Julius Caesar Analysis

These purveyors of words aren't central to any of the play's action, but they do stand out because of how widely they're disregarded, even when they have important things to say. While Shakespeare...

The play takes place in ancient Rome, just after Julius Caesar has defeated Pompey and his sons and returned to Rome in triumph. (FYI – Pompey was a former co-ruler in the first Roman triumvirate...

The title The Tragedy of Julius Caesar really gave that one away. OK, fine, but what is it exactly that makes the play a "tragedy"? Well, there are some basic rules and conventions that govern th...

Though the play opens with a little joke, the subject matter of the play remains serious throughout. The characters are never indulgent about their own gain. Rather, they speak constantly in the lo...

Even though the language in Julius Caesar is considered to be pretty straightforward, reading Caesar (or any one of Shakespeare's plays) can feel like reading a really long poem. That's because Sha...

When we see a title like The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, we tend to think the play is going to be all about, well, Julius Caesar (the Roman political leader who got stabbed in the back by his so-call...

Caesar is a national hero, and there are rumblings in the Senate that he seems to be on the path to becoming a king.Caesar has retuned to Rome after fighting and killing Pompey, his former co-leade...

Brutus tells Cassius he's vexed by his own private thoughts.Brutus hasn't officially been invited to join in the conspiracy against Caesar, but when Cassius approaches him about it, he is already w...

Julius Caesar (c. 1599) was likely the first play performed at the Globe Theater (source).Blooper alert: In the middle of Act 2, Scene 1, a clock strikes, and Brutus shouts "Peace! count the clock....

The Romans are pretty much pictured as a staunch and politicking people, so there's not much time for sex in the play. In fact, Julius Caesar is considered the least sexy Shakespearean drama.

Shakespeare got much of the historical background for Julius Caesar from Sir Thomas North's translation of Plutarch's Lives, which covered famous Romans, including Brutus, Caesar, and Antony. By th...