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Julius caesar shakespeare11/20/2022 ![]() A few sound effects here and there to give a little color and to punctuate certain events that we cannot see, but not so many as to distract from the dialogue. Incredibly good performance by the audio actors. This audiobook was on sale and although short (but unabridged) is BOGO well spent. So these two elements combined were fantastic for me. Read books on Cicero and countless documentaries. I've read Julius Caesar's "Conquest of Gaul", visited the ruins of ancient Rome, watched the old BBC adaptation of "I, Claudius" (which is beyond my words to describe how fabulous it is). I have also always been very interested in the history of ancient Rome. I've dabbled in Shakespeare ever since school, but whilst finding the plays dramatically and thematically interesting, the language is often somewhat inaccessible. Favorite Lines: “The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves.” (Act 1, Scene 2) 'But, for my own part, it was Greek to me.” (Act 1, Scene 2) “.for the eye sees not itself, but by reflection, by some other things.” (Act 1, Scene 2) “Cowards die many times before their deaths the valiant never taste of death but once.” (Act 2, Scene 2) “Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war!” (Act 3, Scene 1) “Of your philosophy you make no use, If you give place to accidental evils.” (Act 4, Scene 3) It still feels relevant and even a bit dangerous. The closer we edge to the end of the Republic, the more relevant and less popular Julius Caesar will be with those in tyrannical camps. The closer our contemporary leaders become to actual tyrants, the harder it becomes for their supporters to digest their images being used to portray an assassinated Julius Caesar. The brouhaha could easily have been predicted. It was ironic too that I was reading Julius Caesar right after (unplanned) the June controversy with the New York Public Theatre's production where they used a Trump-like character to play the part of Julius Caesar. Shakespeare can tease out and nuance things (obviously made up) that gives live to Brutus, Caesar, Anthony. But even with all of this 'source' material, the play itself still seems to capture the imagination in ways that history (both modern and ancient) can't. I've now read considerably Livy, Edward Gibbon, Suetonius, and probably most importantly Plutarch. Certainly, with more experience with Shakespeare, the Classics, and politics and the original JC. I'm now coming back to Julius Caesar 25+ years later. It turned me onto both Shakespeare and the Classics. Within those lines there were several messages, foreshadowing, etc. I remember in Jr High memorizing (and I still can remember most of it) Mark Anthony's eulogy to Caesar ('Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears.' It was powerful and was an early indicator for me of language's potential energy. “What a terrible era in which idiots govern the blind.” ― William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar, Act 2, Scene 1 Julius Caesar was one of my first Shakespeare loves. Not quite as good as seeing the play, but all the action is clear enough with minimal sound effects.Ī Piece of Work that Will Make Sick Men Whole. Performances were clear and dramatic in this production. Brutus is clearly the protagonist, but I think Mark Antony wins it. As a tragedy, this is one of those Shakespearean plays where almost everyone ends up falling on a sword one way or the other. The conflicts are patriotism versus friendship, loyalty versus ideals, and the taint of self-interest always present in one's motives. Having just been informed of Caesar's death, and with the assassins having convinced the Roman public that they'd saved Rome from a tyrant, Mark Antony gives his famous speech which is a masterpiece of mob manipulation, turning them against the conspirators and in favor of the slain Caesar. Among the famous lines to which we owe this play: "Et tu, Brutus?" "Cry havoc, and let slip the dogs of war!" "Cowards die many times before their deaths the valiant never taste of death but once." And "The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves." Mark Antony's speech is probably the highlight of the play. So, this is the famous play about the conspirators who assassinated Julius Caesar, fearing his ambition to become king. However, you also miss a lot if you aren't already familiar with the context and the Shakespearean language, because of course ol' Will packs a lot into every single line. I think that reading Shakespeare's plays does not do them justice - they aren't meant to be read, they are meant to be performed, and seen performed. The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars ![]()
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