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* TheVamp: Messalina uses her beauty to manipulate Gaius Silius into organizing a coup against Claudius.
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* AmbitionIsEvil: Many, many characters aim for the imperial throne, and end up getting killed. Unfortunately, many others who have no such ambitions also lose their lives in the endless struggle for power.
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* InfantImmortality: Averted many, many times. Drusillus, Sejanus' children, Gemellus, Caligula's daughter and several other children are murdered.
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* WouldHurtAChild: Livia orders the death of her teenage great-grandson to prevent him from marrying the daughter of a political rival. Macro has Sejanus' underaged son and daughter executed (and the girl is raped before her death because it's bad luck to kill a virgin). Caligula orders the death of his young cousin Gemellus. In turn, Caligula's infant daughter is murdered by the same conspirators who killed the Emperor. Messalina tries to murder Nero when he is a child, but the attempt is thwarted.
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* HairTriggerTemper: Caligula's mood swings make people around him constantly in fear for their lives.
* ItsAllAboutMe: In his last years Tiberius feels sorry for '''himself''' after having murdered Sejanus, Agrippina and countless other people.
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* YesMan: During the reigns of Tiberius and Caligula, '''everyone''' in Rome has to become this in order to survive being near the Emperor. By the time Claudius takes the throne, people are treating him this way in spite of him not being a tyrant and encouraging them to disagree with his ideas.
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* EvilIsPetty: At one point, Caligula wants to put Claudius to death because he has a head full of hair and the Emperor is going bald. Luckily, Claudius manages to talk himself out of it by pretending Caligula ordered to cut his '''hair''' instead of his head.
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* RevengeByProxy: After Sejanus' downfall, his three innocent children are executed as well.
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* TheBeard: Claudius' daugher Antonia is implied to be this to her husband, Pompey, who has male lovers. When Claudius finds out of his son-in-law's sexual orientation, he has him killed.
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* BigBad: Arguably, Livia is this during the first half of ''I, Claudius''. Later it becomes clear that there are '''way''' worst people than her in power and that evil is InherentInTheSystem.
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* CluelessBoss: Augustus is almost completely blind to Livia's manipulation. Claudius has shades of this, until Messalina's downfall.
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* HighPriest: All emperors are this, since they also hold the office of Pontifex Maximus. Claudius takes advantage of it to introduce some changes in Roman religion.
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* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Augustus, Germanicus and Claudius. Tiberius begins his reign as this, but becomes more and more depraved as time goes by.
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** Claudius has a very similar reaction when they tell him the truth about Messalina.
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* AristocratsAreEvil: Played with. Claudius himself and many other characters belong to the Roman nobility and are very decent people. On the other hand we have Macro, who is a man of very humble birth (the son of a slave) and is completely ruthless and amoral. Many other noble character play it straight.
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* DecadentCourt: Rome becomes this during the reigns of Tiberius and Caligula. Claudius tries in vain to put an end to it.
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* EvilChancellor: Sejanus and Macro during Tiberius' and Caligula's reigns. To a lesser extent, Pallas during Claudius'.
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* TheGoodChancellor: Agrippa and Maecenas during Augustus' reign, Narcissus during Claudius'.
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** Messalina and Agrippinilla, on the other hand, are straigh examples of this.
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** Messalina and Agrippinilla, on the other hand, are straigh straight examples of this.
* NoHeroToHisValet: Silas has this type of relationship with Herod Agrippa. It's PlayedForLaughs at first, but when Herod becomes king and Silas disrespects him in public, he ends up [[spoiler:imprisioned and murdered]].
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* OffingTheOffspring: [[EvilMatriarch Livia]] poisoned her husband, grandson, and everyone else who got in her way. She also arranged the death of her son Drusus, who was politically opposed to her.
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* OffingTheOffspring: [[EvilMatriarch Livia]] poisoned her husband, grandson, and everyone else who got in her way. She also arranged the death of her son Drusus, who was politically opposed to her.her (although she claims in the end he actually died of natural causes).
