I, Claudius: Miniseries | Rotten Tomatoes (2024)

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Why is I, Claudius so good? ›

The great strengths of I, CLAUDIUS are in the driving pace, sharp wit, and ferocity of Jack Pulman's script and the host of brilliant performers who play it out.

The "autobiography" continues in a sequel, Claudius the God (1935), which covers the period from Claudius' accession to his death in AD 54.

This box set features the series as originally broadcast--13 episodes of circa 50mins each. I, Claudius is a 1976 BBC Television adaptation of Robert Graves' I, Claudius and Claudius the God. Written by Jack Pulman, it proved one of the corporation's most successful drama serials of all time.

I, Claudius (TV Mini Series 1976) - Brian Blessed as Augustus - IMDb.

I, Claudius is actually one of the most historically accurate dramatized TV series set in ancient Rome (not counting docu-dramas) to date. That does not necessarily mean everything in it actually happened – but most of the things that happen in it were at least rumoured to have happened back in the first century CE.

That year, an illness was spreading in Rome which afflicted both Augustus and Marcellus. Augustus caught it earlier in the year, while Marcellus caught it later, after the emperor had already recovered. The illness proved fatal and killed Marcellus at Baiae, in Campania, Italy.

While the narrative contained in the novel is fictional, the characters and the plot are based on real people and events. The connection between the two is provided by an analysis of the motives and psychology of the characters which may be speculative.

In 38 BC, she divorced Tiberius Claudius Nero and married the political leader Octavian. The Senate granted Octavian the title Augustus in 27 BC, effectively making him emperor. Livia then became the Roman empress.

According to Seneca, a roman writer and satirist, Claudius soiled himself and moaned, “oh dear, oh dear, I think I have made a mess.” This can be interpreted two ways: one way is literally that Claudius soiled himself, or alternatively, it was because his reign had ended in a bit of a mess.

I, Claudius is an unfinished 1937 film adaptation of the novels I, Claudius (1934) and Claudius the God (1935) by Robert Graves. Produced by Alexander Korda, the film was directed by Josef von Sternberg, with Charles Laughton in the title role.

Was I, Claudius on masterpiece theater? ›

The series was subsequently broadcast in the United States as part of PBS's Masterpiece Theatre series, where it received critical acclaim. Tim Harvey won a 1978 Emmy for Outstanding Art Direction. The producers and director received Emmy nominations.

Cassius kills Caligula, his wife, and his daughter. Claudius watches in hiding, horrified, but is discovered. The guards jokingly declare Claudius as Emperor, who pleads that he does not want to be, but he is ignored. Claudius eventually accepts the title for the safety of his wife and unborn child.

Caligula. In 38 he executed Naevius Sutorius Macro, prefect of the Praetorian Guard, to whose support he owed his accession, and Tiberius Gemellus, grandson of Tiberius, whom he had supplanted in the succession.

I, Claudius (TV Mini Series 1976) - John Hurt as Caligula - IMDb.

The last Eastern emperor was Constantine XI Palaiologos, who died during the Fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Empire in 1453. After conquering the city, Ottoman sultans adopted the title "Caesar of the Romans" (kayser-i Rûm).

On the outside, Claudius appears to be loving towards Hamlet, which gains him the favour of the people in Elsinore, although to the audience he does appear insensitive. The image that he portrays is what makes him an effective leader, as he is able to draw people in and entice them, much like he did with Gertrude.

Rating: 5 out of 5. I, Claudius is another of those classic books that appears on every 'Must Read' list.

Despite his lack of experience, Claudius was an able and efficient administrator. He expanded the imperial bureaucracy to include freedmen, and helped restore the empire's finances after the excesses of Caligula's reign. He was also an ambitious builder, constructing new roads, aqueducts, and canals across the Empire.

At times, Claudius appears to have redeeming qualities, such as care and concern for others, but his good qualities are often overshadowed by his cunning and manipulative nature. In the end, Claudius is killed because of his cowardice and desire to have someone else kill his nephew.