The Julius Caesar Companion (Includes Study Guide, Complete Unabridged Book, Historical Context, Biography, and Character Index)

By William Shakespeare

Julius Caesar is one of the greatest plays ever written--but let's face it..if you don't understand it, then you are not alone. This annotated book includes a summary of each scene, and an overview of themes and characters. It does not contain the play.

We all need refreshers every now and then. Whether you are a student trying to cram for that big final, or someone just trying to understand a book more, BookCaps can help. We are a small, but growing company, and are adding titles every month.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookCaps
• Release date: Feb 25, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301237241

William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare is widely regarded as the greatest playwright the world has seen. He produced an astonishing amount of work; 37 plays, 154 sonnets, and 5 poems. He died on 23rd April 1616, aged 52, and was buried in the Holy Trinity Church, Stratford.

Book preview

William Shakespeare’s

Julius Caesar Companion

Includes Study Guide, Historical Context, Biography, and Character Index

By BookCaps Study Guides/Golgotha Press

© 2011 by Golgotha Press, Inc.

Published at SmashWords

Historical Context

Shakespeare's Julius Caesar takes place in Rome around 44 B.C. At that time, the Roman Empire was at its largest, and, as a result, political division was occurring throughout the country. Many men tried to step up and unify Rome, but only Julius Caesar came close to being successful. Several members of the Roman aristocracy, fearing Caesar would become a tyrant, plotted to assassinate him. Instead of bringing peace to Rome, however, Caesar's death fueled a bloody civil war.

Shakespeare's play is a dramatized version of these historical events, focusing specifically on the height of Caesar's power and popularity, his assassination by the political conspirators, and the beginning of the civil war. Most scholars believe that Shakespeare got his historical information from Plutarch's The Life of Julius Caesar, a well-known and trusted biography written during the Greek and Roman times, and later translated into English.

Julius Caesar was likely performed sometime between 1599 and 1601 at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. The official text, however, was not published until 1623, in the first compilation released after Shakespeare's death. The original manuscript doesn't exist, and it is likely that the play was based off the Theatre manuscripts. Because the play was released at the height of Shakespeare's popularity and resonated with the political turmoil of the time, it became one of his most famous historical tragedies. While many of his other plays went in and out of style throughout the years, Julius Caesar has remained consistently popular.

Shakespeare himself was born in 1564 to middle-class parents in England. He received limited schooling and married in 1582 to an older woman. In 1590, Shakespeare left his family and moved to London to start his career, and soon became immensely successful. At the height of his career, he helped build the Globe Theatre to accommodate the popularity of his plays. Because of the high demand for new entertainment, Shakespeare wrote a total of 37 known plays and numerous poems. Julius Caesar was likely the first play performed at the Globe Theatre.

After his death in 1616, he quickly became known as England's best playwright and remains highly influential to this day. Because so many facts about Shakespeare's life are unknown, there are some who think that Shakespeare was a woman, or that someone else actually wrote the plays. However, there is no hard evidence to back these conspiracies up. While people may always argue about Shakespeare's true identity, his plays, and especially Julius Caesar, have become an indispensable part of literary history.

Plot Summary

Act one opens on the streets of Rome. Many of the lower-class workers are roaming around the streets. Two Tribunes, Flavius and Marullus, question two citizens to find out what is going on. It turns out that Caesar has defeated his rival, Pompey, in battle, and the citizens are waiting to see the triumphant parade. Flavius and Marullus scatter the groups of workers and remark that Caesar's popularity has become too strong. They begin to take down the decorations marking Caesar's statues.

Meanwhile, Caesar and the rest of the parade enter. A Soothsayer calls out to Caesar, telling him to beware the ides of March (March 15th). Caesar ignores the Soothsayer and continues on his way. Caesar exits, leaving Brutus and Cassius behind on the stage. Cassius wishes to talk to Brutus and notes that he has not seemed