Shakespeare's Julius Caesar Background
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Transcript of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar Background
Julius CaesarJulius Caesar
William ShakespeareWilliam ShakespeareBirth celebrated as April 23, 1564Died April 23, 1616Married Anne Hathaway in 1582
– She was 8 years Bill’s seniorHad three children: Susanna,
Hamnet, JudithLapse from 1585-1592
Shakespeare’s CareerShakespeare’s CareerBy 1592- actor and playwright1594- charter member of Lord
Chamberlain's Men1603- Changed to King’s MenRetired in 1612Wrote 37 playsJulius Caesar written in 1599
Why is his work so popular?Why is his work so popular?
Shakespeare wrote about human nature and how people behave.
Although his words can be hard to understand, his ideas are as relevant now as they were four centuries ago.
Shakespeare’s WorksShakespeare’s Works
No one knows exactly when each of his works was written; there are approximate dates.
Some experts have even said that “Shakespeare’s” plays are really the work of other writers.This may be because some people cannot
believe that Shakespeare, who came from an ordinary background, could have written such great works of literature.
Elizabethan BeliefsElizabethan Beliefs Life in Elizabethan
England could be cruel and hard. The poor often went hungry, disease was widespread, medical remedies often felt more like tortures, and many women died in childbirth. But through their beliefs, people found ways of making sense of their existence.
Elizabethan Beliefs-ReligionElizabethan Beliefs-ReligionPeople were, in general, much more
religious than people today.Almost everyone believed in
God and expected to go to heaven or hell after death.
At this time, England was a Protestant country – it had broken away from the Catholic Church of Rome. This was part of the European movement called the Reformation, which began with attacks on corruption in the Catholic Church.
Elizabethan BeliefsElizabethan BeliefsThe Chain of Being
A concept inherited from the Middle AgesAn attempt to give order, or “degree”, to the
vastness of creation.God created everything in a strict hierarchy, or
chain, that stretched from God himself down to the lowest things in existence.
Humans occupied a place in the chain below the angels but above animals, plants and stones. Some humans were higher in the chain than others.
Elizabethan BeliefsElizabethan Beliefs
The Chain of Being, cont.The monarch was the highestNobles and churchmen belowGentlemenCommonersAll women were considered to be inferior
to men, with the obvious exception of Elizabeth I.
Elizabethan BeliefsElizabethan Beliefs Chain of Being, cont.
Accepting one’s place in the chain was a duty that would be rewarded by God in heaven.
Disrupting the chain was thought to lead to chaos, but of course many people still did challenge their position in society.
Elizabethan BeliefsElizabethan BeliefsMyths and Magic
Fairies, magic, witches, spells and prophecies all formed part of their view of life.
Folklore and superstition were often as important to people as the official religious beliefs taught by the Church.
Elizabethan BeliefsElizabethan Beliefs
Little and LargeThe human body was thought to be
a miniature representation of the universe as a whole – a microcosm.Various parts of the body were linked to the planets and signs of the zodiac
Elizabethan BeliefsElizabethan Beliefs
Little and Large, cont.The body was thought to contain four
“humours” or fluids – black bile, phlegm, blood and choler.A person’s temperament depended on the
way the humours were mixed.Most people were thought to have one
humour that was more dominant than the others.
Illnesses and mental disorders were blamed on an imbalance of the humours.
Elizabethan StageElizabethan StageThe Globe (“Wooden O”)- Jan. 20,
1599Caesar -Probably the first play to be
performed at The GlobeSets would primarily be imagined by
the audience (heaven, stage, hell)All actors male1613- Henry VIII, light fuse to
cannon, theatre burned down
The Globe TheatreThe Globe Theatre
• The theatre most associated with Shakespeare• Shakespeare owned it in joint with others—
unusual for a playwright• Thrust Stage, 3-sided, platform, tiers of seats,
groundlings• Rebuilt Globe, on the Thames, in recent years.
Elizabethan TheatreElizabethan TheatreThe audience
It was an entertainment for everyone, like movies today.
The cheapest tickets cost a penny, which most ordinary people could afford.
Because of the crowds, theatres were popular with thieves and pickpockets.
