Claudius the God (Penguin Modern Classics)

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In the series Britannia (2018), Claudius visits Britannia, played by Steve Pemberton as a fool who is drugged by Aulus Plautius. A. E. van Vogt's 1950s science fiction novels Empire of the Atom and The Wizard of Linn drew heavily from the plot of Graves' Claudius novels, to the point of reusing slightly altered character names. [24] For these reasons the critic Damon Knight has said their plots were "lifted almost bodily" from that of I, Claudius. [25] The novel has also been adapted for opera by Igor Escudero [21] under the title I, Claudius and Claudius the God (2019). [22] Claudius Latin: Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus; 1 August 10 BCE – 13 October 54 CE) was the fourth Roman emperor. He ruled from 24 January 41 AD to his death in 54 AD. His great-uncle was the first emperor, Augustus, and his uncle was the second emperor Tiberius. His nephew was the third emperor, Caligula. His maternal grandfather was Mark Antony. David Chase, creator and showrunner of the acclaimed 1999 HBO series The Sopranos has spoken highly of the book, calling it one of his favorite works of fiction. [28] While Chase has stopped short of drawing a direct connection, many have compared the Machiavellian Livia Soprano to Claudius' grandmother, Livia Drusilla. [29] [30] [31] [32] [33] [34] These suspicious tend to find confirmation in the maiden name Chase selected for Livia—Pollio, one shared by Gaius Asinius Pollio, who makes a decisive appearance in I, Claudius. [35]

Claudius the God by Robert Graves [A Review] – We Need to Claudius the God by Robert Graves [A Review] – We Need to

Since Claudius was the first emperor proclaimed on the initiative of the Praetorian Guard instead of the Senate, his repute suffered at the hands of commentators (such as Seneca). Moreover, he was the first emperor who resorted to bribery as a means to secure army loyalty and rewarded the soldiers of the Praetorian Guard that had elevated him with 15,000 sesterces. [21] Tiberius and Augustus had both left gifts to the army and guard in their wills, and upon Caligula's death the same would have been expected, even if no will existed. Claudius remained grateful to the guard, issuing coins with tributes to the Praetorians in the early part of his reign. [22] Suetonius and the other ancient authors accused Claudius of being dominated by women and wives, and of being a womanizer. [52] [53] The View from London". Time. 18 September 1972. Archived from the original on 29 January 2009 . Retrieved 14 September 2008.Yet again we have to remind ourselves of what we are always in danger of forgetting as we read this compelling narrative, with its impeccable research, the tremendous intellectual feat of organisation that it represents. It is fiction, after all. Bonfante, Larissa 1990. Etruscan. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-07118-2.

Claudius the God by Robert Graves - Penguin Books Australia Claudius the God by Robert Graves - Penguin Books Australia

There are the regular purges and execution of plotters, a war of conquest in Britannia and a new religion springing out of the East and rapidly sweeping westward. As he attends to all this, Claudius swears to the reader that he never departed from his principles, hopes he can justify his inconsistent acts and asks the reader if he realistically could have done any differently.An episode from "Claudius the God" was adapted for comics in the EC Comics Two-Fisted Tales #36, in a story titled "Battle!", written by Colin Dwakins and drawn by Reed Crandall. Kit, Borys (12 September 2008). "Director Jim Sheridan eyes I, Claudius". Reuters . Retrieved 20 January 2011. He is portrayed in Season 3 of the Netflix documentary series Roman Empire, which focused on the reign of Caligula, by Kelson Henderson. The series concludes with Claudius's accession. Plautia Urgulanilla was the granddaughter of Livia's confidant Urgulania. During their marriage she gave birth to a son, Claudius Drusus. Drusus died of asphyxiation in his early teens, shortly after becoming engaged to Junilla, daughter of Sejanus. Claudius wrote copiously throughout his life. Arnaldo Momigliano states that during the reign of Tiberius, which covers the peak of Claudius's literary career, it became impolitic to speak of republican Rome. The trend among the young historians was either to write about the new empire or about obscure antiquarian topics. Claudius was the rare scholar who covered both. [79]

