Posca
Encyclopedia
Posca is a fictional character in the HBO
/BBC2 original television series Rome
, played by Nicholas Woodeson
. He is the body slave of Julius Caesar
, yet is also his friend, aide-de-camp
, and confidante in most things personal and professional. As a slave, he will seldom receive credit, but it appears that many of the more simple and elegant solutions to Caesar's problems come from the mind of Posca. Posca is freed and given a stipend in Caesar's will at the start of the second season but seems to have thrown his support behind Antony in later episodes.
After receiving his freedom Posca marries Jocasta, the daughter of an extremely wealthy mine owner left penniless when her father was executed and his estate confiscated by the Second Triumvirate. The marriage is seen as practical for Jocasta as Posca is a man of some influence and means and her reduced state has left her without a dowry that would attract men of higher birth or station. She seems to become genuinely fond of him due to his generosity and kindness towards her and she accompanies him when he follows Mark Antony to Egypt.
In episode 21
, Posca has grown to loathe and fear Cleopatra and the controlling influence she exerts on Anthony. He uses the arrival of Anthony's wife Octavia to secretly flee Egypt along with Jocasta even though it requires leaving his wealth behind. Back in Rome he provides Octavian with Mark Antony's final will and testament in which Antony's will states his affection for both Cleopatra
, and Egypt. This is looked on by the people of Rome as an outrage. Posca uses this as the first step in reentering Octavian's favor and rebuilding his fortune, while Octavian uses this to rally the people of Rome to go to war against Mark Antony.
, Mark Antony refers to him as a Greek
, which is in keeping with his highly educated and influential position for a slave.
Home Box Office
HBO, short for Home Box Office, is an American premium cable television network, owned by Time Warner. , HBO's programming reaches 28.2 million subscribers in the United States, making it the second largest premium network in America . In addition to its U.S...
/BBC2 original television series Rome
Rome (TV series)
Rome is a British-American–Italian historical drama television series created by Bruno Heller, John Milius and William J. MacDonald. The show's two seasons premiered in 2005 and 2007, and were later released on DVD. Rome is set in the 1st century BC, during Ancient Rome's transition from Republic...
, played by Nicholas Woodeson
Nicholas Woodeson
Nicholas Woodeson is an English film and television actor.-Education:Woodeson attended Marlborough College and studied acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.-Film:...
. He is the body slave of Julius Caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar (character of Rome)
Gaius Julius Caesar is a historical figure who features as a character in the HBO/BBC2 original television series Rome, played by Irish actor Ciarán Hinds...
, yet is also his friend, aide-de-camp
Aide-de-camp
An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
, and confidante in most things personal and professional. As a slave, he will seldom receive credit, but it appears that many of the more simple and elegant solutions to Caesar's problems come from the mind of Posca. Posca is freed and given a stipend in Caesar's will at the start of the second season but seems to have thrown his support behind Antony in later episodes.
After receiving his freedom Posca marries Jocasta, the daughter of an extremely wealthy mine owner left penniless when her father was executed and his estate confiscated by the Second Triumvirate. The marriage is seen as practical for Jocasta as Posca is a man of some influence and means and her reduced state has left her without a dowry that would attract men of higher birth or station. She seems to become genuinely fond of him due to his generosity and kindness towards her and she accompanies him when he follows Mark Antony to Egypt.
In episode 21
Deus Impeditio Esuritori Nullus (No God Can Stop a Hungry Man)
"Deus Impeditio Esuritori Nullus" is the ninth episode of the second season of the television series Rome. The air date is March 18, 2007...
, Posca has grown to loathe and fear Cleopatra and the controlling influence she exerts on Anthony. He uses the arrival of Anthony's wife Octavia to secretly flee Egypt along with Jocasta even though it requires leaving his wealth behind. Back in Rome he provides Octavian with Mark Antony's final will and testament in which Antony's will states his affection for both Cleopatra
Cleopatra (character of Rome)
Cleopatra is a character from the HBO/BBC original television series Rome, played by Lyndsey Marshal from October 16, 2005 through March 25, 2007. The basis for this character is the famous historical Egyptian Queen Cleopatra VII.-Personality:...
, and Egypt. This is looked on by the people of Rome as an outrage. Posca uses this as the first step in reentering Octavian's favor and rebuilding his fortune, while Octavian uses this to rally the people of Rome to go to war against Mark Antony.
Personality
Posca is depicted as a practical, cynical man, with a dry sense of humour and a penchant for witty and memorable quips. He is as "pragmatically amoral" as his master and seems to share an unusually close relationship with him. Posca's unusually familiar, and often sarcastic and sardonic, interaction with many of the principal characters seems to indicate that he enjoys a status higher than that of many other slaves depicted. He is deeply saddened by Caesar's death which indicates a genuine loyalty and affection for Caesar. In the second episode of the second seasonSon of Hades
"Son of Hades" is the second episode of the second season of the television series Rome.-Plot summary:With Erastes Fulmen gone, the Aventine is up for grabs, and rival gangs have taken to the streets in a struggle for control, stabbing each other in the open markets.Having surrendered to his grief,...
, Mark Antony refers to him as a Greek
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
, which is in keeping with his highly educated and influential position for a slave.