Sejanus acts as the mentor for the District 2 male tribute, Marcus, in the 10th Hunger Games. He constantly struggles with the concept of the Hunger Games and desperately tries to take a stand against them, which ultimately leads to his downfall.
Sejanus Plinth Profile
- Name: Sejanus Plinth
- Age: 18
- Gender: Male
- Place of origin: District 2
- Physical appearance: Tall, angular frame, soulful brown eyes
- Skills: Excellent marksmanship
- Strengths: Good moral compass, courageous
- Weaknesses: No instincts to distinguish between friend and enemy
- Loyalties: Rebel
Early Life
Born to Strabo Plinth and Mrs. Plinth, Sejanus originally comes from District 2. His father was a weapons and ammunition producer who decided to side with the Capitol during the First Rebellion. As such, he supplied the Capitol with the required ammunition required to take down District 13. Having defected to the Capitol and being extremely from his business during the First Rebellion, Strabo was given citizenship within the post-war Capitol and almost instantly earned the luxury and prestige that many other Capitol families took generations to accumulate.
Thus, Sejanus moved to the Capitol at the age of 8 and received schooling there. Strabo’s generous donations to the reconstruction of the Capitol after the war earned Sejanus a place at the Capitol Academy. However, he was the subject of severe bullying at the hands of the Capitol students for being a district boy. 18-year-old Coriolanus Snow considered joining in the bullying. In the end, he decided to simply leave Sejanus alone. Unfortunately, Sejanus construed this as friendship and began to think of Snow as an ally.
Sejanus proved himself to be a stellar student at the Academy and performed exceptionally well in Professor Agrippa Sickle’s class. He later became her assistant and catered to her every beck and call.
10th Hunger Games
Reaping
During the Reaping Ceremony for the 10th annual Hunger Games, Sejanus was given the task of carrying a large ornamental shade that Professor Sickle received as an award for supervising the bombing drills during the rebellion. The girl tribute from District 12 captures Panem’s attention with her excellent showmanship during the ceremony.
Sejanus’s costume catches the attention of Snow, who begins to engage in conversation with him. The two of them talk about the state of affairs after the war and the rising taxes that are leaving the once-proud family of the Snow lineage almost destitute. The conversation disturbs Snow deeply.
Mentoring
The top 24 students at the Academy are given the chance of mentorship during the 10th Hunger Games. Much to his dismay, Sejanus is chosen as one of the mentors. He speculates that his father bribed the Academy into giving Sejanus a position in the mentorship program.
Throughout his mentorship program, Sejanus continually denounces the Hunger Games and the inhumane cruelty that they propagate. He incessantly advocates for the tributes to be treated as human beings rather than as animals. However, his rantings are largely ignored as he originally came from the districts. Sejanus continues to philosophize about the ethicality and morality of the Hunger Games, due to which he is eventually recognized as a rebel sympathizer by Dr. Volumnia Gaul.
Sejanus and Marcus
The role of Sejanus Plinth given by the Dean of the Academy is to mentor the District 2 male tribute, Marcus. This proves to be especially difficult for Sejanus as he studied with Marcus in the same class back in the districts. Further, the irony of how Sejanus could just as easily have been in the same position as Marcus if not for his father’s wealth and status, is not lost on him.
Sejanus attempts to befriend Marcus at the Capitol Zoo. He brings the tributes plums and sandwiches which most of them refuse out of distrust. Snow persuades Lucy Gray Baird to accept the sandwiches, after which the other tributes also begin to accept them. The exception, however, was Marcus, who likely saw Sejanus’s defection to the Capitol with extreme disdain. Sejanus is, therefore, unsuccessful in his attempt to become friendly with his tribute.
During the bombing of the Capitol Arena, Sejanus is uninjured. However, Marcus takes this opportunity to escape his fate. Marcus is soon found and displayed at the beginning of the Games, with his body strung up by poles and severely beaten. Sejanus is unable to stand this unnecessary display of cruelty and flings a chair at his television.
On the first night of the Games, Sejanus is overtaken by a desire to enter the arena and guard Marcus’s body. He, therefore, slips into the arena, noticed only by Dr. Gaul and the other tributes. Dr. Gaul instructs young Snow to bring Sejanus back before anyone else notices. Unfortunately, Snow and Sejanus are attacked by four tributes in the arena – Bobbin, Coral, Mizzen, and Tanner. Snow kills Bobbin in self-defense, and the two of them narrowly escape with their lives. Sejanus is then overcome with grief for Marcus, and he stops participating in the Hunger Games.
