What is it about the Romans and their history that makes reading a book about their lives not only educational, but also very entertaining? I suppose a lot of it has to do with the people themselves. With all the intrigue, scheming, conspiracy and illicit affairs going on you tend to forget that these people actually existed in real-life and are not just characters you could easily find in a modern day soap opera. It’s thoughts such as these that ran through my mind as I read Robert Graves’ I, Claudius.



While you did get all the intrigue surrounding Claudius, it wasn’t at the expense of the quality of information in this “autobiography” by Claudius. This book may be about Claudius’ life and his account of the major events and people in his life, but the wealth of information about Roman life is impressive. Through Claudius, Graves provided details of what happened behind the scenes of the Senate and the various Emperors that have reign during his life. You get insight into the culture and political scene of the times. Reading Claudius’ narrative, I was really drawn into the intricate web of lies and conspiracies that were prevalent and by those who were the main perpetrators such as Livia, Claudius’ grandmother. While this is a historical account of Claudius’ time, you never get the sense that you’re reading a history book. Having the book be an “autobiography” of Claudius’ enable Graves to tell historical events as if Claudius was telling a story. It prevented the book from having a stale and monotonous tone which would’ve made it difficult for me to keep my attention.



I appreciated the depth of information involved in this book. You can tell that time and research went into putting this book together. And to have it all told in such a way that you were able to learn while being entertained is what made this book an enjoyable read for me. With all the scheming and determined cast of characters, it’s easy to forget these are actual historical figures. I suppose it’s easy to read books such as these when those involved do things that make it difficult for you to turn away.