Poppaea Sabina object of desire of Claudius, Nero, and Otho, each of whom served for a time as Roman Emperor, whose rivalries Agrippina attempts to leverage to her advantage. Once Poppaea sees through Agrippina's deceit, she responds in kind, but only in order to be united with Otho, portrayed as her one true love. Poppaea appears as a character in the several cinema and TV versions of Henryk Sienkiewicz's novel "Quo Vadis". In the 1951 film version - in which she is played by Patricia Laffan in a widely-praised performance - she is strangled to death by Nero, who blames her for
Lex Papia Poppaea Lex Papia Poppaea The Lex Papia Poppaea was a Roman law introduced in 9 AD to encourage and strengthen marriage. It included provisions against adultery and celibacy and complemented and supplemented Augustus' "Lex Julia de Maritandis Ordinibus" of 18 BC and the Lex Iulia de Adulteriis Coercendis of 17 BC. The law was introduced by the suffect consuls of that year, Marcus Papius Mutilus and Quintus Poppaeus Secundus, although they themselves were unmarried. Tacitus mentions several "leges Iuliae" (Julian Laws) pertaining to morals and marriage, and the "Lex Papia Poppaea" as a separate later law, refining the Julian Laws ("Annals",