WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

An Introduction to the Playwright and his Play, Julius Caesar

Biographical Information• Born: Stratford-Upon Avon, England April 23,

1564• Parents, John and Mary (Arden)• Married Anne Hathaway, November, 1582• Three children: Susanna, Hamnet, and Judith

Shakespeare’s Birthplace

The Bard

• Sometime in the 1580's William Shakespeare left his family to pursue a career as a playwright, poet, and actor in London.

• His success was immense. Shakespeare is known to have written 154 sonnets and 37 plays.

• In fact, so prolific was Shakespeare as a writer of sonnets, that a sonnet form has been named for him. The Shakespearean sonnet is 14 lines long with a rhyme scheme: abab, cdcd, efef,gg.

Playwright, Poet, Playwright, Poet, ActorActor

Shakespeare’s Theatre

• “The Globe Theatre, also known as the Shakespeare Globe Theatre, was not only one of most famous playhouses of all time, but the play house where Shakespeare performed many of his greatest plays. Built from oak, deal, and stolen playhouse frames, the 3 storey, 3000 capacity Globe Theatre, co-owned by William Shakespeare has become almost as famous as the playwright himself.” ( Absolute Shakespeare)

The Stage In Shakespeare’s Time

• A show lasted about 2 ½ hours, usually in open air theatres during the afternoon.

• There were no acts, but frequent intermissions.

• There was no scenery, but elaborate props and costumes to give reality.

• Devices such as trap doors and scaffolds were used to make gods, witches, etc. disappear.

The Stage In Shakespeare’s Time (continued)

• There were no actresses. All parts were played by men or boys.

• There were no programs.

• The closeness of stage to the audience led to use of "asides" and "soliloquies“.

• In front of stage was a big open area where the "penny-public" stood to watch as they could not afford seats.

Points of Shakespeare's Style:• Use of metaphors– comparing something in

terms of something else, i.e. "That lowliness is young ambition’s ladder".

• Use of soliloquies– usually longer speeches given by characters when alone on stage– e.g. a person talking to himself out loud.

• Use of asides– when a character says something to the audience, but the other characters on stage cannot hear it, e.g. like muttering to himself.

Points of Shakespeare’s Style:(continued)

• Use of sonnets– a very rigid poetic style of writing. Fourteen lines consisting of three sets of four line quatrains and a two line rhyming couplet at the end. Rhyme scheme: ABAB CDCD EFEF GG, e.g.

• Use of puns– humourous plays on words indicating different meanings.

• i.e. the Cobbler says, "A trade, sir, that I hope I may use with a safe conscience, which is indeed a mender of bad soles.” A cobbler is a mender of shoes or a bungler.

The Tragedy of Julius CaesarWilliam Shakespeare

Julius Caesar: Introduction

The setting of this play is ancient Rome.

Shakespeare creates a world full of political intrigue, magical occurrences, and military conquest.

SETTING

• Julius Caesar is largely set in Rome, in February of the year 44 B.C.

• In later scenes, the action moves to Sardis and the battlefield at Philippi.

• The physical landmarks of ancient Rome, such as the Tiber River, the Capitol, and the house of the Senate, are referred to with great frequency.

• The Forum is also the setting for an important scene. Roman political institutions and officials, such as tribunes, Senators, Patricians, and priests, are always present.

Julius Caesar: Introduction

Caesar, the most powerful man in Rome, has recently returned to the city after months of fighting abroad.

Julius Caesar: Introduction

Caesar was fighting Pompey, another powerful Roman, and his sons.

Pompey, as well as others in the Roman senate, was disturbed by Caesar’s growing ambition.

Julius Caesar: Introduction

Their fears seem to be valid when Caesar refuses to enter Rome as an ordinary citizen after the war.

Instead, he marches his army on Rome and takes over the government.

Julius Caesar: Introduction

But the people don’t mind—in fact, they love him.

Caesar is made dictator, or ruler—a position that was sometimes granted for a ten-year term—for the rest of his life.

Julius Caesar: Introduction

Many senators, however, resent Caesar for having so much power.

Julius Caesar: Introduction

Some senators begin to conspire. . .

Brutus, Caesar’s friend who believes that he must act against Caesar for the good of Rome Casca, who hates the ordinary citizens of Rome yet is jealous because they love Caesar and not him Cassius, a greedy and jealous man who wantsto take drastic measures to keep Caesar from winning any more power—and to take away any power that Caesar previously had!

Julius Caesar : Background

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

Julius Caesar : Background

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.

Julius Caesar: Background

Animals were seen as indicators of the future.

The Romans often sacrificed animals to the gods, and had their entrails (guts) 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.

Julius Caesar: Background

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

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

Elements of Fiction/Shakespearean Tragedy

Exposition:

Characters & Setting

Act I

Rising Action:

Introduction of Conflicts

Act II

Climax:

Turning Point

Act III

In a tragedy, things usually go from bad to worse in Act III

Falling Action:

Conflict resolution begins to fall into place

Result of the climax

Act IV

Denouement:

Main conflicts are resolved

Act V

This act includes a catastrophe, which is another climactic turning point in the story line.

MOOD

The mood of Julius Caesar is one of impending doom and catastrophe.

From the beginning, danger lurks in every corner. Friends can no longer be trusted, as they turn to manipulation and conspiracy and plot their next moves.

Images of violence, blood, and death dominate the visual texture of the play.

The weighty political intrigue is always present throughout the drama.

The latter half of the play even assumes an eerie mood with the appearance of Caesar's ghost, returning to seek revenge.

The closing phase of the play is dominated by the sinister image of the sword.

Julius Caesar

Physically weak: Caesar has several infirmities

A tyrant: Caesar has had Marullus and Flavius arrested

Superstitious: Caesar believes in portents and dreams

Indecisive: Caesar cannot make up his mind whether or not to go to the senate

Inflexible: Caesar thinks himself perfect and decisive

Protagonist: Julius Caesar is an arrogant soldier and ambitious politician, who believes that he is infallible. After his great victory over the sons of Pompey, he believes that he is worthy of more power than just being the head of Rome; he wants to be crowned the leader of the entire Roman Empire.

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.

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 Antony

Loyal 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

THEMES

Major Theme

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.