Genius, noble, commanding, merciful, victor, Father of Rome, and god are just a few of the terms used in reference to many of the great Caesars. From Julius Caesar down to Domitian. However not all the above-mentioned emperors were composed of high-quality. One stands out among the rest, not for his values and strength but rather is none for his mental illness and lack of discretion. Gaius Caligula through out his reign exuded characteristics unlike any other Emperor before him. He was been responsible for so many unjustifiable acts of cruelty, and in short a series of 3 years of completed many acts of insanity. In short Caligula was insane, this is evident in his dealings with his family, the senate, and countless bizarre acts. .
Through out Emperor Caligula reign he exhibits some truly insane acts, one aspect we can see his insanity is in the treatment of his family. Gaius" brother Tiberius is recorded as being of no threat to the Emperor, however Caligula is far from being of a rational thinking, Suetonius states, "His brother Tiberius who had no expectation of any violence, was suddenly dispatched by a military tribune sent by his order for that purpose. (262) The purpose of the above mentioned was a mission of death. When his brother had died, at his funeral Caligula did not pay any respect to him, Lissner states "Caligula decreed Tiberius a modest funeral and delivered a funeral oration in which he said little about the dead man and a great deal about his own father Germanicus and his great-grandfather Augustus." (128) The mere fact that Caligula would kill his brother is a monstrosity but then at his funeral to desecrate his memory is a distinct sign of his absolute madness. Having taken care of his brother, Caligula continues to adopt his seventeen-year-old cousin Tiberius Gemellus as his coheir. However, 6 months later Caligula ordered his young successor to "carry out his own death sentence" (Lissner 93) Caligula madness continues in the treatment of his three sisters.
