"Beautiful, Lollia!" "Where did you find her?" "We saw her first in Antioch when Titus was on duty there." "We thought her so superb that Titus paid for her to tour the provinces." "And now, my dear friends, the entertainment is over." "It was w-wonderful and a b-b-beautiful dinner." "Thank you, but I wasn't inviting a compliment." "It's just that I have something to perform." "And I've brought you here, as our dearest friends, to be with me." "What's this?" "A surprise for me too?" " Yes, my dear, it is." " She never tells me anything." "Very naughty to surprise our guests and not tell your husband." "You know that I love you very much?" "Now I'm really worried." "This is going to cost a fortune!" " How much have you spent?" " Nothing." "I've spent nothing." "You may remember that a week ago tonight, we went to a dinner given by the Emperor." "Of course." "You may also remember that Tiberius was fascinated by our daughter." "I must admit, I saw him looking at Camilla once or twice." "What you don't know is that she received a summons to the palace the next day." "What?" "A summons?" "You never told me." "I thought it best not to put you in a position where you would object." "What is this, Lollia?" "What are you telling me?" "A summons to the Emperor is not something to be refused, but I wouldn't let my daughter go alone, knowing his reputation." "So I went with her." "We went into a room I imagine he keeps for such receptions." "I'd never been into that room before, not met anyone who had." "The walls were hung with what the Emperor imagines is erotic art." "They depict scenes of incredible beastliness - not fit for anyone to look at, let alone a young girl." "Lollia, why are you telling me this now in front of all our friends?" "These are not just friends." "They are all, in their different ways, important people in Rome." "That's why they're here tonight." "He took Camilla up to show her the paintings and talked about them as if they were works of art." "When I objected and said he should be ashamed of himself for trying to corrupt a young girl, he simply smiled and said, "What about an old one?"" "No, Titus, please." "Then he clapped his hands, and a slave appeared from another room carrying a tray of wine." "The slave was naked... and while Tiberius spoke to her, he stroked the slave..." "In his twisted way, he thought it might inflame Camilla's passions." "But Camilla burst into tears and begged to be allowed to leave." "He then pretended to be upset and complained she'd given him a different impression at the dinner." "He then turned to me and told me to go home." " No more!" " No, Titus." " No, enough." " Let me finish!" "If I'd had this with me then, I'd have used it on him." "Instead, I begged a moment with him alone." "He granted it." "And there, I offered myself in my daughter's place." "Yes, Titus, my husband... to save my daughter, I offered myself in her place." "And he accepted." "My dear, that was nothing for me to save her." "I took her to the gate... and warned her not to say anything to anyone... and then returned." " Don't, Lollia, please..." " I've nearly finished." "I said that to prostitute myself for my daughter was nothing." "What wouldn't we do to save our children?" "I should have gone to the gate... into the room, out again..." "No one would have been the wiser." "I did go into that room." "I was there subjected to... acts of... such abominable filth... to bestial obscenities... with him and his slaves of both sexes... that mere prostitution seems like a blessed state compared to it." "You must forget, Lollia." "You must put it from your mind." "You have saved your husband and your daughter." "No, Agrippina, that is not possible!" "If there'd been just one part of me befouled by his lust," "I should have come home and cut it out!" "With this knife!" "But I can't live with the memory of what he did to me." "Nor can I get into my husband's bed again." "Nor have his arms around me." "Nor feel the love he's had for me all these years without... without the memory of that beast... and his beasts, coming between us." "If I could... cut... from my mind!" "Lollia!" "Lollia." "Make way, there!" "Move aside for the Emperor!" "Don't block the road." "Make way, there." "Stand aside." "Clear the road for the Emperor!" "Make way!" "Well, well!" "Is it my son who greets his mother with such affectionate eagerness?" " Good day, Mother." " In