This document provides context about William Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar. It discusses the political climate in Elizabethan England during the late 16th century when the play was written. Shakespeare was likely using the story of Julius Caesar's assassination to comment on issues of succession facing Queen Elizabeth I and tensions between monarchical power and republican rule. The document analyzes Shakespeare's representation of the main characters and conspirators, suggesting he portrays Caesar favorably and the assassination plot as dishonorable in order to support stability under a strong monarch.
This document provides context about William Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar. It discusses the political climate in Elizabethan England during the late 16th century when the play was written. Shakespeare was likely using the story of Julius Caesar's assassination to comment on issues of succession facing Queen Elizabeth I and tensions between monarchical power and republican rule. The document analyzes Shakespeare's representation of the main characters and conspirators, suggesting he portrays Caesar favorably and the assassination plot as dishonorable in order to support stability under a strong monarch.
This document provides context about William Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar. It discusses the political climate in Elizabethan England during the late 16th century when the play was written. Shakespeare was likely using the story of Julius Caesar's assassination to comment on issues of succession facing Queen Elizabeth I and tensions between monarchical power and republican rule. The document analyzes Shakespeare's representation of the main characters and conspirators, suggesting he portrays Caesar favorably and the assassination plot as dishonorable in order to support stability under a strong monarch.
This document provides context about William Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar. It discusses the political climate in Elizabethan England during the late 16th century when the play was written. Shakespeare was likely using the story of Julius Caesar's assassination to comment on issues of succession facing Queen Elizabeth I and tensions between monarchical power and republican rule. The document analyzes Shakespeare's representation of the main characters and conspirators, suggesting he portrays Caesar favorably and the assassination plot as dishonorable in order to support stability under a strong monarch.
Audience - Julius Caesar was first performed at the Globe theatre in 1599 - In the Late Elizabethan period Queen Elizabeth I had been in power for almost 40 year - At this stage, she was an elderly monarch with no heirs to the throne. Hence there were concerns regarding who would ascend the throne after her death. This anxiety was increased by the Queens refusal to name an heir to the throne - Many feared that her death would plunge England into a civil war akin to that of the War of the Roses in the 15 th Century
Relationship: - Arguably, Shakespeare was using the story of Julius Caesar to comment on the political situation of his time - Queen Elizabeth, like Julius Caesar had progressively enlarged her power at the expense of the aristocracy and the House of Commons. This caused conflict not dissimilar to the tension that existed amongst Roman Senators concerning leadership and political structure in Rome that led to civil war - Therefore, given the trend toward consolidated monarchical power throughout the Elizabethan period and Shakespeares tendency to depict monarchical power favourably in his plays, it is evident that Shakespeares representation of the conflict in Roman society between republicanism and imperial rule privileges the case for imperial rule SHAKESPEARES PURPOSE - To dramatise the dangers of disputed succession and the horrors of civil war - To show that it is the actions of leaders that determines the course of history Values: - Order - Stability - Unity - Loyalty - Absolute rule The Case against Julius Caesar - The play opens with Caesar, victorious having defeated Pompey in civil war, parading through the streets of Rome - Flavius and Marullus are the characters who initially draw our attention to the republican cause this is furthered by Cassius
Shakespeares Representation of the Conspirators
Flavius: Hence! Home, you idle creatures, get you home! Marullus: You blocks, you stones, you worse than senseless things! O you hard hearts, you cruel men of Rome, knew you not Pompey? - Shakespeare encourages us to question the republican cause from the beginning - Flavius and Marullus are shown to disrespect the Roman people using insulting language (pejorative), use of imperative, exclamation and rhetorical questioning - Whilst Flavius and Marullus make an important point regarding Caesars triumph over Pompey and the fickle nature of the plebians, they appear cruel and dictatorial making it difficult for the audience to accept their perspective Cobbler: A trade I hope I may use with a safe conscience, which is a mender of bad soles. I thou be out, sir, I can mend you - This representation is set against the carpenter and cobbler who are cast in a comparatively more sympathetic light - Shakespeare uses them as the first voice against the conspiracy: consider the cobblers pun on the term soles perhaps Shakespeare is suggestin Flavius and Marullus souls require mending; hence their perspective also needs mending? Flavius: Let no images be hung with Caesars trophies. Ill about and drive away the vulgar from the streets. So do you too where you perceive them thick. These growing feathers, plucked from Caesars wing will make him fly an ordinary pitch - Moreover, the disrobing of Caesars statues by Flavius and Marullus is represented as a distasteful, petty and envious act: Shakespeare stages it on the feast of Lupercal a pastoral festival observed to avert evil spirits, ensure fertility and purify the city. - Flavius justifies the act, saying It will make Caesar fly at an ordinary pitch the metaphor betrays a tone of envy allowing Shakespeare to establish from the very beginning that the conspiracy against Caesar was founded largely on jealousy of him
Cassius: For once upon a raw and gusty day, The troubled Tiber chafing with her shores, Caesar said to me, Darest thou, Cassius, now Leap in with me into this angry flood And swim to yonder point? Upon the word, Accoutred as I was, I plungd in And bade him follow. So indeed he did. The torrent roared, and we did buffet it With lusty sinews, throwing it aside And stemming it with hearts of controversy. But ere we could arrive the point proposed, Caesar cried, Help me, Cassius, or I sink! I, as Aeneas, our great ancestor, Did from the flames of Troy upon his shoulder The old Anchises bear, so from the waves of Tiber Did I the tired Caesar. And this man Is now become a god, and Cassius is A wretched creature and must bend his body If Caesar carelessly but nod on him. - The representation of the conspirators as envious is furthered by Cassius speech to Brutus - Cassius claims that the subject of his story is honour, however any message of honour is undermined through Shakespeares representation of Cassius as a jealous manipulator.