People jeered at the actors and shouted out rude remarks
Some even climbed onto the stage and joined in with swordfights.
People also brought food with them to eat during the performance, or to throw at bad actors.
The Globe TheatreThe Globe Theatre
From 1599 onwards, Shakespeare’s plays were usually performed at the Globe, a huge, open-air, circular theatre.
It could hold 3000 people, and there were two performances a day.
Along with other members of his theatre company, Chamberlain’s Men, Shakespeare owned a share in the Globe and made a lot of money from it.
Shakespeare’s writing may sometimes reflect the design of the theatre. Some of the lines in his plays have three parts, or a word repeated three times. At the Globe, this allowed an actor to address the audience on all three sides of the thrust stage.
Julius Caesar Quick FactsJulius Caesar Quick Facts60 B.C.- First Triumvirate (Crassus,
Pompey, Caesar)Caesar crosses RubiconMarch 15, 44 B.C.- Caesar assasinated
– ‘Ides of March’43 B.C.- Second Triumvirate (Antony,
Lepidus, Octavian)
Background of Background of CaesarCaesar
Opens in 44 BC – when Rome had made conquests that allowed it to have an empire in N. Africa, Britain, Persia, and Spain.
Background of Background of CaesarCaesar
City itself collapsing despite conquests
Military endeavors more ambitious generals stronger while senators weaker and factionalizedSharp class divisions
Background of Background of CaesarCaesar
City itself collapsing despite conquests
Majority of population not interested in maintaining “republic”
Background of Background of CaesarCaesar
Caesar emerged as most likely to succeed
Remarkable general
Popular among lower classes at home
Background of Background of CaesarCaesar
Caesar emerged as most likely to succeed
AbilityCharismaAmbitionGood luck
Background of Background of CaesarCaesar
Caesar emerged as most likely to succeed
Extremely valuable and extremely dangerous to the state
Background of Background of CaesarCaesar
Caesar caused conflictLegal and military attempts to curb his power failedGroup of conspirators assassinated him, causing civil war
Background of Background of CaesarCaesar
New regimeCaesar’s friend Mark Antony and his heir, Octavius, defeated the conspirators
Background of Background of CaesarCaesar
New regimeOctavius was installed as emperor Augustus, and senate reduced to ceremonial role
The Importance of The Importance of CaesarCaesar
Caesar’s assassination and death affected Rome and its territories for centuries
Story is simultaneously personal and political
Differing views– Assassination as act of heroism, expediency, or villainy – celebrate, excuse, or denounce its perpetrators?
Differing views– Michelangelo, Milton idealize
Brutus as selfless defender of human liberty
– Dante sends Brutus and Cassius into the deepest pit of hell
Shakespeare’s historical Shakespeare’s historical referencereferenceShakespeare's main
source in writing the play was Thomas North's
English translation of Plutarch's Lives of the
Noble Greeks and Romans.
WHO CARES?WHO CARES?
So why did Shakespeare feel that Renaissance England would
respond to Julius Caesar?
Shakespeare saw Caesar and Roman civilization not just as one that precedes the future, but as one that sets the pattern for future civilizations.
Shakespeare's England faced concerns of a country about to change leadership and centuries.
The Play---The Play---
In 1599 the play would have served as a timely reminder of the enormous upheaval that would follow an attempt to seize power through violent means.
Is there a single figure upon whom the label of “usuper” can fall? (one who seizes without right.)
JC's current relevance:JC's current relevance:Themes in Julius Caesar have an equal
relevance for politics now, 400 years later. In the rivalry between political intimates, Cassius and Brutus, the somewhat shady financial dealings of the central characters, and the concerns about Caesar's style of leadership, there are undoubted parallels with societies today.
JC's current relevance:JC's current relevance: It is this issue of leadership and,
in particular, the question of when effective leadership becomes a tyranny, that has most relevance.
Consider the role of President, Prime Ministers, Senates, etc.
JC's current relevance:JC's current relevance:
But the play is also about more ageless issues, such as the corrupting effect of power. "People are rightly nervous about placing trust in politicians," says Rylance. "I believe that the vast majority of politicians are genuinely trying to do some good. But there is always the danger, when in a position of power, that means and ends can become blurred."
