Historical Character Portrayal in the Rubicon

By: Daniel Ball

One of the issues with historical fiction is the difficulty in getting things accurate. This

refers to dates, events, and even people. A writer has to resist the temptation to take historical

figures and write them against their real personalities to suit their story. If you don’t have your

story, setting, and characters grounded in the very real time period your using, you have ceased

to be writing historical fiction and have moved on to alternative history. Which is a completely

different genre. Steven Saylor’s historical mystery novel “The Rubicon” is a good example of

historical fiction done rights.

Saylor set his novel in the later days of the Roman Republic. Caesar has crossed the

Rubicon and is marching on Rome. Pompey is retreating to meet up with loyal troops to resist

this invasion. The main character Gordianus travels throughout Rome and meets many real life

historical figures. Pompey, Cicero, Marc Antony, and Caesar himself. Saylor appears to have

made these characters as close to historically accurate as possible. To demonstrate this let us look

at two figures that have several sources to compare their fictional selves too.

Caesar only appears briefly in the story, but his actions and people’s perceptions of him

are constantly there. They paint the impression of a figure that compares favorably with the real

life Caesar. In real life Caesar was very charismatic and likable. He was deft at political

machinations and is a superb general. The first real glimpse we get of Caesar himself is in his

command tent during Pompey’s last stand in Brundisium. Gordianus notes “His expression was

composed, determined, attentive but aloof.” 1This description paints Caeser as being calm and

composed on the eve of battle. The records back up this depiction of Caesar as calm in adverse

situations. In Plutarch’s “Life of Caesar” he details how Caesar was taken by pirates and treated

it like a vacation. Surrounded by hostile killers he wrote poetry, played games with them, and

had the self-confidence and gall to threaten them with death. 2

Adding to the realism of Saylor’s Caesar is his charisma and likability. Gordianus makes

no secret that he doesn’t particularly like Caesar. But he senses the devotion his men have for

him. He notes that Caesar must be a bit of father figure to his soldiers.3 And his sheer likability is

portrayed by Cicero defending Caesar to Domitius during the dinner at Cicero’s house.4 Two

people who have no reason to like Caesar and respect him. Now one must ask if this is a trait

given to Caesar by Saylor. Is this a romanticized version?

The reality is that Caesar had charm to him. During his time with the pirates they grew to

like him and let him have a lot of freedom. Even when he told them that he would kill them, they

saw him as simple boy.5 This is further backed up with what we learned in our class lectures. The

men who assassinated him did so to try and restore the Republic. They had no real hate of

Caesar. Brutus cared for Caesar and owed him.

1 (Saylor n.d.) pg 207 2 (Plutarch's n.d.) excerpt 3 (Saylor n.d.) pg 207 4 (Saylor n.d.) pg 157 5 (Plutarch's n.d.) excerpt

In the story there is much said of Caesar’s military abilities. Cicero gives credit to

Caesar’s military prowess during the dinner with Domitius.6 Gordianus is astonished at the

swiftness of Caesar’s advance. He marvels at the discipline and professionalism Caesar had

instilled into his troops. He states “The scale and swiftness of the operation was awesome. I

pittied the Gauls who confronted such a force. I despaired for Pompey.”7. The real life Caesar

was a genius on the art of warfare. He had a reputation for masterful campaigns. In fact during

the entire length of the civil war he never suffered a defeat. Every battle in which he led his troop

throughout this campaign was a victory. 8(12 Caesars bk1 xxxvi)

Marc Antony was a bit of a character in real life and Saylor’s depiction of him doesn’t

sway from it. Antony actually gets more screen time than Caesar does. In the book he’s

portrayed as straight forward and to the point. He’s a soldier through and through. A key part to

his character is that he despises Cicero. He also is depicted as a bit crude. Since he is a larger part

of the story we have a better chance to analyze him for historical accuracy.

Marc Antony is first introduced when Gordianus has been force marched down the

mountain after Tiro’s courier pass signed by Pompey has got them detained by Caesar’s troops.