Staging - Duologue Cassius and Brutus are alone together on stage heightens the secretive and conspiratorial capture of their exchange Cassius appears to be getting into Brutus ear. - Offstage their conversation is interrupted by the several shouts from the crows this emphasises Caesars popularity and contrasts with Cassius depiction of Caesar as a sick girl intensifies Cassius envy Language Devices - Bitter, envious tone - Childhood anecdote casting Caesar as weak - Analogy comparing himself with Aeneas - These techniques convey the plot to assassinate Caesar as a personal plot; a case of tearing down as a personal plot; as a case of tearing down a fellow Roman who might be changed by power and may do danger to Rome if given the crown Casca: I saw Mark Antony offer him a crown (yet twas not a crown neither, twas one of these coronets) and, as I told you, he put it by oncebut, for all that, to my thinking, he would fain have had it. Then he offered it to him again, then he put it by againbut, to my thinking, he was very loath to lay his fingers off it. And then he offered it the third time. He put it the third time by. And still, as he refused it, the rabblement hooted and clapped their chapped hands and threw up their sweaty night-caps and uttered such a deal of stinking breath because Caesar refused the crown that it had almost choked Caesarfor he swooned and fell down at it. And for mine own part, I durst not laugh for fear of opening my lips and receiving the bad air. - To further undermine the conspirators cause, Shakespeare presents Casca as a relentless gossip; all too eager to cast Caesar as ambitious in desiring the crown, but politically savvy enough to refuse it publicly. - Consider the effect of staging at this point the audience hears the crown shouting in support of Caesar, but we do not see the manner in which he refused the crown - We have only Cascas recount of the event: - theatrical rendition - the eagerness and relish with which he passes his opinion of Caesar - his contempt for the plebeians - his scorn at Caesars epileptic fit - this effectively positions us to question the reliability of his recount Shakespeares Representation of Antony and his Defence of Caesar - funeral orations staging considerations - Brutus exits after his speech, but not before he has encouraged the citizens to stay and grace bothh Caesars corpse and Mark Antonys speech - Antony has several advantages over Brutus: his duplicity, the opportunity afforded him to expend 137 lines of blank verse unimpeded by the conspirators and his position as the final speaker, thus giving him the final word. - Use of props: Antony has two important props at his disposal: Caesars body and Caesars final will and testament. This, in particular is used for great dramatic effect as Antony delats his reading of it to the crowd, successfully building anticipation - Antony, unlike Brutus, descends from the pulpit and places himself amongst the citizens. This helps his foster a sense of shared grief and portrays Antony as respectful and compassionate toward the citizens; qualities that contrast the conspirators treatment of the citizens. Concluding Points - Given his representation of the situation in Rome, the event of Caesars assassination and the subsequent civil war and the presentation of key personalities: - Julius Caesar - Brutus - Antony - Cassius Shakespeare positions us to accept the following: - The plot to assassinate Caesar was fundamentally dishonourable - The assassination of Caesar was unjust - That Caesar, despite his fallibility, was a great man - Brutus although acting out of a sense of honour, was ultimately misguided - That Mark Antony, through his loyalty and commitment to Caesar, proved far more honourable that Brutus with his patriotic ideals As a result, Shakespeare successfully conveys his values of unified power, loyalty, order and stability