Julius Caesarby William

Shakespeare

Introduction The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, also known simply

as Julius Caesar, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1599. It portrays the 44 BC conspiracy against the Roman dictator Julius Caesar, his assassination and the defeat of the conspirators at the Battle of Philippi. It is one of several Roman plays that Shakespeare wrote, based on true events from Roman history, which also include Coriolanus and Antony and Cleopatra.

Although the title of the play is Julius Caesar, Caesar is not the central character in its action; he appears in only three scenes, and is killed at the beginning of the third act. The protagonist of the play is Marcus Brutus, and the central psychological drama is his struggle between the conflicting demands of honour, patriotism, and friendship.

The play reflected the general anxiety of England over succession of leadership. At the time of its creation and first performance, Queen Elizabeth, a strong ruler, was elderly and had refused to name a successor, leading to worries that a civil war similar to that of Rome might break out after her death.

Summary of the playJulius Caesar is a highly successful but ambitious political leader of Rome and his goal is to become an unassailable dictator. Caesar is warned that he must "beware the Ides of March" . The prophecy comes true and Caesar is assassinated. Marcus Brutus is a well respected Roman senator who helps plan and carry out Caesar's assassination which he believes will rid Rome of a tyrant. Caesar's friend Mark Antony provides the famous funeral oration ("Friends, Romans, and countrymen…") Brutus and Cassius meet their inevitable defeat. Brutus, the noble Roman, whose decision to take part in the conspiracy for the sake of freedom, plunges his country into civil war.

Characters• Julius Caesar• Calpurnia: Wife of Caesar• Octavius Caesar, Marcus Antonius, M.

Aemilius Lepidus: Triumvirs after the death of Julius Caesar

• Cicero, Publius, Popilius Lena: Senators• Marcus Brutus, Cassius, Casca,

Trebonius, Ligarius, Decius Brutus, Metellus Cimber, Cinna: Conspirators against Julius Caesar

• Portia: Wife of Brutus• Flavius and Marullus: Tribunes• Artemidorus: a Sophist of Cnidos• A Soothsayer (Also called Fortuneteller)

Descriptions About the Main

Characters

Calpurnia Born 75 BC Daughter of Lucius Calpurnius Piso

Caesoninus and sister of Lucius Calpurnius Piso,

A Roman woman and the third and last wife of Julius Caesar.

The great-granddaughter of a lieutenant of Lucius Cassius Longinus, whose name was Lucius Piso.

The grandfather of Lucius Calpurnius Piso Caesonius was killed by the Tigurini during the Gallic Wars, as was Lucius Cassius Longinus.

Brutus

Of Noble Heritage Brutus is a Roman nobleman, as was his father

Sincere: Brutus truly believes that his role in the assassination is for the good of Rome

Honest: He refuses to take bribes

Naive: He believes in the essential goodness of those around him

Philosophical: His philosophies guide his actions and decisions.

Cassius

Envious: Cassius has contempt for Caesar and envies Caesar's position

Fearful: Cassius is afraid that Caesar has ambitions to be king. He fears what might become of Rome in such an instance.

Politically Astute: He advises Brutus to assassinate Antony along with Caesar. Understanding what can happen, he advises Brutus not to allow Antony to speak at Caesar's funeral.

Corrupt: Prior to the battle at Philippi, he is accused by Brutus of taking bribes

Military Strategist: His battle plan for Philippi is well thought out and based on sound military principles

Marc AntonyLoyal to Caesar: Antony loved and

admired Caesar

Clever: Antony pretends to befriend the conspirators and asks that he be allowed to speak at Caesar's funeral

A skilled orator: Antony's speech at Caesar's funeral sways the crowd

Hard: Antony's role in condemning men to death shows he can be as cold hearted as he is passionate

A skilled military leader: Antony has an equal voice in planning the war against the legions of Brutus and Cassius

Julius CaesarJuly 100 BC – 15

March 44 BC

Gaius was his given name, one of only

eight names which could be given to

boys.

