the words of Augustus himself, describing specific
events, people, and feelings. While Williams admits that a few facts have been
adjusted to improve the flow of the novel, the majority of the material is
historically accurate. This allows us to still draw some conclusions about
Augustus’s life from the text. At the end of the novel, whether he really said
it or not, he reflects on his life as a whole and creates a thesis for the
progression of his own personality.
Throughout the novel, these three
stages are represented by the three separate books, the first describing his
rise to power, the second describing his rule as Emperor, and the last being
his final reflections on life before he dies. Therefore, Octavius treats life
like an epic in book one, a tragedy in book two, and finally a comedy in book
three.
From
the beginning of book one, the reader gets a sense of why Octavius might see
himself as a great epic hero. His uncle and adopted father, Julius Caesar,
talks of how the gods have favored Octavius since before his birth. “He is
nearly eighteen, and you remember the portents at his birth – portents which,
as you are aware, I have taken pains to augment” (p. 4). An epic hero typically
seems to be supported by one or more gods and Octavius was no exception
according to his uncle.
This was a fact that did no escape his attention
according to Gaius Cilnius Maecenas. “[He] knew that he was favored by his
destiny and that Julius Caesar intended his adoption” (p. 11). With the gods
and the ruler of the Roman Empire on his side, he was bound to see his future
as successful, full of adventures, and fraught with lasting legacies. In
addition to this favor, he was gifted in other ways. His uncle again
compliments him and says, “…He is a youth of wealth, high station, and great
beauty” (p. 4). Seeing what others said about him can let us know his
reasoning, but hearing Octavius speak for himself will let us know how he truly
sees himself. At only the age of nineteen, he speaks as if he were already master
of the world. “I swear to you all now, and to the gods, that if it is my
destiny to live, I shall have vengeance upon the murderers of my uncle, whoever
they may be” (p. 24). The murderers of his uncle have full armies and control
the eastern half of the empire. Octavius is a schoolboy with no one to command
save his three classmates. To make this oath in front of “the gods” means that
he sees himself as great enough to follow in his uncle’s footsteps and
basically find power out of nowhere.