This study uses recent archaeological, numismatic and historical evidence to reveal the character of Agrippina, a key imperial figure of classical antiquity. She was the sister of Caligula, wife of Claudius and mother of Nero. She attained a level of power unprecedented for a woman in first century Rome with a lifestyle which embraced treachery, incest and murder. Barrett assesses the historical and personal impact of Agrippina's marriage to the emperor Claudius and explores her relationship with her son, Nero, the monster of her own making.