Detail
Title: Claudius the God and His Wife Messalina (Claudius #2) ISBN: 9780679725732Published October 23rd 1989 by Vintage (first published 1934) · Paperback 533 pages
Genre: Historical, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Classics, Literature, Novels, Roman, 20th Century, History, Ancient History, European Literature, British Literature
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User Reviews
Henry Avila
Miracles do happen ask Claudius the unread historian the idiot, the clown, as his family perceives him, the people also yet becomes Emperor ( one of the best too) of the Roman Empire... These events unfold with the assassination of his mad nephew Caligula, the Praetorian Guard needs a ruler or else they become obsolete, no monarch to keep from harm and will go back to the intolerable barracks. Claudius, is found behind a curtain in the palace shaking ( more than the curtain) scared to death, to state it mildly, expects the rampaging soldiers seeking revenge on the escaped assassins to kill him like so many others, in the aftermath of the butchering of his predecessor. At first he refuses the dubious honor, but there is nobody left and he wants to live, all other obvious candidates have died mostly violently and plainly unwillingly, but he is from the Imperial family the poor, pathetic creature the soldiers hoist him on their shoulders, a parade ensues showing Claudius, to the happy citizens and proclaim him Caesar. The reluctant, amazed Roman Senate not known for bravery, scatters in panic so does his terrified rivals, the few still inside the building confirms his status. His first act, ordering the killers to be liquidated Claudius hated the brutal Caligula, still these men were a threat to him, they must be severely punished or another person might get the same bad idea, on the new Emperor. Messalina his intelligent devious third wife is delighted at the rise of her old husband, to absolute power in Rome (who would have been silly enough, to forecast it ?). Married when just 15, the very pretty girl to a decrepit, ugly , stupid man of 50 with no future and often no money either... but the always promiscuous woman, had compensations. A member of the elite of the elites, not anybody higher than her new family and now she is a rich, powerful, celebrity, people noticed her talked about and the scandalous rumors flowed to the ends of the Empire, everyone knew about the debaucheries except the loving husband, who would have the courage to tell him...His close friend the future Jewish king (thanks to the Emperor) charismatic, extremely amusing and able Herod Agrippa, advises Claudius at the beginning of his reign both were students together when children, he says to the monarch never trust anyone and proves it later... Claudius had a new, expensive port for the city of Rome built in Ostia, new aqueducts for the quickly expanding thirsty capital, a large lake drained for farmlands ( or tried to) desperately needed, but his most famous lasting accomplishment was the conquest of Britain after a tough, long struggle but popularity is fleeting a crop failure can cost a ruler the throne, and his enemies are everywhere ready to strike... " Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown". Shakespeare knew the public well. A sequel that is almost as good as the original, the fantastic stories of ancient Rome at its most hedonistic. This is pure joy for people interested in the ancient metropolis , the eternal city...
Darwin8u
“Most men—it is my experience—are neither virtuous nor scoundrels, good-hearted nor bad-hearted. They are a little of one thing and a little of the other and nothing for any length of time: ignoble mediocrities.”
― Robert Graves, Claudius the God and His Wife Messalina
I, Claudius and Claudius the God and His Wife Messalina are two of the greatest novels of historical fiction EVER. Probably the only writers who come close to Grave's mastery of history and literature are (in no particular order): Gore Vidal (Lincoln, Burr, etc), Hilary Mantel (Wolf Hall, Bring Up the Bodies) and Norman Mailer (The Executioner's Song, Harlot's Ghost), John Williams (Augustus).
Obviously, Shakespeare is the master of historical fiction/drama but he is so obviously the deified king of historical fiction that the Shakespearian 'sun needs no inscription to distinguish him from darkness'.
Grave's duology must be intimidating to a historian of Imperial Rome. The personality of Claudius has been so deeply set by Graves that I'm not sure any tweaking by modern historians will be able to fool with Grave's fool.
The Genius of 'I, Claudius' and 'Glaudius the God' is derived from Graves' ability to create such an amazingly rich and deep literary character. The closest I've come across in recent times is Hilary Mantel's Thomas Cromwell. Historical fiction like this are rare and seem to grow more amazing with each year. I rarely reread novels, and these Claudius novels might prove to be two exceptions to that rule.
``Laurie
I've given the sequel to I, Claudius five stars as well and had a good time reading both of these brilliant novels by one of the greatest authors I've ever read, Robert Graves.
