Julius Caesar (The New Folger Library Shakespeare)

William Shakespeare

This may not seem like one of the Bard's great tragedies on paper, but in the hands of a...more

This may not seem like one of the Bard's great tragedies on paper, but in the hands of a sufficiently talented director, there are so many nuances of this play that may not have been exploited. In act I, scene ii, line 219, when Caesar says, "for always I am Caesar" this can be acted in a pompous way, making Caesar more of a marble figure than an actual character. But, in light of Caesar's next line about his deafness, an actor could say it with a little fatigue so that it seems that Caesar is being weary of always having to "play the part" of Caesar as some historians have suggested. Also, after act III, even though there are some serious gaps in the story, historically speaking, a director could find a very creative way of filling in those gaps. All in all, this is a great play by Shakespeare that is underrated by many.   hide

A great play. Having directed a shortened version of JC, I had a new insight into the "Friends,...more

A great play. Having directed a shortened version of JC, I had a new insight into the "Friends, Romans, Countrymen" speech; I have heard it delivered so many times as a grand Roman oration, yet Mark Antony says that he is not an orator like Brutus. It isn't a big grand speech, it is a speech from a man to other men. He uses this idea of being "just a man" to manipulate public opinion, because Brutus is not really an orator like Antony, he repeats himself constantly. When we staged it, I gave Brutus cue cards to hold, to make his speech look planned and yet uncertain. Antony is in fact better planned, and knows exactly what to do. Yet he appears to be improvising. I think one way in which this comes across well is by having the rest of the cast to create crowd chatter over the begining of the speech, and letting the first few words act as a way of shutting them up. It is not a big grand "Friends, Romans, Countrymen" it is a frustrated call for them to be quiet before he begins to manipulate the crowd.   hide

A tragedy of human nature - Brutus' vain attempt at forestalling historical imperative. On...more

A tragedy of human nature - Brutus' vain attempt at forestalling historical imperative. On the brink of civil war in Rome, conspirators led by Cassius and envious of Julius Caesar, recruit Marcus Brutus. Brutus sees ambition in Caesar that would lead Rome's citizens to loss of liberty and civil rights. Brutus is an honorable man, concerned more with his country's future than his loyalty to Caesar. The conspirators murder Caesar on the ides of March. Civil war ensues...the conspirators taking the side of the republicans, loyalists led by Mark Antony, Octavius Caesar and Lepidus representing the future triumvir and monarchy. The war comes to a head on the plains of Philippi where the republican army led by Brutus is defeated by the monarchists led by Antony. Brutus kills himself on the battlefield by falling on his sword. Antony mourns Brutus as the only honorable Roman of the lot. Antony's earlier eulogy of Caesar is classic oratory that turned the attitudes of masses towards the monarchists.   hide

One of my least favorite. I guess it has themes that are worth exploring....but in my experience...more

One of my least favorite. I guess it has themes that are worth exploring....but in my experience with Shakespeare which is fast becoming more...Elizabethan, I have grown to like his plays more for their spectacle and with only 1 weak ass battle way late into the 5th act and only 1 murder to speak of (which surprisingly is less clever or interesting than most of his other tragi-murders) well, this one is just dull. I've never seen it done but I bet it sucks on stage too. Some decent quotables are the only redeeming value...for me anyway.    hide

I love it of course as I do with all Shakespeare's work but I can never quite get to grips with the...more

I love it of course as I do with all Shakespeare's work but I can never quite get to grips with the strange layout of this one. There are some wonderful bits in it but the overall thing can seem a tad lopsided.    hide