Graves translated Suetonius before writing the novels and claimed that after reading Suetonius, I Claudius came to him in a dream one night and demanded that his real story be told.
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13 Facts About I Claudius
2.
The life of I Claudius provided Graves with a way to write about the first four emperors of Rome from an intimate point of view.
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3.
The real I Claudius was a trained historian and is known to have written an autobiography in eight books that covered the same period.
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4.
Graves provides a theme for the story by having the fictional I Claudius describe a visit to Cumae, where he receives a prophecy in verse from the Sibyl and an additional prophecy contained in a book of "Sibylline Curiosities".
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5.
The penultimate verse concerns his reign and I Claudius assumes that he can tell the identity of the last emperor described in the prophecy.
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6.
Since he wishes to record his life for posterity, I Claudius explains that he chooses to write in Greek, which he believes will remain "the chief literary language of the world".
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7.
Livia, recognizing that I Claudius is a threat, sends him to Carthage to prevent him from having contact with Germanicus.
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8.
Sejanus is executed along with his children; I Claudius survives despite being married to Sejanus' sister, whom he quickly divorces.
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9.
Story begins with an apology by I Claudius for having ended his first history on a dramatic point and continues with a brief history of his friend Herod Agrippa.
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11.
On being relieved of the "Olympian Mixture", I Claudius is crushed and decides that the only way the Republic can be restored is by having a true mad monarch rather than the reign of a benevolent one.
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12.
In 1976, BBC Television adapted the book and its sequel into the popular TV serial I, I Claudius, starring Derek Jacobi, Sian Phillips, Brian Blessed, and John Hurt.
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13.
The 1972 production I, I Claudius was written by John Mortimer and starred David Warner.
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