His brilliance was apparent on each page that I eagerly kept turning.
How in the world did he manage to make the Rome of Augustus so spellbinding I don't know, but his sense of time and place had me experiencing the whole story as if I were there in person observing everything as it happened.
This is the sort of Historical Fiction that I yearn for but is so difficult to find.
Meet Claudius, the grandson of the murderous psychopath Livia, one of the most evil, historical characters I've yet to meet. Livia is the second wife of Caesar Augustus, who isn't even aware that Livia is the one running the show in ancient Rome. Livia doesn't miss a beat when it comes to power.
Even Cercei in the Game of Thrones series isn't this evil although she runs a close second I admit.
Claudius doesn't realize when younger that he's so very lucky to have suffered injuries during his premature birth that make him lame, a stutterer and prone to drooling whilst his head shakes continuously.
His own mother Antonia was embarrassed by him and wanted nothing to do with her youngest son.
SPOILERS AHEAD!
But Claudius is indeed lucky to be afflicted in such a manner and he soon learns to take advantage of his afflictions in order to stay alive whilst Grandma Livia is busy killing everybody that stands in the way of her son by her first husband, Tiberius, from inheriting the throne from his stepfather Augustus.
It's hard work for Livia when it comes to killing Augustus's only child Julia, and all her children, but what's a mother to do when they stand in the way of her son Tiberius?
Claudius is the original Columbo if you remember this great detective series popular during the 70's and 80's. Columbo plays dumb to the arrogant killers that he seeks to bring to justice while said killers consider him too worthless to fear. Then they get sloppy and Columbo in his wrinkled raincoat is ready to pounce.
As we say in the south, Columbo and Claudius were playing possum.
Claudius is rejected and unloved but soon finds kindred spirits as he hangs out at the Roman library indulging his love of history. He even writes a couple of history books in his spare time although everyone still considers him an idiot. He does manage to make a few loyal friends in his lifetime.
Tiberius is Claudius's uncle, the only brother of Claudius's heroic father, who had found military glory. Cruel Livia decided to kill her son Germanicus, when he wouldn't do what his mama wanted anymore.
Once he's gone Livia sets to work killing off Claudius's older brother and any other capable male child in the family that stands in her way. Claudius just keeps drooling and shaking his head in order to stay alive.
There was a family tree of the Julian family at the front of the book which was a big help keeping all the characters straight since a lot of them had the same name.
I looked at the family tree again after finishing the book and realized that Claudius and his evil niece are the last 2 standing - everyone else had been murdered.
This was The Wars of the Roses on steroids.
Claudius continues to act stupid and somehow manages to survive when his Uncle Tiberius takes the throne as Rome's new Caesar. Tiberius wisely lets Livia rule Rome while he enjoys life to the fullest and constantly seeks new and disgusting ways to find pleasure.
After 10 years Tiberius dies and his nephew Caligula, the son of Claudius's older brother Germanicus, is proclaimed Caesar. Caligula doesn't seem to be an evil person at first but uses his charm to gain friends and supporters.
He even managed to charm and survive his great-grandma's killing spree.
Somewhere along the way Caligula goes absolutely nuts and starts killing everybody, left and right due to his cowardly, paranoid fear that someone is out to get him.
After a few years everybody is indeed out to get him as he murders the rich Roman citizens that have been coerced into re-making their wills, proclaiming Caligula their new heir.
This way they can at least save their family from him - better poor than dead I suppose.
In order to survive, Claudius gives his nightmare nephew all of his money before being asked.
The newly indigent Claudius has to live at the palace with his psycho nephew and wisely embraces his role as the butt of Caligula's jokes. After subjecting his household guards to extremely cruel treatment, they depose and murder Caligula while looking kindly upon the cowering Claudius when he is discovered hiding in the palace. They then decide to make him their new Caesar with Claudius offering generous gifts of gold to keep them happy.
Just shows that it pays to be nice to people - all people. It wasn't a minute too soon either as Claudius discovers Caligula's papers showing that Claudius was the next to be murdered. Makes me wonder if the real Claudius was aware of his dire situation and was behind the household guards revolt.
Claudius has carefully avoided making enemies during his chaotic life and soon brings peace and financial solvency to his realm as it slowly recovers from the demon-possessed Caligula's reign of madness. The rest of the book details Claudius's private life, marriages and his political ability as Caesar.
