32: LONDINIUM 91 AD. Political Revenge: Comparing Modern American Vendettas to Roman Gore Gaius (John Batchelor) and Germanicus (Michael Vlahos) The conversation focuses on the nature of political revenge, prompted by the revival of Seneca's bloody revenge p
The John Batchelor Show
John Batchelor
4.5 • 2.8K Ratings
🗓️ 27 October 2025
⏱️ 13 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Gaius (John Batchelor) and Germanicus (Michael Vlahos)
The conversation focuses on the nature of political revenge, prompted by the revival of Seneca's bloody revenge play Octavia. Gaius expresses astonishment that editorialists appear surprised by Mr. Trump seeking vengeance against those who attempted to jail him, noting that revenge is inherent to the Roman and American empires. Germanicus states he is only surprised that the opposing party refuses to confess to similar actions, citing historical Democratic precedents such as the Palmer raids under Wilson and successful efforts against Richard Nixon. He calls the opposition's outrage a "forked tongue expression," noting the unjustified high-security incarceration of individuals for minor offenses following the 2020 events. Gaius observes that the opposition employs false piety and melodrama—such as claiming democracy faces an existential crisis—in place of historical understanding. Germanicus argues that political bitterness and high levels of lying stem from the opposition's belief that they represent light and truth, leading to the "othering" of the enemy. This dehumanization means that lying becomes perceived as an act of virtue. The hosts conclude that while Roman political revenge sometimes involved preemptively wiping out one's own family, the current American conflict represents a comparatively mild cupcake tyranny.
1883 CATO SUICIDE
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | At Pluralsight, we don't just teach skills. |
| 0:02.0 | We are building the tech workforce, who deliver results fast, accelerated by top-tier content. |
| 0:08.0 | Lead with confidence, lead with expertise. |
| 0:11.0 | Visit us at Pluralsight.com to tap in and learn more. |
| 0:18.0 | This is the Friends of History Debating Society. I am Gaius. Germanicus is here. We're in our |
| 0:23.2 | favorite wine bar by the Thames. The Centurians are enjoying themselves, going home later to a meal |
| 0:31.9 | of swans. In many instances, we've been selling swans today. This is a delicacy that i had not seen in our markets for |
| 0:40.4 | some weeks i don't know why perhaps the swankeepers were holding it back don't know we'll investigate |
| 0:47.3 | that later and there's a new theater piece in town and now you know you all know that i prefer |
| 0:53.3 | roman comedy the theater piece is a play by seneca called and now you all know that I prefer Roman comedy. |
| 0:55.0 | The theater piece is a play by Seneca called Octavia. |
| 1:00.6 | Maybe he wrote it, maybe one of his students wrote it. |
| 1:03.2 | Let's say School of Seneca. |
| 1:05.2 | You all remember Seneca is a philosopher who was murdered by Nero |
| 1:09.3 | because Nero was a paranoid actor, who was also the |
| 1:14.3 | emperor, and decided that Seneca was too smart to leave alive. |
| 1:19.3 | Seneca wrote the goryest, the scariest, and so over the top, actually, comical plays that Rome has. |
| 1:29.3 | Octavia is the story of Nero's first wife, Octavia, whom he discards because he wants a new wife, |
| 1:40.5 | who is more useful to him as an actor. |
| 1:47.0 | Octavia is the revenge play. Everybody dies. |
| 1:49.0 | Everybody dies. |
| 1:51.0 | Shakespeare liked Seneca's work. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from John Batchelor, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of John Batchelor and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.