Caligula gay
Caligula comes “Out in the Tropics”
Although Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, also known as Caligula, only ruled Rome for four years between 37 AD and 41 AD, his footprints are all over Western civilization. The mythology of Caligula, whose name means little solider’s boot, is built around the concept that he was an insane tyrant whose extreme arrogance, cruelty, luxurious lifestyle—how else would an Emperor live?—and intense sexual perversions ultimately led to his assassination.
In death, Caligula grew even more infamous and has provided artists and even a few misguided Hollywood film producers with a rich and textured personality from which to establish a story. Supposedly, Caligula appointed his horse as a consul and a priest. There are no horses in the cubanized version of “Caligula” by Teatro El Público, which opens June 14th at 8 p.m. at the Colony Theater as part of the FUNDarte’s “Out in the Tropics” festival. Despite the lack of four-legged animals, there will be enough cross-dressing, seduction, intrigue, partial nudity and, yes, gay-drama to keep you entertained.
Directed by the fabulously quirky Carlos Díaz, “Caligula”
Homosexuality in ancient Rome
During the time of the Republic, Roman citizens had the right (libertas) to protect their bodies from physical coercion, including both corporal punishment and sexual violence. Roman society was typically patriarchal and masculinity was based on the principle of governing not only oneself but also other persons, especially those from the lower class.
Roman cup demonstrating a homosexual sex scene.
It was socially acceptable for a free-born Roman to have sex with a woman or a male assuming a dominant role. Both women and juvenile men were perceived as natural objects of wish. Outside of marriage, a man could have sex with slaves, prostitutes (who were usually slaves) and the so-called infames (the restricted man). It did not matter with which gender the Roman indulged in until he did not exceed certain social norms. For example, it was immoral to hold sex with another citizen’s free-born wife, his daughter by marriage, his underage son, or the guy himself.
During imperial times, the fear of losing political freedom and submitting to power to the emperor led to an multiply in the frequency of free-born men assuming a passive position d
Caligula: The Ultimate Slash - A Return To The Original Vision
A new edit of this controversial & cautionary tale restores it to the glory of the Roman Empire.
05.01.2025
Malcolm McDowell in Caligula: The Ultimate Slash
A few days after its premiere in Rome, the film was confiscated by the Italian Police. Upon shipment to the US, it was seized by customs and became embroiled in lawsuits from cities across the nation. Roger Ebert gave it zero stars. It is still banned in multiple countries. For all these reasons, you’ve probably heard of the film Caligula. More recently thought of as a cult motion picture, what was initially billed to be a wonderful historical epic ended up as a 156 minute film containing mostly pornography. To find out why this was the outcome of a major show one only has to draw the lines between the throughline of absolute power from Rome to Hollywood.
For those in demand of a history refresher, Caligula was the third emperor of the Roman Empire and widely considered the first to be mentally ill. Over the course of a four year reign he made liberal use of his deification as Caesar. There are records of him hosting lavish gladiatorial fights which he wo
Caligula and his “romances”
Caligula was remembered as one of the worst rulers of ancient Rome. If we believe historians’ accounts the Emperor would possess distinguished himself with controversial ‘romances’.
Augustus, his great-grandfather, would certainly be shocked if he saw what Caligula is doing. During his reign, he lived in an official concubinage with his own sisters. In addition, he often allowed himself to deal with married women, and with the knowledge of their husbands. We know the message that the emperor was once on Gaius Piso and Livia Orestillia’s marriage. After the whole ceremony, Caligula went with the wife of Piso to his chambers to return and announce that he married a miss as Romulus, who according to legend, had ordered the kidnapping of the women from Sabines to Rome.
Only after a scant days, the Emperor divorced Livia, because his attention was attracted by the beautiful Lollia Paulina. He was so charmed by her beauty that he called her and her husband to Rome and ordered them to create divorce. The marriage of Caligula and Paulina lasted only a few weeks; the emperor, as before, divorced and under the death penalty f
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