Spartacus Series: Meet Lucretia, Batiatus' Wife

     Lucretia is, in the Spartacus series, the wife of Lanistae Batiatus and the actress is the same as in the series "Xena, the warrior princess". Learn more about this "Snake" below.

Lucretia in Spartacus series:

     Lucretia is an important character in the Spartacus series. She is a moderate Roman woman in the land of Capua and lives with her husband, Quintus Lentulus Batiatus, in the village above his Ludus. Through the schemes of her husband and her own, the couple manages to rise significantly up the social ladder, only to fall after Spartacus seeks revenge and rebels. In Vengeance, it is revealed that Lucretia survived the massacre with the help of Ashur. She becomes a symbol of hope and a prophetess for the citizens of Capua, however, her true intentions remain a mystery to those around her.

Appearance:

     Lucretia natural hair is cut short, but she wears a long, curly wig of crimson red or platinum blonde. She is tall, about the same height as her husband, and has blue eyes. Despite her husband's inconsistent financial situation, she enjoys wearing expensive dresses and jewelry, perhaps in an effort to compete with Ilithyia. Later, after her With her husband's death, she changes her appearance, starting to wear dark wigs and darker and less revealing dresses, possibly mourning her husband.

Personality:

     Lucretia is a very conflicted character, with great depth of both love and disappointment. On the one hand, she adores her husband and his efforts for greatness, but on the other hand, she is also in love with Crixus, with whom she is having an affair. Concerned about her husband's business and social affairs, she enjoys working with him as a partner or council, but has sometimes been shocked by what her husband has done to improve her social status. Such acts include the massacre of a child along with a man conspiring to kill her husband, where she expresses disgust at the act. However, she does not allow this to disrupt her emotions towards her husband and, in the end, accepts his actions as a necessary evil.

Gods of the Arena:

     In the prequel, Lucretia and Batiatus were only recently left to decide on the business and the direction of the ludus. Unlike Blood and Sand, Lucretia is a little more innocent; the idea of sleeping with a slave or gladiator (asked by her visiting friend, Gaia), repels her, and she never had the idea of sleeping with anyone other than her husband.

     However, Gaia later induces Lucretia to take opium; while they are tall, the two share a sexual encounter. This remains unknown to Batiatus, although he and the two eventually begin to get involved in wild trios as the home's success increases.

     When Tullius kills Gaia after an orgy in the villa, Titus Batiatus, his father-in-law, decides that Batiatus must divorce Lucretia; if not, both will live on the streets. Disturbed by Gaia's death, Lucretia begins to wear her friend's distinctive red wigs in memory.

Check: Ex-Champions of the Batiatus House

Blood and Sand:

     After selling Spartacus to her husband, Lucretia befriends Legatus Glaber's wife, Ilithyia, who makes an appointment with a priestess of Juno to help with Lucretia's fertility problem. During the consultation, she receives a potion, which she consumes. With her husband going on business, and with little time before the effects of the potion wear off, she calls Crixus, her lover, to be beside her. However, her plans fail when he asks to "renounce a night of pleasure" in order to remain prepared for his next fight with Theokoles; unknown to Lucretia, he declines due to his growing feelings for Naevia.

     While distracted, Lucretia finally conceives and credits Crixus as the father. With Ilithyia's connections, Lucretia soon meets a wealthy Roman, Licinia, cousin of Marcus Lucinius Crassus, one of the richest men in Rome. Licinia is attracted to Spartacus and wants to have sex with him. Ilithyia soon deduces Licinia's intentions and wishes to take Crixus to bed.

Vengeance:

     To get closer to Spartacus and his rebellious slaves, Glaber and Ilithyia take up residence in the ludus of Batiatus. There, they discover Lucretia, dirty, disheveled and apparently crazy after spending six weeks in the ludus.

     Delirious, Lucretia seems to have no memory of the events after Ilithyia's arrival in Blood and Sand. Horrified by her survival, Ilithyia wishes to get rid of Lucretia, ridding the evidence and memory of Licinia's murder. Glaber, however, has other plans; he orders his wife to clean Lucretia and make her presentable. Glaber wants to show her off to the people as a phenomenal - even prophetic - gift from the gods, as it is a miracle that she survived the massacre. Meanwhile, Lucretia soon notices Ilithyia's pregnancy and congratulates her.

     Lucretia joins Glaber and Ilithyia in the market and is introduced to the public. Aurelia is later brought in, bloodied and close to death, as an example for Spartacus and any other slaves who wish to join him. Spartacus, hidden in the crowd, attacks Glaber; the rebels suddenly appear and through their efforts, Aurelia

Check: All about Sura

TRIVIA:

• Lucretia is said to be of inferior birth and social position compared to her husband; however, according to Roman law, both must be of the same social class (patrician or plebeian) for their marriage to be legal.
  
• Lucretia, like most of the elite Roman women of the late Republic - has their slave bodies in high regard. She got along very well with Melitta, lamented that she and Gannicus were together and was horrified by her death. With Naevia, she wanted to preserve her chastity for someone of value and felt a betrayal when Batiatus handed her over to Ashur. She would feel equal betrayal and hatred later, however, when she found out that Naevia had been having sex with Crixus.
• In addition to being one of the women who killed most with her bare hands, the consequences of her actions caused the death of even more; it indirectly killed Melitta, Tullius, Licinia, Seppia and Ashur.
• Lucretia is the oldest antagonist in the series.
• Lucretia was the eleventh main character to be killed (suicide).
• Lucretia was due to be killed in the last episode of "Blood and Sand", but series creator Steven S. DeKnight decided to expand his story even further in the second season.

Lucretia that actually existed:

     Lucretia (509 B.C.) was a legendary Roman lady, daughter of Spurio Lucretius Tricipitino, mayor of Rome, and wife of Lucius Tarquinius Colatinus. Historians Tito Lívio and Dionisius de Halicarnasso report that Lucrécia was raped by Sextus, son of Tarquínio, the Soberbo, and that she committed suicide after reporting this fact to her husband and father and asking for revenge. This personal drama would have been the pretext for the movement that led to the revolution that overthrew the monarchical regime and established the republic in Rome.

     According to Livy, a group of young Romans were looking for ways to kill time while besieging the nearby town of Ardea. One night, drunk, they were competing to see who had the best woman, when one of them, Lucius Tarquinius Colatinus, suggested that they should simply go home and inspect the women; this would demonstrate, he said, the superiority of his Lucretia. What was actually proved: while all the other wives were discovered having fun at parties in the absence of their husbands, Lucrezia did exactly what was expected of a virtuous Roman woman: she worked at her loom, in the company of her maids. She then, submissively, offered a dinner to her husband and her guests.

     But the consequence was terrible, because during that visit, the story goes, Sixth Tarquinius, aroused interest in Lucretia and a few nights later he returned to her house. After being kindly received, he went to Lucrécia's room and demanded that she have sex with him, threatening her with a knife. When he saw that the simple threat of death did not convince her to give in, Tarquinius began to explore her fear of dishonor: he threatened to kill her and also murder a slave so that it would appear that he had been caught in the most infamous form of adultery.

     At this, Lucretia relented, but after Tarquinius returned to Ardea, he sent for her husband and father and told them what had happened. Then he killed himself. Lucretia rape shocked the Roman people and army, which led by Lucius Junius Brutus exiled Tarquinius, the Soberbo and his sons and started the Roman Republic.

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