Claudius's ability to survive such perilous times made for fascinating reading. A true survival story with an unlikely hero. I've never been that interested in Roman times but this book is a must read for anyone interested in learning the basics of Roman history.
Lori Elliott (semi-hiatus)
“Trust no one… “ ― Robert Graves, Claudius the God
Wish Claudius had heeded this advise.
I have really enjoyed these two books. Claudius the God begins with a back story of Herrod Agrippa and Claudius’ relationship with him. Herod plays a much bigger role in this and I really enjoyed learning more about him. It was very interesting viewing Jesus and his growing popularity from the perspective of these two rulers.
Claudius tried to lead the Roman people in a fairer and more empathetic way than his predecessors, however, his marriages to Messalina & Agrippina turned out to play a big part in his unhappiness and his eventual downfall. My heart broke at how Calpurnia’s story ended… a prostitute that ended up being one of the only true friends Claudius ever had.
Derek Jacobi (actor best known for his role in Gladiator), again, does an outstanding job with the narration. I highly recommend this format when reading these.
I think that Graves novels have stood the test of time because he wrote them in ‘layman's terms’ which made them enjoyable to read rather than a chore. I highly recommend to anyone interested in Roman history or to those that enjoy a good family drama. 4 stars.
Michael
I loved the chance to hear the actor Derek Jacobi from the TV production of “I, Claudius” do the reading of this sequel. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize the audiobook was an abridged edition of the book until the end. That accounts for the disappointing compression in the narratives. Still, it was a pleasure to experience highlights in the reign of this survivor of all the murders associated with the succession of his uncle Calligula. He succeed by pretending to be an idiot. This presented a problem establishing credibility and respect after he assumes leadership of the Roman Empire at its peak.
Early in his tenure, we see him coming to terms with having to fight back hard against his enemies. It was hard to take his choices to execute some of these adversaries, especially when we learn how gullible Claudius is to manipulation. The conquering of a big chunk of tribal England was a fun part of the tale. He gets a chance to prove himself as commander in chief by applying his book learning on warfare. He calls for a trick of a simulated giant heron to spook sentries in their sneak attack. For shock and awe, he pushes his generals to do the hard work of transporting elephants to the battle. Their ability to trample through otherwise impenetrable brush allows them to flank their enemies and freak them out.
The book is an emulation of a history, so it misses out on some of the engagement of a more realistic narrative flow, replete with lively dialog. Because of foreshadowing, the events of his reign selected for focus have framing like a Greek tragedy. As a child tutored by a Greek philosopher, he bonded with a boy Herrod Agrippa, who always admonished him to trust no one. That message comes back to haunt him where it comes to his wife Messalina, who betrayed him in ways he could never recover from. The irony of Herrod himself betraying him by seeking to carve out Egypt and the Far East from his empire was easier to accept.
All in all, this was a satisfying saga of the rare case of lovable and largely just supreme ruler and a meticulous and believable rendering of life at the top in the Roman Empire. I can’t speak of the value of all the parts missed in this abridged edition, but it was not as pleasurable as “I, Claudius.”
Sud666
This is the sequel to the excellent "I, Claudius" book. Interestingly, when I had finished the first book I thought that Robert Graves had been heavily influenced by Tacitus, Plutarch, and Suetonius. Graves addresses this in the introduction to this sequel by also acknowledging that he was also influenced by the writings of Dio Cassius, Pliny, Varro, Valerius Maximus, Orosius, Frontinus, Strabo, Caesar, and many others.
This book starts immediately after the events of the first. Claudius has been raised by the Praetorian Guard to become Emperor, in the wake of the death of Caligula. The story starts with a fascinating description, by Claudius, of his friend Herod Agrippa who became King of Judea during Claudius's reign. This in interesting because throughout the book Herod is intriguing to betray Rome and create a Pan-Jewish state with himself as a messianic figure.
I found this particularly interesting as Christianity and even Jesus is viewed through the lens of Clauidius. The fact that there was an earthquake (a good reason why the rock in front of Jesus's tomb was moved), or that it was accepted that one of the followers removed the body and that not a single non-follower ever saw the resurrected Christ is likely to be uncomfortable to Christians who believe an angel moved the boulder and Jesus "lived".
It is also interesting to see that there were indeed several people who were thoroughly convinced that they were the Messiah- including Herrod Agrippa.
Clauidus, goes through his attempts to fix the Roman system and restore a Republic. Claudius is a decent fellow and had he been left alone, he might have done a lot for abolishing the Imperial system. But a supine Senate and his adulterous wife Messalina doom his attempts.
