Claudius the God (1934)

As good as reading it was watching it on Masterpiece. ( )

Great read. 80 years old, still worth it. Leaves one wondering how in Hell the Romans managed to hang in for centuries after the julio-Claudians. ( )

Eventhough I still like the person Claudius as portrayed in this book, I found this one more difficult to read than "I, Claudius". There are, in my opinion, too many 'exact' copies of speeches and statements. They are written in a more flowery way and sometimes rather boring.
Other than that, the story is still quite good and the character equally fascinating.

It feels like there's somewhat less intrige and scandal than in the first book, but I wonder if that's really the case.

If you like "I, Claudius", you really should finish the man's life's story and read this one too. ( )

This is the second volume in a two volume biography written by Robert Graves in 1934 and 1935. It was the basis for the I Claudius series that was produced in 1976 with Derek Jacobi playing the part of Claudius. A lot of the material was taken from the biography of Claudius in the book Twelve Caesars by Suetonius.
Claudius was Emperor of Rome from 41 to 54 c.e. the the 5th of the Julio-Claudian emperors. Growing up he had some physical afflictions and was shoved in background by his family. He became Emperor after the assassination of Caligula when he was pulled out from his hiding place behind a curtain by a member of the Praetorian Guard who then proclaimed him Emperor.
The book is very well written with a lot of details about Roman life at this time. Since Claudius was the Emperor a lot of the book is about the business of running the Roman government and the politics of Claudius' era.
Some of the superstitious practices set out in the book are humorous. In the section on the Roman invasion of Britain the night before the big battle they brought out some sacred chickens and watched how they ate the sacred cakes. The chickens gobbled up the cakes which was a portent of victory in the battle. The Romans often consulted different auguries and had an extensive calendar of religious rites and sacrifices.
The campaign in Britain was one of the highlights of the book. It portrayed the Roman Army in action against the chariot army of the natives of Britain. Clauduis' marriages were a highlight of his personal life. He had no luck with women. His third wife, Messalina cheated on him constantly and the consensus is that his fourth wife Agrippina had him poisoned.
Claudius' best friend was Herod Agrippa. They met in Rome as boys and continued their friendship until Agrippa's death. They called each other brigand (Herod) and marmoset (Claudius) In their correspondence after Herod became ruler of Judea is an interesting commentary on the life of Jesus Christ.
Claudius supposedly had ambitions to bring back the Roman Republic but toward the end of the book his outlook changes. He became more fatalistic and supposedly knew he was taking poison when he was handed the fatal mushroom.
This book is an entertaining way to learn something about Ancient Rome. The details of Claudius' life are questionable but they make a good story. After reading this book I don't think I would have wanted the life of a Roman Emperor. ( )

This sequel to "I, Claudius" was just as engaging as the original. ( )