Lygia’s Captivity and Rescue Attempts
Quo VadisThis subplot follows successive attempts to protect Lygia from imperial custody, imprisonment, illness, and public execution.
increasing
Bearing strength in each event
decreasing
Hostage Removal

Hostage Removal
The state claims her
Nero orders Lygia taken from Aulus and Pomponia under the rules governing Roman hostages.
A family loses control
The Plautius household cannot resist without risking everyone’s life.
Escape from the Palace

Escape from the Palace
A rescue by night
Ursus and Christian helpers intercept Lygia’s escort and carry her into hiding.
A new danger begins
Her escape protects her from immediate exploitation but makes her a fugitive whom imperial power may pursue.
A Failed Abduction

A Failed Abduction
Force returns
Vinicius and Croton enter the Christian household to seize Lygia. Ursus defeats Croton and injures Vinicius.
The rescue becomes care
Lygia insists that the Christians treat Vinicius rather than abandon him to his wound.
The Prison Fever

The Prison Fever
Captivity and illness
Lygia is held amid overcrowded, foul prisons and develops a fever that threatens her life.
A narrow protection
Ursus and sympathetic guards protect her from abuse, while Vinicius searches for ways to reach her.
Rescue in the Arena

Rescue in the Arena
A public execution becomes impossible
Nero sends Lygia into the arena on an aurochs, but Ursus kills the beast and saves her.
The crowd intervenes
Popular demand for mercy compels Nero to spare them, ending her captivity through a reversal of the spectacle.
After Petronius speaks with Nero
The morning after the banquet
After Vinicius finds the Christians’ house
After Lygia is arrested in the persecution
During the final evening games