Rating: 
Summary: Explaining history
Review: Roman Emperor Claudius (41-54) has long been regarded as a so-called 'bad emperor', standing in the line of notorious guys like Caligula, Nero and Domitianus. The main reasons for this image were the books of Latin authors like Seneca, Suetonius and Tacitus. These writers all shared the same image on Claudius: a messy guy 'who was not a master, but rather a servant', as Suetonius puts it. Apparently there are some reviewers on this page who regard these 'original' sources as genuine reports on this emperor. According to them, Graves, who paints a quite sympathetic image of the emperor, is just making a funny story and not offering the facts. But those aforementioned Latin writers were not very objective either, if you look at the facts. Seneca was a relative of Claudius, and had many personal conflicts with the emperor. Additionally, he was the one responsible for the education of cruel Nero, who would become emperor after Claudius. So I don't think you could trust Seneca. The other two authors, Suetonius and Tacitus, were both senators. They were men of the highest rank, and these people had the tradition to look down at emperors who listened more to their freedmen than to the Senate. Claudius was such an emperor: he gave many important bureaucratic jobs to his freedmen, because he could trust them better than those wolves from the Senate. Not a very bad idea, is it? But being senators themselves, Suetonius and Tacitus didn't like this attitude and so they disliked Claudius as well. What I mean to say with this is that the image we get of Claudius in this book is not less important than the one we see in the old sources: if Suetonius is called 'objective', so should Graves be. It's also quite interesting to compare the Roman writers with Graves. During the last months, I've read some texts by Suetonius in college, and it's striking to see how much of Suetonius' information is used by Graves as well. But while the Roman writer bluntly criticizes Claudius for everything he does wrong, Graves tries to explain the same cases in favour of Claudius. Whether Graves tells the truth or not, it is interesting to see how one tries to explain things. A good example is Claudius' order to execute Appius Silanus. Suetonius just tells that Claudius was faked by his wife, who wanted Silanus to be killed. Graves tells the same, but he adds to it that Silanus had refused to tell the truth (which was, that he was innocent) when he stood in front of Claudius. So he simply had to execute him. Another example: Suetonius tells about Claudius' habitude to allow farting and burping to his table-guests, because he once had a man at his table who nearly killed himself by holding up his farts. Of course, for ancient Romans like Suetonius, this was not done, but as a 20th-century writer Graves regards this deed as an act of mere humanity. And who wouldn't, after all? Claudius' very human attitude is the red line of Graves' entire story: it's about a quite unconventional emperor, who is in conflict with old Roman values, presented by the Senate. According to Graves, Claudius may have been too benevolent for his job, a bit naive: he often got strangled in the large web of his relatives, particularly his wives Messalina and Agrippina (Nero's mother). Nevertheless: in Graves' story, Claudius is a good man, with whom the reader gets a lot of sympathy. He was just not entirely able to deal with the snakes that crawled around him. And look at the historical facts: there is proof that the Roman Empire was governed very well under Claudius' hands. The criticism from Roman authors is more about his personal attitude than about his regime itself. So this book, after all, is a fine example of 'explaining history'. Additionally, it's a joy to read.
Rating: 
Summary: A fine sequel to an excellent book...
Review: Taking up where "I, Claudius" left off, "Claudius the God" chronicles the reign of one of the most unlikely Emperors in Roman history: the lame, stuttering, and hardly stupid Tiberius Claudius Drusus Nero Germanicus. Having spent his entire life trying to *avoid* any political office, mostly by letting his family think he's a hopeless idiot (intelligence tends to get weeded out rather rapidly among the Julio-Claudians, usually with the help of some poison), Claudius finds himself catapulted to the throne at the age of fifty-one when his nephew, the mad Emperor Caligula, is assassinated. He doesn't want to be Emperor-he is in fact a staunch believer in restoring the Roman Republic-but eventually is forced to accept the job and thus begins the ill-fated rule of one of the most interesting Emperors of all time. Of course he's doomed from the start-there's hardly an Emperor who *wasn't* murdered, and poison probably qualifies as death by natural causes when you're Roman aristocracy-and his wife Messalina is quite a piece of work, but that doesn't stop the book from being a good read, especially in the earlier parts of the story where Claudius shows an unexpected capacity for efficient administration. The same wry humor and political intrigue that characterized "I, Claudius" are present here as well, and the cast-of-thousands are all distinguished quite well from each other. While "Claudius the God" is not as captivating as its predecessor, and is in fact quite a bit more depressing, it's a book worth reading. There is only one drawback to reading these two tales of intrigue and Imperial families: you'll find yourself wanting to go out and get a food taster afterwards... Footnote: While this may be the wrong place to recommend videos, I strongly suggest that anyone who read and enjoyed "I, Claudius" and "Claudius the God" should see the BBC miniseries. Derek Jacobi is perfect as Claudius, both as the aging Emperor and the young and gawky historian, and Sian Phillips brings the character of Livia to malevolent life with her portrayal of the woman behind the throne. A must-see for any fan of Roman history-or Rome in general!
Rating:
Summary: A fine sequel to an excellent book...
