Characters of Rome

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

1 Primary characters
2 Secondary characters
3 References

This list is intended as a guide to most characters for the HBO series Rome. More details can be found on the individual character pages linked within the tables, as well as Minor characters of Rome and Character appearances in Rome.

Additionally, episodic specific characters and very minor characters might be listed in each episode-specific detail page.

[edit] Primary characters

Character name	Portrayed by	Status	Historical basis
Photo	Notes
Lucius Vorenus	Kevin McKidd	Plebeian	Lucius Vorenus
	Dedicated to his family, he is a moral and ethical man and is introduced as a Roman soldier.

Titus Pullo	Ray Stevenson	Freedman	Titus Pullo
	Being the true definition of a rogue, Pullo is also friendly, respectful and faithful to his friends. He is introduced as a Roman soldier, under Vorenus

Gaius Julius Caesar	Ciarán Hinds	Patrician	Julius Caesar
	A Roman general, he is intelligent, calculating and is known for easily accomplishing most of what he sets out to do.

Pompey Magnus	Kenneth Cranham	Plebeian^[1]	Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus
	As an enemy of Caesar's, he was once his friend. A historic hero, he now is faced with the hazards of war.

Atia of the Julii	Polly Walker	Patrician	Atia Balba Caesonia
	Manipulative and condescending, she is quite coitally adept. She is very dedicated to her children and promoting her family's status.

Mark Antony	James Purefoy	Patrician^[1]	Mark Antony
	An arrogant, but faithful, soldier under Caesar. Though he easily treats others with disdain and irreverence, his dedication to Caesar often renders him admirable.

Marcus Junius Brutus	Tobias Menzies	Patrician	Marcus Junius Brutus
	Son of Servilia and filled with inner conflict. On the one hand he looks upon Caesar as a father, but he is also a descendant of a founder of the Republic.

Servilia of the Junii	Lindsay Duncan	Patrician	Servilia Caepionis
	With a flair for diplomacy, she descends directly from the founders of the Republic and is Caesar's lover.

Niobe	Indira Varma	Plebeian	Fictional
	Selfish, but hard working, she is a mother of three and the wife of Vorenus.

Gaius Octavian	Max Pirkis	Patrician	Caesar Augustus
	Exceptionally intelligent and extensively educated, he is the son of Atia and is destined to become a great leader.

Octavia of the Julii	Kerry Condon	Patrician	Octavia Thurina Minor
	While she is the daughter of Atia, she is weak in comparison and is easily manipulated by others.

Quintus Pompey	Rick Warden	Patrician	Uncertain
	Filled with vindictive malice, he is the son of Pompey who has a definite planned purpose.

Porcius Cato	Karl Johnson	Patrician	Cato the Younger
No image available	Fiercely conservative leader of the Senate, he is as tough as he is old.

Marcus Tullius Cicero	David Bamber	Plebeian	Marcus Tullius Cicero
	A gifted orator, he is the leader of the moderates in the Senate. His contention is for that which is principled and virtuous.

Timon	Lee Boardman	Plebeian	Fictional
	Loyal to Atia's entire family, he is a thuggish horse trader and will accept payment in a variety of ways.

[edit] Secondary characters

Character name	Portrayed by	Status	Historical basis
Photo	Notes
Posca	Nicholas Woodeson	Slave	Fictional
No image available	Witty, intelligent, loyal and even sarcastic, he is not only Caesar's slave, but also his confidante.

Herald	Ian McNeice	Unknown	Works of Quintilian^[1]
No image available	Ever busy with his work, he announces to all the latest tidbits of news as well as a few advertisements. No one can best this man in his area of expertise.

Erastes Fulmen	Lorcan Cranitch	Plebeian	Fictional
No image available	Crime leader of Rome.

Eirene	Chiara Mastalli	Slave/Freedman	Fictional
	Claimed by Pullo as his slave, but housed by Vorenus, she is the object of Pullo's affection.

Merula	Lydia Biondi	Slave	Fictional
No image available	Completely dedicated to Atia, she is her slave.

Eleni	Suzanne Bertish	Slave	Fictional
No image available	As another completely dedicated slave, she is owned by Servilia.

Calpurnia	Haydn Gwynne	Patrician	Calpurnia Pisonis
No image available	Wife of Caesar.

Glabius	Robert Purvis	Patrician	Fictional
No image available	First husband of Octavia.

Lyde	Esther Hall	Plebeian	Fictional
No image available	Tormented by her sister's betrayal, she longs for the love of her husband, Evander.

Evander Pulchio	Enzo Cilenti	Plebeian	Fictional
No image available	The unfaithful husband of Lyde.

Cassius	Guy Henry	Patrician	Gaius Cassius Longinus
No image available	Is quite successful in his ability to persuade Brutus to consider Caesar's intentions.

Scipio	Paul Jesson	Plebeian	Metellus Scipio
No image available	Comrade and follower of the crusty Cato.

Cleopatra	Lyndsey Marshal	Not Roman	Cleopatra VII of Egypt
	Married to her brother, she is not above using Pullo to build an alliance with Caesar.

King Ptolemy	Shaka Bunsie	Not Roman	Ptolemy XIII of Egypt
No image available	Younger brother and husband of Cleopatra, he is both immature and feckless.

[edit] References

DVD: Rome: The Complete First Season (2005) (Released 2006)

^a The DVD's All Roads Lead to Rome, says that Pompey is part of a class called Arriviste which means he was low born, but gained status through wealth. It is then likely that he is not a Patrician, but a Plebeian
^b The DVD commentary states that Antony was "high born" so it is likely, though it has yet to be implicitly stated, he is a Patrician.
^c Both the commentary and All Roads Lead to Rome on the DVD say that the gestures used for the herald were based on The Elements for Orators, written by Quintilian during the time of Nero. Though it was much later, they imagined that these gestures were handed down for many years, and it was likely, in their opinion, that they were in use as early as the time of Julius Caesar.