by: William ShakespeareCaesar

Some History

Today, generals in armies have to report to the president.

Two thousand years ago, the generals in the Roman army had much individual power.

Sometimes, generals turned on each other.

Power Hungry

Caesar and Pompey, two generals, clashed in a civil war in Rome.

The two men were friends. They, along with Crassus, formed the First Triumvirate (or 3 man government).

Caesar was eager for more power and land, so he set out in the Gallic Wars, which lasted for about 8 years.

Pompey and Egypt

Pompey, jealous of Caesar and his growing power, made the senate order Caesar to return.

Caesar marched on Rome, took control and chased Pompey to Egypt, where he was murdered.

Caesar fell in love with Cleopatra and lingered in Egypt, returning after nine months.

Return to Rome

When he returned to Rome, he defeated an army led by Pompey’s sons.

Became dictator – all of his supporters were made senators.

The common people loved him. Caesar’s ambition was hated by the

senators, who despised the idea of another king of Rome.

Assassination

Cassius, a senator, and Brutus, one of Caesar’s best friends and supporters, plan his murder “for the good of Rome.”

They convince other senators to participate.

Caesar was stabbed on March 15, 44 B.C., a date also known as the Ides of March.

Superstitions

Shakespeare uses Roman customs and superstition to create spooky conditions to mirror the dangerous plot being planned.

Omens

The Romans believed that omens could reveal the future.

These omens could take the form of unusual weather, flights of birds, or other natural phenomena.

Animals as Omens The Romans often

sacrificed animals to the gods, and had their entrails examined by an official called a haruspex. Any abnormalities or imperfections indicated the anger of a god or a particularly bad event about to happen.

More Omens

Unusual astronomical and meteorological occurrences were also seen as indicators of future events.

Solar eclipses were believed to portend doom, as was lightning.

The Main Characters Julius Caesar

Marcus Brutus Cassius Casca Trebonius Ligarius Decius Brutus Metellus Cimber Cinna

Dictator of Rome

The Conspirators

More Characters

Calphurnia – Caesar’s wife Portia – Brutus’s wife

Soothsayer – a fortune teller

Octavius Caesar (adopted son) Marc Antony Triumvirs after Lepidus Caesar’s Death

Setting

Play takes place in Rome in 44 B.C. Begins a few months before Caesar’s

death Action takes place in the streets of

Rome, the houses of its leaders, and in the Senate House

Action then moves to the battlefields of Sardis and Philippi

Themes

Fate vs. Free WillPublic Self vs. Private Self

Misinterpretations and Mis-readings