MovieChat Forums > Imperium: Augustus (2003) Discussion > Why did he rape her?

Why did he rape her?

posted 19 years ago by angelicme_
12 replies | jump to latest

In the extended AUGUSTUS movie, there is a scene where Tiberius comes back from fighting on the boarders at night and he walks in while Julia's getting ready for bed. They have a fight and then Tiberius gets furious at her to a point where he attacks her and then rapes her. Why? Tiberius isn't a nice person but why would he rape her and get angry all over Iullus when he doesn't even care about Julia?

I'm Delilah... what do you think when you hear my name?

[–] sophie_lou21 19 years ago

You don't have to like or fancy someone to rape them, not at all, you just have to be cruel enough to. Tiberius wasn't a nice person, he had to give up his wife, he was doing his part for Rome but Julia wasn't a dutiful wife because she was still seeing her boyfriend. Like he said, he couldn't live with the way she was behaving. Julia wasn't very nice in this scene cause she disliked Tiberius just as much as he her. The rape is justified because of these factors, plus it caused Julia to breakdown and go running into Iullus' arms for protection.

He's angry over Iullus cause he's banging his wife, a lot of men would feel upset about that.

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Shooting Stars [HMC Site] - http://sophie-lou.tripod.com/

[–] smiling_guy 19 years ago

In this I never got the impression Tiberius *hates* Julia. He said to Augustus after he forced Julia to marry him, "People call you a god, but they are wrong. You destroy everything you love" who else is he talking about, he's clearly talking about Julia. He doesn't hate her, he feels sorry for her.

"I'm not Dr Jekyll. I'm Mr Hyde!" - John Hannah, The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

[–] ContinentalOp 19 years ago

Tiberius was a rather perverted Emperor. He was not as perverted before he became an Emperor but I am sure he started showing signs of sexual perversion when he had to divorce his wife and marry Julia.

Regards,
The Count

"Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind"

[–] sophie_lou21 18 years ago

Tiberius not wanting to marry Julia was not one-sided, she didn't want to marry him either and the failure of their marriage was probably fuelled by three things: 1.) The death of their baby son, 2.) the death of Drusus, Tiberius' beloved brother and 3.) Tiberius' habits-- Julia was no doubt disgusted enough to find political allies elsewhere. As I said before, the rape was important in the story cause it was the thing that pushes Julia over the edge in the story-- plus as Count_Karnstein said, it's an example of Tiberius' peversion.

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Shooting Stars [HMC Site] - http://sophie-lou.tripod.com/

[–] camblunt100 18 years ago

It was needed cause it pushed Julia into actually going with Iullus. Tiberius' facts are wrong cause Julia isn't actually cheating at this point cause her father had adviced her to find a way to live without Iullus, so she tries but Tiberius brings Julia behaviour upon himself cause he's the one who finally destroys her... the final irony when he had blamed it all on Augustus. It was indeed Augustus who drove her to the edge, but it was Tiberius who finally pushed her.

[–] 18 years ago

[deleted]

[–] sgordon52 12 years ago

Sophie, did you just say "the rape was justified?"

[–] red_robyn200 18 years ago

Tiberius was a pervert, a pedophile, and just a dirty old man with shocking sexual habits that unerved even people in those days. It is just an example of that side of his nature.

I can bid defiance to pain...

[–] zeta1983-1 18 years ago

Julia was one of the most promiscuous women in Roman history, which was an endless embarassment both for Tiberius and for Augustus who had passed strict laws against the adultry she was commiting. That is why Augustus exiled Julia to an island and why when Tiberius became emperor he didn't care to show her any mercy.

[–] sophie_lou21 17 years ago

Augustus was the one who got to write what he wanted about history. Looking at who her 'alleged' lovers were it begs to question whether they were her lovers or just. Some are names she wouldn't have been caught dead with. Scipio might have been her cousin or even her own brother. Claudius was probably one of Livia's cousins, not likely and no doubt some sort of republican. The only one out of her 'lovers' mentioned over and over again is Iullus. There is another guy but he isn't as important. Suggesting that Iullus was the only serious lover and the other may have just been names thrown in. If the other guy, whose name I won't try to spell from fear of getting wrong, was her lover then it is unlikely that he was at the time the scandal broke. Either way, when you look at the sorces in great detail, like I have been forced to, and read what modern historians have to say...it put the whole story out of focus to a point where we have to say 'not proven'.

Tiberius was no better and neither was Augustus, whether you believe what their version of history says or not.

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Shooting Stars [HMC Site] - http://sophie-lou.tripod.com/

[–] crayonzero 13 years ago

Simple answer is he didn't rape her. It is fiction.

As is the idea that Tiberius was a "pervert" as a poster above has stated. This all stems from the vile spin the anti-imperial historian Tacitus put on Tiberius. Nought but lies and half truths, as has been shown by recent historians.

Have a read about.

stopchasingyourtail

[–] bothpartiessuck 12 years ago

Maybe you're right. Frankly, I don't care enough about this topic to invest time into researching it.

*IF* he had really raped her, then it was clear as a bell to me why.

Watch what happens right before the rape. They are arguing, and she tells him to "fall on his sword." Then he slaps her across the face. Then she tells him to "go" (i.e., "leave my room!"). Enraged by the humiliation she has wrought unto him and her defiance, Tiberius threatens to hunt Ulyss (whatever) down and kill him! She replies, "No, you will go on playing soldier. Or my father will have you thrown into prison as a deserter. Get out!" Then she starts "running" away (moving away quickly), and he pursues, catches, and rapes her.

Clearly this is a "power" rape (an act he commits to exert power/control over her) and a culmination of the preceding events. The fact that she was half undressed already was probably a contributing factor.