Monteverdi: Lincoronazione di Poppea Seneca v. Nero

Nero announces to Seneca that he will divorce from Ottavia and marry Poppea. The philosopher tries to reason with him but Nero will not be convinced by logical arguments. When Nero proclaims himself on a par with the gods, Seneca reminds his that what he is about to do is not the act of a demigod but a misdeed worthy of a pleb, times are indeed sad when a whore leads the emperor. Infuriated, Nero dismisses Seneca who leaves saying the worst can be expected when brute force goes against reason. Matti Salmin