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Summary: Painless Education
Review: If you are interested in learning a thing or two about ancient Rome and want a fast paced story at the same time this is your book. Graves' chronicle of Claudius and his dysfunctional family is full of mystery, humor, intrigue and tradegy. Emotionally, you begin to love, hate and feel pity for these real people. While the military history can become a tad dull, the book as a whole is the best work of historical fiction I have ever read. A top five favorite book of mine!
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Summary: A modern classic-I Claudius
Review: "I Claudius." The name conjurs intrigue, violence, good emperors, evil emperors, and above them all an individual who rose to become emperor of Rome in spite of physical handicaps and prejudices. Robert Graves' classic is an insight into the history of the Claudian family and in particular Claudius, the despised idiot and stutterer who outlives all of his relatives to ascend to the throne, a position which he assumes with reluctance. If you thought classical history is dull, read this book and find out that the ancients were just as corrupt and venal as our modern day politicians. I suppose the movie Gladiator will rekindle some interest in Rome. Read I Claudius and forget Gladiator. The book is historically accurate, well written (I am of the opinion that Robert Graves is the only decent modern English writer-why did he never win the Nobel in literature?) and despite its length, is a pretty quick lead. Take your time though, and savor the characters: Claudius' brother Germanicus, a brilliant general and noble spirit who probably would have been an emperor the equal of Augustus had he lived, Agrippa Posthumous, Augustus' grandson who was another possible pretender to the throne (who Graves portrays in a positive light- Suetonius and other Roman writers considered Posthumous a boor), the Emperor Tiberius, who was both ruthless and capable, and Livia, Augustus' wife and the true power behind the throne. Livia is the glue which holds the story together and conjures up images of powerful women who are the real powers (and this book was written in the 1930s!). Marie Antoinette, Imelda Marcos, and the present First Lady couldn't compare with Livia, who is self assured, ruthless, calculating and cared only for the survival of Rome and the Imperial succession. Sort of an ancient Catherine the Great. And finally, who can forget Caligula, that insane, perverted maniac who did nasty things to others and attempted to make his horse First Consul of Rome. With a cast like that, who needs soap operas or the WWF?
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Summary: Top entertainment - but history?
Review: First I have to say that this is one of my all time most re-read books, but then I have to qualify that opinion. Robert Graves has a tremendous sense of drama with which he imbues the Rome of Augustus. The characters and events are viable possibilities for any soap opera. BUT, Graves takes his dramatic, action packed, in-law poisoning, Machiavellian story-line from the very biased and not-necessarily well informed Suetonius (on whom Graves was an expert and translator), subsequently, don't be fooled when you try to substantiate much of the storyline as found in this pair of novels. For fans of the books I recommend the cheap but well written and produced BBC TV version which artfully interprets the two books.
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Summary: Claudius - a good seed in a bad garden.
Review: Being a fan of historical fiction, I eagerly devoured this book. It did not disappoint! Although it falls short of classics like Aztec (which kept a healthy balance between political machinations and good old-fashioned adventure), I Claudius is truly riveting. The best thing about the book is that it saves the best for last -- Claudius' dealings with Caligula towards the end of the novel are both horrifying and hilarious.
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Summary: I Claudius
Review: As a history buff I found myself wondering how much of the story was factual and how much was fiction.I tend to believe that there was good deal of embellishment of the truth. Graves could not know the inner thoughts of Claudius. Claudius never did leave a diary. Nevertheless I enjoyed reading the book however, I never forgot the that this was a fictional story presented in a real setting.
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Summary: Best Book
Review: I, Claudius is one of the best books I have ever read. It tells of the inside information of Ancient Rome with extremly interesting characters with delightful personalities. Any author can tell one how Claudius rose to power, but Robert Graves tells of the schemes and murders of the royal Roman family. Very interesting book!