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* CoolTeacher: Athenodorus, Claudius' and Herod Agrippa's tutor.
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* TheDragon: Sejanus during most of Tiberius' reign, Macro during the latter part of that reign and the early part of Caligula's.
* DragonInChief: Sejanus seems to become this after Agrippina's downfall. It doesn't last long.
* DragonInChief: Sejanus seems to become this after Agrippina's downfall. It doesn't last long.
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** Macro becomes commander of the Pretorian Guard after having his predecessor, Sejanus, executed.
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* SadistTeacher: Cato, Claudius' first tutor.
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* TheStarscream: Sejanus and Livilla want to overthow Tiberius. Unfortunately for them, Tiberius gets wind of this and decides to strike first.
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* AffablyEvil: Livia acts like this towards Claudius when she invites him to have dinner. They have a polite and friendly conversation during wich she confesses all of her crimes, knowing full well Claudius can't and won't seek vengeance.
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* BitchInSheepsClothing: Livia pretends to be a traditional, virtuous Roman matron, who merely manages her household, takes care of her husband and stays out of politics. In reality, she's a power-hungry Evil Matriarch.
** Messalina pretends to be a loving wife to Claudius, while being a murderer and an adulteress.
** Messalina pretends to be a loving wife to Claudius, while being a murderer and an adulteress.
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* NoMrBondIExpectYouToDine: Claudius' dinner with Livia has shades of this, although Claudius isn't Livia's prisioner.
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* WickedCultured: Tiberius is well versed in astrology, poetry and mithology. Livia knows enough history to point out an erroneous reference during a conversation with Claudius (who's a professional historian).
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* GodSaveUsFromTheQueen: Livia is an interesting example. She uses the vilest means to obtain power, but she's described as a very able and just ruler.
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* GodSaveUsFromTheQueen: Livia is an interesting example. She uses the vilest means to obtain power, but she's also described as a very able and just ruler.ruler. Claudius loathes her because many of her victims, such as Postumus, are his dearest friends, but admits her goverment was much better than Tiberius' and Caligula's.
** Messalina and Agrippinilla, on the other hand, are straigh examples of this.
** Messalina and Agrippinilla, on the other hand, are straigh examples of this.
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* AFatherToHisMen: Drusus and Germanicus treat their troops like this.
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* GodSaveUsFromTheQueen: Livia is an interesting example. She uses the vilest means to obtain power, but she's described as a very able and just ruler.
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* TheMutiny: At the beginning of Tiberius' reign, several legions in Germany and the Balcans rebel against the new Emperor. Germanicus and Castor are sent to quell the uprising.
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* PuppetKing: Claudius chooses to become this after the fall of Messalina.
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* RulingCouple: Augustus and Livia. Germanicus/Agrippina and Sejanus/Livilla have shades of this trope, although they never end up becoming Emperor and Empress. Claudius gives both Messalina and Agrippinilla a high degree of political influence, although neither gets to become as powerful as Livia.
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* WarriorPrince: Augustus and, specially, Tiberius had distinguished military careers before becoming emperors. Caligula tries to become this, but fails both due to his madness and cowardice. Claudius manages to do it successfully in his conquest of Britain.
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** Livia is very abusive towards his stepdaughter Julia.
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** Livia is very abusive towards his her stepdaughter Julia.
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* ZeroPercentApprovalRating: Sejanus, Tiberius, and Caligula after he shows his true colors. Claudius himself, despite being a benign ruler, becomes impopular during a food shortage in Rome.
** Livia is very abusive towards his stepdaughter Julia.
* TheEmpire: The Roman Empire.
* GodEmperor: Caligula claims to be a god after he goes mad.
* JustTheFirstCitizen: Augustus, who was the TropeNamer in real life.
* ReluctantRuler: Claudius is not willing to become emperor, and he only accepts when he's told his wife Messalina and his unborn child will be in danger if he refuses.