a hurry, are you?" "Another treason trial?" "Who is it today?" " There are no trials today." " Ran out of people to prosecute?" "You'll have more time to spend with your mother." " Don't shout." "I'm not deaf." " You've been deaf to me for years." "Why did you refuse the Spanish permission to build a temple to me?" "I will not discuss such matters in the street." "Good day." "Move on." "It's my birthday next month!" "What are you going to buy me?" "I heard about Lollia!" "Disgusting!" "Your brother Drusus was worth ten of you!" "Thrasyllus!" "Where is that damned astrologer?" "Coming, Excellency, coming." " Cast my mother's horoscope." " What for?" "I want to know how much longer I have to put up with her." " Do you know the time of her birth?" " No." "I can only do a rough calculation." "Why don't you ask her?" "It's her birthday soon." " It could be a present." " Yes." "She'd like that." "She admires you since you prophesied she'd outlive her husband." "I could see she had every intention of doing so." "Still, I'll ask her for an interview." "What is she, a Leo?" "That's hopeful." "There's a bad time coming up for Leo soon." "I'll go and see her." "I wish I'd stayed in Rhodes." "I wish I'd never returned." "Someone must govern." "Rome is fortunate that she has you." "Yes." "And I'm fortunate in you, Sejanus." "You're my eyes and ears." "If it wasn't for you to relieve me of some of my burden..." "What have we here?" "Conversations taken down by my agents." "Some are merely vicious." "Others treasonable." "Doesn't anybody ever say anything that isn't vicious or treasonable?" "!" "We've had more treason trials in two years than the previous ten!" "There is one I think you should look at." " Silius Caecina?" "Hmm." "Was he the corps commander on the Upper Rhine?" "That's the point." ""Had it not been for the way I handled my four regiments," ""they would have mutinied too."" " He said that?" " At a dinner party." " What did he mean by it?" " He went on to say that if his regiments had mutinied, Tiberius would not be Emperor now." "He implies that you owe your position to him." "Oh, well, he'd had too much wine." "You know what old soldiers are like." "They like to fight their old battles." "I think there may be more to it than that." " Perhaps it's not important." " What do you mean?" "Only that he went on to say, lower down, that the regiments that did mutiny had been under your command." "He probably said it because Agrippina was there." "A compliment to her late husband whose regiments remained loyal." "Agrippina was at the dinner?" "Agrippina!" "The noble Gaius Caligula to see the Emperor!" "What do you want?" "I'm busy!" "I brought you a present." "A present?" "What sort of a present?" "It took me a year to find it." "When I heard about it, I said, "That is for my great uncle, Tiberius."" " Happy anniversary!" " What of?" "What difference does it make?" "Think of something." "That's nothing." "Wait till you see the others." " Where did you get this?" " Elephantis." "A merchant I know told me about it and I asked him to get it for me." "It cost quite a lot." "It cost so much I had to borrow part of it from Uncle Claudius!" "It's 200 years old." "It was very thoughtful of you." "I knew you'd like it." "In fact, I'd like to borrow it myself some time." "I mean, when you're not using it." "I'd like you to examine the evidence to see if there's a case for impeaching Silius Caecina." " On a charge of treason?" " Yes." "For insulting references towards the Emperor?" " Why not?" " Well, I agree, why not." "Blasphemies against Augustus have been treasonable, but Tiberius?" "There's no precedent for it." "The Emperor's noble son Tiberius Drusus Caesar!" "Castor, how nice to see you." "Welcome back." "I'm Castor to my friends, Sejanus." "I had hoped you'd count me among your friends." " Perhaps you will one day." " That seems unlikely." "Your father doesn't wish to be disturbed." "Announce me, you filthy German pig, or I'll have you flogged and sent back to the hut from which you came!" "Never mind precedent." "I want Silius Caecina impeached for treason." "He has a great war record and he has powerful friends - the Lady Agrippina for one." "Shall I find someone else or will you take the case?" "!" "Of course." "I was just clearing my mind." " Germanicus was never your enemy!" " I tell you he was!" "I know what his ambitions were." "I have the