I, Claudius (from the Autobiography of Tiberius Claudius) by Robert Graves

“An interesting autobiography set in a time where the world was very, very different. But it is mired down with far too many people to try and keep track of. Though the reign of Caligula is as entertaining as it is horrifying."
2 Stars. 

Pros: Interesting to see the world at a time where Rome was the ultimate power/The Character of Claudius is far smarter than anyone dares to think and so they never take him as a threat, much to his benefit/Caligula’s madness is both entertaining and terrifying.

Cons: Far too many people to keep track of, all the descendents of Julius Cesar and downward, on and on to infinity, it was far too difficult to keep track of

Full Review

From the very beginning it’s obvious that Claudius does not think highly of himself, nor does anyone else. Ever since birth he has been thought of as a halfwit, feeble minded and feel bodied, a shame to his family. And though he struggles physically, mentally he is as sharp as a tack and doesn’t miss a beat. And that is where he gets the upper hand. He knows how to cater to the people in power and how to keep himself, more or less, on their good side and out of trouble, or worse, executed for no reason.

It’s an interesting view into a world that was just being created. Rome was the pinnacle of culture, society and politics, so to see how the Empire really shaped the world was interesting though sometimes lost in the heavy handedness with which Claudius dealt with the many, many, many people in his life. A few stood out, like Augustus, his Grandfather, who was Emperor when he was born, then Tiberius, his Uncle, who was Emperor after Augustus’ died, then of course, Caligula, his Nephew, who was undeniably and frighteningly insane. The three Emperors aside, there was also Germanicus, Claudius’ brother, who was gallant, fair and kind to his Brother when no one else was and also Postumus, an adopted cousin. And of course, the woman behind all the power, Livia, Claudius’ Grandmother, who wielded power with Augustus and Tiberius’ reign and did whatever she had to do, or didn’t have to do, to keep herself at the head of the Empire. She was a frighteningly driven woman and Claudius knew it, so he did what he could to stay away from her.

While the world grew, wars raged and Rome flourished to the greatest power on Earth, Claudius was content to study history and write accounts of ancient peoples like the Etruscans and Cathaginans; he knew what was going on in the world and how dangerous it was to be a person of power but for he was smart and kept his head down, and let everyone else play in their political games. There were so many beheadings, executions, trials for treason and for various other absurd things such as keeping your business open during the hours that were not “decreed” that Claudius was the smartest player by keeping his nose out of trouble.

Though when Caligula came to power, it was soon obvious that Claudius would every soon not be able to hide the way he had in the past. His Nephew was ruthless, insane and honestly thought that he was a God in Mortal Form. I always though my Sister was joking when she said that Caligula made his favorite horse a senator but no, she wasn’t. The horse’s name was Incitatus and apparel there are statues of him in Rome to this day.

During Caligula’s reign, at first, everyone loved him. He showered wealth upon the masses but when his decrees and wishes became more and more absurd, such as waging a war against the God of the Sea, Neptune, by literally having his archers and infantry fire arrows and slash at the waves, the general popular began to doubt their leader. And though it was high treason to be caught in a conspiracy against the life of the Emperor, soon, even those most loyal to Caligula could not take the madness any longer and they plotted to kill him.

And at the very beginning of the book, Claudius explains that he has been the Emperor but we don’t know his rise to power. And that is the main drive of the story, the reader often wondering how in the world this quiet, intelligent, unassuming man managed to become Emperor when those before him were so very in the spotlight and noticed. It was interesting to watch the events unfold but even so, the narrative was very heavily mired down with people who we had to remember because they came back to be mentioned again. It was very hard to keep track of everyone that was important, especially the children of Claudius’ brothers/sisters etc. Though in the end, everyone was more or less either banished or executed so I guess it’s not that important after all.

The ending of the novel was amusing but horrifying. With the death, well, murder, of Caligula, Claudius is the only one left to assume the role. And so, though thought of his as nothing more than a half-witted, bumbling idiot, he is raised up on the shoulders of the guards and pronounced Emperor. I think the best part at the end is his confession of his thoughts when he was being hailed. He reflected that perhaps he should have thought of his fallen brother Germanicus, or Postumus, his promise to his Grandmother Livia that he would deify her if he came to power; or of the many other ways that he could benefit the society he was now in charge of. But none of these thoughts were in his head at the time. He found himself thinking that he had had a surprisingly good stroke of luck since he was a historian and what better part were he to be given than to be able to mold the history of the Empire with his very hands. He basically thought that this would make a wonderful book. And that’s what I liked about Claudius as a character. He was never one for orgies or plundering or riches. He was never one to stand in the spotlight. He was always in the background and his reflections on the state of the world were often droll, dry and sarcastic. And the fact that as he’s being hailed as Emperor of the most powerful Empire in the world, his thoughts are merely, “Hrm, this would make an excellent book.”

Though it was extremely difficult to get through at times, I did enjoy the book for what it was. And since I’m curious as to how Claudius will be as Emperor I will read, “Claudius, the God” but probably not for awhile yet.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in ancient history, to see what the world was like in truly ancient times and to see how truly insane some politicians can be. It’s topical, with the world we live in right now and who holds the most powerful Office in the United States. I wouldn’t be surprised if “he who shall not be named” would find a way to get his favorite dog voted into the Senate. I believe I shall now be calling him Caligula. It is a far more fitting name.