Julius was the family

name. The name of Gaius’ branch of the Julius family was “Caesar,” which originally meant “hairy.”

Gaius Julius Caesar

His Name

Hair.

The Julius family claimed to be descended from Romulus, Aeneas, and thence Venus, which would make them all partly divine.

However, his immediate family was anything but godlike.

Although patricians, the Caesars were so poor that they lived among the plebeians in an insula (bad apartment) in the Subura, a very poor part of Rome.

Apart from this, Caesar had a healthy family life. Historians say that he had a very good mother, Aurelia, whom he loved very much.

His father was something of a nobody, though he did serve as praetor, and he died when Caesar was 15.

It is likely that Caesar was beaten as a child, but this was not uncommon, as strict obedience was extremely important to the Roman family at the time.

THEMES Major Themes The major theme of Julius Caesar is that misused

power is a corruptive force. This is seen in the fact that Caesar is a dictator suspected of being tyrannous, that Cassius is so power hungry that he assassinates Caesar, hoping to become more powerful himself, and that Antony, Octavius, and Lepidus become a dictatorial and tyrannical Triumvirate, worse than Caesar ever hinted at being.

Minor Themes • goodness of loyalty, honor, and friendship;• the evil of pride, conspiracy, and anarchy;• the logic of political order; • and the viability of republicanism as a form of

government.

His Antagonists• Caesar's antagonists are Brutus, Cassius,

and the other conspirators who do not want him to become the head of the Roman Empire.

• They plot to overthrow Caesar and assassinate him outside the Capitol; he is an easy target because of his fatal flaw - his extreme "hubris" or pride.

• Many times, Caesar is nearly saved by omens and warnings, but he disregards them, thinking himself infallible.

• He is so proud that he is easily flattered, leading him to think less strategically and placing himself in grave danger.

Famous Quotes / Quotations

"Friends, Romans, countrymen lend me your ears; I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him". - (Act III, Scene II).

"But, for my own part, it was Greek to me". - (Act I, Scene II).

"Cry "Havoc," and let slip the dogs of war". - (Act III, Scene I).

"Et tu, Brute!" - (Act III, Scene I).

"Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more". - (Act III, Scene II).

"Beware the Ides of March". - (Act I, Scene II).

"This was the noblest Roman of them all". - (Act V, Scene V).

Information provided about the play

William Shakespeare never published any of his plays and therefore none of the original manuscripts have survived. Eighteen unauthorized versions of his plays were, however, published during his lifetime in quarto editions by unscrupulous publishers (there were no copyright laws protecting Shakespeare and his works during the Elizabethan era). A collection of his works did not appear until 1623 (a full seven years after Shakespeare's death on April 23, 1616) when two of his fellow actors, John Hemminges and Henry Condell, posthumously recorded his work and published 36 of William’s plays in the First Folio. Some dates are therefore approximate other dates are substantiated by historical events, records of performances and the dates plays appeared in print.

About the Author The English writer and poet William Shakespeare is

considered the greatest playwright of all time. Unfortunately, we don’t know many details about his biography.

  There are no portraits, pictures or drawings of Shakespeare while he was still alive. Shakespeare married at 18 and wrote his first known play when he was 25 years old; he also acted in some of the plays.

  Shakespeare only finished grammar school and never studied in the university.

There are over 80 different translations of his plays and poems. The number of translations of Shakespeare’s works all over the world is second only to the Bible.

More than 25,000 different words are used in the works of Shakespeare, including many that he created. Most people use only 2,000 or 2,500 words in speaking and writing: so, Shakespeare used ten times the normal amount of words!

  A really surprising fact: the great writer’s wife and children were all illiterate!

The Globe Theatre

This is the Globe Theatre, London. It’s a modern reconstruction of the ancient theatre where Shakespeare’s company acted. Unfortunately, a fire destroyed the original theatre in the 17th century. The new Globe Theatre was opened to public in 1997.

The End