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Are you a fan of Menippean satire?

Seneca the Younger’s Apocolocyntosis Divi Claudii mattered because it mocked the deification of Emperor Claudius after his death, turning what should have been imperial praise into ruthless parody. It remains one of the clearest surviving examples of Menippean satire in Latin, blending prose and verse to ridicule not only Claudius himself, but also the absurdities of court politics and emperor worship. It also shows how satire could function as a political weapon in the early Roman Empire.

At present, we are watching a mad king, a would-be emperor, ushered toward apotheosis (deification to godhood) while still alive, and that cannot go unanswered, at least not by the literary tradition that defends truth and reality against those who would trample them. I would be neglecting my duty if I did not carry forward that time-honored practice of mocking what deserves to be mocked until it can no longer pretend to dignity or sincerity.

Without further ado, I present Apocolocyntosis Divi Trumpi. Titled as such in honor of Seneca’s own wit, which originally mocked Claudius as having a head as empty as a gourd, then, adds to it. For one so notably orange, the joke feels even more apt.

Enjoy.

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