Emperors | Empresses | Imperial Family | Other Aristocrats | Soldiers | Commoners
This page lists aristocratic Roman characters who were born into the Julio-Claudian dynasty. See the Emperors and Empresses pages for dynastic rulers and their consorts.
open/close all folders
Antonia
Antonia
Played by Margaret Tyzack.
Wife of Drusus; mother of Claudius, Germanicus, and Livilla; niece of Augustus; daughter-in-law of Livia; first cousin of Julia; sister-in-law of Tiberius; paternal grandmother of Caligula, Julia Drusilla, and Agrippina the Younger; and maternal great-grandmother of Nero. One of the few "moral" people in Rome, how sane she is is rather questionable.- Abusive Parent: Even in his own hallucinations Claudius isn't free from her constant degradation.(during Claudius' hallucination in the Senate) "And your nose is still running, Claudius. It's still running."
- Death by Despair: Discussed. Before she commits suicide, Antonia confesses to Claudius that of all the tragedies in her life, her killing her villainous daughter Livilla was the worst of them all; lamenting that she should have died then.
- Deliberate Values Dissonance: Her constant moralizing may seem haughty, but by Roman standards, she really is morally quite upright: she's a devoted wife, pious, thrifty, firm but benevolent to her slavesNote, and she tries to instill proper Roman values in her children.
- Driven to Suicide: It's okay, though. For Romans, this is an honorable choice, and she's rather matter-of-fact about it when she tells Claudius what she's going to do. Everyone she loved most is dead, she unwittingly raised and then deliberately killed a traitorous daughter, and thanks to Tiberius and Caligula there is no more pride in being a Roman—so she's leaving.
- Everyone Has Standards: She's an unpleasant person but even she was quite disgusted with Sejanus' ex-wife Apicata's bemoaning over Sejanus not allowing her to see her children, stating she knew what type of monster Sejanus was when Apicata married him and is only complaining that Sejanus was treating her the same way she was content to see Sejanus treat everyone else.
- Happily Married: Though they're not onscreen for very long it's clear she and Drusus had a very loving relationship. Antonia even follows him to his deployment in Germany.
- Holier Than Thou: She's an exemplary model of Roman piety — and she makes sure everyone knows it.
- Hypocrite: When things start going seriously down the drain she starts criticizing everyone around her for not having the courage to kill Caligula. At no point does she even contemplate the notion that she might give it a try.
- Famous Ancestor: She's the daughter of Mark Antony and takes great pride in it; in direct defiance of the fact that a) she never knew him and b) Augustus also takes great pride in having soundly defeated him.
- Kick the Dog: Treats Claudius like dirt throughout the series. Even when she reveals her plan to commit suicide to him, she makes sure to remind him how much of a disappointment he remains to her despite his disabilities not being his fault.
- My Greatest Failure: Comes to see the way Livilla turned out as this.
- Nice to the Waiter: One of her last requests to Claudius is to take care of her slaves for her, as they had been very loyal.
- Offing the Offspring: Locks Livilla in her bedroom to starve to death after learning of her role in Sejanus' plot.
- Outliving One's Offspring: She outlives her son Germanicus and daughter Livilla, the latter of which died at her hand. She also outlives her grandsons Nero, Drusus, and Gemellus.
- Parental Favouritism: Germanicus is obviously her favorite. She doesn't even seem to like Livilla all that much, even before Livilla becomes her grandmother's pet.
- Pet the Dog:
- When Livilla is scornful about the prophecy that Claudius will become Rome's protector, and cruelly says she hopes she'll be dead before then, Antonia angrily sends her to bed without supper.
- She's dismissive of Apicata's pleas for her children as Apicata was fine with Sejanus's atrocities so long as she wasn't directly affected. Yet she does still speak on Apicata's behalf to Livilla; Apicata's love of her children resonating with her on some level.
- Rightly Self-Righteous: Antonia holds her moral compass above everyone else's head and constantly rants about the failings of society and other people not living up to her standards. Antonia's piety also plays into it and she often comes across as Holier Than Thou. That said, Antonia's morals compass is more often than not fairly accurate and she does her part to try and fight against the more evil characters in the series.
- Soapbox Sadie: Is constantly bemoaning how Rome is going down the toilet.
- Too Good for This Sinful Earth: Ultimately takes this view of herself. She commits suicide to protest Caligula's debauched reign.
- Took a Level in Jerkass: In her earlier appearances and during her scenes with Julia, Antonia comes off as a fairly friendly person. However, Drusus's death destroyed almost all the good in her and reduced her to a hateful wreck.
Livilla
Livilla
Played by Patricia Quinn.
Daughter of Drusus and Antonia; sister of Claudius and Germanicus; grandniece of Augustus; granddaughter of Livia; wife of Castor; mother of Helen and Gemellus; niece and daughter-in-law of Tiberius; paternal aunt of Caligula, Julia Drusilla, and Agrippina the Younger; and maternal grand-aunt of Nero. She treats Claudius with nothing but contempt. Becomes romantically involved, to the point of obsession, with Sejanus.- Black Widow: She poisons her husband Castor so that she can be closer to Sejanus.
