Novels Set in
Ancient Greece and
Rome
by Grahame Addecott
English Association Bookmarks
No. 10
English Association Bookmarks Number 10
Novels Set in Ancient Greece and Rome
by
Grahame Addecott
SCOPE OF THE TOPIC
This Bookmark presents a critical discussion of three novels set in Ancient Greece and Rome
designed to enhance the reader's ap preciation and enjoyment.
The Critical Criteria used can be applied to judge these and other novels of similar nature,
some of which are listed at the end.
The Bookmark also aims to show readers who have little or no ``classical'' background that
novels about Ancient Greece and Rome can still be read with great enjoyment and
understanding.
BOOKS TO READ
The King Must Die by Mary Renault (Sceptre, 1986)
I, Claudius by Robert Graves (Penguin, 1953)
Augustus by Allan Massie (Sceptre, 1987)
NOTES
Western literature abounds in references, allusions to the myths, legends and historical
events of Greece and Rome. In addition there have been many more entire plays, poems and
more recently novels using such material, for example Racine's Phaedra, Keats' Hyperion, and
Rosemary Sutcliff's, The Flowers of Adonis and novels by Allan Massie, Robert Graves and
Mary Renault.
Some of these works may deal with legendary or mythical people and events but many deal
with historical characters and happenings.
An historical novel may, of course, have fictitious characters as its main subjects or it may
use real historical characters. Quite often there is a mixture of both historical and fictional
characters. Whatever the case, the setting, customs and events described must not only
convince and hold the interest of the general reader but must be historically accurate. Where
characters are fictitious, the novelist has greater freedom than when using historical ones, for
the latter must conform to what we know of them. Whatever the subject such a novel like
any other must not only entertain but offer the reader a convincing picture of people in a
believable setting.
A Novel Set in Ancient Greece
A novel needs to have a credible setting and plot and above all characters who are vivid,
alive, real and who also engage our interest or perhaps our sympathy. The choice of the
Theseus legend as the basis of The King Must Die largely decided Mary Renault's characters
and the novel's setting, namely Greece when Minoan Crete was at its height. The legend of
Theseus with his many adventures had to be shaped into a well-woven, credible plot and any
elements which were too fantastic had to be transformed or adapted.
© English Association and Grahame Addecott, 1992 and 2007
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English Association Bookmarks Number 10
In fact Mary Renault's story keeps very closely to the legend of Theseus' boyhood and youth
in Troizen, to his adventures on his way to Athens and his acceptance there, to the exciting
Cretan episode, and finally his return to Athens.
The title's relevance is seen many times all through the novel, where in varying ways the
ancient practice of a king dying for his people is used. So, for example the wrestler Kerkyon is
the king-consort of the Queen Eleusis, whose defeat and death are part of an ancient ritual.
You will note how some episodes such as that of Sinis, the pine bender, are handled with the
restraint of a Greek playwright. Others such as the hunting and killing of the wild sow, Phaia,
are given much prominence and much significance. Yet others, which have mythical or
fantastic elements, are transformed into credible episodes, without loosing their impact or
importance, for example the killing of Asterion, seemingly half-man and half-bull, and the
escape of Medea.
The remote period in which the novel is set is clearly portrayed and life styles, for example in
Eleusis, with its worship of the Mother Goddess, and its sacred queen's role and importance,
are brought vividly alive.
The Cretan episodes are particularly well handled. The author uses what we know of Minoan
civilisation, the Bull Dance, the actual palace of Knossos and its destruction, for the setting of
Theseus' time there as one of the bull dancers. He with his fellow Athenian youths and
maidens, the Cranes, seems destined not to survive for more than three or four months. The
intrigues, the jealousies, the occasional visits by night to important people in the labyrinthine
palace and above all Theseus' care for his Cranes and his determination to survive are all
skilfully blended.
There is a host of people whom Theseus encounters all through this novel, from his relatives
in Troizen, to opponents, to the Cranes and to Ariadne, daughter of the King of Crete. A few
are merely there as cruel opponents overcome by Theseus, but in most cases Theseus, the
narrator, gives us some idea of their characters, their attitudes.
Theseus himself is naturally central to the novel. He is truly what we term a hero but not
unbelievably heroic. Smaller in build than many others of his age, his early desire to be
bigger, his youthful touchiness about his birth, his readiness to use his brain or to use specific
wrestling skills and not sheer brawn all give him a truly human dimension. He abandons
Ariadne, but events on Naxos make us understand this action. We can find several instances
where the young man shows a real insight into the actions and reactions of others or real
care and solicitude for them. He becomes an engaging character.
This recreation of the legend, with its memorable evocation of a way of life remote in time
and in much of its ways from ours, told by an appealing, interesting man, will lead many a
reader on to its equally fascinating sequel.
Two Novels Set in Imperial Rome
Augustus, by Allan Massie, is the supposed autobiography of Julius Caesar's nephew and
heir, Octavius, first Roman Emperor. Augustus married three times and his successors were
the son (Tiberius), great grandson and grandson of his third wife, Livia. As in The King Must
Die, once again in Augustus the central character is the narrator, and so too in Graves' I,
Claudius, it is Claudius' supposed autobiography that we are reading. However, while
Claudius makes it clear that he is writing for distant posterity, Augustus is writing for his only
daughter's sons, Gaius and Lucius. In both novels we have a large array of characters, many
of whom are inter-related in complicated ways but tables in both books help the reader
© English Association and Grahame Addecott, 1992 and 2007
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establish most of the relationships, and both authors bring alive the historical persons and
events they describe, making many, especially the protagonists, unforgettable.