Antony has his best troops and he rides up front with them. He is a soldier’s soldier and

functions well among them. This is backed by our lectures. He apparently was known to

6 (Saylor n.d.) pg. 157 7 (Saylor n.d.) pg. 203 8 (Suetonius n.d.) bk1 xxxvi

celebrate heavily with the common soldiers. Now as to his crudeness and bluntness there can be

little doubt that Saylor giving us an example or two.

While in camp after they see Caesar’s attempt to block the harbor Gordianus watches as

Antony gets very drunk and start up a chorus of mostly vulgar songs. One of which involved and

officer who like to wear dresses and was very effeminate, but was a surprisingly good soldier. 9

Then Antony wake Gordianus to piss if has to but they were heading out quick.10 Now you may

ask yourself if Antony was like that. As an example here is an excerpt from a letter he sent

Octavian after Caesar’s murder, “And do you only screw Drusilla? You’re doing well if, by the

time you read this letter, you have not screwed Tertullia or Terentilla or Rufilla or Salvia

Titisenia or all the rest. Does it really matter where and in whom you get it up?"11 The real life

Marc Antony was most definitely on the crude side.

But what about his dislike of Cicero? In “The Rubicon” he makes constant remarks to his

antagonism. Gordianus is constantly afraid that Antony’s hate of Cicero would be directed to

Tiro.12 In fact Antony explicitly says “That piece of cow dung!” when he hears that Gordianus

stayed with Cicero for a few nights.13 He calls for Cicero’s head on a stake and later to have his

hands cut off. Clearly the fictional Antony has no love for Cicero. But how does this match up

with the real Antony?

9 (Saylor n.d.) pg. 200 10 (Saylor n.d.)(pg. 203 11 (Suetonius n.d.) Bk2 LXIX 12 (Saylor n.d.) pg 182 13 (Saylor n.d.) pg. 183

Rather well actually. In a letter Cicero wrote to Brutus not long after Brutus had helped

kill Caesar he mentions his fear of having Antony’s men in the city.14 A fear that was well

founded as it would turn out. The real life Antony had Cicero proscribed after Caesar’s death

during the Second Triumvirate. He had Cicero hunted down decapitated and had his hands cut

off. His hands and head were then nailed down in the Forum for all to see. His tongue was then

stabbed with needles. Antony’s thinking was that it would be fitting punishment for the things he

had wrote and the speeches he had given. The hate Saylor hints at was very real. In fact it looks

like he understates the animosity between them.

Throughout the story Saylor peppers little tidbits that give the story that extra hint of

realness. It the little things that sell the setting. The casual way slaves could be treated and the

lack of care when a hired slave dies. With all this effort being taken to get these details just right

it really is no surprise that the historical figures were crafted with respect to accuracy. It would

be easy to paint them as simplified caricatures of themselves to suit modern opinions of them.

Caesar has a mystic about him that fascinates modern peoples. But Saylor doesn’t deify him.

He’s portrayed as powerful, charismatic, and intelligent. But in a way that is realistic and squares

with historical records.

Marc Antony has received similar due diligence to his character portrayal. Since we see

him more during the story more, the importance of prior research goes up. Saylor’s Marc Antony

14 (Brutus n.d.)

bears strong resemblance to real one. You get the impression that Antony doesn’t stand on

propriety. He’s involved with his troops and is quick to get drunk with them. He more than

willing to have a good time. He’s shown as simple, but not simpleminded. It would be easy to

make Mark Antony be to crude or a simpleton. Instead we are shown the type of person who

later would go on to challenge Augustus for the future of Rome.

Over all I believe these characters are as close as one could make them to their real life

counter parts as they could reasonably be. The only way that an author could do more would be

to have met them in person. Steven Saylor’s book appears to be historical fiction that is well

grounded in its history.

Works Cited

Brutus, Cicero To. n.d. "leter to brutus."

Plutarch's. n.d. Life of Caesar .

Saylor, Steven. n.d. The Rubicon. MacMillan USA.

Suetonius. n.d. The Lives of the 12 Caesars. Penguin.