proof here in the files." "And I know how his widow conspires against me now." " Proof?" "From Sejanus?" " Yes!" "From Sejanus." "He at least keeps me informed of what goes on in this city!" "Oh, Father, open your eyes!" "The man is using you." "and see no one he doesn't want you to see." "He is the partner of my labours." "And soon he'll be your colleague, but that won't be enough for him." "That man has an appetite for power unknown to you and me." "Envy!" "Envy!" "You envy him because for years he worked while you and that Judean friend of yours, Herod, went whoring around the city!" "He worked to relieve me of my labours!" "That's true, but if you think he's working for you, you're mistaken." "He's working for himself, and how hard he works!" " Have you finished?" " No, I have not finished!" "His statue is now to be seen in Pompey's theatre and replicas of it are all over Rome!" "He's built a network of spies that have spread through the city." "Don't you see?" "He's building a prison here, stone by stone, and one day, when you're gone, we'll wake up and find the doors locked and the bolts down!" "Did you have a report to make on the coastal defences?" " Yes." " Well, then, make it!" "He's interested only in treason trials and pornographic books." "He had one with him." "Caligula had bought it for him." " They seem to get on well." " He gives me the shudders." "How Germanicus and Agrippina produced him, I don't know." " Did you quarrel with your father?" " We had an argument over Sejanus." "He's blind to that man's ambition." " Don't you exaggerate?" " No." "What can he aspire to - a commander of the guard?" "I sometimes think he aspires to sit where my father sits." "He doesn't realise how much he depends upon him." "He seeks his advice on everything." "Why don't you go to sleep?" " I don't know why I'm so tired." " You've had a long journey." " I came to say goodnight, Father." " Goodnight." "I'm glad you're back." "I'm sorry I was so tired." "I can't keep awake." "You'll feel better in the morning." "Goodnight, Mother." "Goodnight, Helen." "She's becoming very beautiful." "Yes." "Her skin's not all that it should be though." " You too are looking beautiful." " Thank you." "Why don't you stay?" "Not tonight." "You're tired." "You'll sleep better alone." "Yes, you're right." "I really can't keep my eyes open." " Is he asleep?" " Yes." " Fast asleep?" " Yes." " Quick, please." " No, wait." "Don't be in such a hurry." "It's much better if you wait." "Did you do as I said?" "Put it in his wine?" "Yes." "He'll sleep till morning." "I thought you'd never get here." " What are we going to do?" " Do?" "We're going to make love for the last time." "Last time?" "No!" "I couldn't bear it." " I couldn't bear it!" " Livilla..." " He'll go away again." " It's too much of a risk." "We'll be discovered." "It's too dangerous." "Be sensible." "How can you be sensible?" "I don't think you love me, not really." "I love you too much to risk exposing you to a charge of adultery." "Don't tempt me, my darling." "Help me." " We could still meet." " How?" " I could do what I did tonight." " Drug his wine?" "He'll get suspicious if he falls asleep every night." "Besides, his body would grow accustomed to it and it would cease to have any effect." "And, my darling, one night - in your eagerness to see him sleep - you might kill him." "Would a large dose really kill him?" " What are you saying?" " I can't live without you." "I can't." "I think I'd die if you didn't come into my bed every night." "It's a little step - from making him sleep at night to sleeping forever." " You'll need something stronger." " Get it for me." " Are you sure?" " Yes!" "Yes!" "Are you?" " If you are." " And afterwards?" "I'll divorce my wife and we'll get married." "And then I'll have you all to myself." "No more lovers for you, then." "You'll have to behave." "And if I don't?" "If you don't?" "Then I'll lock you in a room without any clothes, and I'll visit you three or four times a day." "Perhaps you'll be too tired." "Perhaps you'll only manage once." "Then I'll send my guards to stand in for me." " Would you really?" " Yes." " How many?" " Three or four." "I might not let them." " You'll be forced." " Against my will?" "Yes." " While you were there?" " Yes." "I'd struggle and scream." "But no use." "You'd like that, wouldn't you?" "Claudius!" "Herod." " Castor?" " What's your hurry?" "Oh, yes." "Look