I, Claudius 40th Anniversary: Old King Log

The Sybil Speaks!

Episode 13: Old King Log
Broadcast Date: UK: December 5, 1976 US: January 29, 1978
Studio BBC/London Film Productions Ltd.
Producer Martin Lisemore
Director Herbert Wise
Writer Jack Pulman (Based on the novel Claudius the God by Robert Graves)
Starring Derek Jacobi, Bernard Hepton, and John Cater
Guest Starring Barbara Young as Agrippinilla, Christopher Biggins as Nero, Graham Seed as Britannicus, Cheryl Johnson as Octavia, Peter Bowles as Caractacus, Freda Dowie as the Sybil
Special Appearances Brian Blessed as Augustus, Sian Philips as Livia, George Baker as Tiberius, Margaret Tyzack as Antonia, and John Hurt as Caligula

54 AD Caesar Claudius accepts his fate by marrying his niece Agrippinilla. He knows the Sybil’s prophesy that he will die by her hand for the benefit of her son Nero. But Claudius has an ulterior motive: protect his own son Britannicus and have him restore the republic after the fall of Nero’s reign. As usual, things do not go as planned…

Death (s) of this episode: Claudius: poisoned

Memorable quotes:
“I feel sorry for him [Claudius]. Don’t you?” –Nero
“No.” –Agrippinilla
“No? Neither do I. Let’s announce his death!” –Nero

“Write no more, Claudius. Write no more.” -Claudius

"The frog pool wanted a king. Jove sent them Old King Log. I have been as deaf and blind and wooden as a log. My chief fault? I have been too benevolent. I have repaired the ruin my predecessors had spread. I reconciled Rome to the monarchy again. By dulling the blade of tyranny I fell into great error. By sharpening that blade I might redeem that error. Violent disorders call for violent remedies. Yet, I am, I must remember, Old King Log. I shall float inertly on the stagnant pool. Let all the poisons that lurk in the mud hatch out. Yes…Let all the poisons that lurk in the mud hatch out." -Claudius

"Beautiful woman. Whoever married her is a fortunate man." –Pallas
"She's married already…the drummer. They have three children." –Narcissus “Then I envy him.” –Pallas
"He tells me she’s a shrew." –Narcissus
"Then I envy him his nights, if not his days." -Pallas

"It'll [Claudius marrying Agrippinilla] be the Lady Messalina all over again! Worse, it'll be the Lady Messalina with brains!" –Narcissus

“Does it not worry you, my dear, that you might be committing incest? Oh, but you have done that so many times before, haven't you, with your brother Caligula?” -Claudius
“We all did things in the reign of our mad brother that we might not have otherwise have done.” -Agrippinilla
“True, that is true. Only some of us did them a lot more willingly than others, didn't we?” -Claudius

"I'm marrying you for your head. Not your heart, which I suspect you have very little." -Claudius
“Well then, that suits me. You're not the sort of lover one dreams of.” -Agrippinilla
“Certainly not the sort you dream of. Still I won't discuss your dreams, huh. Not on a full stomach.” - Claudius

“I killed his mother. I’ve been less than a father to him ever since.” -Claudius

“Well done Claudius. Emperor after all! Who would have thought it, eh?” –Augustus’ ghost
“You're a fool, boy. You always were. People might say it’s not your fault. But if it’s not your fault, then who’s fault is it?” –Livia’s ghost
“Your nose is running, Claudius. It’s still running.” –Antonia’s ghost
“Wasn’t worth it, was it? I could have told you that.” –Tiberius’ ghost
“Uncle Claudius, I wasn't sane after all, would you believe that? Could have knocked me over with a feather when they told me that.” –Caligula’s ghost

“What a pretty thing a fire is!” –Nero

"I can take care of myself. Poor father. He never could." -Britannicus

"Why are you laughing?" –Sybil
"I've cheated them again. They think I'm dead." –Claudius
"But you are dead, you fool. You're as dead as anyone can be." –Sybil
“Well you can’t survive them all.” –Claudius
“No. Not even you.” –Sybil

“Britannicus. What will happen to him?” –Claudius
“Nero will kill him.” –Sybil
“And Narcissus?” –Claudius
“Agrippinilla will kill him. Then Nero will kill her.” –Sybil
“Sounds depressingly familiar.” –Claudius
“Yes, isn’t it?” –Sybil
“And the Empire?” –Claudius
“Oh that will go on. Just as Livia said it would. But there will be no more Claudians after Nero. He will be the last. But the Emperors won’t be a bad lot after him. Well, give or take a few. Quite a story, wasn’t it? They burned your book, you know? All of it. Lucky for you, you made another copy and buried it!" -Sybil

"Farewell, Tiberius Claudius Drusus Nero Germanicus, God of the Britons, onetime Emperor of the Roman world. Farewell." -Sybil

Trivia:
-Nero’s original name was Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbaus. His father Gneaus was son of Antonia the Elder (mother to Domitia).
-The Sybil’s last prophecy, according to Graves: "The hairy sixth to enslave the State/ Shall be son, no son, of this hairy last./ he shall give Rome fiddlers and fear and fire./ His hand shall be red with a parent's blood./ No hairy seventh to him succeeds/ And blood shall gush from his tomb."
-In reality, Agrippinilla (historically named Agrippina the Younger) could not have used a fork to put the poisonous mushroom into Claudius’ mouth. Forks were not invented yet.
-Barbara Young was married to Jack Pulman, who included her in all his adaptations (WAR & PEACE, CRIME AND PUNISHMENT).
-In terms of episodes, Derek Jacobi gets the most number of episodes with George Baker coming in 2nd (10 episodes), Sian Philips and Margaret Tyzack at 3rd (8 episodes), and Brian Blessed 4th (6 episodes). Just like the actual reigns, Augustus had the longest episode reign (5 episodes), Tiberius had 3, Caligula 2 and Claudius 3.
-Shortly after the series ended, Producer Martin Lisemore died. Perhaps a sign of the Claudius curse?
-Christopher Biggins was a little apprehensive about performing before the returning cast members (for the ghost sequence).
-There was an extended scene of Agrippinilla kissing her son Nero and seducing him into sex. Most US prints (American VHS and DVD) have edited this scene, cutting to when mother and son are about to kiss. The footage was finally restored to NTSC DVDs with Acorn's 35th Anniversary DVD.
-The taglines I’ve used for each episode thread come from the original US advertisement promos from The New York Times.
-So what happened to the remaining characters? Messalina’s mother Domitia was murdered by Agrippinilla for being a rival influence over her son. Calpurnia, Claudius’ most trusted and loved female friend, was killed in a fire possibly contrived. Shortly after Claudius' death, Agrippinilla had Narcissus executed. But as Pallas feared, Caesar Nero proved too uncontrollable even for Agrippinilla’s incestuous influence. Fearing his rival, Nero murdered Britannicus by cooling his drink with poisoned water. He lost interest in Octavia, divorced her, and then had her executed. When Agrippinilla proved too dominating, Nero had her travel in a ship designed to sink mid-ocean. But the woman swam to safety. Her safety was short-lived. Soldiers found and killed her (it is said she wished to be stabbed in the stomach that once carried so monstrous a son). Pallas also fell to Nero’s tyranny as well. Eventually, uprisings in several provinces grew to a full-scale rebellion against the Emperor. Abandoned by all, Nero had a slave stab him to death. Since all the Claudian family members were dead, the throne fell to several noblemen and Generals until Vespasian attained power for a more established and longer reign. The Republic was never restored.