- Clingy Jealous Girl: She is willing to murder her own family if it meant getting closer to Sejanus.
- Cruel and Unusual Death: She gets locked in her room by her mother Antonia and starves to death.
- Hate Sink: A gratingly smug woman who takes pleasure in emotional cruelty and is without any moments of genuine kindness or decency. She eventually evolves into an outright monster, and attempts to murder her own family members before being killed herself. No one is shown to even slightly miss her after her death.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: She tries to kill her daughter, but instead is killed by her own mother.
- It's All About Me: The lengths she will go to in order to marry Sejanus are truly staggering.
- Kick the Dog: While Livilla has committed her share of misdeeds, there was usually a reason, if an unsympathetic one. She set up Postumus because Livia blackmailed her and she killed Castor to be with Sejanus. However her attemptpoisoning of Helen, her daughter, was largely done out of spite that she was to be paired off with Sejanus. There was no real benefit to the act beyond showing how petty and obsessed she had become. She makes sure that the last thing Castor sees as he dies is her and Sejanus embracing in front of him, wordlessly conveying their joy in his demise. Even if they needed to kill him in order to marry, that was a low blow.
- Kissing Cousins: She is married to her cousin Castor, who is also Tiberius' son.
- Love Makes You Evil: She was never a sympathetic character, but she becomes completely depraved after falling in love with Sejanus.
- Meaningful Name: Livilla means "Little Livia." She imagines herself to be another master of court intrigue like her grandmother. However, she lacks her grandmother’s intelligence, discipline, or discretion, and her shortcomings as a schemer prove fatal.
- Murder the Hypotenuse: Her motive for trying to kill Helen.
- Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: Her careless disposal of her letter drafts to Sejanus allows them to be recovered by her mother Antonia. The recovery of this evidence causes Sejanus' downfall.
- Offing the Offspring: She tries to poison her daughter Helen when Tiberius arranges for Helen to marry Sejanus. Livilla suffers this fate herself when Antonia discovers her plans.
- Parental Neglect: She is a rotten mother to her children, even when she isn’t trying to poison them.
- Power Dynamics Kink: With Sejanus. He tells her to play ball and not give them both away, and threatens to lock her in a room with no clothes so that he or his guards will ravish her on a daily basis. Livilla is especially turned on by this "threat".
- Smug Snake: She’s hubristic, rude, selfish, manipulative, jealous, and amoral, but is ultimately too impulsive and sloppy to outwit anyone but the most naive characters.
- Villainous Breakdown: She suffers these repeatedly when she can’t have Sejanus to herself and becomes a sobbing wreck when Antonia finally punishes her for her crimes.
- Yandere: After falling in love with Sejanus, she will do absolutely anything to marry him. Including murdering her own husband and daughter.
Germanicus
Germanicus Julius Caesar
Played by David Robb.
Son of Drusus and Antonia; older brother of Claudius and Livilla; grandson of Livia; grandnephew of Augustus; nephew of Tiberius; first cousin of Castor; husband of Agrippina the Elder; father of Caligula, Julia Drusilla, and Agrippina the Younger; and maternal grandfather of Nero. One of the few people to treat Claudius with any compassion at all. He is eventually murdered by his son.- A Father to His Men: Like his father (Drusus), uncle (Tiberius), and grandfather (Mark Antony), he shares in the hardships of the soldiers under his command.
- Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: A rare male example of this trope; blond-haired and admired by all as a virtuous hero of the German front. His children are all inversions (either good but dark-haired or blonde but evil).
- Incorruptible Pure Pureness: The only people who don't like him are almost inevitably complete douchebags who want him dead out of spite.
- Nice Guy: One of the only examples in the series. Germanicus is a friendly and upstanding man liked by just about everyone who meets him. This is part of the reason why Tiberius resents him so much.
- Too Good for This Sinful Earth
Drusus
Nero Claudius Drusus
Played by Ian Ogilvy
Son of Livia; stepson of Augustus; brother of Tiberius; uncle of Castor; husband of Antonia; father of Claudius, Germanicus, and Livilla; paternal grandfather of Caligula, Julia Drusilla, and Agrippina the Younger; and maternal great-grandfather of Nero. A high ranking soldier in the army and one of the more moral characters in the series.- Cynicism Catalyst: Tiberius's divorce from Vipsania weighed heavily on him and it was Drusus's presence that gave him hope as his life sagged around him. Drusus's death was ultimately what sent Tiberius over the edge.
- Cynic–Idealist Duo: Idealist to his brother's Cynic.
- Mad Scientist's Beautiful Daughter: Well, more like "Mad Alchemist's Handsome Son". He is fully aware his mother is a less than kindly figure, but just tries to carry-on his duties to the empire.
