Theodora, the Histrionic Empress (500-548 AD)

We have seen Theodora standing firm against the rioters in the hippodrome laying siege to the palace and whipping her husband with soul provoking words. She was the empress and 32 at that scene. Now let us see what kind of a life she went through rising from the commons to be an empress. I’ll put emphasis on her early life and her character.

We know most of the story through a book written by Procopius who worked as a scribe under the patronage of Belisarius, the famous general of the time. The book was called “Secret History”. It seems that Procopius wanted to write the real things going behind the scenes at the very heart of a very central empire. The Secret History was found hundreds of years later in the archives of Vatican Library. Chapter 9 of the book is basically on the early life of Theodora.

Now I’ll let Procopius speak.

“Theodora was fair of face and of a very graceful, though small, person, her complexion was moderately colorful, if somewhat pale; and her eyes were dazzling and vivacious.”

Her father was a bear dancer belonging the Green faction. After their father dies their mother pushed the three sisters to the stage.

“In the amphitheater, (their mother) sent them out to sit on the ground in the attitude of suppliants.”

We can infer that she wasn’t a very protective mother indeed. She literally makes them beg and sends them into the chaotic world of Constantinople at an early age. And else, she made them show their neediness, play to the hearts of people. Procopius goes on

“Her mother put them on the local stage. Her elder sister became one of the leading hetaerae (high class prostitute).”

Because Theodora doesn’t have any talent she “gave her youth to anyone she met”.

“There was no shame in the girl, and no one ever saw her dismayed: no role was too scandalous for her to accept without a blush”

She has no shame and no fear of anything which made her to be remembered for the role she played during the riots. The reason for that maybe using sexuality as a tool to satisfy her need for attention and related to that power. You have to be shameless to use sexuality over anybody you need to deal with and attract. When you gain attention and profit by sexual games you always have to either be ready for a fight because of men feeling getting conned.

Procopius says she was a funny person but as with many histrionics you’ll find out they suddenly can turn into a ruthless monster when they feel their game comes to light.

“With pretended laziness she mocked her lovers and coquettishly adopting ever new ways of embracing, was able to keep in a constant turmoil the hearts of the sophisticated.”

Keeping in constant chaos the hearts, that’s what histrionics are good at. They love “turmoil” Procopius. You must have been right.

“And she did not wait to be asked by anyone she met, but on the contrary, with inviting jests and a comic flaunting of her skirts herself tempted all men who passed by”

“Often she would go picnicking with ten young men or more… when they wearied of the sport, she would approach their servants”

Even though the number of men maybe a bit exaggeration I believe this part of the story has some truth in it. The histrionics have a tomboy style of younger years, they live much more closer to men, join in their games and I think have some sexual things going around with them too. I’ve heard one histrionic telling me she was like a tomboy when she was younger.

“in the sight of all the people, she removed her costume and stood nude in their midst”

“Slaves would scatter grains of barley from above into the calyx of this passion flower, whence geese, trained for the purpose, would next pick the grains one by one with their bills and eat. When she rose it was not with a blush, but she seemed rather to glory in the performance. For she was not only impudent herself but endeavored to make everybody else as audacious. Often when she was alone with other actors she would undress in their midst and arch her back provocatively advertising like a peacock both to those who had experience of her and to those who had not yet had that privilege her trained suppleness.”

Here the scenes given are so vivid erotically. The core piece is that she was not ashamed of what she is doing and encouraging the others to join in her inappropriate sexuality. I think, having dated with one, it resembles closely to histrionic personality.

“… any more respectable man who chanced upon her in the Forum avoided her and withdrew in haste … thought to share in her pollution.”

“and toward her fellow actresses she was as savage as a scorpion: for she was very malicious”

As known with histrionics they don’t make close friends with the same sex. One reason may be that they crave attention and exclusively so through sexual shows and offers, other women feel threatened in their relationships with their partners.

Then Procopius tells that she followed a man called Hecebolus but quarreled I believe because of her attention seeking behavior and she was put to the door. She found her way back to Constantinople doing prostitution.

Well one paragraph I’ve seen sums it up well I think for Theodora. I recall the last interview made with Marilyn Monroe and while laughing she told that she was miserable. I think this last paragraph has the same tone with that spare the sarcasm by Procopius.

“And though she flung wide three gates to the ambassadors of Cupid, she lamented that nature had not similarly unlocked the straits of her bosom, that she might there have contrived a further welcome to his emissaries”

“Three gates”, so nasty of Procopius!