** Tiberius pretends to be this when the Senate offers him the throne after Augustus' death.
** Tiberius pretends to be this when the Senate offers him the throne after Augustus' death.
* Tyrannicide: Caligula's death, although the larger plot to restore the Republic after his death fails.
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* WickedStepmother: Livia is a textbook example of this in her treatment of Julia (Augustus' daughter from a previous marriage) and Julia's children.
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* HundredPercentAdorationRating: Germanicus is a very popular general and politician. Also Caligula during the first few months of his reign.
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* BigBrotherWorship: Claudius adores his older brother Germanicus (as do almost everyone else).
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* EmergencyAuthority: How Claudius becomes emperor: Caligula is murdered, and there is no other male adult member of the imperial family in Rome, so they proclaim him emperor.
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* ParentalFavoritism: Antonia favors Germanicus and Livilla over Claudius. Later she comes to regret it, and considers their deaths a divine punishment for her mistreatment of Claudius.
** Antonia (Claudius' eldest daughter) thinks he loves Britannicus and Octavia more than her, because she's the daughter of Claudius' second, loveless, marriage, and they are the children of Messalina, who Claudius is very much in love with. Claudius manages to convince her she's wrong.
** Antonia (Claudius' eldest daughter) thinks he loves Britannicus and Octavia more than her, because she's the daughter of Claudius' second, loveless, marriage, and they are the children of Messalina, who Claudius is very much in love with. Claudius manages to convince her she's wrong.
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* PleaseSpareHimMyLiege: Messalina convinces Claudius to spare the life of a defeated German gladiator. Later, Claudius comes to suspect she wanted to take him as her lover, and that he's the real father of his youngest daughter Octavia.
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* TheUnFavorite: Claudius is this both to his own mother and to the whole imperial family.
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* BiTheWay: Julius Caesar is stated to be bisexual in the Sybil's prophecy, and Claudius' narration confirms it (although modern historians disagree).
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* DepravedBisexual: Tiberius rapes and molests both boys and girls.
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** Caligula himself, when he was a child.
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* KingOnHisDeathbed: Augustus and Tiberius, at the end of their reigns. Caligula is so impatient to become emperor he has Tiberius smothered with a pillow.
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* OverlordJr: Caligula is this to Tiberius, although he's only Tiberius' adoptive son (and grandnephew).
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** After a few years of normal married life, Messalina manipulates Claudius into allowing her to sleep in a separate bedroom, convincing her she's [[Asexuality just not into sex]]. It's all a lie: she just wants freedom to take as many lovers as she wants.
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* VillainsOutShopping: ''I, Claudius'' has a scene where Tiberius takes a break from depravities and ordering executions to compose a verse-dialogue between the hare and the pheasant, in which they argue which one of them makes for a better meal. [[spoiler:Unfortunately, he is then surprised by a fisherman who decided to visit him on Capri and present him a large barbel he had caught. Tiberius has the poor man brutally maimed and then killed - Livia had given him a false warning to beware of barbel, knowing that he loved fish and wanting to twist the knife on him. When the hapless fisherman appeared, fish in hand, to offer it to Tiberius, the emperor thought it was an assassination attempt and ordered his guards to protect him from an assailant.]]
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* VillainsOutShopping: ''I, Claudius'' has a scene where Tiberius takes a break from depravities and ordering executions to compose a verse-dialogue between the hare and the pheasant, in which they argue which one of them makes for a better meal. [[spoiler:Unfortunately, he is then surprised by a fisherman who decided to visit him on Capri and present him a large barbel he had caught. caught; Tiberius has the poor man brutally maimed and then killed - killed, due to a misunderstanding. Livia had given him a false warning to beware of barbel, knowing that he loved fish it was a favorite dish of his, in order to both feed his paranoia and wanting to twist torment him with the knife on him.idea that his favorite foods might be tainted. When the hapless fisherman appeared, fish in hand, to offer it to Tiberius, the emperor thought it was an assassination attempt and ordered his guards to protect him from an assailant.]]
