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Atia,
the master manipulator and sexual siren, is clearly
one of the most open “shadow rulers” on the series.
She doesn’t hesitate to use her sexuality and her cunning
to get what she wants; nor does she let her maternal instincts
prevent her from using her children to further her own goals.
In one of the most visually—and viscerally—stunning
scenes in the first episode, Atia kneels beneath a sacrificial
ox and bathes in the blood that comes streaming down upon her
when it is killed.
The
image of Atia, breasts heaving, beneath this crimson shower,
is both arresting and shocking—more so than the several
other instances in which she is naked, either bathing or having
sex. It positions her as closely aligned to her “natural”
state: earthy, bloody, feminine.
It’s
not clear yet how the other women in the series will shape up
as “shadow rulers.” Servilia so far has done little
more than play the part of a loving mistress, and Niobe hasn’t
even appeared yet. Will these women appear to govern from places
of emotion rather than reason, as is typically suggested of
women in leadership positions? Will their shadowy leadership
be respected or will their plans be thrown into chaos when their
men dismiss them as mere females?
Atia’s
daughter, Octavia, doesn’t seem to be vying for the position
of “shadow ruler” in the first episode; all she
has done is obey her mother and allow Pompey to have sex with
her against her will.
But
Octavia is the one female character who is definitely
going to have a same-sex adventure.
When
actress Kerry Condon spoke to The Scotsman last August,
she admitted that the nude scenes were difficult for her at
first. “The
hardest bit,” she said, “is knowing that my family
will watch, but my mum came out to see me once when I was filming
a lesbian sex scene, and she just chose to stay in my dressing
room.” (Which does beg the question, would her mum have
watched if Condon was filming a straight sex scene? Um, probably
not.)
We
don’t know if her lesbian sex scene was enacted for the
benefit of a male character—we’ll have to tune in
to find out—but given the tone of the series so far, it’s
likely to be as brash and bold as possible. After all, this
is HBO, the channel that brought us Sex and the City
and The Sopranos.
Women,
gay or straight, are not going to be at the center
of a series set in ancient Rome that is based on the lives of
men. The women in the series will be beautiful, manipulative,
virginal, or seductive, but they will always be defined by their
relationships with men. Nevertheless, a series that gives its
central female character a blood bath on its first episode might
go further than expected in exploring the lives of Roman women.
Then
again, I do love a bloodthirsty historical epic—and on
that note, Rome definitely delivers.
Visit
the official
site of HBO's Rome
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