Browse all of the Salem on Literature series

Quo Vadis (Cyclopedia of Literary Characters)

At a glance:

Characters Discussed

Petronius (peh-TROH-nee-uhs), a wealthy Roman patrician who, because of his knowledge of poetry and music, has great influence over Nero. His discriminating taste wins him the title of arbiter of elegance, and he is highly regarded throughout Rome. Petronius tries to help his nephew, Vinitius, win the love of Lygia by having her removed from the home of her foster parents to Nero’s palace. Learning that Nero has ordered his death, Petronius commits suicide by bleeding.

Marcus Vinitius (MAHR-kuhs vih-NIH-shi-uhs), the nephew of Petronius. A soldier...

[The entire page is 1112 words long]

Join eNotes

The above is a free excerpt. Get total access to this content with the:

Lookup any word on eNotes with our dictionary. Highlight the word and press SHIFT + D for a definition, or SHIFT + T for a synonym.