I, Claudius

Just watch the TV Show

Roman mask made of gold in the style of the Julio-Claudian dynasty

I enjoy comparing books to their TV and movie adaptations. I find it a fun exercise to see the differences, what was changed or not. Usually the book wins overall with adaptations, but not all. In this instance, I found that the TV adaptation was better. Better in delivery, pacing and easier to digest than it’s source material. So good in fact that I think it rivals it’s potential modern counterpart; HBO’s Rome¹. Wait, did you even know there was a book or TV series called I, Claudius?

“I am supposed to be an utter fool and the more I read the more of a fool they think me.”― Robert Graves, I, Claudius

I, Claudius was written by Robert Graves and published in 1934. Robert Graves was an English writer and this particular work of historical-story-with-some-fiction made him very well known.

It’s the story of the life of Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus². We call him Claudius for short. Starting before his birth seeing what family he was to be born into; Roman Royalty. He had a limp and a stammer³ but he was born into the ‘right’ family. So instead of being discarded or thrown into a river⁴, he was just ostracized. We follow how Caludius survived the court, mostly because he wasn’t seen as a threat. Then his ascension to the throne or, forcibly being put there, after the death of his nephew Caligula.

The history in this book is pretty spot on with embellishments to the plot to make it more sensationalized. What I found most difficult was it’s delivery. It was all first person narrative; the main character is recalling the whole story to you. I found it much more easier to read direct from the Britannica⁵ website than in Graves’ fiction I, Claudius.

It dragged in many places, too many, to the point where I was dreading opening the book to read on. It’s not an engaging read at all. Yes there is historical accuracy in the fiction and it might have been popular when it came out but to me, a modern reader, it’s drudgery. And I was not the only one who thought so⁶.

I admit it, I didn’t finish the book - I couldn’t. Thank goodness that there is an adaptation to watch and see if we can get the story in that medium.

superimposed young man wearing a gold mask in the style of the Julio-Claudian dynasty

“If only the idiots had taken me into their confidence this story would have had a very different ending.”― Robert Graves, I, Claudius

I, Claudius was a BBC television production released in 1976. The story that Graves was trying to tell in the book I understood much better in the TV show. There were 13 episodes, the first one being split in two, over about 50 mins gives enough time for the story to unravel. We see the belief’s of the times that shaped their view on life, the strategic maneuvers in court from Livia and Caligula’s insanity all fleshed out.

The first person narrative that hurt my head in the book was kept in the show. But it works much better. It serves as a well placed expositional device for the show and gives us an insight into the mind of our main character Claudius.

Watch it once through and take it all in. Then, watch it again. The show is filed like a play. The strategic placements of actors, where they moved and minimal movement from the camera. This highlights a clear audience area and almost makes it feel more alive. Great in hindsight but they didn’t have a big budget (£720,000 which is £14 million in today’s money)⁷ and worked with what they had. Maybe at the time it was a challenge but this feels like the closest thing to a live performance being recorded for mass distribution.

I yelped when watching this because we get to see young versions of well known actors. Actors like Brian Blessed, Dereck Jacobi, John Hurt, Siân Phillips, Patricia Quinn and Captain Jean-Luc with hair; Patrick Stewart! I saw their faces and was astounded to see them all in this show! It really highlighted their acting ability when they were younger and I learnt that Brian Blessed can decrease the volume when needed.

I could go on for hours about what I like about this TV show; costumes, music, pacing and how well they were able to tell Graves’ story from the pages to screen. The show is still held in high regard⁸⁹ and is number 12 on the British Film Institute top 100 best TV programs¹⁰. I recommend watching it. History and Drama, what more do you want on a Friday night?

“A great book should leave you with many experiences.” - William Styron

I want to highlight another I, Claudius adaptation. A movie that was trying to be made in 1937 would have been the first adaptation of the book. But the film never came out due to “unforeseen circumstances”¹¹. I didn’t go deep into this because the film was never completed. If you do feel compelled dear reader, you can watch the documentary about the failed film: The Epic that Never Was; I, Caligula.

If we look at the quote above, I Claudius the book was great because it left me feeling confused and angry. And by that mark, in my opinion, I don’t like I, Claudius the book. What I do like about it was that it was the inspiration for the awesome TV adaptation of it. In this instance, the adaptation is way better than the source.

1. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0384766/

2. https://www.pbs.org/empires/romans/empire/claudius.html

3. https://www.acsu.buffalo.edu/~duchan/new_history/ancient_history/claudius.html

4. https://mn.gov/mnddc/parallels/1.html

5. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Claudius-Roman-emperor

6. https://www.reddit.com/r/literature/comments/179rk11/i_need_help_understanding_i_claudius_by_robert/

7. https://medium.com/@disclaimermag/i-claudius-an-epic-that-changed-television-2453c93e19fa

8. https://www.economist.com/books-and-arts/2020/04/04/why-you-should-be-watching-the-roman-saga-of-i-claudius

9. https://theconversation.com/i-claudius-plebs-and-those-about-to-die-a-look-back-at-five-decades-of-ancient-rome-on-television-235862

10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BFI_TV_100#List

11. https://classicalmusicguide.com/viewtopic.php?t=60613