Mary Beard, “The Divine Comedy of Roman Emperors’ Last Words” (2023)

In The New Yorker classicist Mary Beard makes reference to the title of the poem with her article, “The Divine Comedy of Roman Emperors’ Last Words,” wherein she finds comedy in the mundane deaths of these deified figures.

“In the end, godlike aspirations often met with all too human final moments.”    —Mary Beard, “The Divine Comedy of Roman Emperors’ Last Words,” The New Yorker (June 26, 2023)