at this." "It came this morning." ""The Lady Livia Augustus expects her grandson Tiberius Claudius Drusus" ""to dine with her on her birthday." "She hopes he's in good health."" " W-what can it mean?" " What it says, I imagine." "I should take your own wine." "It's no joke, Herod." "I'm very nervous." "She never invites me." "We haven't spoken for seven years." "The last time she spoke to me was when Caligula burned the house down." "Then all she said was, "If you haven't got a bucket, p-piss on it!"" "I remember." "Your family are all lunatics, you know." "In that case, why don't you go back to your own family in Judea?" "I prefer lunatics I know to ones I don't." " Where are you off to?" " To find a present for Grandmother." "What about one of these?" "I know that face!" "Who is it?" "He knows that face!" "Wonderful!" "People know that face better than their own!" "Is it Sejanus?" "It's a replica of the statue of him at Pompey Theatre." " Everyone's buying them." " Everyone had better!" "Here, have one." "N-no, thanks." "We got nowhere to put it." "Oh, don't be obvious, Herod." "It's very tedious." "I must go." "Castor, you're not looking well." "I've not been well since I returned." "How's Livilla?" "I invited her to a p-public reading of my work, but she never came." "Her tastes have never been literary." " You never came either." " That's because mine always were." "Herod, you're talented but d-dull." "I must go." "What a dear, divine fool my cousin is." "How nervous everything makes him." "If I'd been asked to dine with your grandmother, I'd be nervous!" "He's right, you know." "You don't look well." "Oh, it'll pass." "You worry so much." "Halt!" "Silius Caecina." "What's this?" "I'm to be arrested, it seems." " By whose order?" " By order of the State Senate." " On what grounds?" " On the grounds of treason." "Gaius Silius Caecina is to be impeached before the Senate." "It seems I made some defamatory remarks about your father." "I don't recall them." "This must be some sort of joke, Varro." "You'll be laughed out of the house." "I don't think so." "Please stand aside, sir." "I'm on state business and may not be interfered with even by the Emperor's son." "Forward!" "O divine Augustus, take these offerings, poor as they are and help me, your unworthy successor to rule wisely in your place." "And help me too, my father, divine ruler of the world... to calm the raging spirit inside me, and lighten the dark shadows of my soul... and bring me peace." "Peace." "Hypocrite!" "Hypocrite." "You sacrifice to Augustus, but you persecute his grandchildren." "What grandchildren do I persecute that Augustus didn't?" "I'm not talking of my brother Postumus." "I'm talking of me." "Of me!" "All my friends, one by one, you either banish or you charge them with treason." "And their only crime is friendship for me." "Even Lollia, whom you could find nothing against, you degraded and humiliated till she took her own life!" "Now you've arrested Silius Caecina." "If you are not queen, have I done you wrong?" "Why do you persist in this childish belief that I want to be queen?" "Do you need to find reasons for the way you treat me?" " And how do I treat you?" " You persecute me!" "I will not be screamed at even by the granddaughter of Augustus!" "Silius Caecina is charged with treasonable utterances." "Utterances?" "What brings the Emperorship into disrepute undermines the foundations of the state." "Tiberius... perhaps I do you wrong in thinking you persecute me through my friends." "But you do me wrong in thinking me ambitious." "I'm tired." "Since Germanicus died, I've hardly known what to do with myself." "All I want is to be left alone... and..." "And?" " Be good to my children." " Have I not been good to them?" "To Caligula, perhaps, but to Nero and Drusus, you're cold and never enquire after them." "Oh, Tiberius, let's not fight one another all the time." "As for your children, they are guiltless of any crime." "I will look upon them as friends." "As for you..." "I will never forget what you made me do to Piso." "Tiberius Claudius Drusus Nero Germanicus." "Happy b-b-birthday, Grandmother." "Oh, is that for me?" "Yes." "It's a v-v-vase." "From India." "How very pretty." "And from such a distant place." "It's a pity we never got that far." "So many things we could have got cheap." "Sit down, my dear, and eat." " C-Caligula." " Uncle." "T-t-to