I, Claudius is a novel by Robert Graves, (ISBN 067972477X) first published in 1934, dealing sympathetically with the life of the Roman Emperor Claudius and the history of the Julio-Claudian Dynasty and Roman Empire, from Julius Caesar's assassination in 44 BC to Caligula's assassination in 41 AD. Graves's interpretation of the story owes much to the biographies of Tacitus, Plutarch, and (most especially) Suetonius. Graves continued his tale (from Claudius' accession after Caligula's death to his death in 54 AD, as well as a segue involving the early life of Herod Agrippa) in Claudius the God (1935). front cover of time reading program edition of i, claudius by robert graves, cover design ©1965 by time, inc. ... DeFoes Robinson Crusoe, Newspaper edition published in 1719 A novel (from French nouvelle, new) is an extended fictional narrative in prose. ... Portrait of Robert Graves (circa 1974) by Rab Shiell Robert von Ranke Graves (July 24, 1895–December 7, 1985) was an English scholar, best remembered for his work as a poet and novelist. ... 1934 (MCMXXXIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... Roman Emperor is the title historians use to refer to rulers of the Roman Empire, after the epoch conventionally named the Roman Republic. ... A statue of Emperor Claudius Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (August 1, 10 BC–October 13, 54), originally known as Tiberius Claudius Drusus Nero Germanicus, was the fourth Roman Emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, ruling from January 24, 41 to his death in 54. ... The Julio-Claudian dynasty was the series of the first five Roman Emperors. ... The Roman Empire is the term conventionally used to describe the Ancient Roman polity in the centuries following its reorganization under the leadership of Octavian (better known as Caesar Augustus), until its radical reformation in what was later to be known as the Byzantine Empire. ... Bust of Julius Caesar Painting of Gaius Julius Caesar A coin with Julius Caesars head on it Gaius Julius Caesar (Classical Latin: IMP·C·IVLIVS·CAESAR·DIVVS¹) (b. ... Centuries: 2nd century BC - 1st century BC - 1st century Decades: 90s BC 80s BC 70s BC 60s BC 50s BC - 40s BC - 30s BC 20s BC 10s BC 0s BC 0s Years: 49 BC 48 BC 47 BC 46 BC 45 BC 44 BC 43 BC 42 BC 41 BC... Gaius Caesar Germanicus Gaius Julius Caesar Germanicus (August 31, 12 – January 24, 41), most commonly known as Caligula, was the third Roman Emperor and third member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, ruling from AD 37 to 41. ... For alternate uses, see Number 41. ... Gaius Cornelius Tacitus Publius or Gaius Cornelius Tacitus (c. ... Plutarch Mestrius Plutarch (cz. ... Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus (69/70 AD - After 130 AD) or known as Suetonius is a prominent Roman Writer. ... Events October 13 - Roman Empire emperor Claudius dies after being poisoned by Agrippina, his wife and niece. ... This entry incorporates text from Eastons Bible Dictionary, 1897, with some modernisation. ... 1935(MCMXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Content

The message of the story appears to concern the relationship between liberty (as demonstrated by the Roman Republic, and the dedication to its ideals shown by Augustus and young Claudius) and stability (as demonstrated by Empress Livia, Herod Agrippa, and the elder Claudius). The Republic provided for freedom, but was inherently unstable and threw the doors open for endless civil wars, of which the last was ended by Augustus after twenty years of fighting. While Augustus harbors Republican sentiments, his wife Livia manages to convince him that to lay down his Imperial powers would be to destroy the peaceful society they have made. Likewise, when the similarly-minded Claudius becomes emperor, he is convinced by Empress Messalina and Herod to preserve his powers, for much the same reason. However, Graves acknowledges that there must be a delicate balance between Republican liberty and Imperial stability; whereas too much of the former led to civil war, too much of the latter led to the corruption of Tiberius, Caligula, Messalina, Sejanus, Herod Agrippa, Nero, Agrippinilla, and countless others - as well as, to a lesser extent, Livia and Claudius himself. See also Roman Republic (18th century) and Roman Republic (19th century). ... Augustus Caesar Caesar Augustus (Latin: IMP·CAESAR·DIVI·F·AVGVSTVS)¹ (23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), known earlier in his life as Gaius Octavius or Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus, was the first Roman Emperor and is traditionally considered the greatest. ... A statue of Emperor Claudius Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (August 1, 10 BC–October 13, 54), originally known as Tiberius Claudius Drusus Nero Germanicus, was the fourth Roman Emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, ruling from January 24, 41 to his death in 54. ... Livia Livia Drusa Augusta, Livia Drusilla, or Julia Augusta (58 BC-AD 29) was the wife of Caesar Augustus and the most powerful woman in Roman history, acting several times as regent and being Augustus faithful advisor. ... Agrippa I also called the Great (c. ... Valeria Messalina (17–48) was the third wife of the Roman emperor Claudius. ... A bust of younger Emperor Tiberius For the city in Israel, see Tiberias. ... Gaius Caesar Germanicus Gaius Julius Caesar Germanicus (August 31, 12 – January 24, 41), most commonly known as Caligula, was the third Roman Emperor and third member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, ruling from AD 37 to 41. ... Valeria Messalina (23–48 CE) was the third wife of the Roman emperor Claudius. ... Lucius Aelius Sejanus (or Seianus) (20 BC– October 18, 31 AD) was an ambitious soldier, friend and confidant of Tiberius, and for a time the most influential and feared citizen of Rome. ... Agrippa I also called the Great (c. ... Nero Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (December 15, 37–June 9, 68), born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus, also called (50–54) Nero Claudius Drusus Germanicus, was the fifth and last Roman Emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty. ... Julia Vipsania Agrippina or Agrippina Minor (Latin for the younger) (November 6, 15/16-March, 59 AD), often called Agrippinilla to distinguish her from her mother, was the daughter of Germanicus and Agrippina Major. ... A cult statue of Livia represented as Ops, with sheaf of wheat and cornucopia, 1st century AD (Louvre) Livia Drusa Augusta, Livia Drusilla, or Julia Augusta (58 BC-AD 29) was the wife of Caesar Augustus and the most powerful woman in the early Roman empire, acting several times as... A statue of Emperor Claudius Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (August 1, 10 BC–October 13, 54), originally known as Tiberius Claudius Drusus Nero Germanicus, was the fourth Roman Emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, ruling from January 24, 41 to his death in 54. ...

