Julius Caesar (Arden Shakespeare. Third Series) - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0174435479 ISBN 13: 9780174435471

Publisher: Arden Shakespeare, 1999

Synopsis

This edition of "Julius Caesar" provides a lively edition of one of Shakespeare's most familiar and studied plays. The introduction sets the play in the context of the last years of Elizabeth I's reign, with rebellion stirring and conflicts over the calendar. It also explains the conscious use of classical rhetoric in the language of Caesar himself, contrasting with the "modern" language of Cassius, and discusses Shakespeare's subtle use of his main source, Plutarch.

About this title

Review

One of Shakespeare's most political plays, Julius Caesar continued Shakespeare's interest in Roman history, first developed in Titus Andronicus. Drawing on Plutarch, the great historian of Rome, Shakespeare dramatises one of the most crucial moments in Roman history--the assassination of Julius Caesar. Loved by the Roman crowd but increasingly feared by the Senators, Caesar increasingly shows signs of his desire to abolish the Republic and crown himself emperor. A conspiracy is hatched, led by Cassius and Brutus, who murder Caesar on the steps of the Capitol. Mourning over his dead friend's body, Mark Antony gives one of the famous rhetorical speeches in literature, asking "Friends, Romans, Countrymen" to lament Caesar's death, privately vowing to "let slip the dogs of war" against those who have shed Caesar's blood. Antony joins forces with Caesar's son Octavius to defeat Cassius and Brutus in battle, and establish an uneasy alliance whose collapse is dramatised in Shakespeare's later play Antony and Cleopatra. Written at the end of Queen Elizabeth's reign, Julius Caesar has been seen by many as a radically pro-Republican play which sailed close to the political wind of the time. --Jerry Brotton

Review

Praise for "William Shakespeare: Complete Works"
Remarkable . . .makes Shakespeare s extraordinary accomplishment more vivid than ever. James Shapiro, professor, Columbia University, bestselling author of "A Year in the Life of Shakespeare: 1599"
A feast of literary and historical information. "The Wall Street Journal
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Edition details

• Publisher: Arden Shakespeare
• Publication date: 1999
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0174435479
• ISBN 13: 9780174435471
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 3
• Number of pages: 394
• Editor: Daniell David