The Cruelty Of Tiberius

Despite his initial appearance of modesty, Tiberius was a tyrant and enjoyed watching other people suffer. However, his actions, in themselves, did not make Tiberius a bad ruler as much as his intentions behind them. Tiberius was a bad emperor because his actions were driven by his own desire for pleasure, which is evident in his cruelty, his sexual endeavors and his alcoholism.
Although Tiberius was known for his unjust cruelty, the cruelty, itself, is not what made Tiberius a terrible ruler, as much as his enjoyment of it. Tiberius punished people for minor crimes, including his own family, and had people executed daily. “Tiberius did so many other wicked deeds under the pretext of performing public morals- but in reality to gratify his

lust for seeing people suffer”; the lack of severity of his victims’ crimes suggests that Tiberius was engaging in cruelty for cruelty’s sake instead of for the purpose of upholding Roman values (Seutonius 134).
While Tiberius is most known for his excessive violence, he also shows selfishness and a lack of restraint in his sex life and drinking. He had a house at Capreae where he engaged in sexual indulgences, which included performing sexual acts with children. Tiberius earned the nickname “Biberius Caldius Mero” by consuming an excessive amount of alcohol. The name is a play on the Latin words bibere (to drink), calidus (hot), and merum (unmixed wine). Wine was usually mixed with water because of its potency. Having the word merum in his nickname emphasized Tiberius’s lack of restraint while drinking, because the word implies that the wine he drank would have been incredibly strong.
Tiberius lacked the will to resist temptation. He found pleasure in drinking, sex and torturing others, and engaged in all three excessively. By indulging in his desires, he became a tyrannical and cruel emperor. Tiberius’s inability to resist killing, drinking and sex was more instrumental in the people’s hatred towards Tiberius than the acts themselves.