you, Grandmother." "Staking everything on one throw, Uncle Claudius?" "Hold your tongue." "That was a gesture of confidence in me and was much appreciated." "Have you had l-lots of lovely presents, Grandmother?" "Several, my dear." "Thrasyllus has drawn the most detailed horoscope." "Such work has gone into it." "Amazing." "A horoscope full of incident and prophecy." "I was amazed at it myself." "It was a present from Tiberius." "He wanted to know how much longer I'm going to live." " I assure you..." " Oh, shut up." "It's a foolish mother who doesn't know her son." " And d-did he find out?" " Yes, yes." "I shall die soon." "Next year some time." "My son will be relieved." "I shall tell him nothing." "It would be a breach of professional ethics." "You're a liar." "Like all good astrologers, you're a liar." "You can go now." "They tell the truth about the future, but lie their way out of the present." "Let me reassure you, I could be wrong." "If you're mistaken over the exact time of your birth by a fraction, it could mean another ten years." "You see, he can't resist it." "They're all insecure, astrologers." "They all want to be loved." "Go away, Thrasyllus, you'll get no love here." "What are you grinning at, monster?" "You are a monster, aren't you?" "Whatever you say, Great Grandmother." "Did you know he was a monster, Claudius?" "Is he old enough to have acquired that t-title?" "He started very young, didn't you, monster?" "I searched his room one day and I found a little green talisman that told me a very remarkable story - or confirmed one I'd heard from another quarter." "A g-green talisman?" "Like my brother wore?" "The one your brother wore." "Do you think it's safe that Uncle Claudius should be told my secret?" "Or are you going to poison him?" "Oh, he's quite safe." "And remember this, monster, your Uncle Claudius here is a phenomenon." "Because he's sworn to protect his brother's children, he will never harm you." "And remember this too." "Thrasyllus has prophesied that he will avenge your death, so you cannot harm him." "I didn't think much of that." "Never mind what you thought, just remember it." "Now you may go." "I want to talk to Claudius in private." "Goodnight, Great Grandmother." "Goodnight, Uncle." "My body fascinates him because it's so old." "You'd think it would repel him." "Why do you allow him such f—f—familiarity?" "Because it pleases him." "And because he will be the next Emperor." "You don't believe me, do you?" "If you say so, Grandmother." "You know I don't concern myself with high p-politics, but what about Castor?" "And Caligula has two older brothers." "Castor is ill." "Thrasyllus says he won't recover." "He also says that Tiberius will choose Caligula to succeed him." "Why?" "Vanity." "Tiberius wants to be loved - at least after his death if not before." "And the best way to ensure that..." "Is to have someone w-worse to follow him." "Well, he's certainly no fool." "He's the biggest fool in my family." "I always thought that was you..." "but I think now I was wrong." "Grandmother, after all these years, you didn't invite me to dinner to tell me this." "Wine has made you bold." "You kept in with Caligula because he is the next Emperor." " Lost your stutter too." " But if you're dead, what difference can it make to you?" "Oh, it makes a lot of difference." "And that's really why you're here." "I want to be a goddess, Claudius." "Thrasyllus says he's sure I will be, which means he's not sure, he just thinks I will." "Why are you so anxious to be a goddess?" "Oh, don't you understand?" "Do you believe that the souls of criminals suffer eternal torment?" "Certainly." "But that the immortal gods are free from fear of punishment?" "Of course." "Jove deposed his father, killed one of his grandsons and married his own sister." "He's the greatest god of all." "I've done many terrible things, Claudius." "No ruler could do otherwise." "But I've always put the good of the Empire above all else." "Who saved Rome from civil war again?" "I did." "Augustus would have plunged us into it time and again with his ridiculous favouritism." "He set Agrippa against Marcellus," "Gaius against Tiberius, Tiberius against Postumus." "There was no end to his follies." "And it fell to me to... remove them - one by one." "Don't say you never suspected." "That's why I tolerate Caligula." "He's sworn, if I keep his secret... he'll make me a goddess as