The one thing Claudius does well is engineering the campaign in Britain and he made some intelligent decisions that helped to secure that victory. Sadly, Claudius decides to be a "King Log" and not do much, which allowed his despised niece and second wife-Agrippinilla to run things in his stead and he served merely as the figurehead. Thus far from a restoration of the Republic, this genius move gave Rome Emperor Nero.
A superbly written history of the Imperial Roman times and presented as an autobiography, this will delight anyone with an interest in the period of 41 to 54 AD of the Imperial Roman history. Highly Recommended, though I suggest reading the first book to have a better context for what makes Claudius tick and where his motivations come from.
Emily
Yes, we are all mad, we Emperors. We begin sanely, like Augustus and Tiberius and even Caligula (though he was an evil character, he was sane at first), and monarchy turns our wits.
This book is much more tragic than the last. Claudius becomes the divine emperor of Rome - against all odds - and rules for thirteen years. While the first book has no real narrative arc, this one is framed by two factors: Claudius's love for his young wife, Messalina, and his desire for Rome to return to republican government. I thought this was a fairly interesting reading that explains the end of Claudius's reign and the ascendance of Nero, but also wraps up the series on a bittersweet note. Messalina's betrayal and Claudius's cynicism create the climax of the book, and his reign then spirals depressingly downward until he's poisoned by Agrippina.
Graves does create a plausible explanation for Claudius's marriage to Agrippina, which is something I'd categorize under "what was Claudius thinking?" forever. (view spoiler) Basically, it all boils down to ladies, amirite? Can't live with 'em (you get poisoned), can't live without 'em (you lose the will to live).
It's appropriate but sad that this book ends with Seneca describing Claudius's arrival in heaven and subsequent dismissal to hell. It's yet another person who hated Claudius (he exiled Seneca from Rome for eight years) talking up his faults, dismissing the good that he did for Rome.
I've used the word "depressing" multiple times in this review, and I think that sums up my thoughts on the book. It's well-written and I enjoyed it more than the first (especially Herod Agrippa! what a life), but there's just no way to put a positive spin on the ending. It's not that literature necessarily needs a happy ending - most good literature actively steers away from that, actually - but it's just so hard to read about Claudius's efforts when you know that Nero is next in line. No one deserves that, least of all Claudius.
"I talked liberty to many of my friends and, you know how it it is, when one talks liberty everything seems beautifully simple. One expects all gates to open and all walls to fall flat and all voices to shout for joy."
Sara (taking a break)
3.5, rounded down.
Perhaps I would have loved this more if I had not already known the details of the story. This did not move as fast or fluid as I, Claudius and Graves got a bit bogged down in several sections with details of Roman wars. Particularly difficult was the section regarding the conquering of Britain, with the strategy of the battle taking up chapter upon chapter. He did much the same thing with his accounts of events in the East and the life of Herod Agrippa.
I highly, highly recommend seeing the Masterpiece Theater series adapted from these novels. This is one of the few times when the movie far outstrips the novels it was based upon. My hat is off to the writers who adapted these novels so perfectly. Of course, also off to Robert Graves, who saw in Claudius the Stammerer more than just a tidbit of history and found in him a remarkable survivor.
Lost Planet Airman
First, a five-star hat's-off to Nelson Runger, narrator for the Recorded Books versions of I, Claudius and Claudius the God, whose "cheerful, sonorous timber [and] the unfaltering, even pace of his delivery…" made these two audio books a joy.
Secondly, another five-star hat's-off to author/historian Robert Graves, who brought the man Claudius to life.
For me, I, Claudius was the more enjoyable of the two books; tracing the path that led to weak, stuttering, and all too human Claudius arising to Emperor of his world. I came to Claudius the God at a tough time of my life, and did a poor job of reading this book, rushing through it and having little recollection of chunks of the narration. Still, a fun and interesting account from the human side of Claudius.
Go here for my friend Darwin8u's much, much better review of these two titles!
SRC 2018 Spring Task 15.2, part 1 w/ IHFv1-- and another completed series!
Smiley
3.5 stars
Since my college days I didn’t know Robert Graves and told myself I wouldn’t read him at all due to his formidable writing style as a Greek scholar till I finally decided to try reading his amazing memoir “Goodbye to All That” from which I regarded as my first step toward his other works. Surprisingly, the more I read him, the more I found his narration informative, rewarding and sometime humorous. However, if you’re interested in reading this historical novel, you should read his “I, Claudius” first because this one is its sequel.
