Antonia Minor quotes from I, Claudius

Antonia

It's not fair to accuse Livia of things without any proof.

Why shouldn't I? She accuses me of all kinds of things without proof.

Antonia

Make sure she doesn't get any, then.

Antonia

That child is a monster!

Caligula

I'm not, you horrid old German woman! I'll burn your German house down!

[after being asked by Antonia to hide a letter for Tiberius inside his history of Carthage] Well, I suppose I could, but I don't want to give him this copy. It's got elephants drawn all over it.

Antonia

You are the biggest fool any mother was ever punished with. Who cares about your stupid history of Carthage? Nobody's going to read it anyway, and certainly not Tiberius. The only way you'd get him to read it is if you drew naked women all over it, and then he'd only look at the pictures!

[screaming and pounding from the inside] Mother! Let me out! Let me out!

For Heaven's sake, let her out! How long are you going to leave her in here?

Antonia

Until she dies.

Dies? Dies?! Have you gone mad?! She's your daughter! How can you leave her to die?!

Antonia

That's her punishment.

How can you bear to sit out here and listen to her?!

Antonia

And that's mine. Leave me, Claudius. I shall not move from here until they open the door and find her dead. Leave me.

No... No...! [leaves, sobbing]

[in tears] Don't do it, please...!

Antonia

My mind is made up. I don't want to stay here anymore. I was born into a world of people. It's become a kennel of mad dogs. I've seen my splendid son Germanicus murdered, and my grandsons, Drusus, Nero, Gemellus. My granddaughters are degenerate beyond redemption, and your sister Livilla died by my own hand. That was the worst. I should have died then myself.

Wait a while! Caligula's sick in his mind. Sooner or later...

Antonia

No, Rome is sick, sick to its heart. He's just the rash it's come out in.