What kind of plays?What kind of plays?During Shakespeare’s career,
fashions and tastes in drama changed.He wrote mostly comedies and
history plays during the Elizabethan period – 1558-1603
Tragedies and tragicomedies during the reign of King James – 1603-1625
What Kind of Plays?What Kind of Plays?Tragedy
Ends in the death of one or more of the main characters.
Most of his tragedies involve historical individuals and events
TragediesTragedies
Shakespeare’s most famous and popular playsRomeo and Juliet; Macbeth; Hamlet; Othello; King Lear; Julius Caesar
Tragic HeroTragic HeroOften a man of high rank, such as a
king or princeCreates, or is put into, a difficult
situation which he must try to resolve.A combination of bad luck and bad
decisions lead to his death.Often a relatively sympathetic figure.
His soliloquies show his feelings and motives, and show the audience how easy it would be to make similar mistakes.
Doom and DestinyDoom and Destiny
Many people believed in fate, or destiny, and in the power of the stars to foretell the future.
Shakespeare uses the idea of fate or destiny to add excitement and anticipation to the tragediesUses a prophecy as a way of holding the
audience’s interest, because everyone wants to see if it will be fulfilled.
Tragic EndingsTragic Endings
Tragedies give a very bleak view of the world. At the end, the hero, and usually several other
characters, are dead, and the survivors are left to start again without them.
Although most tragic heroes are partly to blame for their own fates, death can be a very high price to pay for what may have seemed initially like a small failing.
In most tragedies, there is also a feeling that some good may have come out of the terrible suffering.At the end of Romeo and Juliet, because the
families’ fighting has partly caused the tragedy, they finally resolve to end their feud.
The Roman TragediesThe Roman Tragedies Julius Caesar, Antony and Cleopatra and
Coriolanus: deal with political powerThe hero is a state leader who has a responsibility
to the people.Tragedy results when he fails to meet his
responsibilities.These plays are not just about politics. They
are full of personal emotions, dramatic power struggles, and brilliant writing, including some of the most famous writing in Shakespeare’s plays.
The Roman TragediesThe Roman TragediesTwo Themes
Politics and Power – shows how hard it is to be a political leader. The hero has power, but has a weakness which makes him vulnerable to being attacked or overthrown
Love and Duty – people often have to make difficult choices between their emotions and their responsibilities
Key ThemesKey Themes
HonorAmbitionAmbitionEnvyPower
Look for RhetoricLook for Rhetoric
“The art or study of using language effectively and persuasively”
Make sure to look for persuasion and the use of language throughout the play (note the characters techniques to win public and political support)
Language of ShakespeareLanguage of Shakespeare• Early Modern
English (NOT Middle English, like Chaucer)
• Lack of standardized spelling
• Puns and references to current events of his time make it difficult
• You know more than you think you do!
• Poetry of the sonnets and plays:
• Iambic Pentameter (lines of five metrical feet, each one an iamb)
• Not perfect, or it would be sing-songy
• Blank Verse (unrhymed Iambic Pentameter)
• Lower Classes’ speech, or that of characters in emotional extremis, is in prose
Cast of Major CharactersCast of Major CharactersJulius Caesar—Dictator
of RomeMarcus Antonius
(Mark Antony)—Friend of Caesar and future leaders of Rome
Marcus Brutus—Friend of Caesar who always considers choices “for the good of Rome”
Cassius—Leader of the conspiracy against Caesar and brother-in-law of Brutus
Casca - A public figure opposed to Caesar’s rise to power.
Trebonius—Member of the conspiracy against Caesar
Cast of Major CharactersCast of Major CharactersDecius Brutus—
Conspirator who uses flattery to get Caesar to the Senate House
Calpurnia - Caesar’s wife. Calpurnia invests great authority in omens and portents.
Portia - Brutus’s wife; the daughter of a noble Roman who took sides against Caesar.
Flavius - A tribune (an official elected by the people to protect their rights).
Murellus -a tribune-condemns the plebeians for their fickleness in cheering Caesar (they once cheered for Caesar’s enemy Pompey.
Cicero - A Roman senator renowned for his oratorical skill.