Tear Jerker / I, Claudius

• Julia's breakdown after Marcellus's death. Just a sight of a desperate poor woman running aroung crying he's dead over and over again.
• Augustus learning of Julia's affairs is at first a mix of hilarious and terrifying as he interrogates all her lovers — but it quickly becomes heart-wrenching as he breaks down in tears afterwards and declares he'll banish his beloved daughter and never wants to hear her name again. "Let her be all alone, all alone until she dies. She's not fit for human company!!!" And right afterwards, we see the distraught Julia at her father's locked door, screaming to be let in so she can explain and begging not to be sent away; while barricaded inside his room a weeping Augustus has his robe over his head and his fingers in his ears so he can't hear her pleas for mercy.
• The death of Germanicus, mourned by Agrippina, Claudius, and many others.
  At Rome the news of his death had brought such grief that it was as though every single household in the City had lost its most beloved member. Three whole days, though there was no decree of the Senate or order of the magistrates for it, were consecrated to public sorrow: shops shut, law-courts were deserted, no business of any sort was transacted, everyone wore mourning. I heard a man in the street say that it was as though the sun had set and would never rise again. Of my own sorrow I cannot trust myself to write.
• Augustus's breakdown when he sees the sorry state Posthumus has been living in since his exile. He breaks down in tears and is genuinely remorseful for not heeding Posthumus's earlier warning about Livia's treachery.
• Augustus's death and Livia's tearful response. Even though she felt it had to be done, you can tell the act tore her heart out.
• After reading of Augustus's last will, Claudius, still upset over Augustus's demise, comes to Livia to give his condolences. During their conversation, Livia gives Claudius nothing but contempt and in the end she straight-up laughs into his face.
  • The worst thing? We cut to old Claudius shouting at Livia's empty chair. And then we see him run away still haunted by her.
• The death of Livia manages to become this, and the fact that she's genuinely terrified of dying but finds some small comfort in Claudius being present at her bedside doubles as a Crowning Moment of Heartwarming.
• When Sejanus's conspiracy is revealed and his supporters are being purged, his children are also on the list to be killed. There's one scene where, off-screen, we can hear Sejanus's daughter screaming that the soldiers are hurting her and crying for her father, and this comes just before Macro cuts off his deputy's arguments about not being able to execute a virgin with "Make sure she's not a virgin when you kill her." The next scene but one, Aelia comes running to Claudius wailing about her niece and nephew being executed, and how the soldiers raped the girl before they killed her.
• Antonia takes it upon herself to deal with Livilla and locks her in her room, intending to let her starve to death. When Claudius asks in horror how she can leave her daughter to die, Antonia replies that it's her punishment, and when he wonders how she can bear to sit there and listen: 'And that's mine. Leave me, Claudius. I shan't move from here until they open that door and find her dead.' As her son runs away sobbing and her imprisoned daughter wails in despair, Antonia's iron façade wavers and for a moment it looks as if she's about to weep herself.
• The exchanges between Claudius and Caligula's wife, Caesonia, surprisingly. She is characterized as a sympathetic woman who calls Claudius a good man after he throws a new mother out of the brothel to prevent her from being prostituted. She reveals to Claudius she actually cares for Caligula, and when he brusquely reminds her of his horrific actions and abuse of her she bursts into silent tears. Later Claudius tells Caesonia the only reason Caligula loves her is since she alone loves him.
• When Caligula's assassinated, the conspirators also go to kill Caesonia and baby Drusilla. When Caesonia realises what's happening, her only thoughts are for her daughter and begging the soldiers to spare her, and she dies wailing in grief even as she and her child are stabbed to death.
• Herod's last words, written to Claudius:
  Herod: "Marmoset, I am dying. My body is full of maggots. Forgive me. Forgive your old friend, who loved you dearly, yet secretly plotted to take the East away from you. I have failed. I played too dangerous a game. Little marmoset, you are a fool, but I envy you your folly. Do not weep for me; my punishment is just. I offended against the only living God. Farewell, my friend, whom I love more truly than you suppose. Farewell, little marmoset, my schoolfellow, and trust no-one. No-one. Your dying friend, Herod Agrippa."
• From the same episode as the above, Calpurnia, Pallas, and Narcissus having to tell Claudius of Messalina's adulteries. The denial and then the heartbreak on Claudius's face is palpable.
  • Even after he orders Messalina's arrest, he still cannot bring himself to blame her and seems to indirectly blame himself.
    "Poor woman. Whatever let her d-do such a thing? Oh, how unhappy she must have b-been..."
  • At the end of said episode, he then learns of Messalina's execution, which, in a drunken state, he ordered. After he learns this, he sits in silence for a long time before his advisers leave, and then he finally breaks down in tears.
• Calpurnia's death and Claudius's epitaph for her:
  "A harlot's love; a harlot's lie" -
  Cast that ancient proverb by.
  Calpurnia's heart was cleaner far,
  Roman matrons, than yours are.
• Antonia wasn't a very warm mother to Claudius but when she tells him of her intention to kill herself, Claudius is deeply shocked and left in tears because, after all, she is his mother. For her part, Antonia seems to regret her cold treatment of Claudius and fully expects that he'll be glad to be rid of her, telling him that he won't have to pretend he'll miss her once she's dead.
• Brittanicus when Claudius acknowledges him as his own son, even after stating he believes him to be Caligula's son, as he breaks into tears, embraces Claudius and calls him father
• Drusus' death and Tiberius' reaction to it are genuinely sad, as the brothers genuinely love one another (and are among the few Julio-Cluadians to have any real familial affection for one another). Made doubly heartbreaking by the fact that Drusus is one of the few people Tiberius actually loves, and, as Claudius points out, his death marks the beginning of Tiberius' slow slide into evil.
• The death of Gemellus; the poor boy had been stuck with a lingering cough that irritated Caligula. Macro proceeds to cure it and brings the boy's head still dripping with blood to Caligula's chambers, Claudius leaving in disgust.