personal life

Question 1

his aura

Answer 1

Claudius had a certain dignity of presence

Question 2

appearance

Answer 2

Tall, well built, handsome, fine head of white hair, firm neck,

Question 3

mannerisms

Answer 3

Uncontrolled laugh
Under stress of anger he would slobber at the mouth, running at the nose, stammer, persistent nervous tic; under emotional stress his head would toss from side to side.

Question 4

his health

Answer 4

“His health was wretched until he succeeded to the throne, when it suddenly became excellent” still had violent stomach aches the said made him think of suicide

Question 5

banquets

Answer 5

Gave many splendid banquets, usually in large public venues, sometimes no fewer than 600 guests
Sons and daughters and those of leading citizens dined with him in old fashioned style at the ends of tables..

Question 6

Delicious food story

Answer 6

• When judging a case he smelt delicious cooking so he “descended from the tribunal, adjourned the court, and went to the dinning room of the Salii”

Question 7

would only leave a dinning hall if

Answer 7

• would seldom leave a dining hall unless “gorged and sodden” would then go to bed sleep supine with his mouth wide open allowing for a feather to be poked down which would bring up the superfluous ailments up as vomit.

Question 8

in court

Answer 8

• Would nod in court, hard to rouse him however loud they shouted

Question 9

dice

Answer 9

• Published a book on the subject of dice. Had a board fitted to his carriage to play driving

Question 10

love for women

Answer 10

• Would nod in court, hard to rouse him however loud they shouted

Question 11

personality

Answer 11

Timid and suspicious

Question 12

examples of his paranoia

Answer 12

Never attended a banquet unless with an escort of bodyguards
Had a sickroom checked carefully if he were to enter it
Required all visitors to be thoroughly searched when they came to pay him a morning call
Women, boys, girls pawed down
Stylus case removed from every caller’s attendant/secretary
Camillus the rebel was sure he could be frightened into abdication through threats.
-Claudius asked his advisers if he should comply with Camillus’ demands.
-Rumours of conspiracies caused Claudius such alarm he tried to step down.
Arrest of the man with the dagger- called an immediate meeting of the senate, cried tearfully that no place was safe for him any longer, and for a long time he was not seen in public.

Question 13

Reaction to Messalina and Silius

Answer 13

-he bore extravagant love for Messalina, when he heard of her marriage to Silius he fled ignominiously to the praetorian camp asking repeatedly “am I still emperor?”

Question 14

Acts brashly and ridiculously due to his paranoia

Answer 14

At the slightest hint of danger he would take instant action against his supposed enemy.
Morning caller whispered that he had seen him murdered in his dreams, later pointed him out. He was hurried away to execution. The two men were at odds over a lawsuit.
Messalina and Narcissus decided to get rid of Appius Silanus. (Narcissus ran into bedroom, Messalina awoke and pretended to have had the same dream of him attacking Claudius) had already sent a summons for Appius to visit Claudius. Sentenced to death. “Thanking Narcissus for exercising such vigilance even while asleep”

Question 15

his self acclaimed personality flaws

Answer 15

Confessed to the faults of anger and resentment
But that anger- would never last long
resentment- never unjustified

Question 16

examples of his anger

Answer 16

• a letter reprimanding the citizens of Ostia for not sending ships to meet him when he sailed up the Tiber, suddenly forgave them. Warm remarks.
• Pestered in public by applicants: would push them away

Question 17

Drew attention to his stupidity (is Suetonius being too harsh)

Answer 17

• drew attention to his stupidity by explaining it had been a mask assumed to survive Gaius’ reign
• Nobody believed him. Book published the fools rise to power.

Question 18

Scatter brained

Answer 18

After executing Messalina, went to dinner and asked “why is her lady ship not here?”

-He sent for men, when they did not appear he followed this up with a reproachful message unaware he had just sentenced them to death.

– planning his marriage with Agrippina “my daughter and foster Child, born and bred in my lap so to speak”

Question 19

absrent minded

Answer 19

Showed such absent mindedness in speech and action it seemed he did not care, to who, when, where he was speaking.

-Intervened in a senatorial debate about wine sellers, butchers “but I ask you, how can anyone live without an occasional snack?” Before rambling off into a speech about the abundance of taverns in his youth and how he went round them.

Question 20

ridiculous decisions

Answer 20

• supported the candidature of a quaestor because his father brought him water long ago when he was sick and thirsty

Question 21

Scathing comment by Suetonius

Answer 21

• Lacking eloquence and education. Devoted his whole life to liberal studies

Question 22

Roman history

Answer 22

Had started work on a Roman history
Came to give his first public reading, fat man who broke bench. After silence he kept laughing
- history began with murder of a caesar, gap, end of civil war. Realised from his mother and grandmothers hectoring that a free and unvarnished report of that period would not be allowed.

Question 23

an autobiography

Answer 23

• An autobiography, lack of taste, lack of style,

Question 24

• A defence of Cicero against the Writings of Asinius Gallus

Answer 24

quite a learned work

Question 25

inventions

Answer 25

• Three new letters he invented for the alphabet, had written a book about it before his accession, they were officially adopted

Question 26

Greek

Answer 26

Studied Greek with great application

Wrote books in Greek; Etruscan and Carthaginian history

Question 27

homer

Answer 27

Used to quote a homer from the tribunal

Question 28

Alexandria

Answer 28

Alexandria added a wing to the museum called “the Claudian” reciting since a year of these two histories