Character Profiles; Poppea

Poppea is the mistress of Nero. In the prologue before the play it is made clear that virtue is not going to be celebrated in this opera and this is shown through the character of Poppea, whose manipulations are celebrated and rewarded throughout the play with her eventually being crowned empress and 'Venus on earth'. Although her proclamations of love for Nero are extravegant, they may be insincere as she seems to wish to marry Nero to become Empress rather than for love. Poppea's characte is based on the historical woman 'Poppaea' who was initially married to 'Otho' (who is the basis for the character in the opera Ottone) but then leaves him to begin an affair with Nero.In the play a prior relationship with Ottone and Poppea is clear, but it doesn't say that they were married. She is very Beautiful but Manipulative and sometimes cruel, as seen with the execution of Seneca and her rejections of Ottone