CLAUDIUS THE GOD, GRAVES, ROBERT

    IN THE NOVEL CLAUDIUS IS GIVEN THREE CHOICES AS OPPOSED TO THE TWO IN THE BBC EPISODE 13.  NARCISSUS SUGGESTS THAT CLAUDIUS SHOULD MARRY AELIA PAETINA, THE MOTHER OF HIS DAUGHTER ANTONIA AND HIS SECOND WIFE, BUT LIVE WITH CALPURNIA.  PALLAS SUGGESTS THAT CLAUDIUS MARRY AGRIPPINA WHICH IS CORRECT IN THE EPISODE.  THE THIRD FREEDMAN IN THE NOVEL IS CALLISTUS AND HE SUGGESTS THAT LOLLIA PAULINA BE THE WIFE OF CLAUDIUS.

DE VITA CAESARUM, DIVUS CLAUDIUS,  SUETONIUS

           "Nec durare valuit quin de condicionibus continuo tractaret, etiam de Paetinae, quam olim exegerat, deque Lolliae Paulinae, quae C. Caesari nupta fverat. Verum inlecebris Agrippinae, Germanici fratris sui filiae, per ius osculi et blanditiarum occasiones pellectus in amorem, subornavit proximo senatu qui censerent, cogendum se ad ducendum eam uxorem, quasi rei p. maxime interesset, dandamque ceteris veniam talium coniugiorum, quae ad id tempus incesta habebantur." CHAPTER 26

            "Neither was he able to solidify his oath he pulled alliances continually, even of Paetina, who was once married to him, and of Lollia Paulina, who was the bride of C. Caesar.   The true illicit Agrippina, a daughter of his brother Germanicus, through occasional decoys of love, of kisses and flattery, the next day he supplied with the senate who decreed that he must be compelled to marry her, as if it were essential to the public, and kindness must be given to the rest of such marriages, which at this time were considered incestuous."

ANNALES, BOOK XII, TACITUS

            "...orto apud libertos certamine, quis deligeret uxorem Claudio, caelibis vitae intoleranti et coniugum imperiis obnoxio..... sed maxime ambigebatur inter Lolliam Paulinam M. Lollii consularis et Iuliam Agrippinam Germanico genitam: huic Pallas, illi Callistus fautores aderant; at Aelia Paetina e familia Tuberonum Narcisso fovebatur." CHAPTER ONE

             "....for a strife arose among the freedmen, who should choose a wife for Claudius, impatient as he was of a single life and submissive to the rule of wives..... But the keenest competition was Between Lollia Paulina, the daughter of Marcus Lollius, an ex-consul, and Julia Agrippina, the daughter of Germanicus. Callistus favored the first, Pallas the second. Aelia Paetina however, of the family of the Tuberones, had the support of Narcissus."

           "Praevaluere haec adiuta Agrippinae inlecebris: ad eum per speciem necessitudinis crebro ventitando pellicit patruum ut praelata ceteris et nondum uxor potentia uxoria iam uteretur." CHAPTER 4

                   "This advice prevailed, backed up as it was by Agrippina's charms. On the pretext of her relationship, she paid frequent visits to her uncle, and so won his heart, that she was preferred to the others, and, though not yet his wife, already possessed a wife's power."

ROMAN HISTORY, BOOK LX, CASSIUS, DIO

       "When she had thus been put out of the way, Claudius married Agrippina, his niece,  The freedmen zealously aided in bringing about this marriage, since Agrippina had a son, Domitius, who was already nearing man's estate, and they wished to bring him up as Claudius' successor in the imperial office so that they might suffer no harm at the hands of Britannicus for having caused the death of his mother, Messalina."  CHAPTER 31, VERSE 8

MY OPINION
    IN THE NOVEL GRAVES USES SUETONIUS, DIO, AND TACITUS AS SOURCES WHICH ALSO SOMEWHAT CARRY OVER INTO THE BBC EPISODE.   DIO SAYS THAT THE FREEDMEN PRESSURED CLAUDIUS INTO REMARRYING.  HOWEVER, DIO'S ACCOUNT DIFFERS FROM SUETONIUS AND TACITUS AS WELL AS GRAVES.  DIO INDICATES THAT ALL THE FREEDMEN WERE IN FAVOR OF AGRIPPINA BECAUSE THEY WERE AFRAID THAT IF BRITANNICUS RULED HE WOULD AVENGE HIS MOTHER'S DEATH.   HOWEVER, TACITUS AND SUETONIUS WRITE THAT THE FREEDMEN DID NOT PRESSURE CLAUDIUS AND THAT THERE WERE THREE CHOICES FOR A WIFE WITH EACH FREEDMAN HAVING HIS OWN PICK.   IN THE BBC EPISODE 13 THERE WERE ONLY TWO SUGGESTIONS FOR A NEW WIFE.  CALLISTUS DID NOT MAKE IT INTO THE SERIES.  I THINK THAT IS BECAUSE HE DID NOT HAVE AS IMPORTANT A STANDING AS NARCISSUS AND PALLAS IN THE EMPIRE.  CALLISTUS DID NOT EVEN MAKE IT INTO SUETONIUS' LIST OF CLAUDIUS' SLAVES OR FREEDMEN IN CHAPTER 28 OF "THE LIFE OF CLAUDIUS. " ALSO, AS  TACITUS STATES THERE WAS ONLY COMPETITION BETWEEN LOLLIA PAULINA AND AGRIPPINA BECAUSE AELIA PAETINA DID NOT REALLY HAVE A CHANCE.  SUETONIUS DOES NOT SAY ANYTHING ABOUT PRESSURE FROM THE FREEDMEN AND TACITUS SAYS THAT AGRIPPINA HERSELF WON CLAUDIUS' HEART.  GRAVES COMBINED THE TWO DIFFERENT ACCOUNTS OF HISTORY AND TURNED THEM INTO ONE.