As is the case with most authors and playwrights who employ a historical base, Friedrich Dürrenmatt, reinvented several historical figures for his purposes. The most prominent of these are: Romulus Augustus, Odoaker, Theodoric, and Zeno. The actions of each of these characters in the play bear some resemblance to those in history. If you like history, the brief summaries below, drawn from general encyclopedias, may be of some interest to you.

Romulus:

Romulus Augustus (d. ca. 511) was the last of the Western Roman Emperors. On Sept. 4, 476 he was compelled by the Gothic (Teutonic) leader, Odoakar to abdicate. This action has long been considered the end of the Western Roman Empire. The Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantium) continued until 1453. By that time, Rome had already lost its hegemony over the provinces, and Germanic generals like Odoacer had become the real power behind the throne.

Romulus Augustus is frequently known by a diminutive nickname, “Romulus Augustulus.” The Latin termination -ulus diminishes the scale of any noun; hence, “Augustulus” would mean “the Little Augustus.”

Unlike many of the later Western Roman Emperors, Romulus’s life after abdication seems to have been a good one. Because of his youth, Odoacer spared him...and sent him to the district of Campania to live with relatives. .... Romulus founded a monastery that lasted for hundreds of years, but does not appear to have lived to see the restoration of Roman authority in Italy in 536.

His legitimacy as the last Roman emperor is often questioned. He was never recognized by the eastern emperor, Zeno, who continued to recognize Julius Nepos as emperor.... However, most modern accounts consider Romulus to have been the last emperor of the West.

Odoaker (Ottaker):

Odoaker, also known as Odovacar (435-493) was the half Hunnish, half Scirian chieftain of the German Heruli. He is best known to history as the man who deposed the last Roman emperor in the West, Romulus Augustus, in 476.

After deposing Romulus, Odoaker...had a choice of either appointing a new figurehead emperor and ruling through him, or ruling as an agent of the Eastern Roman Empire. Unlike many of his predecessors...he chose the latter route, returning the western imperial empire to the emperor, Zeno, in Constantinople, along with a letter asking to be confirmed as dux of Italy. Zeno granted this request and bestowed upon Odoaker the rank of patrician.

Until his death in 480, the legitimate western emperor Julius Nepos technically remained Odoaker’s superior.... However, Odoaker also styled himself rex Italiae (King of Italy) and was recognized as such for the rest of his life.

Nevertheless, relations between Odoaker and the East Romans later deteriorated, and in 489, with Emperor Zeno’s encouragement, the Ostrogoths under Theodoric the Great invaded Odoaker’s kingdom, destroyed his army...and forced his surrender in 493. Theodoric invited him to a banquet, and supposedly slew him with his own sword and took over his entire kingdom.

Theodoric:

Theodoric the Great (ca.. 454-526), king of the Ostrogoths and conqueror of Italy, spent part of his youth as a hostage in Constantinople. He was elected king in 471 and became involved in intrigues in which he was, by turns, the ally and the enemy of the Byzantine emperor, Zeno. It was probably to be rid of him that Zeno commissioned him to lead a campaign against Odoaker in Italy. Shortly after Odoaker’s surrender, Theodoric murdered him. Theodoric was now master in Italy. Because of his great power, he was able to avoid Byzantine supervision and, thus, was more than a mere official. His title was that of patrician. His long rule in Italy was most beneficent; he respected Roman institutions, preserved Roman laws, and appointed Romans to civil offices, at the same time retaining a Gothic army and settling Goths on the land.

Zeno:

Zeno was from Isauria where he bore the name Tarasicodissa. He had a military career...and is first heard of in 466. He was emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire when the Western Roman Empire officially ended in 476.

Zeno married the daughter of Byzantine emperor Leo I and fathered Leo II. The child reigned briefly upon the death of Leo I but died within a year. Zeno, having been appointed co-emperor, succeeded him in 474.

Zeno’s reign was plagued by revolts and religious conflicts, and he was forced to flee Constantinople. He returned in August 476, but had continuing difficulties including trouble with Theodoric and the Ostrogoths. He succeeded in convincing the Ostrogoths to leave the Eastern Empire by appointing Theodoric successor to Odoaker.

He died in 491.