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* VillainsOutShopping: ''I, Claudius'' has a scene where Tiberius takes a break from depravities and ordering executions to compose a verse-dialogue between the hare and the pheasant, in which they argue which one of them makes for a better meal. [[spoiler:Unfortunately, he is then surprised by a fisherman who decided to visit him on Capri and present him a large barbel he had caught. Tiberius has the poor man brutally maimed and then killed - Livia had given him a false warning to beware of barbel, knowing that he loved fish and wanting to twist the knife on him, so when the fisherman appeared, fish in hand, to offer it to Tiberius, the emperor thought it was an assassination attempt and ordered his guards to protect him from the hapless citizen.]]
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* VillainsOutShopping: ''I, Claudius'' has a scene where Tiberius takes a break from depravities and ordering executions to compose a verse-dialogue between the hare and the pheasant, in which they argue which one of them makes for a better meal. [[spoiler:Unfortunately, he is then surprised by a fisherman who decided to visit him on Capri and present him a large barbel he had caught. Tiberius has the poor man brutally maimed and then killed - Livia had given him a false warning to beware of barbel, knowing that he loved fish and wanting to twist the knife on him, so when him. When the hapless fisherman appeared, fish in hand, to offer it to Tiberius, the emperor thought it was an assassination attempt and ordered his guards to protect him from the hapless citizen.an assailant.]]
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* VillainsOutShopping: ''I, Claudius'' has a scene where Tiberius takes a break from depravities and ordering executions to compose a verse-dialogue between the hare and the pheasant, in which they argue which one of them makes for a better meal. [[spoiler:Unfortunately, he is then surprised by a fisherman who decided to visit him on Capri and present him a large barbel he had caught. Tiberius has the poor man brutally maimed and then killed; Livia had given him a false warning to beware of barbel, knowing that he loved fish and wanting to twist the knife on him; when the fisherman appeared, fish in hand, to offer it to Tiberius, the emperor thought it was an assassination attempt.]]
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* VillainsOutShopping: ''I, Claudius'' has a scene where Tiberius takes a break from depravities and ordering executions to compose a verse-dialogue between the hare and the pheasant, in which they argue which one of them makes for a better meal. [[spoiler:Unfortunately, he is then surprised by a fisherman who decided to visit him on Capri and present him a large barbel he had caught. Tiberius has the poor man brutally maimed and then killed; killed - Livia had given him a false warning to beware of barbel, knowing that he loved fish and wanting to twist the knife on him; him, so when the fisherman appeared, fish in hand, to offer it to Tiberius, the emperor thought it was an assassination attempt.attempt and ordered his guards to protect him from the hapless citizen.]]
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* VillainsOutShopping: ''I, Claudius'' has a scene where Tiberius takes a break from depravities and ordering executions to compose a verse-dialogue between the hare and the pheasant, in which they argue which one of them makes for a better meal. [[spoiler:Unfortunately, he is then surprised by a fisherman who decided to visit him on Capri and present him a large barbel he had caught. Tiberius has the poor man brutally maimed and then killed.]]
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* VillainsOutShopping: ''I, Claudius'' has a scene where Tiberius takes a break from depravities and ordering executions to compose a verse-dialogue between the hare and the pheasant, in which they argue which one of them makes for a better meal. [[spoiler:Unfortunately, he is then surprised by a fisherman who decided to visit him on Capri and present him a large barbel he had caught. Tiberius has the poor man brutally maimed and then killed.killed; Livia had given him a false warning to beware of barbel, knowing that he loved fish and wanting to twist the knife on him; when the fisherman appeared, fish in hand, to offer it to Tiberius, the emperor thought it was an assassination attempt.]]
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* MotherMakesYouKing: Tiberius only becomes Emperor because his mother Livia has been very active in removing any inconvenient competitors for the succession that might stand in his way.
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* MotherMakesYouKing: Tiberius only becomes Emperor because his mother Livia has been very active in removing any inconvenient competitors for the succession that might stand in his way. And Agrippinilla clearly has the same designs in mind for her son Nero at the end of the story.
