Van wie was Metrobius?

Metrobius (Ancient Greek: Μητρόβιος; lived 1st century BC) was an actor and singer, in the Roman Republic. He was said to be the lover of Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix, the famed general and dictator. Metrobius is mentioned twice by Plutarch in his Parallel Lives, who clearly disapproves of his relationship with Sulla. These excerpts are as follows.

"It was this laxity, as it seems, which produced in him [Sulla] a diseased propensity to amorous indulgence and an unrestrained voluptuousness, from which he did not refrain even in his old age, but continued his youthful love for Metrobius, an actor."

"However, even though he [Sulla] had such a wife at home, he consorted with actresses, harpists, and theatrical people, drinking with them on couches all day long. For these were the men who had most influence with him now: Roscius the comedian, Sorex the archmime, and Metrobius the impersonator of women, for whom, though past his prime, he continued up to the last to be passionately fond, and made no denial of it."

Though Sulla took other partners during his career, by Plutarch's account he remained in love with Metrobius until the end of his life.

Lucius Cornelius Sulla (ca. 138 v.Chr. – 78 v.Chr.), later Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix genoemd, was een Romeins politicus, veldheer en dictator ten tijde van de Late Romeinse Republiek. Hij was de eerste Romeinse dictator wiens ambtstermijn niet was beperkt. Veel van zijn hervormingen zouden mee de basis vormen voor het latere principaat.

Ondanks zijn relatief late start in het politieke leven zou hij erin slagen twee consulaten te bekleden. Als dictator legibus scribundis et rei publicae constituendae ("dictator om wetten te schrijven en de republiek in orde te brengen") veranderde hij de Romeinse maatschappij ingrijpend. Zijn belangrijkste maatregelen waren zijn mars op Rome, zijn proscripties en het belonen van zijn veterani met land. Verder breidde hij het ledenaantal van de senaat uit, bepaalde hij minimumleeftijden voor de cursus honorum, perkte hij de macht van de tribuni plebis in en legde hij de automatische prorogatio vast van het imperium van consules en praetores.