Nero in popular culture

Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus and his reign have been used in music, literature, the arts, and even in business

Animation

• Hugh Harman's and Fred Quimby's Art Gallery (1939): Nero attempts to fool The Three Good Little Monkeys into burning a painting of Rome
• Roman Legion-Hare: Yosemite Sam is a centurion ordered by Nero to round up people to feed to the lions
• See Ya Later Gladiator: Daffy Duck and Speedy Gonzales time-travel to Nero's reign
• Upswept Hare: Bugs Bunny sings about Nero
• The Rescuers (1977): The Disney film features a pair of antagonist alligators that serve as the main villain's pets as well as henchmen. One is named Nero, the other Brutus.

Anime/Comics/Video Games/Visual Novels

• "Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood" One memory is titled "The Halls of Nero" in which the protagonist Ezio Auditore da Firenze explores a shrine to Romulus, the founder of Rome.
• Age of Empires: Rise of Rome In the Roman Pax Romana campaign "Year of the four emperors" Emperor Nero is mentioned in the history page and even mentions his death in 69 AD.
• Murena A Belgian historic series of 9 graphic novels written by Jean Dufaux and drawn by Philippe Delaby. The series is set in ancient Rome in the time when Emperor Nero seized power. The strip is mainly characterized by its realistic style and the additional historical information.
• DC comics' Armageddon The Alien Agenda: Nero is a character
• Devil May Cry 4: Nero is a character
• Demonbane: Nero is a character
• Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII: Nero is a character
• Leading Comics and Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew! character Nero Fox, an anthropomorphic fox who's the emperor of Earth-C's ancient Rome.
• The Phantom: Nero is said to have been the original owner of The Phantom's "skull ring" ^[1]
• Silent Hill: Origins: a room is named after Nero
• Marc Sleen's The Adventures of Nero: main character is named after Nero
• The Storykeepers: Nero is a character
• Tsukihime: Nrvnqsr, a name given to a vampire that has the ability to carry 666 familiars in his body, is pronounced "Nero"
• Fate/Extra: Saber's true identity is Nero
• Xenosaga: Wilhelm is said to be Nero
• Leading Comics #3:One of the tyrants summoned by Doctor Doom is Nero, who is sent to steal uranium being shipped to power the time machine, but is defeated by the Crimson Avenger and Wing (comics).
• Ryse: Son of Rome: Nero is the secondary antagonist
• Hetalia: World Stars: The newest comic of Hetalia series in 2014. Nero is introduced in chapter 2, where he is an emperor that being ordered around by his mother.

Art

Statue of Nero by Claudio Valenti, Anzio, Italy (2010)

• Salvador Dalí's "Dematerialization Near the Nose of Nero" (1949)
• Henryk Siemiradzki's "A Christian Dirce" (1897)
  • "Nero's Torches" depicts Christians being martyred on Nero's orders (1876)
• John William Waterhouse's "The Remorse of Nero After the Murder of His Mother" (1878)
• In 2010 Nero's hometown of Anzio dedicated a statue of the Emperor by Claudio Valenti^[2]

Computers/Software

• Nero AG and its products Nero, Nero Digital, Nero Burning ROM (add an -E to ROM), Nero ShowTime and features a pictogram of a burning Rome.^[3]

Fashion

• Balmain's Nero Gladiator Sandals

Film

• The Addams Family: the song "Mamushka" references Nero
• Anonymous: Oxford references the legend of Nero fiddling as Rome burned during an argument with his wife
• Ball of Fire: Prologue states that the professors know what tune Nero was playing on his fiddle as Rome burned
• Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown!: Woodstock plays a fiddle as the Château du Mal Voisin burns
• The Desert Horseman (1946): Nero is a subject of Smiley Burnette's song "He Was An Amateur Once"
• The Exorcism of Emily Rose: one of Emily's demons possessed Nero
• Fiddlers Three: Tommy, Lydia, and The Professor are transported to Nero's Rome
• A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum: Gladiator Instructor references Nero
• Home Alone: a pizzeria is called Little Nero's
• Peter and Paul: Nero gives the order to execute Paul the Apostle.
• Primary Colors: Jemmons says one of the candidates is the "Dumbest Italian since Nero."
• The Producers: Leo Bloom references Nero jumping on Poppea.
• Quo Vadis: story is set during Nero's reign
• The Sign of the Cross: 1932 Pre-Code Cecil B. DeMille epic with Charles Laughton as Nero.
• Star Trek: Eric Bana's character is named Nero; a song on the soundtrack is named "Nero Fiddles, Narada Burns"

