Mio figlio Nerone Page #6

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Otherwise you would have been an orphan long ago.

Remember what I say to you now:

If some day a snake will bite me,

it will be the end for the snake.

Oh that's a good one, mama.

You think I'm joking? You try it.

One drop will kill you. Drink it.

- You are crazy? I'm too young to die.

- Do what I tell you!

- No, mother! I do not want to die.

- You do not want, eh?

It's Poppea who should die, she and

all the parasites that surround you.

Too many conspirators under this roof.

Who is conspiring?

WHO CONSPIRES? WHO CONSPIRES IN MY HOUSE?

Who conspires? Tell me who is conspiring?

- First, one who has your complete confidence.

- Who is it?

- This is a letter of Seneca that I

intercepted yesterday. - You? - Yes.

- You intercepted it? - Yes.

- Let me see, what does it say?

"Dear Lucillus, you ask me

about the voice of Nero.

Everyone here thinks that

Nero has a mediocre voice."

I will burn them all! The savages!

Except Seneca.

Continue.

"As for me, officially, I say

that Nero has a sublime voice."

Sublime. He said sublime.

- Continue. - Mamma, he said sublime.

- Read on. - The letter says sublime.

"But if you ask me, Lucillus, I

say that Nero sings like a dog."

Keep the lions safe. They will

have to eat all of the guests.

Let the trial begin!

Achtung!

Emperor, Nero, father and saviour of the land...

...has instructed me to open the trial.

All guests in this villa

are guilty of conspiracy...

... against the emperor himself

and against his mother Augusta.

By virtue of the exceptional powers

that have been granted to the emperor...

...he will judge and condemn all of the

accused with fair and honest judgement.

- Why do you not kneel down before me?

- But who will pull me up? - Of course.

- Who are you? - Ugulilla.

- I remember her. I have an idea.

My dear friends, if it pleases you...

... I'll make it so that none of you

will ever have to hear me sing again.

- But all of us admire you.

- You sing like a meadowlark!

A lark! Let me show you how

the lark sharpens its beak.

Hold out your hands!

I will kill you all!

- Mercy! Have mercy on us. Be merciful!

- What?

Be merciful! Be merciful!

- Aniceto, I don't understand this madman.

- Have mercy, Caesar.

- And who is this?

- Pison, the architect Pison.

- Pison, Pison... Pison we give to the lion.

- No! Not the lions!

Yes. Let me see your legs.

- Skinny! So skinny! Aren't you ashamed?

- No...

The legs are too skinny! There is

nothing here for the lions to eat.

- There is no animal that would eat him.

- Thank you, oh thank you.

But if not a beast, then who will eat him?

- What about you?

- Me? I'm not a cannibal, I'm in the navy.

You are an executioner. Just eat a

little bit and throw away the rest.

Now take him to the kitchen and don't argue!

We are innocent, Caesar, trust us!

Stop that, don't touch him. It's a fair trial.

Aniceto, this man is to be embalmed as he is.

Make a hole in his head, and put a torch in.

Then take him to his mother. Such colours!

- Thank you, Nero.

- Don't mention it.

(desperate cries)

- Nero, my dear.

- Mama, how delightful to see you.

Bravo, darling. I see you have

taken up the sword of justice.

Yes, mama, I can feel the noble

spirit of grandfather inside me.

I see. And where are Poppea and Seneca?

They are in the cellar, awaiting their

supreme judgment. Ah, Poppea calls.

Monster!

- If I must die, then you must do it.

- Cover yourself, you shameless girl.

- You are trying to corrupt him.

- Don't you try to corrupt me!

Very well. What are we accused of?

What are the charges?

She participated in the Christian rituals.

But YOU were the one who

took me to the catacombs!

My only son!

With the Christians, in the catacombs!

Just once... I was curious. I asked myself:

"What are they like, these catacombs?"

"The streets are congested with traffic".

"Could we use them to solve traffic jams?"

What a scandal!

Oh, don't worry about the Christians.

I know them, they are innocent types.

They are little people with soft voices.

Let's not waste any more time about it.

What are you going to do about Poppea?

Poppea... Poppea... Poppea...

I have it. It is a rhyme, for I am poet.

We throw Poppea from the rock of Tarpea.

- Nero, don't do it. I love you. No!

- Away!

And now we come to Seneca. Where is Seneca?

Be lenient with him, please.

He has always been a friend.

If you have to condemn him, I cannot watch.

- Try talk your way out of this one.

- Rauss! Out!

- My son is finally going the right way.

- When will the executions take place?

After my departure. Otherwise, the senate

could think I had something to do with it.

- When do you leave? - Immediately. - Yes.

- Is this your letter?

- Whatever is mine you can take, if you wish.

What does it say? Read it, Seneca.

- "Dear Lucillus..." - Dear Lucillus...

- Dear Lucillus... - Read it!

"Dear Lucillus, you ask to about Nero's voice."

"All the guests of the villa think,

that Nero has only a mediocre voice."

- That is not true. - That's what you said.

"Mediocre". Even though you always applaud.

Continue!

"As for me, I declare officially

that Nero has a sublime voice."

So much for that...

- You come here, Seneca, that is not the end.

Read! - The end? - Yes.

But to you, dear Lucillus, I say

that Nero sings... like...

Read it clearly, Seneca. sings like?

- Sings... like... a god.

- Like a god? - A god.

- What does it say? - Like a god.

Seneca, don't abuse my patience, read clear.

Nero...

It says, sings like a dog.

- You confess?

- Yes, I confess it says "like a dog". So?

- "So?"!

- Is it bad to say Nero sings like a dog?

You have called the emperor a dog!

You are condemned to death for lese-majeste.

- Nero, do you consider that offensive?

- You have called me a dog.

Yes, I used the word "dog".

But what does the word "dog" mean?

What does it means? It means dog.

The word "dog" has more than one meaning.

It is vague, ambiguous, even mysterious.

Very strange, in a clear language like ours...

What are you laughing at? This is serious.

You see, friends, isn't everyone

like a dog to himself.

- And do dogs bark beautifully?

- Certainly.

(dog sounds)

Howling...

In this case, your songs, Caesar.

But think how marvellous, a dog that sings!

It's a miracle!

- So you insist in saying that I am a dog!

- Not, I do not insist.

- But you've written it here.

- No! Friends, be my witness.

Lucillus, if you would ask me,

I'll say he sings like a god.

But he has never asked me,

so I have never said that.

No, no, no. Wait a minute, Seneca.

You already wrote I sing like a dog.

- Like a god. - It says "dog". - "God".

- No, "dog". - It says "god" here!

- It says "dog".

- You believe that?

You must be more careful when I dictate!

You have written "god" backwards!

You've nearly sent me to my death!

- You wrote that? I will cut off your hands!

- No, be merciful, dear Nero.

Do not rob this Greek idiot of his tools...

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