Near the end of Claudius the God, Graves introduces another idea: that when a formerly-free nation has lived under a dictatorship for too long, it is incapable of returning to free rule. This is highlighted by Claudius' failed attempts to revive the Republic; by the attempts of various characters to 'restore' the Republic but with themselves as the true rulers; and by Claudius noting that 'by dulling the blade of tyranny, I reconciled Rome to the monarchy' - i.e., in his attempts to rule autocratically but along more Republican lines, he has only made the Roman people more complacent about their dictatorship.

There also seems to be a subtle feminist message, in line with other works of Graves's: Julia, Livia, Drusilla, Messalina, and Agripinilla are quite obviously the powers behind their husbands, fathers, brothers, and/or sons; a good example being: whereas Augustus would have inadvertently caused civil war, Livia managed, via quiet manipulation, to preserve the peace.

Adaptations for film and television

The book was to have been the subject of a 1937 film, produced by Alexander Korda and starring Charles Laughton, but it was dogged by ill-luck, culminating in a serious accident involving the female star, Merle Oberon, which caused filming to be abandoned. 1937 (MCMXXXVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... Sir Alexander Korda (September 16, 1893 - January 23, 1956) was a film director and producer, a leading figure in the British film industry and the founder of London Films. ... Charles Laughton as photographed in 1940 by Carl Van Vechten Charles Laughton (July 1, 1899 - December 15, 1962) was a British-born American stage and film actor of partial Irish Catholic extraction. ... Actress Merle Oberon in Berlin Express (1948) Merle Oberon (February 19, 1911 – November 23, 1979), born Estelle Merle OBrien Thompson, was a film actress, known for her sultry looks. ...

