I, Claudius : From the Autobiography of Tiberius Claudius, Born 10 B.C., Murdered and Deified A.D. 54 (Vintage International) by Robert Graves Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of I, Claudius : From the Autobiography of Tiberius Claudius, Born 10 B.C., Murdered and Deified A.D. 54 (Vintage International)
Book Review: Survival amidst violence, corruption and chaos
Summary: 5 Stars
Through the voice of Graves, Claudius, or even better, Tiberius Caludius Drusus Nero Germanicus, later Emperor of Rome, tells us his story, a story of precarious survival in a world of intrigue, betrayal, lies and dangerous madmen (and madwomen). Sickly, limp, deaf in one ear, and stammering, Claudius is right from his birth a shy, timorous and diminished boy. In consequence, almost everybody believes him to be hopelessly stupid. Everybody rejects him, except his beloved older brother Germanicus and his friend Postumus, but even these treat him only as their poor protege. His parents tend to his needs, but nothing else. His grandmother Livia, the most fascinating character in the book, despises and hates him. All the rest simply mock or ignore him.
Claudius, with his peculiar and acid sense of humor, tells us the story beginning two generations before his birth. At the end of the Civil War provoked by Julius Ceasar, Augustus (originally Octavian) attains victory and installs him as de-facto Emperor of Rome (it would be centuries later that the pretensions of Republican institutions would be officially disappeared). Livia, a woman sick with ambition and lust for power, divorces Claudius's grandfather and marries Augustus. Thus begins a story of centralization of power, of poisonings and blackmailing, of a power-behind-the-throne which makes Lady Macbeth look like an innocent school girl. Livia is a portent: she possesses incredible political and administrative skills, and she becomes the perfect partner of the noble, capable, but sometimes naive Augustus, who consults with her every matter. Augustus plays good cop: he is honest and magnanimous, the friendly face of the regime. Livia does all the dirty work, with dedication and efficiency. For a moment, the Empire ceases its expansionist efforts, and the resources are dedicated to consolidation of frontiers and to the strengthening of infrastructure and administrative apparatus. A spirit of sacrifice and service prevails. Heroes abound, remarkably Drusus, Claudius's father, and then Germanicus, the older brother and true Hero of Rome. Both men preserve ideas about Republican restoration, something they will pay dearly for.
While many things are passing, Claudius grows up silently in the shadow. Little by little, some people (his two friends, his two servants and his two teachers) discover that the family fool is in fact a clever, observant, just and gentle guy. But no one else notices, which is exactly what saves his life, since no one envies him or feels he is a threat.
When he is thirteen, still living in Rome, Claudius falls in love with an angelical creature, his soulmate, to whom he is promised in marriage. I won't spoil for you what happens the day of the wedding, but suffice it to say that his subsequent married life will be horrible.
During the following years, Claudius retires to live at his villa in Capua, where his only company are some faithful servants and the two successive prostitutes who become his only true friends. After Augustus's death, the obscure Tiberius raises to the throne. Tiberius is a capable politician, soldier and administrator, but he is also a sexual degenerate, a puppet in the hands of his mother Livia, who progressively becomes a paranoid murderer and an intolerable tyrant. Tiberius's years are for Claudius a time of great intellectual achievements (he is an historian and writer), as well as a time of a personal nightmare, for one by one his loved ones are murdered by Tiberius and Livia. Then Tiberius's debacle sets in and he is succeeded by Caligula. Claudius's nephew and Livia's grand-grandson (Livia finally dies at age 86) begins his reign as a benevolent and generous ruler. But one day, after a month of sickness, Caligula sends for Claudius and tells him the real truth: He is God, more powerful than Jupiter. What follows, horrible but fun to read, is the crazed story of a living Devil. Dispend, negligence, murder, degenerate orgies and almost the ruin of the Empire, until the furious masses kill Caligula and crown the ultimate survivor, the only capable man left alive but who, alas, doesn't want to be Emperor.
Thus finishes the first part of Claudius's life, masterfully told by a Classicist, poet and narrator of the first order. This is one of the bloodiest and cruellest books you'll ever going to read, but it is extremely entertaining, illuminating and solid.
Book Review: A Book of Strength and Weakness
Summary: 5 Stars
This book's biggest strength is also its greatest weakness.
Graves' novel of corruption, murder and mayhem in Imperial Rome presents itself as a firsthand account by Tiberius Claudius, a stammering weakling often mistaken for an idiot. So well does Graves ape the rhythms and language of classical history that one frequently forgets that the book was written in the 20th century, not the 1st, by a wounded veteran of the Great War, not a physically deformed man simultaneously at the fringes and the center of Imperial Roman history, a weak man sharply observing the strong men around him.
Such slavish devotion to the rhythms of ancient writing does have its costs, though, and I can only imagine what would have happened if someone had presented this manuscript at a community college creative writing course. "Show, don't tell," they'd say, after slogging their way through several of Graves-as-Claudius's secondhand accounts of pre-Machiavelli Machiavellian behavior. "Write shorter sentences!" they'd say. "A good tale speeds best when plainly told." And so on, and so forth.