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Summary: Over the top
Review: I put off reading "I, Claudius" for as long as possible because people who have read it say that no other historical fiction can compare to this masterpiece. I was afraid that if I read it first, I would not be able to enjoy another historical novel because it would undoubtedly fall short of this book. Now that I have read it, I feel that, although it may be one of the best historical novels that I have read, it is far from perfect. The classic concept of "I, Claudius" seems even more powerful because it is a true story. A weakling whom everyone deems a fool lives to become the Emperor of Rome. Graves just needs to write a historically accurate account and the story of Claudius' rise to power would be just as amazing. Instead, he absorbs every wild rumor and speculation that has been suggested by various ancient and modern scholars to bring about the deliciously perverse and preposterous account. Although the story is still highly enjoyable, it has solely passed into the realm of fiction. One thing that concerns me is that many readers would accept what Graves writes as the truth. Although many policies, campaigns and people's characters appear as they were, there are some that are purely speculative. My main worry lies with the characters of Tiberius and Livia. Livia's role in ruling the Empire might or might not have been how Graves chose to describe it. Either way, I thoroughly enjoyed the character of Livia in "I, Claudius" although I do not believe that the real woman bore any resemblance to Graves' creation. Tiberius had a reputation as a debaucher, but whether this was the case is debatable. In any case, I do not believe him to be as simple-minded, evil, and wholly dependent on others for advice as he is portrayed in "I, Claudius". That said, my interpretation of Tiberias fails to account for Sejanus, whereas Graves' makes total sense. Also, the many poisonings that take place should be swallowed with a grain of salt. Some people were definitely poisoned, but who exactly was and how many there were is anybody's guess. For one, it is doubtful that Germanicas was murdered although it would appear if though Tiberias had a lot to gain from his death. Caligula's madness, on the other hand, was well attested and almost all of Caligula's deeds that Graves actually happened. I also did not like that Graves kept referring to certain terms and places in anglicized way. Terms like "legion", "cohort", "consulars" (instead of ex-consuls), "tribune of the plebs or people" (instead of Protector of the People), and such and places like "Gaul", "Cisapline Gaul", "Transalpine Gaule", (instead of France) and people such as "the Gauls" (instead of the French) would serve better in recreating the atmosphere of Ancient Rome. Besides, many of these terms have been used widely in literature so that most people would be familiar with them. If that is not the case, a glossary could have been used. The things that I like about "I, Claudius" are the intriguing characters, the humor that alleviates some of the horror from the gruesome murders that are taking place, and the narrative that, except for the anglicized terms and places, seems very authentic. I grew to like Claudius and sympathize with him on the occasions when he was painfully rebuffed by his family and, especially, through the tragedy of Camilla's murder. I also appreciated the devious characters of Livia, Caligula, Sejanus, and Livilla whom I love to hate. Other characters that I considered interesting were Augustus, Postumus, and Urgunallia. There were many dimensions to them, which were uncovered as the story went along. Overall, I enjoyed the book but expected more from it. I hope that other readers understand that many facts in the book are pure fiction. That said, I know of many people who passed history exams on the Julio-Claudian emperors because of this book.
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Summary: WELL CRAFTED ACCOUNT
Review: A great account not only of ancient Rome but also of the workings of political machination. This is recommended reading even for Political Science 101 students. And I am surprised why my Classical Studies lecturers at the University of Zimbabwe a few years ago - Jessie Maritz and A.J Callinicos - did not recommend this book beyond simply mentioning it once or twice. It took me a week off from my busy PhD project on - guess what? - Telecommunications Policy! - but i do not regret the lost week.
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Summary: THE historical novel of the century
Review: First read it almost 20 years ago and it is still potent. I find the sequel, "Claudius the God" the better, though less sensational, novel. It is the emotional and thematic centre of the books and the architecture of the two tomes (which should be read one after the other) becomes wonderfully clear. These are arguably among the finest novels about political power of all time. Graves was talking to democratic states telling them of the dangers of totalitarian models and his message is still powerful today. Asian states still use the usual claims that strong central 'monarchical'- like control is more important than democracy (Republic): it is a dangerous fallacy. Look at Malaysia, Burma and Singapore and you will find all forms of despotism, corruption and nepotism that might have made Caligula proud, but Claudius weep.
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Summary: Read it again, again, again, again........
Review: Saw the TV series when I was a teenager in the seventies. Felt that it was more real and intriguing than anything I saw before. The book is even better, so rich in detail that there's no way you can remember all the details. Still the story develops itself before for your eyes with great clarity. I have read I Claudius many times and it still suprises me. In my opinion it's the Lord of the Rings of ancient history
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