In 1976, the book, together with its sequel, was adapted for television by the BBC, and proved one of the corporation's most successful drama serials of all time. It starred Derek Jacobi as Claudius, Siân Phillips as Livia, George Baker as Tiberius, John Hurt as Caligula and Brian Blessed as Caesar Augustus. The cast also included Patrick Stewart as Sejanus, Margaret Tyzack as Antonia, Patricia Quinn as Livilla, John Paul as Marcus Agrippa, John Rhys-Davies as Macro, Sheila White as Messalina and Christopher Biggins as Nero. Wilfrid Josephs provided the suitably eerie title music. Among other awards, the series won 3 BAFTAs in 1977 (Derek Jacobi, Best Actor (TV); Siân Phillips, Best Actress (TV); Tim Harvey, Best Design (TV)). 1976 (MCMLXXVI) is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... Corporate logo of the British Broadcasting Corporation The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is the national broadcaster of the United Kingdom. ... Sir Derek George Jacobi Kt, (born October 22, 1938), is a British actor, knighted in 1994 for his services to the theatre. ... A statue of Emperor Claudius Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (August 1, 10 BC–October 13, 54), originally known as Tiberius Claudius Drusus Nero Germanicus, was the fourth Roman Emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, ruling from January 24, 41 to his death in 54. ... Siân Phillips CBE, is a Welsh-speaking, British actress. ... A cult statue of Livia represented as Ops, with sheaf of wheat and cornucopia, 1st century AD (Louvre) Livia Drusa Augusta, Livia Drusilla, or Julia Augusta (58 BC-AD 29) was the wife of Caesar Augustus and the most powerful woman in the early Roman empire, acting several times as... George Baker (born 1 April 1931) is a English actor, who was born in Varna, Bulgaria. ... A bust of younger Emperor Tiberius For the city in Israel, see Tiberias. ... John Hurt (Mississippi John Hurt is an early American folk and country blues singer, 1893-1966) John Vincent Hurt CBE (born January 22, 1940) is a British actor. ... Gaius Caesar Germanicus Gaius Julius Caesar Germanicus (August 31, 12 – January 24, 41), most commonly known as Caligula, was the third Roman Emperor and third member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, ruling from AD 37 to 41. ... Blessed (centre) as Exeter in Henry V Brian Blessed (born October 9, 1937) is a respected English actor. ... Bust of Augustus Caesar For the honorific title see Augustus (honorific) Caesar Augustus (Latin:IMP·CAESAR·DIVI·F·AVGVSTVS) ¹ (23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), known to modern historians as Octavian for the period of his life prior to 27 BC, is considered the first and one of... Patrick Stewart Patrick Stewart, OBE, (born July 13, 1940 in Mirfield, Yorkshire, England) is a British film, television, and stage actor best known to the public at large for his roles in Shakespearean productions, Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation, and Professor Xavier in both X... Lucius Aelius Sejanus (or Seianus) (20 BC– October 18, 31 AD) was an ambitious soldier, friend and confidant of Tiberius, and for a time the most influential and feared citizen of Rome. ... Antonia can refer to: Roman Antiquity The name of any women of the Antonius family in Ancient Rome, according to the Roman naming convention. ... Patricia Quinn, Lady Stephens (born on May 28, 1944, in Belfast, Northern Ireland) is an actress. ... Claudia Julia Livilla, also known as Livilla or Julia Livilla the Elder (circa 13 BC–AD 31) was the only daughter of Nero Claudius Drusus and Antonia. ... John Paul (April 20, 1921–February 1995) was a British actor. ... Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa (63 BC-12 BC) was a Roman statesman and general, son-in-law and minister of the emperor Caesar Augustus. ... John Rhys-Davies John Rhys-Davies (born May 5, 1944 in Salisbury, Wiltshire, England) is a Welsh actor. ... A macro in computer science is an abstraction, whereby a certain textual pattern is replaced according to a defined set of rules. ... Valeria Messalina (23–48 CE) was the third wife of the Roman emperor Claudius. ... Christopher Biggins (born 16 December 1948 in Oldham Lancashire) is a British actor well recognised on British television. ... Nero Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (December 15, 37–June 9, 68), born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus, also called (50–54) Nero Claudius Drusus Germanicus, was the fifth and last Roman Emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty. ... Wilfred Josephs (4 July 1927 - 17 November 1997) was a British composer. ... The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), is a British organization that hosts annual awards shows for film, television, childrens film and television, and interactive media. ...

Production of the series was delayed because of complex negotiations between the BBC and the copyright holders of the aborted film version. This did however give scriptwriter Jack Pulman more time to fine-tune his script.

The series was subsequently broadcast in the United States as part of PBS' s Masterpiece Theatre series, where it was widely acclaimed. It has come to be widely regarded as one of the best television series ever made. In a list of the 100 Greatest British Television Programmes drawn up by the British Film Institute in 2000, voted for by industry professionals, I, Claudius was placed 12th. PBS re-directs here; for alternate uses see PBS (disambiguation) PBS logo The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is a non-profit public broadcasting television service with 349 member TV stations in the United States. ... Masterpiece Theatre is a long-running television series produced by WGBH that premiered on PBS on January 10, 1971. ... 100 Greatest British Television Programmes was a list compiled in 2000 by the British Film Institute (BFI) chosen by a poll of industry professionals, to determine what were the greatest British television programmes of any genre ever to have been screened. ... The British Film Institute (BFI) is a charitable organisation established by Royal Charter to encourage the development of the arts of film, television and the moving image throughout the United Kingdom, to promote their use as a record of contemporary life and manners, to promote education about film, television and... This article is about the year 2000. ...

Most VHS and DVD versions of the TV series include a BBC documentary on the Korda film project called The Epic That Never Was, featuring interviews with key production staff and actors as well as most of the surviving footage. The 2002 UK DVD edition also contains a documentary on the series, I, Claudius - a Television Epic, as well as some alternate and deleted scenes. 2002(MMII) is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The Canadian independent film I, Claudia was inspired in title by this book. Another title punning I, Claudius is the book I & Claudius: Travels with My Cat by Clare de Vries about the author's drive across America with her old Burmese cat. Sesame Street's Monsterpiece Theatre also has aired a parody of the play. An independent film (or indie film) is a film initially produced without financing or distribution from a major movie studio. ... I, Claudia is a successful one-person play starring Kristen Thomson, which was adaptated into a movie, shown on CBCs Opening Night and at the Toronto International Film Festival. ... The Burmese is a breed of domesticated Burma in 1930 by Dr. Joseph G. Thompson. ... The United States Postal Service considered the show one of the 1970s greatest influences on culture; the show was thus honored with a millennium series stamp of Big Bird. ... Alistair Cookie presents Monsterpiece Theater is a recurring segment on the American version of the internationally acclaimed childrens educational program Sesame Street. ...

See also

• Count Belisarius
• Tacitean studies

Count Belisarius is a historical novel by Robert Graves, first published in 1938, recounting the life of the Byzantine general Belisarius. ... Justus Lipsiuss 1598 edition of the complete works of Tacitus. ...

External links

• I, Claudius Project (concentrates on the BBC production)
• Encyclopedia of Television
• British Film Institute Screen Online (TV series)
• I, Claudius at the Internet Movie Database