Julius Caesar [Paperback]

One of Shakespeare's most political plays, Julius Caesar continued Shakespeare's interest in Roman history, first developed in Titus Andronicus. Drawing on Plutarch, the great historian of Rome, Shakespeare dramatises one of the most crucial moments in Roman history--the assassination of Julius Caesar. Loved by the Roman crowd but increasingly feared by the Senators, Caesar increasingly shows signs of his desire to abolish the Republic and crown himself emperor. A conspiracy is hatched, led by Cassius and Brutus, who murder Caesar on the steps of the Capitol. Mourning over his dead friend's body, Mark Antony gives one of the famous rhetorical speeches in literature, asking "Friends, Romans, Countrymen" to lament Caesar's death, privately vowing to "let slip the dogs of war" against those who have shed Caesar's blood. Antony joins forces with Caesar's son Octavius to defeat Cassius and Brutus in battle, and establish an uneasy alliance whose collapse is dramatised in Shakespeare's later play Antony and Cleopatra. Written at the end of Queen Elizabeth's reign, Julius Caesar has been seen by many as a radically pro-Republican play which sailed close to the political wind of the time. --Jerry Brotton --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

"[An] excellent edition."--Linda Anderson, Virginia Tech
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

"Daniell's edition is a hefty piece of serious scholarship that makes a genuine contribution."--Eric Rasmussen, University of Nevada at Reno, "Shakespeare Survey" "This is a stimulating new look at a play which is too often exhibited in a critical museum."--Paul Dean, "Review of English Studies" --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

In this striking tragedy of political conflict, Shakespeare turns to the ancient Roman world and to the famous assassination of Julius Caesar by his republican opponents. The play is one of tumultuous rivalry, of prophetic warnings--"Beware the ides of March"--and of moving public oratory "Friends, Romans, countrymen!" Ironies abound and most of all for Brutus, whose fate it is to learn that his idealistic motives for joining the conspiracy against a would-be dictator are not enough to sustain the movement once Caesar is dead.

Professor Spevack's critical discussion shows how private desires and public affairs are inextricable in Julius Caesar and how Shakespeare frames the world of this play - person, action, place, time - within the operations of larger forces, mysterious, ironical, and undeniable. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

It's two, two, two plays in one!
Shakespeare's play "Julius Caesar" is the only tragedy he wrote where the title character dies in the third act. The real "tragic hero" is Brutus, who is the last to die in the play.It's also interesting to note Marc Antony, a minor character in the first two acts, who comes to the forefront in his funeral oration. But his nobility declines in Act 4, where Shakespeare shows him to be influenced by power.There is no direct confrontation between the protagonists and the antagonists in the play. Both Cassius and Brutus come to their ends by their own hands. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Dramatizing the political battles in Rome during the height of the Pax Romanum, Shakespeare pits Caesar against an untold number of conspirators and lets the daggers fly. Antony comes in at the end to clean up the mess and carry on the rule of the Caesars.

The CliffsComplete Julius Caesar is a revised and expanded study edition. It contains Shakespeare′s original play, a glossary, and expert commentary in a unique, 2–column format. To enhance your learning, notes and definitions appear directly opposite the line in which they occur, and a review section follows the play. This edition also introduces you to the life, works, and times of William Shakespeare. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Arthur Humphreys is Emeritus Professor of English at the University of Leicester. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.