One of the obstacles is that this paperback (Penguin, 2006), I think, is not reader-friendly due to its relatively small fonts; it’s a pity I can’t find any information in this volume on the font size used in publishing this book, therefore, the elderly might find reading its 32 chapters, 443 pages probably tedious, invaluable and unamused.
However, one may wonder how he’s miraculously imagined and written on something so ancient that we nowadays simply can’t visualize or speak reasonably, let alone descriptively or substantially on a required topic. Supported by his powerful description, this excerpt on Britain would, I think, prove his expertise as one of the admirable writers on historical fiction.
BRITAIN lies in the northerly position, but the climate, though very damp, is not nearly so cold as one would expect; if properly drained the country could be made extremely fruitful. The aboriginal inhabitants, a small, dark-haired people, were dispossessed about the time that Rome was found, by an invasion of Celts from the south-east. Some still maintain themselves independently in small settlements in inaccessible mountains or marshes; the rest became serfs and mixed their blood with that of their conquerors. … (p. 211)
Moreover, some might be eager to read on his campaign there and, for instance, this extracted part should suffice:
… The enemy bank was defended by two strong stockades, and the Britons, who now harassed the workers with arrows and insults, were building a third one behind that. Twice a day a huge tide welled up into the river mouth – a commonplace in this part of the world, though never seen in the Mediterranean, except during storms – and hindered Aulus’s work greatly. But he was counting on the tide as his ally. … The struggle was a fierce one, and the British detachments posted higher up the stream, to prevent our men from crossing at any point there, came charging down to take part in the fight. Aulus saw what was happening, and detailed the Second under a certain Vespasian to go upstream under cover of a forest and cross over at some now unguarded bend. … Once over, they hurried downstream, meeting none of the enemy as they went, and an hour later suddenly appeared on the enemy’s unprotected right flank. They locked shields, shouted, and burst right through to the stockade, killing hundreds of British tribesmen in a single charge. … (p. 238)
cheeseblab
As much as I enjoyed I, Claudius, this is like The Godfather, Part II to the earlier book's Godfather. In other words, a much more ambitious work, with a broader canvas and more spectacular success. Perhaps the best example is the treatment of Claudius's friend Herod Agrippa, who is scarcely mentioned in the first novel but who is essentially the co-lead for the first two-thirds or so of this book. (This Herod was the grandson of Herod the Great, notorious for the Slaughter of the Innocents in Matthew 2, and cousin of Herod Antipas, who demands a miracle of Jesus in Luke 23.)
Through Herod, Graves tells much of the story of the Jews under Roman domination, and in a book published in 1935 the account bears irresistible parallels to the subjugation of a later population of Jews--one description of a pogrom in Alexandria in particular seems a stunningly prescient forecast of Kristallnacht.
Speaking of prescience, consider Claudius's rationale for invading Britain: "I had other reasons for making war, too. . . . The one element in Northern France that was checking the orderly progress of civilization there was the Druidical cult, a magical religion which was still kept alive, in spite of all we could do to discourage or suppress it, by Druidical training-colleges in Britain from where it had originally been imported. . . . The Druids therefore, though they were not warriors themselves but only priests, were always fomenting rebellion against us." Change the geography, and for "training colleges" read "madrasas" and for "priests" "imams," and you have much of the U.S. rationale for invading first Afghanistan and then Iraq.
Yanper
This second book was not quite as good as the first, "I, Claudius." The first book created a fuller picture of the times and also it was written in a more light style and with a wittier tongue. There is a long section early in the novel that tells the story of Claudius' friend Herod Agrippa, which I think was not necessary. It made the book slow and at times boring. Bottom line, I didn't enjoy it quite as much as "I, Claudius," but still I recommend the book to people who like to read historical novels.
Laysee
His name is Tiberius Claudius Drusus Nero Caesar Augustus Germanicus Brittanicus, Emperor of Rome. I had much affection for the intelligent, bumbling, self-deprecating, and humorous historian-writer he was portrayed in Robert Graves’s book “I, Claudius”. The year was A.D. 41. In this sequel, Graves picked up the story from the point where Claudius, the 51-year-old crippled historian who had infantile paralysis and aphasia, was acclaimed Emperor of Rome against his own desire. How would he, whom many had dismissed as a fool, fare and survive as Emperor when all his predecessors were either poisoned or assassinated?
