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YOU CAN PICK YOUR FRIENDS, BUT YOU CAN'T PICK YOUR RELATIVES |
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| Exasperation rules the day. Livia and Augustus' heated debate about our hero does have some historical basis. In his novel, Graves draws heavily from the imperial correspondence included in Suetonius' Life of Claudius. In the episode, Pulman exchanges epistolary dueling for a domestic spat. Whether Claudius should be allowed to attend the games to be held in honor of his father becomes the new focus of argument. Graves, remaining faithful to Suetonius, keeps the games in question as honoring Mars. In Augustus' letter to Livia, Claudius' attendance at the Games of Mars is not allowed; he may, however, take charge of the priest's banquet at the Festival of Mars, provided his brother-in-law be present to keep him from making a fool of himself. Suetonius states that Claudius did attend gladiatorial games honoring his father Drusus, but he was muffled in a cloak -an unprecedented sight. His brother Germanicus was also present. Graves expands upon this in his novel. Pulman, however, condenses all these events into one- the games in honor of Drusus. Because of this episode's problematic chronology, he now has Germanicus away on the Rhine. Since Claudius and Germanicus co-officiated these games, there never was an argument over Claudius attending. So, Jack, put all the evidence in a blender, mix well and pour, -eh? | ||||