Quo Vadis: A Narrative of the Time of Nero

Quo Vadis: A Narrative of the Time of Nero is a historical novel published originally as a serial in a series of daily Polish newspapers around the turn of the twentieth century. The novel takes place in Rome under Emperor Nero, around AD 64. It tells the story of love between a Roman patrician, Vinicius, and a young Christian hostage who goes by Lygia, after the name of her people. The title is based on a quote from the Bible in the Acts of Peter and the novel has a strong pro-Christian message, using many symbols that come from both historical Roman and Biblical references. The book is considered a historical epic, running at nearly five hundred pages.

The author, Henryk Sienkiewicz, was a Polish author, journalist, and a Nobel Prize laureate who lived in Russian Poland. As a journalist, he traveled to the United States, sending back travel essays, which earned him enormous popularity among his people. His most famous work was Quo Vadis, for which he did extensive research. The novel was first serialized and then published as a book in 1896, a year after its slow release in the papers. Sienkiewicz's work was widely translated and published around the world, and in 1905, about a decade before his death, he earned the Novel Prize in literature for his accomplishments.

The book begins with the introduction of the two main characters, Marcus Vinicius and Lygia. Marcus is a patrician gentleman and a Roman tribune, and Lygia is a young Christian woman, the ward of a prominent Roman family. Though she is a hostage, Lygia 's hosts treat her like a daughter. Marcus visits her and immediately lusts after her because she is so beautiful. Marcus's uncle, Petronius, an influential man, suggests that Marcus use his influence to ask Caesar to bring Lygia to the palace against her will. He doesn't understand why Lygia is so upset when she arrives, though she was forcibly removed from her home. Once at the palace, they are enmeshed in a meal that turns into a drunken orgy, and Marcus realizes that he loves Lygia for her purity and that forcing her to submit to him would ruin his love for her.



Lygia escapes the palace with a servant, and Marcus uses a fish she drew in the sand to uncover the community to which she belongs – he is surprised to learn that she is Christian. There are a number of strange rumors traveling around the empire about Christians, and Marcus is perplexed that his love interest is a part of this community. He decides, however, that he would happily add whatever god to his altar that he needs to win his love's heart, and he continues on his mission to find her.

Marcus eventually finds the Christian community; he learns how different the Christian religion is from the Roman pagan altar to which he is accustomed. Rather than being a side practice that is a small part of daily life, Marcus realizes that Lygia's principles shape her entire life; she is unable to become his mistress or his wife because of her belief in purity before marriage and because he is not a Christian man. Marcus agonizes over this block in their relationship, though he senses that Lygia has feelings for him as well.

In its thematic content, this epic explores the contrast between Rome during the time of Nero and Christian values and beliefs, comparing the humility of the Christian faith with the excess and corruption of the Roman Empire at the time. Though many sought Nero's approval, he was a moody emperor who would often exile his followers on a whim; there is a feeling among the Roman characters that along with the wealth and excess comes danger, fear, and a loss of one's values. The book is strongly pro-Christian in this sense, promoting the belief system of Lygia's people. Sienkiewicz demonstrates through Marcus's unwavering attraction to Lygia and his inability to compromise her values how pagan Romans yearned for the peacefulness and moral uprightness of early Christian values. At one point in the novel, Sienkiewicz has the apostle Peter meet Emperor Nero while traveling; the author acknowledges the fleeting nature of Rome's success and the eternal power of Christianity in the centuries to come.



Quo Vadis was popular because of its Christian values, the depth of Sienkiewicz's historical research, and the depiction of life in the late Roman Empire. The novel was adapted into two silent Italian films, one in 1913 and another in 1924, and became a Hollywood production in 1951. It was later adapted in 2001 by Polish director Jerzy Kawalerowicz.