After the Games
Peacekeeping
Sejanus is assigned to peacekeeping duties as punishment for illegally entering the arena. This is a lesser punishment brought about by his father who generously offered to upgrade the Academy laboratory in return. Thus, Sejanus is relegated to District 12, where he meets Coriolanus Snow, who has also received similar punishment for other offenses. Sejanus regularly receives care packages from home which includes equipment and various baked goods. He has also carried a thousand dollars with him, as well as an old photo of his class from District 2.
In Peacekeeper training, Sejanus is exceptional at marksmanship, something which the other trainees suffer with. This is because Sejanus has been regularly practicing shooting with his father from a young age. His first duty as Peacekeeper comes during Arlo Chance’s hanging.
Rebel Activities
Sejanus becomes acquainted with Billy Taupe, an ex-boyfriend of Lucy Gray Baird, with whom he begins to plan rebellious activities. Snow coaxes the plan out of Sejanus, upon which Sejanus confesses that he plans to escape to the north, where he can live freely outside the influence of the Capitol. Unfortunately, Snow has recorded the entire conversation with the help of a jabberjay, which he sends to Dr. Gaul.
After a performance by the Covey at the Hob, Snow finds Sejanus finalizing his plans with Billy and Spruce, who have managed to gather a sack of weapons for the journey. While Snow tries to persuade Sejanus out of the plan, the group is discovered by Mayfair Lipp, the daughter of District 12’s Mayor. She threatens to reveal everything to the mayor, which results in an altercation. In the resulting scuffle, Snow accidentally kills Mayfair, and Billy Taupe is killed by Spruce.
Death
Dr. Gaul listens to the jabberjay recording of Sejanus elaborating on his rebel activities. The Capitol then sentences Sejanus to death. His father’s last hope of bribery does not work, as he is unable to sway the Capitol’s decision. Sejanus is now considered an adult and is believed to be highly dangerous to the Capitol regime. He is therefore arrested and executed at the infamous Hanging Tree.
FAQs
What happens to Sejanus Plinth?
Sejanus Plinth is arrested and executed for rebel activities. His plan to escape to the north is outed by Snow to Dr. Gaul. Before Sejanus can escape, he is caught and killed at the Hanging Tree. Sejanus is played by Josh Andrés Rivera, who is represented by Silver Lining Entertainment, in the last film of the franchise.
What were Sejanus’ last words?
Sejanus’ last word before he was executed was “Ma!”. The jabberjays around him picked up the word even and continued crying the same even after his death – “Ma! Ma! Ma! Ma! Ma!” The Hunger Games movies include Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, and Liam Hemsworth in the cast. The latest draft of the new project by the executive producers Tim Palen and Jim Miller is the adaptation of the work of writers Collins and Michael Arndt. Meredith Wieck is working on behalf of Lionsgate, and the odds are that the Hunger Games’ prequel movie is a massive hit.
What is the relationship between Coriolanus and Sejanus Plinth?
Sejanus considered Coriolanus to be his best friend. However, Coriolanus did not hold the same sentiments toward Sejanus. In fact, Coriolanus despised Sejanus for being district-born and constantly thought of him as inferior to the rest of the Capitol students. The role of Coriolanus Snow, the future tyrannical President of Panem, is given to Tom Blyth in the fast-approaching movie, while West Side Story alum Rachel Zegler (a seasoned stage actor) will play Lucy Gray Baird.
What is the message of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes?
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins is a best-selling novel that focuses on ethicality, morality, and philosophy. It explores how free will and determinism can affect one’s life. While some characters in the novel freely make choices based on the opportunities provided (and reap the consequences for the same), others do not have much of a choice and suffer their fate. The adaptation of the prequel film by Director Francis Lawrence is hitting theaters in November 2023.
Did Coriolanus betray Sejanus?
Yes, Coriolanus betrayed Sejanus. Although Sejanus considered Coriolanus to be a good friend and decent human being, Coriolanus always hated him for his rebellious sentiments. He records Sejanus’s plan of escaping to the north and sends it to the Capitol, resulting in Sejanus’s arrest and execution.
Is there a movie for The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes?
Yes, there is. The film will star Josh Rivera, who recently starred as “Chino” in Steven Spielberg’s Oscar-nominated adaption of “West Side Story.” He acted opposite Ansel Elgort, Ariana Debose and Rachel Zegler. Rivera is also set to appear in Kristen Roupenian’s buzzy short story (from The New Yorker), where he will be working with Nicholas Braun, Geraldine Viswanathan, and Emilia Jones. Rivera’s most memorable performance is in the Tony-winning “Hamilton,” where he performed admirably in the original company of the first national tour of the smash hit. In the HBO Max pilot “Vegas High” (produced by Michael Showalter and directed by Gillian Robespierre), Rivera was a series lead.
