Full title
· The Tragedy of Julius Caesar Author
· William Shakespeare Type of work
· Play Genre
· Tragic drama, historical drama Language
· English
'Julius Caesar' is one of the timeless creations of Shakespeare, the great master artist. This historical play is a great tragedy
that ends in a huge waste of human lives. The play abounds in admirable and affecting passages, and is remarkable for the profound knowledge of
character, in which Shakespeare could scarcely fail. It is as if he had been actually present, had known the different characters and what they
think of one another, and had taken down what he hear and saw, their looks, words, and gestures as they happened. The truth of history in Julius
Caesar is very ably worked up with dramatic effect. The councils of generals, the doubtful turns of battles are represented to life. With his
superb language, Shakespeare has breathed life into a glorious chapter torn from the history of Rome dealing with the struggle of Monarchy
and Republicanism and has given it a befitting place in the galaxy of his great plays.
First Published Edition of the play Julius Caesar
It seems that Julius Caesar was not published when Shakespeare was alive. It first appeared in the complete collection of Shakespeare's works known as The Folio of 1623.
The time of composition of Julius Caesar is not known correctly. After seeing all the materials and evidences, it can be concluded that it was composed before 1603.
Date first performed
The actual date of the staging is not known. It is generally believed that Julius Caesar was first performed between 1600 and 1601. In the Elizabethan era there was a huge demand for new entertainment and Julius Caesar would have been produced immediately following the completion of the play.
Source of the play Julius Caesar
The direct source for Shakespeare's play is the historian Plutarch work, Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romans translated by Sir Thomas North, a noted Elizabethan. This work was widely
read and admired. Shakespeare could depend on his audience being familiar with the story. The assassination of Julius Caesar was regarded by the Elizabethans as the greatest historical event with
significant lessons of all time. Shakespeare was thus naturally drawn to a theme of universal and eternal interest.
Publisher
· Edward Blount and William Jaggard headed the group of five men who undertook the publication of Shakespeare’s First Folio.
Central Idea of the Play
The central idea of the play is based on two themes:
1. As a political play
2. As a tragedy of character
The Play at a Glance
1. Total number of Acts in the play = 5
2. Total number of Scenes in the play = 18
3. Total number of Lines in the play = 1450
4. The longest Act in the play = Act III (603 lines)
5. The shortest Act in the play = Act V (354 lines)
6. The longest scene in the play = Act II Sc. i (336 lines)
7. The shortest scene in the play = Act V Sc. ii (6 lines)
8. Probable year of writing the play = 1599
Number of words in the script
The number of spoken words in Julius Caesar, according to the Complete Public Domain Text is 20,933.
(9) Murders in the Play
1. Of Julius Caesar - murdered by the conspirators in Act III, Scene i
2. Of Cinna, the poet - murdered by angry Roman mob in Act III, Scene iii
(10) Suicides in the Play
1. By Portia in Act IV, Scene iii
2. By Cassius in Act V, Scene iii
3. By Titinus in Act V, Scene iii
4. By Brutus in Act V, Scene iii
(11) Deaths in the Play
1. Of Cicero and Lingarius in Act IV, Scene iii
2. Of Cato in Act V,Scene v
(12) Female Characters in the Play
1. Portia wife of Brutus 2. Calipurnia wife of Caesar
(13) Male Characters in the Play
Julius Caesar , Marcus Brutus , Casius , Casca , Cicero , Mark Antony , Metellus Cimber , Marullus , Flavius , Lucius , Octavious ,Lingarious , Publius,
Artemidorus , Decius Brutus , Cinna - the poet, Cinna -the conspirators , Cato , Titinius , Trebonius , Lucilius , Popilius Lena , Messala , Varro , Pindarus ,
Strato , Young Cato , A soothsayer , Clitus , Dardanius , Cladius.
(14) Famous Scenes in the play
1. The Opening Scene - Act I Scene i
2. The Persuasion Scene - Act I Scene ii
3. The Storm Scene - Act I Scene iii
4. The Conspiracy Scene - Act II Scene i
5. The Murder Scene - Act III Scene i
6. The Forum Scene - Act III Scene ii
7. The Proscription Scene - Act IV Scene i
8. The Quarrel or the Ghost Scene - Act IV Scene iii
(16) Frequency of appearance of the main characters
1. Antony - 8 times
2. Brutus - 12 times
3. Caesar - 2 + 1(as ghost) times
4. Caliphurnia - 2 times
5. Casca - 4 times
6. Cassius - 8 times
7. Octavius - 3 times
8. Portia - 2 times
(16) Number of soliloquies in the play = 16
1. Brutus - 7
2. Cassius - 2
3. Caesar - 1
4. Artemidorus - 1
5. Pindarus - 1
6. Titinius - 1
7. Antony - 2
8. Portia - 1
Climax
· Cassius’s death (V.iii), upon ordering his servant, Pindarus, to stab him, marks the point at which it becomes clear that the murdered Caesar has been avenged, and that Cassius, Brutus, and the other conspirators have lost in their attempt to keep Rome a republic rather than an empire. Ironically, the conspirators’ defeat is not yet as certain as Cassius believes, but his death helps bring about defeat for his side. Protagonists
· Brutus and Cassius Antagonists
· Antony and Octavius Setting (Time)
· 44 B.C. Setting (Place)
· Ancient Rome, toward the end of the Roman republic. Point of view
· The play sustains no single point of view; however, the audience acquires the most insight into Brutus’s mind over the course of the action. Falling action
· Titinius’s realization that Cassius has died wrongly assuming defeat; Titinius’s suicide; Brutus’s discovery of the two corpses; the final struggle between Brutus’s men and the troops of Antony and Octavius; Brutus’s self-impalement on his sword upon recognizing that his side is doomed; the discovery of Brutus’s body by Antony and Octavius. Tense
· Present Foreshadowing
· The play is full of omens, including lightning and thunder, the walking dead, and lions stalking through the city (I.iii). Additionally, the Soothsayer warns Caesar to beware the Ides of March (I.ii); Calpurnia dreams that she sees Caesar’s statue running with blood (II.ii); and Caesar’s priests sacrifice animals to the gods only to find that the animals lack hearts (II.ii)—all foreshadow Caesar’s impending murder and the resulting chaos in Rome. Caesar’s ghost visits Brutus prior to the battle (IV.ii), and birds of prey circle over the battlefield in sight of Cassius (V.i); both incidents foreshadow Caesar’s revenge and the victory of Antony and Octavius. Tone
· Tones of the play Julius Caesar are Serious, proud, virtuous, enraged, vengeful, idealistic, anguished. Themes
· Fate versus free will; public self versus private self; misinterpretation and misreading of signs and events; commitment to ideals versus adaptability and compromise; the relationship between rhetoric and power; allegiance and rivalry among men. Motifs
· Omens and portents, letters. Symbols
· The women in the play, Portia and Calpurnia, symbolize the neglected private lives of their respective husbands, Brutus and Caesar. The men dismiss their wives as hindrances to their public duty, ignoring their responsibilities to their own mortal bodies and their private obligations as friends, husbands, and feeling men.
Some part has been taken from: Latil, Francine and Cheng, Wendy. SparkNote on Julius Caesar. 9 Sep. 2004 SparkNote
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