- Morality Pet: His friendship with his brother, Tiberius, is one of the main things keeping Tiberius's darker inclinations in check. When he dies, Tiberius goes over the edge.Tiberius: There are many things you don't know. If anything should happen to you...Drusus: Ahh, what could happen to me, hmmm?Tiberius: Well, you could be killed in battle. Or you could fall sick and die.Drusus: And you could cut your throat shaving or choke on a plum stone... Tiberius, none of us is guaranteed a time.Tiberius: No... You're my lifeline into the light.
- Only Friend: To Tiberius.
- Too Good for This Sinful Earth: Happy, charismatic, moral, and doomed.
- Wide-Eyed Idealist: His desire to see Rome return to a republic was probably not so good for his health, considering who his mother was.
Julia
Julia
Played by: Frances White
Daughter and only child of Augustus; stepdaughter of Livia; first cousin of Antonia; wife of Marcellus, Agrippa, and Tiberius; mother (with Agrippa) of Gaius Caesar, Lucius Caesar, Agrippina the Elder, and Postumus; mother-in-law of Germanicus; maternal grandmother of Caligula, Julia Drusilla, and Agrippina the Younger; and maternal great-grandmother of Nero. Though he loves her, Augustus often ends up using her as a political tool, first to marry Agrippa and then Tiberius. Julia's unhappy marriages and constant manipulations ignite a rebellious streak.- Awful Wedded Life: While she loved Marcellus, she resented her marriage to Agrippa, which was political and done without her consent. As for Tiberius, she was originally attracted to him to the point she thought she was in love with him, but once they were actually married, the reality of him was far different, made even worse by the fact he never stopped loving Vipsania and hated being forced to marry Julia.
- Big Eater: Julia loves to eat and is often seen indulging in it. She complains that her physician advised against it for health reasons.
- Cassandra Truth: While other members of the family know Livia can be ruthless, Julia is one of the first to realise just how ruthless she is and what she's capable of; she suspects her stepmother of killing Marcellus and later Drusus and was only wrong about the latter because Livia hadn't gotten around to it before his accident and tries to convince Antonia, to no avail. Alas, her savviness doesn't save her.
- The Hedonist: With an unhappy marriage to Tiberius and a lot of pent-up resentment, Julia indulges in alcohol, food, and sex.
- Mr. Vice Guy: Julia sleeps around a lot, but is one of the nicer characters in the first quarter of the series. At times she was a better parent to her nephew, Claudius, than Antonia.
- Loved by All: Another very popular member of the royal family. When exiled, Augustus complains that the citizens continue to demand her return and call him wicked for his treatment of her.
- Odd Friendship: She and Antonia are complete opposites; Julia is a free spirit and hedonist while Antonia is a strictly pious woman. They still get along well as in-laws, both confiding in each other quite a bit.
- Pet the Dog: Julia is one of the few characters who is nice to Claudius, and is surprised when Antonia admits to finding him difficult to care about.
Marcellus
Marcus Claudius Marcellus
Played by: Christopher Guard
Nephew and son-in-law of Augustus and the one originally groomed to be his successor. He thinks little of Agrippa and his accomplishments.- Kissing Cousins: As is custom for the ruling class. Marcellus is the son of Augustus's sister and his wife Julia is the daughter of Augustus.
- Loved by All: Like Agrippa, he commanded a considerable amount of popularity amongst the people. It's a major factor in Livia's decision to kill him as she was wary of the power it could give him.
- Small Role, Big Impact: He's only a player at the beginning of the story but his death kicks off the fight for succession that dominates much of the plot.
Castor
Castor (Drusus Julius Caesar)
Played by: Kevin McNally
Son and only child of Tiberius and Vipsania; grandson of Livia; grandson of Agrippa; step-grandson of Augustus; nephew of Drusus; husband and first cousin of Livilla; father of Helen and Gemellus; and first cousin of Claudius and Germanicus.- Kissing Cousins: He is married to his first cousin Livilla.
- Like Father, Unlike Son: Compared to his depraved father, he is much more upstanding and noble.
- Only Known by Their Nickname: His real name is Drusus, but he is mainly referred to as Castor (so as not confuse him with his uncle, also called Drusus). When Sejanus addresses him as this, he says that only his friends call him Castor.
Agrippina the Elder
Agrippina the Elder
Played by: Fiona Walker
Daughter of Agrippa and Julia; sister of Gaius Caesar, Lucius Caesar, and Postumus; granddaughter of Augustus; half-sister of Vipsania; (half) aunt of Castor; wife of Germanicus; mother of Caligula, Julia Drusilla, and Agrippina the Younger; stepdaughter and sister-in-law of Tiberius; sister-in-law of Claudius and Livilla; and maternal grandmother of Nero.- Arch-Enemy: She and Tiberius eventually settle into a mutual hatred for each other.
- Loved by All: She inherits her late husband's popularity, which might be one of the things Tiberius resents about her.
- Parental Obliviousness: She seems unaware of Caligula's mad tendencies in his youth.