I, Claudius - Wikipedia

I brooded over the problem. Wasn’t it Plato who wrote that the only sound excuse that anyone can offer for ruling is that by doing so he avoids being ruled by people inferior in talents to himself? There is something in that. But I was afraid, on the contrary, that if I resigned, my place would be taken by someone superior in talents […] so that the monarchy would become stronger than ever and the Republic never be restored. In any case, the moment of tranquility had not come. I must get to work again. James, Caryn (25 March 1999). "Addicted to a Mob Family Potion". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331 . Retrieved 29 August 2023. Sometimes referred to as Claudius I, in reference to the later emperor Claudius Gothicus (Claudius II).This marriage ended in tragedy. The ancient historians allege that Messalina was a nymphomaniac who was regularly unfaithful to Claudius— Tacitus states she went so far as to compete with a prostitute to see who could have more sexual partners in a night [55]–and manipulated his policies to amass wealth. In 48, Messalina married her lover Gaius Silius in a public ceremony while Claudius was at Ostia. Augustus is worshiped now with genuine devotion by millions. I myself pray to him with almost as much confidence as I pray to Mars or Venus. But I make a clear distinction between the historical Augustus, of whose weaknesses and misfortunes I am well informed, and the God Augustus, the object of public worship, who has attained power as a deity. What I mean to say is that I cannot deprecate too strongly the wilful assumption by a mortal of divine power; but if he can indeed persuade men to worship him and they worship him genuinely, and there are no portents or other signs of heavenly displeasure at his deification – well, then he is a god, and he must be accepted as such. But the worship of Augustus as a major deity at Rome would never have been possible if it had not been for this gulf which the philosophers had opened between the ordinary man and the traditional gods. For the ordinary Roman citizen, Augustus filled the gap well. Farquhar, Michael 2001. A treasure of royal scandals, p212. Penguin Books, New York. ISBN 0-7394-2025-9. Clute, John; Peter Nicholls (1995). The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction. New York: St. Martin's Griffin. p.1269. ISBN 0-312-13486-X. Shales, Tom (16 January 2000). "David Chase, Bracing for the Hit". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286 . Retrieved 29 August 2023.

I, Claudius/Claudius the God by Robert Graves | Goodreads

The attempted coup d'état by Silius and Messalina had probably made Claudius realize the weakness of his position since he did not have an obvious adult heir, Britannicus being just a boy. Agrippina's son Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus (the emperor Nero) was one of the last males of the imperial family. Future coup attempts could rally around the pair, and Agrippina was already showing such ambition. In any case, Claudius accepted Agrippina, and later adopted the newly mature Nero as his son. On being relieved of the "Olympian Mixture", Claudius is crushed and decides that the only way the Republic can be restored is by having a true mad monarch rather than the reign of a benevolent one. Comparing himself to the fable of the frogs who desired a King, Claudius privately refers to himself as "Old King Log" and plays a weak and easily manipulated fool. He then incestuously marries his niece Agrippinilla, whom he openly despises. In his feeble old age Claudius excessively enjoys gladiatorial games, is often intoxicated, and makes himself oblivious to Agrippinilla's schemes to gain power and make her son Nero emperor. Foreseeing that Nero will be a terrible ruler, Claudius plans on having his son Britannicus removed to live with the Northern Britons and later to return as Rome's saviour. Britannicus refuses and admits that while he loves the Republic, the Republic is dead and he wants to challenge Nero for the right to rule Rome as an emperor. Dismayed, Claudius agrees, knowing that he is sending his son to his death. Claudius resignedly accepts that his death will be soon with numerous signs suggesting such. George R. R. Martin, the author of The Song of Ice and Fire series (1996—present), has spoken of the inspiration he took from I, Claudius. He especially noted the resemblance Stannis Baratheon bore to Tiberius Caesar, particularly as portrayed by George Baker in the 1976 BBC television adaptation. [26] [27] But the era of plots and intrigues, assassinations and rebellions has not ended just because Claudius is now Emperor. Conspiracies aimed at his downfall or murder surround Claudius and his wife Messalina is not the only one close to him he should not trust.

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As Tiberius becomes more hated by the public, he increasingly relies on his Praetorian Captain Sejanus to administer his edicts and punishments, who is able to manipulate Tiberius into suspecting that Germanicus' wife Agrippina and his own son Castor are plotting to usurp the monarchy. Sejanus meanwhile secretly plots with Livilla to usurp the monarchy for himself by poisoning Castor and systematically eliminating any ally of Agrippina and her sons. Agrippina only survives due to the protection of Livia, who holds vital information regarding Augustus' true opinion of Tiberius. Despite the disdain of the Imperial family, it seems that from very early on the general public respected Claudius. At Augustus's death, the equites, or knights, chose Claudius to head their delegation. When his house burned down, the Senate demanded it be rebuilt at public expense. They also requested that Claudius be allowed to debate in the Senate. Tiberius turned down both motions, but the sentiment remained.