Was Nero a Monster?

I believe that yes, Nero was quite monstrous. Although he is commonly portrayed as one of the great Roman emperors, it doesn't excuse his many heinous acts. Nero is just as often depicted as being incredibly power-hungry, greedy, and all other manners of horrible. It is common fact that Nero had his own mother killed, an act that is widely regarded as trying to take total control of the throne, as his mother often tried to use her son as a puppet for her own desires. In addition, he was chased out of Rome by angry mobs and his life ended in a miserable suicide. No man who was so widely hated by his own people, and willing to burn their city at that, could be truly misunderstood.