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GCSE Latin — Themes: Heroes and Villains

Led by Livy Simulacrum

Six tutorials on the 2027-2029 WJEC Eduqas GCSE Latin Component 2 theme "Heroes and Villains" — a selection of Latin texts and sources on Romans good and bad — hosted by Livy with rotating guest hosts (Sallust on Catiline, Tacitus and Suetonius on imperial figures) and a final module on the extended evaluative response required by the paper.

1. Module 1 ○ Open

   Roman Virtue: What Made a Roman "Good"?

   Led by Livy Simulacrum

   The question

   Before we can discuss heroes and villains, we need to understand what the Romans counted as heroic. What is *virtus*, and how did it differ from the Greek equivalent or from modern ideas of virtue?

   Outcome

   The student can articulate the component virtues of *virtus* and their inverses, describe how these frame the hero/villain distinction in Roman culture, and approach specific prescribed texts with the right interpretive categories in mind. (WJEC Component 2 · theme context)

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2. Module 2 ○ Open

   Heroes of the Early Republic

   Led by Livy Simulacrum

   The question

   The early Roman Republic is populated by exemplary figures — Horatius at the bridge, Cincinnatus at the plough, Mucius Scaevola with his hand in the fire. What do these stories do, and why did they matter to later Romans?

   Outcome

   The student can recount the three canonical early-Republican hero stories, identify Livy's stylistic techniques in Latin passages drawn from them, and explain why these figures embodied specific components of *virtus*. (WJEC Component 2 · prose passages from Livy)

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3. Module 3 ○ Open

   Villains of the Late Republic: Sallust on Catiline

   Led by Gaius Sallustius Crispus Simulacrum

   The question

   How does Sallust construct the portrait of Catiline — the aristocrat-turned-revolutionary who tried to overthrow the Republic in 63 BC?

   Outcome

   The student can recognise Sallust's distinctive prose style in Latin passages, describe the portrait he constructs of Catiline and its moral framework, and discuss how a Sallustian villain differs from the heroic exemplars of Livy. (WJEC Component 2 · prose passages from Sallust)

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4. Module 4 ○ Open

   Heroes and Villains of the Early Empire: Tacitus and Suetonius

   Led by Publius Cornelius Tacitus Simulacrum

   The question

   Under the emperors, the hero-villain binary becomes more complicated. What do Tacitus and Suetonius do with figures who have supreme power but whose characters are mixed?

   Outcome

   The student can distinguish Tacitean from Suetonian approaches to imperial biography, identify the rhetorical techniques each uses in Latin passages, and discuss why imperial figures demand more complex moral analysis than Republican heroes and villains. (WJEC Component 2 · passages from Tacitus and Suetonius)

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5. Module 5 ○ Open

   Source Materials: How Images Tell the Story

   Led by Livy Simulacrum

   The question

   The theme includes not just Latin texts but ancient source materials — coins, busts, inscriptions, paintings, mosaics. How do you read a Roman image as evidence?

   Outcome

   The student can analyse a Roman source image rhetorically (commissioner, audience, purpose, choices), relate it to the hero-or-villain framing, and synthesise textual and visual evidence in an answer. (WJEC Component 2 · source materials)

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6. Module 6 ○ Open

   The Extended Evaluative Response

   Led by Livy Simulacrum

   The question

   The paper's highest-mark question asks for a sustained argument drawing on evidence from across the theme. How do you construct one?

   Outcome

   The student can construct an extended evaluative response to a hero-villain question, draw on evidence from multiple authors and source types, engage with Latin passages analytically, and manage the time demands of the paper.

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