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* BasedOnATrueStory: Yes and no. Most everything in the books, including the really outrageous stuff like Livia poisoning half her family or Messalina having a sexathon, comes from ancient sources. However, modern scholars consider much of that to be ancient rumormongering and/or propaganda.
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* BasedOnATrueStory: Yes and no. Most everything in the books, including the really outrageous stuff like Livia poisoning half her family or Messalina having a sexathon, comes from ancient sources. However, modern scholars consider much of that to be ancient rumormongering and/or propaganda. Graves also wasn't above using fiction as a platform for historical theories he thought were likely but was unable to prove.
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* TangledFamilyTree: An example of TruthInTelevision; the convoluted relationships (both through blood and through marriage -- not to mention adoption) between all the Julio-Claudians extremely complex. Claudius devotes the better part of a chapter to helping the reader untangle his relations.
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* TangledFamilyTree: An example of TruthInTelevision; the convoluted relationships (both through blood and through marriage -- not to mention adoption) between all the Julio-Claudians are extremely complex. Claudius devotes the better part of a chapter to helping the reader untangle his relations.
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** FaceDeathWithDignity: When Claudius's freedman trick him into signing Messalina's death-warrant, they make sure to offer Messalina a dagger--to take the honourable way out--in the hopes that they won't have to show the warrant to Claudius. Similarly, when Augustus banishes his daughter Julia for adultery, Julia accepts exile but her maid Phoebe hangs herself in disgrace; Augustus bitterly comments, "I wish to God I had been Phoebe's father."
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** FaceDeathWithDignity: When Claudius's freedman trick tricks him into signing Messalina's death-warrant, they make sure to offer Messalina a dagger--to take the honourable way out--in the hopes that they won't have to show the warrant to Claudius. Similarly, when Augustus banishes his daughter Julia for adultery, Julia accepts exile but her maid Phoebe hangs herself in disgrace; Augustus bitterly comments, "I wish to God I had been Phoebe's father."
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* PropheciesRhymeAllTheTime: Early on, we see two Sibylline prophecies that hint of Claudius's rule. Both prophecies rhyme, though that wasn't a typical feature of Greek or Latin poetry (or prophecy). Arguably it's TranslationConvention, translating Greek verse (which was based on patterns of long and short syllables) into an equivalent English poetic form (based on stressed syllables and rhyme).
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* HaveIMentionedIAmHeterosexualToday: Claudius at one point discusses his distaste for how other men of the noble class take young men as lovers who are blatantly {{Gold Digger}}s. While this may come off as an AuthorOnBoard by Graves, this is actually based on fact, as Claudius was one of the few Emperors who never had any male lovers, which was considered odd at the time and remarked upon by contemporaries.
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* HaveIMentionedIAmHeterosexualToday: Claudius at one point discusses his distaste for how other men of the noble class take young men as lovers who are blatantly {{Gold Digger}}s. While this may come off as an AuthorOnBoard WriterOnBoard by Graves, this is actually based on fact, as Claudius was one of the few Emperors who never had any male lovers, which was considered odd at the time and remarked upon by contemporaries.
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* AbusiveParents: Claudius' mother, Antonia was disgusted by him because of his disabilities, and always considered him to be an idiot.
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* AbusiveParents: Claudius' mother, Antonia was disgusted by him because of his disabilities, and always considered him to be an idiot.
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* PropheciesAreAlwaysRight: In ''Claudius the God'', Claudius is told by Messalina that a prophecy says that her husband is going to die in a month. For this reason they divorce and she marries another man. When Claudius realises that it was a plot against him, he sentences that man to death. Other prophecies also are true.
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* MotherMakesYouKing: Tiberius only becomes Emperor because his mother Livia has been very active in removing any inconvenient competitors for the succession that might stand in his way.
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* TamperingWithFoodAndDrink: Livia's preferred M.O. for removing inconvenient obstacles is to taint their food with a slow-acting poison to bring on what looks like a sudden illness, then continue administering the poison through the victim's doctors in the guise of treatment until they die.
