Emperors | Empresses | Imperial Family | Other Aristocrats | Soldiers | Commonders
The ordinary people of Rome: plebeians, freedmen, slaves, courtiers, and aristocrats' mistresses and lovers, who sometimes knowingly or unknowingly change the course of the story.
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Musa
Antonius Musa
Played by: Renu Setna
A famed botanist and doctor within the royal court.- Ambiguously Evil: He begins working with Livia as a personal physician. He may have been in on her murder plots or he may have just been someone she kept around to divert attention from herself.
- Red Herring: When Drusus was injured, Musa was sent personally to "tend" to him. Drusus doesn't survive and Musa claims that he arrived too late to save him. Whether or not Musa had a hand in his death per Livia's orders is left up in the air, until Claudius confronts an elderly Livia who states that Drusus died of natural causes and Musa ultimately didn't kill him.
Calpurnia
Calpurnia
Played by Jo Rowbottom
Claudius's favorite prostitute. He shacks up with her after he temporarily falls out of favor with Caligula. She becomes one of his truest allies, saving his emperorship at one point.- Almighty Janitor: Her close relationship with Claudius gives her enormous de facto power. Fortunately for the people of Rome, she has no selfish goals.
- This Bed of Rose's: Living with her lets Claudius avoid the dangerous madness of Caligula's court.
- Beneath Suspicion: Because of her humble station, she's safe from palace intrigues. This is why Pallas and Narcissus enlist her help in unseating Messalina.
- The Confidant: Claudius trusts her completely, and for once, his trust in her is well-placed.
- The Creon: She's satisfied to live as Claudius's mistress, and has no political ambitions. Even when she helps Pallas and Narcissus thwart Messalina's coup attempt, she does it for the good of Claudius and of Rome, not because of any hope to rise as his consort.
- Everyone Has Standards: Prostitute she may be, but she finds Caligula's "palace brothel" ridiculous and distasteful.
- Happily Married: Happily cohabiting, anyway. Unlike his four official political marriages, Claudius and Calpurnia came together out of love, and treat each other very well.
- Hooker with a Heart of Gold: One most honest, loyal, and good-hearted people in the story.
- Informed Attribute: She tells Claudius that she's still a working girl, but we never see her with other clients.
- Madonna-Whore Complex: An interesting subversion in a series that is otherwise pretty rife with it. Calpurnia is a prostitute, which makes her literally a "whore." But she's also more virtuous, kind, sensible, and temperate than most of the story's aristocratic women.
- The Mistress: Claudius keeps her around even after his marriage to Messalina, as was socially acceptable for a man of his rank.
- Not with Them for the Money: Downplayed. She's effectively Claudius's sugar baby, but she also cares about him as a person. She never wheedles him for favors, and she lives a comfortable but simple lifestyle.
- Only Sane Woman: She's much shrewder than Claudius is, and saves his ass because of it.
- Unequal Pairing: Claudius has fallen out of political favor when he moves in with her, but he's still a rich man and a member of the imperial dynasty. She's a commoner, and a prostitute.
- Unproblematic Prostitution: Prostitution always has been, and still is, her job. She isn't ashamed of it, and seems to have done pretty well for herself.
Pallas & Narcissus
Marcus Antoninus Pallas and Tiberius Claudius Narcissus
Played by Bernard Hepton and John Cater
Claudius' freedmen and senior advisors during his reign as Emperor.- The Confidant: Narcissus becomes the last person Claudius trusts and shares his plans with at the end.
- Establishing Character Moment: Pallas manipulates the schematics of a plan that would benefit Rome, in order to ensure his own wealth. Narcissus objects against this selfish behavior (although he briefly appears to go along with it). While it isn't apparent for several episodes, Pallas' corruption and Narcissus' loyalty become crucial to Claudius' final plan.
- Face–Heel Turn: Pallas switches his loyalty to Agrippina the Younger towards the end of Claudius' reign.
- Foil: Aside from the Red Oni, Blue Oni example below, the two quickly demonstrate the two kinds of Rome's rulers: the caring optimist and the corrupt manipulators.
- Honest Advisor: Both Pallas and Narcissus are honest in their advice and assistance to Claudius, even if it puts their own lives at risk. This is especially true for Narcissus, who isn't afraid to make his feelings or displeasure known to Claudius in private.
- Meaningful Name: Inverted. Narcissus is truly loyal to Claudius and cares about the future of Rome while Pallas eventually becomes greedy and self-serving, switching his loyalty to the ambitious Agrippina the Younger. In Greek mythology, Narcissus is a man who only loved himself while Pallas is an epithet of the goddess Athena.
- Only Sane Man: They're two of three people in Rome who know that Claudius doesn't approve or know of Messalina's actions and that they have to tread carefully to get him to the truth.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: Narcissus is emotional, while Pallas is calm and rational.
- Those Two Guys: Initially, before their motivations diverge in the final years of Claudius' rule.
- Undying Loyalty: Narcissus always has Claudius' back, which is likely why Agrippina the Younger kills him soon after the Emperor's death.
Scylla
Scylla
Played by: Charlotte Howard
A famed prostitute who's challenged by Messalina to a sex competition.- Consummate Professional: She has a sense of humor about her position, but Scylla treats sex as a job and not a hobby, unlike many of the nobles who do. When challenged to the competition, she only does so to be paid, not caring about the title.
- Deadpan Snarker: She's calm and sharp-tongued. Sometimes making people laugh with her or at the people she's jabbing.
- Famed In-Story:Mnester: My name is Mnester. I'm an actor; most people have heard of me.
Scylla: My name's Scylla, and I'm a whore. Everyone's heard of me. - Unproblematic Prostitution: She's done well for herself, socially and financially, by being good at her job.
Thrasyllus
Thrasyllus of Mendes
Played by: Kevin Stoney
Tiberius' friend and astrologer.- Explain, Explain... Oh, Crap!: He self-effacingly tells Tiberius that it was easy to predict that Livia "had every intention" of outliving Augustus ... and cuts himself short when he realizes that he's telling Tiberius, to his face, that he suspects Livia of being a murderess.
- Fortune Teller: His predictions regarding future events and the imperial family's situation proved very accurate.
- Only Friend: He bonds with Tiberius while Tiberius is living in exile, and becomes the closest thing Tiberius has to a true friend. They even share a maniacal laugh when they learn that Livia has engineered Tiberius's return from banishment.
- Professional Butt-Kisser: He's not above appealing to his patrons' vanity in order to stay in their good graces.