Graves said in the Introduction that "no character is invented." For readers who love history, this book is so well researched it makes for fascinating and rewarding reading. It is a long book (555 pages) with many characters, each colorfully depicted. It also records Claudius’ various public works, reforms, laws, decrees, and conquests. I have to admit that this detailed rendering of history did not engage me as well as “I, Claudius” did. Nevertheless, it has many merits and parts of the book kept me sufficiently intrigued.
What interested me most is how the New Testament in the Bible is corroborated by this piece of Roman history. I learned more about the various kings (e.g., Herod, the Great) and even Salome (Herodias daughter who had John the Baptist’s head served on a platter), as well as the religious practices and events in Jerusalem. I understood why the crazy Emperor Caligula’s insistence on having his statues installed in the Holy of Holies of the Temple in Jerusalem was an outrageous affront to the Jews. I found out the fate of Pontius Pilate who had Jesus of Nazareth crucified and marveled at how poetic and divine justice was served. There is a tongue-in-cheek account of the beginnings of Christianity as a Jewish cult.
The first four chapters present a heart-warming and entertaining account of the friendship between Claudius and Herod Agrippa, the Jewish King. (view spoiler)
The hero that stole this story is rightfully Claudius himself. What does his report book look like? (view spoiler)
“Claudius the God” reads like a 3½ star book to me. I read most of it with enthusiasm and was impatient with the factual bits that carried less human interest. Still I found a great quotation I can modify for use should I ever get stuck when giving a public speech or talk: "Words fail me, my Lords. Nothing that I might utter could possibly match the depths of my feelings in this matter."
Jack
This second book, while not quite as good as the first, is a very fitting successor. In I, Claudius, Claudius's role is primarily as an observer, sitting on the sidelines and watching his relatives destroy themselves while remaining relatively safe by virtue of their assumption that he is no threat to take the throne. In this book, Claudius ascends simply because he's the last man standing, and in seeing how he administers Rome he scuffs himself up a bit. In actually wielding a power he had never even approached in the first and dealing with the realities his office as emperor, his idealism and virtue become marred somewhat by personal flaws and severe mistakes in leadership. But at the same time, he remains essentially true to the character we became familiar with in the first book.
Claudius the God's biggest weakness is one common to sequels: having used certain elements to tremendous effect in the first book, Graves occassionally seems to overuse them in the second. Claudius chronicles many incidents and affairs that reflect great research and historical color, but which don't seem wholly essential to the evolution of the story. This is in part because the book lacks the self proscribing scope of the first. The first was basically about the establishment of the roman imperial government and the competitions for the throne thereof, the second about the actual administration of an empire. Still, focusing on this element compliments the first book to create a fuller picture of the times, and most of what Graves seeks to include - such as the public works projects - do seem to have been critical elements of Claudius's reign. Which elements work best in the book is wholly subjective. The conquest of Britain, for example, seems wholly critical to the narrative, and personally I was rather fond of Graves's extensive chronicling of King Herod's activities in Judea. On a related point, there are also some very intelligent and well reasoned digs at the roots of Christianity and the politics of Judaism in the early years AD.
This series really is just phenomenally good. Both this and I, Claudius, take a while to read and to follow, but when they're finished you feel both satisfied and regretful that the experience has been completed. Perhaps that's why this review is several times longer than any of its predecessors.
Maureen
Tiberius Claudius Drusus Nero Germanicus ascends the Roman throne in the second half of Robert Graves' life of Claudius. After the debacle of the reign of his three relatives, Augustus, Tiberius and Caligula, Claudius is left with Roman society in ruins, and his dreams of re-establishing the Republic fade. In an effort to bring Rome back from the brink of disaster, Claudius institutes many governmental reforms. Although he is somewhat successful, during his thirteen year reign, his heroic efforts are somewhat thwarted by the corrupt system and the constant behind-the-scenes manipulation of the ruling classes. Chief among them, his wife, Messalina, plots his downfall and engages in the kinds of excesses that were common among Caligula's cohorts. She eventually receives her just desserts, breaking Claudius' heart in the process. There are other people who genuinely love Claudius, and eventually even his grandmother Livia comes to show him a grudging respect.
Once again, Robert Graves exhibits his awesome talent in this gripping tale. I have read this duo of books at least three times, and plan to read them again. They are just that good.
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