Apocolocyntosis

About “Apocolocyntosis”

The Apocolocyntosis is a satirical literary work attributed to Seneca the Younger, though its exact authorship is debated. It mocks the Roman emperor Claudius and uses wordplay on "apotheosis," the process by which deceased emperors were deified. The title translates to "Pumpkinification" or "Gourdification" of Claudius, suggesting a mocking transformation of the emperor into a vegetable. A related text, Ludus de morte Divi Claudii, exists in surviving manuscripts but may or may not be the same work. The piece is classified as a Menippean satire, a form that blends prose and poetry to criticize societal norms or individuals. (Summary adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.)