The philosopher Seneca wrote a savage political satire mocking Claudius after his death, likely motivated by personal revenge after Claudius had exiled him to Corsica.
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At 52:55 · chapter starts 47:03
Shortly after Claudius dies, the philosopher Seneca publishes a savage political satire titled the Apocolocyntosis — a pun on 'apotheosis' that suggests Claudius became a pumpkin rather than a god. [1] — Fin Taylor "Sandwiched between Caligula and Nero, Claudius never gets credit for being genuinely effective. He built Rome's first deep-sea harbour, ref…" 55:10 The hosts coin a new verb: to be 'hislopped' (after Have I Got News For You's Ian Hislop). The satire depicts Claudius arriving at the gates of heaven, where even Hercules can't understand his stuttering, and Augustus delivers a speech cataloguing his failures before sending him off to the underworld. The hosts note that Seneca had a personal motive: Claudius had exiled him to Corsica. The episode closes on a genuine rehabilitation of Claudius — a man who conquered Britain, built Rome's harbour, reformed slave law, and perhaps even engineered Caligula's fall, all while being publicly humiliated at every turn. He is, the hosts conclude, the Gordon Brown of Roman emperors. And that, finally, is a compliment.
Agrippina allegedly poisoned Claudius's mushrooms, but when that didn't fully work, she had his personal doctor insert a feather laced with poison down his throat. His last words were reportedly about soiling himself — a fittingly undignified end. Nero became emperor immediately after.
Claudius was found dead on October 13th, 54 AD at age 63, allegedly poisoned by mushrooms and then a poison-laced feather on orders from his wife Agrippina.
Shortly after Claudius died, philosopher Seneca wrote a savage political satire called the Apocolocyntosis — 'pumpkinification' — mocking Claudius's deification. The joke: instead of becoming a god, he became a pumpkin. The hosts note Seneca had a personal motive: Claudius had exiled him to Corsica.
Sandwiched between Caligula and Nero, Claudius never gets credit for being genuinely effective. He built Rome's first deep-sea harbour, reformed slave law, conquered Britain, and issued groundbreaking edicts — all while being publicly humiliated at every turn. He's Gordon Brown with war elephants.
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