Review: Taking up where "I, Claudius" left off, "Claudius the God" chronicles the reign of one of the most unlikely Emperors in Roman history: the lame, stuttering, and hardly stupid Tiberius Claudius Drusus Nero Germanicus. Having spent his entire life trying to *avoid* any political office, mostly by letting his family think he's a hopeless idiot (intelligence tends to get weeded out rather rapidly among the Julio-Claudians, usually with the help of some poison), Claudius finds himself catapulted to the throne at the age of fifty-one when his nephew, the mad Emperor Caligula, is assassinated. He doesn't want to be Emperor-he is in fact a staunch believer in restoring the Roman Republic-but eventually is forced to accept the job and thus begins the ill-fated rule of one of the most interesting Emperors of all time. Of course he's doomed from the start-there's hardly an Emperor who *wasn't* murdered, and poison probably qualifies as death by natural causes when you're Roman aristocracy-and his wife Messalina is quite a piece of work, but that doesn't stop the book from being a good read, especially in the earlier parts of the story where Claudius shows an unexpected capacity for efficient administration. The same wry humor and political intrigue that characterized "I, Claudius" are present here as well, and the cast-of-thousands are all distinguished quite well from each other. While "Claudius the God" is not as captivating as its predecessor, and is in fact quite a bit more depressing, it's a book worth reading. There is only one drawback to reading these two tales of intrigue and Imperial families: you'll find yourself wanting to go out and get a food taster afterwards... Footnote: While this may be the wrong place to recommend videos, I strongly suggest that anyone who read and enjoyed "I, Claudius" and "Claudius the God" should see the BBC miniseries. Derek Jacobi is perfect as Claudius, both as the aging Emperor and the young and gawky historian, and Sian Phillips brings the character of Livia to malevolent life with her portrayal of the woman behind the throne. A must-see for any fan of Roman history-or Rome in general!
Rating:
Summary: "Let all the poisons that lurk in the mud hatch out!"
Review: The first question is: is this book as good as it's predecessor? The answer is, of course: no. How could it be? There are nowhere near the cast of characters at the end of Claudius' life as there were at the beginning. However, the good news is that it is ALMOST as good. The most memorable new character is Herod Agrippa, who is a rake and will tie Claudius into events mentioned in the Bible. Messalina herself will not be forgotten either. Nor will the contest which she wins! If you've read I, Claudius you HAVE to read this.
Rating:
Summary: You go, Graves
Review: The historical conceptions of the rule of Claudius have changed since olden times, and I think Graves might have had a hand in this. Previously, Claudius was considered a deceitful and inept ruler but is now thought of as shrewd and honest. Regardless of which school is correct, this two book series is incredible. I found the sequel more entertaining than the first, because we finally get to see Claudius at the head of the Roman state-something that I, Claudius led up to for its entirety. These are great books with both powerful, endearing and repulsive characters. I look forward to my next Graves book.
Rating:
Summary: Classical Fun
Review: The only quibble I have about Robert Graves' Claudius the God is that is not quite as good as I, Claudius. That, though, is a very high benchmark. This novel covers less of an historical period than the first book and occasionaly some of the battle descriptions cut into the flow of gossip as history, much as they also do in Tacitus. That said, all the wonderful themes and many of the characters (well, the few not poisoned at any rate) from the first book appear to shock and delight. Robert Graves takes the fun and bitchy parts of the classical historians and makes them come to life. His most endearing creation will always be the character of Claudius himself. These books together are a joy for anyone with either a love of history or a need to hear salacious gossip (and often these are two are the same thing). Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant Historical Narrative
Review: The second volume to Robert Grave's best fictional works. A convincing portrayal of what life was like at the core of the early Roman empire. While the first novel dealt with Claudius' childhood through the reign of Caligula, the sequel starts during his own reign until his death. Graves masterfully develops the character of Claudius as he ponders his life and impresses his thoughts on to his "autobiography." The reader is then taken through the ambitions and palatial intrigues of his reign. Claudius reflects on the persons and events under his rule. He finds himself with a dwindling circle of friends and in the company of a devious young wife, Messalina. Claudius ponders his life with wit and humor. With this insight, Claudius is soon appreciated by the reader as having a keen intellect as opposed to being dull and slow of wit. His desire for truth and his loathing of the imperial struggle gives his story clarity and impartiality. All of the characters are well developed; their actions and motivations all come to light in the course of the story. Along with Gore Vidal's "Julian" this is one of the greatest works in historical fiction in this genre or any genre. A must read for anyone who enjoys history or just a good story full of intrigue and suspense.
Rating:
Summary: A good follow up
Review: This is a good follow up to "I,Cladius". While I would not recommend reading this book without first reading "I,Cladius" that does not diminish the quality of this fine work. The book picks up where the first leaves off and of course to appreciate this book complete you will want to first read "I,Claudius." Reading "I, Claudius" and "Cladius, The God" gave me a thirst to learn more of Roman history. This is a must read for anyone interested in this subject area.
Rating:
Summary: The Story continues
Review: This is a great sequel and a must read, though it is a very different book from the one it follows. Where 'I, Claudius' was introverted and historical centered, Claudius the God moves into the wider circles of the Empire. This should by no means perturb the reader who came to hunger for the political machinations of Livia or the tawdry depravity of Tiberius in the first novel, this one presents new hurdles and struggles through which Claudius must muddle in order to survive: a wicked nephew, a military uprising, war against Boadicea and two caniving wives. This is the better of the two books, no matter what your interest in them is, and it builds to a truly profound ending. Like other reviewers before me, I urge that anyone who read and enjoyed the characters as represented in these two books: see the miniseries. It may be 12+ hours in length but it is worth it!
Rating:
Summary: Great book, though not quite up to par with the first
Review: This sequel to "I, Claudius" goes into depth about the actual reign of Claudius, as opposed to the reigns of his familial predecessors and his eventual "rise" to power. If you did not enjoy the first book, don't bother with this one. It is only interesting to those who want to learn more about Claudius. For those who do, you will not be disappointed.
|