soon as he becomes Emperor." "You too must swear that you'll do all you can to see it happens." "Don't you see?" "If he doesn't make me a goddess, I'll be in hell." "Hell." "Suffering torments day and night, year after year after year." "Grandmother, p-please don't distress yourself." "Of c-course I'll do what I can." " Thank you." " On one small condition." "You see, there's so much I want to know." "I'm an historian and I want to know the truth." "When people die, so much dies with them, and all that's left are pieces of paper that tell lies." "Lies, lies." "He wants to know the truth and he calls it a small condition." "Grandmother, who killed Marcellus?" "I did." "The Empire needed Agrippa more than it needed Marcellus." "And then I poisoned Agrippa later because I knew that his wife was in love with Tiberius, and if Tiberius married her Augustus would make him Emperor." "My son botched that up, of course." "And j-Julia's sons by Agrippa." "How did they die?" "Gaius I had poisoned when he was in Syria." "You have a long reach." "The Empire's very large." "I need one." "Lucius was drowned in a boating accident arranged by his friend Plautius." "And Postumus?" " You were fond of him, weren't you?" " Yes, Grandmother." "He was useless." "I had to get rid of him." "He was a threat to Tiberius." "Besides, he knew I'd had his mother banished." "And what about my father, who was your son, and Germanicus, who was my dear brother - did you poison them?" "No." "Your father died of his wound." "Plancina poisoned Germanicus without instructions from me." "But I'd marked them both down for death." "Why?" "They were both infected with that disorder known as republicanism." " So was I." " Yes, but you didn't count." "If I ever had the opportunity, do you know the first thing I'd do?" "Restore the Republic." "Then you are a fool, after all." "And what about Augustus?" "Did you poison him?" "Yes." "Yes, I did." "I smeared the poison on the figs while they were still on the tree." "I had no choice." "He would only eat them if he'd picked them himself." "It took me all night to do it." "How could you have done that, Grandmother, when you'd lived with him for so long?" "Yes." "That was hard." "Very hard." "That was the hardest thing I ever had to do." "Oh, you've made me tired with all your questions." "You must go away." "Take this." "Read it some time." "That is a collection of Sibylline verses rejected from the official book." "Why?" "Because it's prophesied there that you will one day be Emperor." "Yes." "You." "Anything you say, Grandmother." " You won't forget your promise?" " No, I won't." "If I can become Emperor, you can certainly become the Queen of Heaven!" "(HE LAUGHS)" "Tiberius Claudius Drusus Nero Germanicus!" "Claudius, dear fellow." "How nice to see you." "I w-was on my way to see Castor." "I'm told he's v-very bad." "Yes, but he'll recover, I'm sure." "Your sister is taking care of him." "Actually, I wanted to have a word with you." "What about?" "This may seem an odd question to put to a husband, but did you know your wife was pregnant?" "No." "N-n-no, I d-didn't." " How do you know?" " I know." "Well, it's n-nothing to do with me." "We haven't even s-spoken for a long time." " You'll have to divorce her." " What for?" "You can't be married to a woman who's bearing someone else's child." "Your uncle will expect you to divorce her." "Oh." "Well, of c-course I'll d-d-divorce her." " Whom will you marry?" " M-marry?" "I'm getting d-divorced." "But you won't want to live alone." "I was l-living alone when I was m-married." "Then it doesn't matter whether you marry or not." " I'd rather not." " Nonsense." "I have just the woman for you." "Beautiful, independent - she'll leave you alone when you like." " W-who is she?" " My sister." "Aelia." "Well, she w-wouldn't w-want to marry a lame, sick fool like me." "She wouldn't mind." "You're the Emperor's nephew." "That's a good alliance." "And on your side, you'd be my brother-in-law." "I've spoken to the Emperor." "He's given his consent." "Oh, in that c-case, anything you say, Sejanus." "Good!" "Well, that's settled." "That's very decent of you, Sejanus." "Thanks a lot." "(LIVILLA) He's dying." "Dying." "I asked to see the Emperor to convey my sympathies on his son's death." "He sent word he never wanted to see me again." "A nod is as good as a wink from there!" "Where will you go, Herod?" "Back to