Still, those accounts make for fascinating history. One senses the true character of many of the leading personalities--noble, regal Augustus; weak but sympathetic Claudius; Livia, a long-lived Lady Macbeth transported to ancient Rome; Germanicus, a well-loved and battle-tested`leader; Caligula, perhaps the craziest person in all of classical history. And one gets a feel for how their characters bounced off each other and shaped their society, starting Rome on the gradually accelerating slope whereby it went from a stout-as-oak imperial superpower to a broken, debauched, and corrupt society slowly rotting from within.
Along with the characters, there are several truly memorable scenes--gladitorial combat in the dusty arenas, battles against Teutonic hordes in the icy German forests, scenes of intrigue and betrayal and mayhem in the marbled salons and bedrooms, all culminating in Calugula's profligate dispalys of megalomaniacal excesses, about which I will say very little, because I don't want to spoil the fun of reading them for the first time.
Crazy scenes aside, it's not always a page-turner, so be forewarned. It is instead a book full of dichotomies, with strengths and weaknesses inextricably entwined in both its characters and its pacing--public service often turns into public selfishness, and intrigue becomes so commonplace as to become un-intriguing. So I found myself wandering through it at a leisurely pace, not wanting to pick it up, but not wanting to put it down either, glad when it was over, but strangely hankering to start it again.
Book Review: Historical fiction at its best - Superb!!
Summary: 5 Stars
Robert Graves' "I, Claudius" is one of the most superb works of historical fiction I have ever read. It goes without saying, (but I will say it anyway), that the author is renowned as an extraordinary poet, novelist and essayist. Here he paints a most realistic portrait of Claudius (Tiberius Claudius Drusus Nero Germanicus), the weak and sickly boy who lived to reign over the Roman empire; Augustus Caesar and his wife and "co-ruler," the venomous Livia Augusta; and Emperors Tiberius and Caligula, as well as their family members, senators and others who peopled "the center of the world" in the 1st century AD. Graves used classical source material when writing this book - Livy, Plutarch, Tacitus, Suetonius and Josephus.
The novel is presented as an autobiography with Claudius narrating in the form of a "confidential" written history in which he reveals the "real scoop" of the years prior to his reign - not the expediential version of history usually documented by those afraid to be crucified...literally. Claudius was in an excellent position to write such a tell-all. He was born with numerous visible physical defects. He was lame, stammered, his head twitched, and he was partly deaf, so no one thought him capable of understanding their conversations, plotting and political intriguing and so spoke freely around him. In fact, many thought he was an idiot. However, he was quite intelligent and what these folks said and did makes for a fascinating, if somewhat diabolical read. In the Rome of Claudius' day, public speaking and the ability to behave with utmost dignity were crucial if one was to hold high office. Unable to meet this criteria, Claudius was left out of Augustus' and Livia's, (Claudius paternal grandmother) plans when preparing members of the imperial family for public positions. Thus he led a quiet life, devoting his time to writing histories instead of attending the Senate or commanding legions. His handicaps actually saved his life. While those around him warred over power and position, Claudius was virtually forgotten. Consequently, he was the only male member of the imperial family alive when Caligula was murdered, and was therefore the only royal candidate available to become emperor.
In order to give readers a more complete picture of the times, Graves does not begin this fictional autobiography with Claudius' birth in 9 BC, but goes back to cover the earlier reign of Augustus, and when necessary even further than that. Roman history is not at the top of my list of favorite topics, but I was really riveted to the page with this compelling account. The period covered is a tumultuous one, apart from the royal family's intriguing and inventive ways of eliminating one another. There were wars, uprisings and even rebellions at home. Christianity was on the rise as was persecution of Christians. Tiberius initiated a reign of terror with spies everywhere, numerous treason trials and executions. And Caligula was totally decadent and completely mad. It was also a time of cultural vitality, splendor and extreme excesses.
I highly recommend "I, Claudius" and its companion novel, "Claudius The God." They exemplify outstanding historical fiction.
JANA
Book Review: Excellent!
Summary: 5 Stars
An enjoyable historical novel, with vivid heros and villains. If you have an interest in the Roman Empire, this would be a good introduction. The book is well-written, with the material taken from credible historical sources, such as Tacitus, Suetonius, Plutarch, and Josephus.
Book Review: The story of an unlikely Emperor
Summary: 5 Stars
Written in 1934, this work of Robert Graves has well stood the test of time. Much of this work was inspired by Suetonius' work..'The Twelve Caesars'. Grave's book is a masterpiece of historical facts and fiction with Claudius acting as narrator.
Claudius, the stutter and future Caesar, was liked by few and disliked by most. With his limping stammering ways, he was looked at as a fool and so..for now..was saved from poisoning or an even worse death. Claudius knew the inside story of the Caesars..Augustus (Good), Tiberius (Bad) and Caligula (Nuts).
Because he was considered basically incompetent and a non-threat, alot of inside information was told him. Livia, his Grandmother and power behind the throne, finally confided in him and explained many things he already had surmised, and Caligula..when Caesar..unfolded the mysteries surrounding Germanicus death. It was really interesting to read his opinion of his Grandmother Liva. With all the bad things she did in trimming the family tree, he still thought she was a good administrator. The only time things went amok was when she wasn't controlling them.
Filled with the personal habits of the emperors and their families, this book is a page turner. Reading about the evil nasty things these people did and then getting their retribution was a fantastic read.