See also: Nero (Character) imdb.com page

Literature

• Jacob Abbott's Nero (1903)
• Giovanni Boccaccio's De Casibus Virorum Illustrium
• Anthony Burgess's The Kingdom of the Wicked
• Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales and The Monk's Prologue and Tale reference Nero
• Vincent Cronin's Nero
• Jacobus de Voragine's Golden Legend
• Donna Gillespie's The Light Bearer
• Robert Graves's I, Claudius and Claudius, The God
• Daniel Handler's "The Austere Academy": the evil vice-principal is named Nero
• Richard Holland's Nero, The Man Behind The Myth
• Tom Holt's Song for Nero
• Anna Gordon Keown's The Cat Who Saw God: a cat is possessed by Nero
• Humphry Knipe's The Nero Prediction
• Dezső Kosztolányi's Nero, a Véres Költő
• Naomi Mitchison's The Blood of the Martyrs
• Caroline Lawrence's The Beggar Of Volubilis: the title character is based on Nero
• Henryk Sienkiewicz's Quo Vadis
• E.E. Smith's Lensman series: Nero is a manifestation of Gharlane of Eddore
• Anthony Trollope's Barchester Towers: Madeline Stanhope calls her child "the last of the family of Nero."
• Mika Waltari's The Roman
• Edward Lucas White's The Unwilling Vestal: A Tale of Rome Under the Caesars (1918)
• In Cristina Rodríguez 2001 historical novel Moi, Sporus, prêtre et putain Nero is one of the main characters along with his freedman Sporus
• In Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events The Austure Academy, the headmaster's name is Nero and plays the violin.
• In the short story Three Skeleton Key The trapped men name a rat "Nero" because of its evil and leadership qualities
• In Glen Cooper's - The Devil Will Come(2011)
• In Humor y Amor de Aquiles Nazoa The humoristic poem "Los martirios de Nerón" (The torments of Nero).

Music

• Alesana's "Nero's Decay" (from On Frail Wings of Vanity and Wax)
• Bad Religion's "Materialist" references Nero
• Botch's "Man the Ramparts" references Nero
• Bob Dylan's "Desolation Row" references Nero
• Joia's sub-label Nero
• Karel Kryl's "Bivoj" references Nero (from Karavana mraků)^[4]
• Lupe Fiasco's "Tilted" references Nero
• Maldita's "Nero" album and song. Maldita is a Brazilian industrial metal.
• Molotov's "Nero"
• Moondog's "Nero's Expedition of the Nile"
• Nero (musicians) a drum and bass and dubstep duo from the UK
• The 1960s British instrumental band Nero and the Gladiators
• Ivor Novello's "If You Wonder What a Duke Should Be" references Nero
• Psyclon Nine's frontman uses the stage-name Nero
• Satyricon's album The Age of Nero is named after Nero
• Senses Fail's "Nero" (written by Buddy Nielsen)
• Theatre of Hate's "Nero"
• This Is Hell's "Procession Commence" references Nero
• U2's "Mercy" references Nero (from How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb) ^[5]
• Fats Waller's "Nero" (written by Andy Razaf)
• Harry Chapin's "Danceband on the Titanic" references Nero
• Canadian death metal band Ex Deo's 2012 album Caligvla, features a bonus track named "Burned To Serve As Nocturnal Night" which references Nero in his persecution of early Christians. His signature form of torture by burning people alive to serve as illumination for him.

Opera

• Arrigo Boito's Nerone
• George Frideric Handel's Agrippina
• Pietro Mascagni's Nerone
• Claudio Monteverdi's L'incoronazione di Poppea
• Anton Rubinstein's Néron
• Alessandro Scarlatti's Nerone fatto Cesare (1695)
• Egidio Duni's Nerone (1735)

Plays

• Anonymous's The Tragedy of Nero (1624) published by Augustine Matthews ^[6]
• Víctor Balaguer's La Mort de Nerón (1894)
• Wilson Barrett's The Sign of the Cross
• Robert Bridges's Nero: From the Death of Burrus to the Death of Seneca. Comprising the Conspiracy of Piso (1894)
• Pietro Cossa's Nero: A Play in Five Acts (1881)
• Amy Freed's You, Nero (2009)
• Nathaniel Lee's The Tragedy of Nero, Emperour of Rome (1675)
• Stephen Phillips's Nero (1906)
• Jean Racine's Britannicus (1669)
• William Shakespeare's Henry VI, Part 1: Henry references Nero (Act I, Scene 4)
• William Wetmore Story's Nero: An Historical Play (1872)
• The 1955 musical Damn Yankees features a song titled "Those Were The Good Old Days", in which the Devil laments the days of Nero 'fiddling through those lovely blaze.'

Radio

• "Your Loving Son, Nero," portrayed by William Conrad in an episode of the CBS radio program Crime Classics broadcast on August 31, 1953.

Television

• Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of an Empire (Michael Sheen)
• The Bugs Bunny Show: in a re-working of "Satan's Waitin'" and "Roman Legion-Hare", Yosemite Sam is a stagehand on a Nero-run movie set (17 October 1961)
• Doctor Who: "The Romans" (Derek Francis)
• The Flintstones: "Time Machine" (John Stephenson)
• History Bites: "Nero Business Like Show Business" (Season 3, episode 4)
• I, Claudius (Christopher Biggins)
• MacGyver: "Trumbo's World", David Ackroyd's character references Nero's burning of Rome
• Nero (Hans Matheson)
• Peabody's Improbable History: "Nero" (Season 2, episode 15)
• The Time Tunnel: The Ghost Of Nero
• Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Once More With Feeling

See also: Nero (Character) imdb.com page

References

External links

• "Nero Fiddled While Rome Burned" by Mary Francis Gyles The Classical Journal, Jan. 1947 explores the history behind the legend of Nero playing the fiddle as Rome burned