Judea?" "No, no." "To Edom." "My grandfather, Herod the Great, came from there." "It was your father, Mark Antony, who made him King of the Jews." "He did them no favour." "He did my grandfather no favour either." "The Jews drive all their rulers mad." "What will you do in Edom?" "I understand there's nothing there." "Oh, I shall...you know." "Grandfather's domains were divided among his three surviving sons." "That he had three left is a miracle for he murdered the rest." " I think he overlooked them!" " A colourful character." "If black is colourful, he was colourful." "From there, I shall decide which of my three uncles is the safest touch" " and make my plans accordingly." " You must marry." " I have someone in mind." " A Roman?" "No, Lady." "We Jews believe in marrying only among ourselves." " You're a very arrogant people." " Practical." "There are so many things we can't eat!" "No Gentile woman would stand it!" "What's this, Claudius, about your marriage?" "(ANTONIA) For Claudius?" "He's already married." "(AGRIPPINA) But he's getting a divorce to marry Sejanus' sister." "Is this true?" "Well, I..." "S-S-Sejanus t-t..." "Oh, get it out!" "My wife, Urganalilla, is apparently having a baby and it's not mine." " It wouldn't be." "You never see her." " That's the p-point." "So Sejanus suggested I divorce her and m-m-marry his sister." "I've never heard anything so monstrously wicked in all my life." "You're a bigger fool than I thought." "Well, w-what difference does it make to me?" "I shan't see her either." "Fool." "Germanicus would have had no patience with you." "P-probably." "Can't you see the vile ambition that drives that man?" "It's just another step on the way." "By this marriage, he relates himself to the Imperial family." "Then does he plan to marry Livilla?" " What has he to do with Livilla?" " He's her lover." "Sejanus is married with children!" "What kind of world do you think we're living in?" "!" "I'm sorry." "I'm upset." "Castor's dead." "Silius Caecina committed suicide even before the trial had ended." "One by one my friends vanish." "Where will it end?" " You've betrayed us!" " Oh, Pina... (ANTONIA) Why did you agree to it?" "Well..." "He asked me." "Is that all you can say?" "You blockhead!" "No." "He's not a blockhead." "It's we who are the blockheads." "If Sejanus had come to us with a proposal like that, we'd have said no, but Claudius knows better." "Claudius sways and bends with each little wind that blows." " You mean he's weak and cowardly." " Perhaps." "But at least he's still here!" "(CLAUDIUS) But at least he's still here." "Yes." "Still here." "And they've all gone, every one of them." "It's like a dream - dreamed by Livia sleeping fitfully down in hell." "No." "Livia is dying." "Dying." "The mother of the nation is dying." "Livia is dying." "She's sent for you." "She wants to see you." "Why, I can't imagine." " Dying?" " Yes." "But it was only a cold." "It's settled on her lungs." "She's sinking fast." "She's asked to see you." "Well, are you going to sit there all night?" "I hear you're dying, Great Grandmother." "You won't forget your promise, will you?" "To make you a goddess?" "What makes you think a smelly old woman could become a goddess?" "I don't need you any more, you see, Great Grandmother." "My secret will die with you." "You're going to stew in hell for ever and ever." "Let me tell you something." "Thrasyllus has made another prophecy." "He told Tiberius." "He said one who is going to die soon will become the greatest god the world has ever known." "No temples will be dedicated to anyone but him in the whole world." "Not even to Augustus." "And do you know who that one is?" "Me." "Me." "I shall become the greatest god of all, and I shall look down on you, suffering all the torments of hell, and I shall say..." ""Leave her there." ""Leave her there for ever and ever and ever."" "Goodbye, Great Grandmother." "How are you, Grandmother?" "D-don't cry." "He was here..." "Caligula was here." "He said he wouldn't make me a goddess." "I'll see that he does, Grandmother." "He said..." "He said he'd leave me to stew in hell." "I want to be a goddess, Claudius." "I deserve it." "You shall be the Queen of Heaven." "I promise you." " Really?" " Yes." "Go on playing the fool, Claudius." "Stay with me till I go." "Put a coin in my mouth... to pay the ferryman... for the journey." "Goodbye, Grandmother." "Safe journey."