In Part One of Augustus, Octavius' story begins with his receiving the news of his uncle's (and
adoptive father's) death at the hands of Brutus and the republican conspirators and gives his
view of the events from then until the defeat and deaths of Antony and Cleopatra. Part Two
picks up the story soon after that, when Octavius is sole master of the Roman empire but has
lost some of the love and respect of his third wife, Livia.
Octavius' iconoclastic remarks about Julius Caesar's Gallic Wars, the laconic way he talks of
divorcing his first wife, Claudia, and his brief description of his marriage to Scribonia, a
horrible woman years older than he, and similar remarks about others he knows and
encounters, give a dry humour to Part One of this novel. His affected friend Maecenas, and
his stolid friend Agrippa, as well as Mark Antony, Cleopatra, and above all Livia, are vividly
brought to life and, of course, presented as supposedly Octavius sees them. Livia has his love
and respect through most of the novel; he sees the strengths and weaknesses of men like
Antony, Maecenas and Agrippa, is scathing about Lepidus' behaviour in defeat, is largely
uncritical of his daughter Julia. These very personal judgements and reactions add another
dimension to the characterisation of Octavius.
There are many vividly recreated scenes, such as that where Antony, Octavius and Lepidus
proscribe many of the leading Romans including some of their relatives, Octavius' encounter
with the defeated Cleopatra still relying on her feminine charms (at the end of part One) and,
Part Two, the visit of Octavius and of Virgil to Eleusis, there to become initiates. Naturally the
details of the rites which initiates were forbidden to divulge are not given.
Part Two of the novel is rather more sombre than Part One, as the relationship of Octavius
and Livia keeps shifting and as the question of a successor becomes more important.
Massie presents Octavius as a candid narrator ready to talk of the proscriptions, for example,
and of what Livia, and indeed what in his heart he too believed was the sacreligious way he
obtained Caesar's will from the Vestals. He emerges as a ruthless, smart and lucky politician
whose judgements of people are often mordant and memorable. An historical character who
may be little more than a name to many readers is brought alive, as are the times he lived in.
Claudius, ‘that idiot whom all despised’, who is the eponymous hero-narrator of I, Claudius is
the least heroic of the three protagonists discussed. Robert Graves allows Claudius from the
start to let his readers know that he, Claudius, was considered not only a stammerer, but an
idiot or at least a bit of a fool, but we realise too from the beginning that he was destined to
be come emperor and that he was also quite a scholar. As presented in this novel, he is also
a keen observer of people and of the scandals and events of his time.
Claudius tells us of his boyhood and his life up to the death of Caligula, his nephew, and his
own unexpected proclamation as emperor. Livia found the boy Claudius repulsive and though
Augustus never treated him with calculated cruelty, he disliked having the boy in the same
room. Augustus liked the young boys of his ‘extended family’ but poor Claudius was not
included, though finally Augustus when near death did become kinder to him.
The period dealt with in the novel saw Tiberius, Octavia's son, succeed Augustus, and in due
course Caligula succeeded him. People were constantly plotting and several were murdered
or banished. The young girl Medullina whom Claudius was to marry is murdered as she sets
forth for the marriage ceremony, and Germanicus, the brother whom Claudius so admired,
dies in a very strange way. In fact his brother Germanicus and his campaigns and his
handling of his troops get a great deal of loving attention.
© English Association and Grahame Addecott, 1992 and 2007
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English Association Bookmarks Number 10
In due course Tiberius dies, to be succeeded by the evil Caligula, whom everyone but
Claudius and a few others thought of as ‘the Good’ or ‘the Wise’. Claudius survives all the
upheavals and at Caligula's assassination the looting soldiers find Claudius hiding in the
palace and proclaim him emperor.
The passions, vices, plots and counter-plots of the members of the imperial family and of
Rome's leading citizens are all related by Claudius and given a first-hand credibility. Claudius
emerges as by no means an idiot and though he feels foolish we rather agree with the
soldiers that he is not a bad choice for emperor.
The three novels discussed present worlds far removed from us, at least in time, if not in
human ambitions, strengths and frailties. It is a measure of their success if they offer really
credible, vivid ‘worlds’. In addition each one has as its central character a famous figure, one
legendary and the other two real historical men, all of whom tell us of their considerable
achievements. Theseus has to emerge from the world of myth and legend to be a real person
to us, and Augustus and the very different Claudius must also come alive if the novel reader
is to be fully engaged. The authors do breathe life into their characters and subject matter.
Graves's treatment of Claudius' story became the basis of an excellent television series, and
most readers will find not only I, Claudius but the other two novels discussed, equally
fascinating and highly readable.
FURTHER READING AND CRITICISM
Robert Graves, Claudius, The God, (Penguin) This book continues the story of Claudius as
Emperor.
Mary Renault, The Persian Boy, The Alexander Trilogy, Fire from Heaven, The Bull from The
Sea, The Praise Singer, all published by Penguin.
The Last of the Wine, The Mask of Apollo, (Sceptre)
Gore Vidal, Julian, (Pan)
Rex Warner, Greeks and Trojans, (Heinemann) This is the story of the Trojan War and its
origins.
Robert Graves, The Greek Myths, (Penguin)
As an introduction to a critical study of novels, E. M. Forster's Aspects of the Novel is
excellent (Penguin).
Novels Set in Ancient Greece and Rome by Grahame Addecott is Number 10 in the Bookmark series,
published by
The English Association
University of Leicester
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Leicester LE1 7RH
UK
Tel: 0116 252 3982
Fax: 0116 252 2301
Email: engassoc@le.ac.uk
Potential authors are invited to contact the following at the address above:
Series Editor
Victor Hext
© English Association and Grahame Addecott, 1992 and 2007
Shakespeare Bookmarks
Kerri Corcoran-Martin
Primary Bookmarks
Louise Ellis-Barrett
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Secondary Bookmarks
Ian Brinton