Caligula

Caligula is the play’s protagonist. While his name is noted as Caligula in the written text, most of the other characters refer to him in dialogue by his personal name, Caius. As a historical figure, Caligula was among the most notorious of the Roman emperors, rivaling or exceeding even the infamous Nero and Domitian in depravity. He reigned from 37 to 41 CE, a short period of rule between the longer reigns of Tiberius and Claudius. Camus’s portrayal of Caligula follows along historical lines. However, he interprets Caligula’s behavior according to 20th-century nihilism or absurdism rather than the philosophical perspectives of the first century. In other words, Camus takes the story of a historical figure and reinterprets it to explore modern ideas.

The play presents Caligula as having been a good emperor until the death of his sister and mistress Drusilla, which triggers an epiphany about reality’s true nature. Convinced that nothing lasts and that death is the only certainty, Caligula comes to realize that everything else—the value of love, good and evil, right and wrong—are meaningless. Unless the impossible can be realized, the limits of reality bind human life into a system where nothing matters. Caligula interprets social codes as an illogical impingement on his freedom. He pursues freedom by eradicating what he sees as illogical limitations in the lives of those around him—including, often, other characters’ very lives.

While the historical figure of Caligula is often portrayed as having psychosis, Camus shows him to not have any mental health conditions. Caligula is motivated by following his philosophical perspective to the extreme, but not by psychosis. He comes across as always being in control. He is intelligent and quick-witted, always one step ahead of everyone else. He only lacks control when interacting with his image in the mirror. Confronted by his reflection, a reality which he cannot manipulate, he loses some of his self-direction and lapses into twisted musings.

Camus presents Caligula as a tragic figure despite his abhorrent brutality. His actions are designed to evoke shock and revulsion. However, the play itself sympathizes with the logic of his position, often expressed by Cherea. While the consequences of Caligula’s philosophy are devastating, the play admits the logic of his perspective. Part of the tragic nature of Caligula’s character is the tragedy of nihilism itself: It leads to ruin, but no alternative is ever found. At the end of the play, Caligula bemoans that he has not been able to seize the impossible. He realizes that his pursuit of freedom has led him in the wrong direction, culminating in freedom’s negation. Life’s meaninglessness remains, and the play ends exactly where Caligula predicted that all things end: in death.