Sejanus and Tiberius
Was Tiberius a good emperor? Why do you think that modern sources might argue that he was a good leader while ancient sources condemn him?
How does Tacitus describe Sejanus’s character? What qualities does Sejanus have that allow him to gain control over Tiberius and why doesn’t the Senate do anything about it?
How does Tacitus characterize Agrippina? In what way does her personality contrast with Sejanus’s?

Claudius and Nero
In  his description of Claudius, how does Tacitus employ the themes of history and memory to foreshadow the emperor’s loss of control over his reign? In what way does Tacitus depict Claudius as a passive participant in his own history?
How does Tacitus use the topics of excess, the written word, violence and death in his description  of Nero to suggest that Nero is a leader who lacks his own voice yet somehow manages to transform Rome into a city that seems more foreign than familiar?