The Tragedy of Julius Caesar

By William Shakespeare

Marcus Brutus, a Roman politician, considers Emperor Julius Caesar to be a friend, but a senator—Caius Cassius—convinces Brutus that Caesar has too much power. Brutus would rather Rome be a republic than an empire ruled by a tyrant, so he participates in a conspiracy to kill Caesar. Though Brutus believes his actions will benefit Rome, Caesar's murder brings about more bloodshed, including Brutus's own. The play examines friendship and patriotism, the succession of leadership, and the roles of fate and free will. Shakespeare wrote this drama, rooted in Roman history, in 1599; it was published in 1623, after Shakespeare's death. This is an unabridged edition of the tragic play.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lerner Publishing
• Release date: Aug 1, 2014
• ISBN: 9781467776158

William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare was an English poet, playwright, and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest dramatist in the English language. Shakespeare is often called England’s national poet and the “Bard of Avon.”  

Book preview

PERSONS REPRESENTED

Julius Caesar

Octavius Caesar, Triumvir after his death.

Marcus Antonius, Triumvir after his death.

M. Aemil. Lepidus Triumvir after his death.

Cicero, Publius, Popilius Lena, Senators.

Marcus Brutus, Conspirator Against Caesar.

Cassius, Conspirator Against Caesar.

Casca, Conspirator Against Caesar.

Trebonius, Conspirator Against Caesar.

Ligarius, Conspirator Against Caesar.

Decius Brutus, Conspirator Against Caesar.

Metellus Cimber, Conspirator Against Caesar.

Cinna, Conspirator Against Caesar.

Flavius, tribune

Marullus, tribune

Artemidorus, a Sophist of Cnidos.

A Soothsayer

Cinna, a poet. Another Poet.

Lucilius, Titinius, Messala, young Cato, and Volumnius, Friends to Brutus and Cassius.

Varro, Clitus, Claudius, Strato, Lucius, Dardanius, Servants To Brutus

Pindarus, Servant to Cassius

The Ghost of Caesar

Senators, Citizens, Soldiers, Commoners, Messengers, and Servants

Calpurnia, wife to Caesar

Portia, wife to Brutus

SCENE: Rome, the conspirators’ camp near Sardis, and the plains of Philippi.

ACT 1.

ACT 1, SCENE 1. ROME. A STREET.

[Enter Flavius, Marullus, and a Throng of Citizens.]

FLAVIUS.

Hence! home, you idle creatures, get you home!

Is this a holiday? What! know you not,

Being mechanical, you ought not walk

Upon a laboring day without the sign

Of your profession?—Speak, what trade art thou?

FIRST CITIZEN.

Why, sir, a carpenter.

MARULLUS.

Where is thy leather apron and thy rule?

What dost thou with thy best apparel on?—

You, sir; what trade are you?

SECOND CITIZEN.

Truly, sir, in respect of a fine workman, I am but,

as you would say, a cobbler.

MARULLUS.

But what trade art thou? Answer me directly.

SECOND CITIZEN.

A trade, sir, that, I hope, I may use with a safe

conscience, which is indeed, sir, a mender of bad soles.

MARULLUS.

What trade, thou knave? Thou naughty knave, what trade?

SECOND CITIZEN.

Nay, I beseech you, sir, be not out with me; yet,

if you be out, sir, I can mend you.

MARULLUS.

What mean’st thou by that? Mend me, thou saucy fellow!

SECOND CITIZEN.

Why, sir, cobble you.

FLAVIUS.

Thou art a cobbler, art thou?

SECOND CITIZEN.

Truly, Sir, all that I live by is with the awl; I

meddle with no tradesman’s matters, nor women’s

matters, but with awl. I am indeed, sir, a surgeon

to old shoes; when they are in great danger, I

re-cover them. As proper men as ever trod upon

neat’s-leather have gone upon my handiwork.

FLAVIUS.

But wherefore art not in thy shop today?

Why dost thou lead these men about the streets?

SECOND CITIZEN.

Truly, sir, to wear out their shoes to get myself

into more work. But indeed, sir, we make holiday

to see Caesar and to rejoice in his triumph.

MARULLUS.

Wherefore rejoice? What conquest brings he home?

What tributaries follow him to Rome,

To grace in captive bonds his chariot wheels?

You blocks, you stones, you worse than senseless things!

O you hard hearts, you cruel men of Rome,

Knew you not Pompey? Many a time and oft

Have you climb’d up to walls and battlements,

To towers and windows, yea, to chimney tops,

Your infants in your arms, and there have sat

The livelong day with patient expectation

To see great Pompey pass the streets of Rome.

And when you saw his chariot but appear,

Have you not made an universal shout

That Tiber trembled underneath her banks

To hear the replication of your sounds

Made in her concave shores?

And do you now put on your best attire?

And do you now cull out a holiday?

And do you now strew flowers in his way

That comes in triumph over Pompey’s blood? Be gone!

Run to your houses, fall upon your knees,

Pray to the gods to intermit the plague

That needs must light on this ingratitude.

FLAVIUS.

Go, go, good countrymen, and, for this fault,

Assemble all the poor men of your sort,

Draw them to Tiber banks, and weep your tears

Into the channel, till the lowest stream

Do kiss the most exalted shores of all.

[Exeunt Citizens.]

See whether their basest metal be not moved;

They vanish tongue-tied in their guiltiness.

Go you down that way towards the Capitol;

This way will I. Disrobe the images,

If you do find them deck’d with ceremonies.

MARULLUS.

May we do so?

You know it is the feast of Lupercal.

FLAVIUS.

It is no matter; let no images

Be hung with Caesar’s trophies. I’ll about

And drive away the vulgar from the streets;

So do you too, where you perceive them thick.

These growing feathers pluck’d from Caesar’s wing

Will make him fly an ordinary pitch,

Who else would soar above the view of men,

And keep us all in servile fearfulness.

[Exeunt.]

ACT 1, SCENE 2. THE SAME. A PUBLIC PLACE.

[Enter, in procession, with music, Caesar; Antony, for the course; Calpurnia, Portia, Decius, Cicero, Brutus, Cassius, and Casca; a great crowd following, among them a Soothsayer.]

CAESAR.

Calpurnia—

CASCA.

Peace, ho! Caesar speaks.

[Music ceases.]

CAESAR.

Calpurnia,—

CALPURNIA.

Here, my lord.

CAESAR.

Stand you directly in Antonius’ way,

When he doth run his course.—Antonius,—

ANTONY.

Caesar, my lord?

CAESAR.

Forget not in your speed, Antonius,

To touch Calpurnia; for our elders say,

The barren, touched in this holy chase,

Shake off their sterile curse.

ANTONY.

I shall remember.

When Caesar says Do this, it is perform’d.

CAESAR.

Set on; and leave no ceremony out.

[Music.]

SOOTHSAYER.

Caesar!

CAESAR.

Ha! Who calls?

CASCA.

Bid every noise be still.—Peace yet again!

[Music ceases.]

CAESAR.

Who is it in the press that calls on me?

I hear a tongue, shriller than all the music,

Cry Caesar! Speak, Caesar is turn’d to hear.

SOOTHSAYER.

Beware the Ides of March.

CAESAR.

What man is that?

BRUTUS.

A soothsayer bids you beware the Ides of March.

CAESAR.

Set him before me; let me see his face.

CASSIUS.

Fellow, come from the throng; look upon Caesar.

CAESAR.

What say’st thou to me now? Speak once again.

SOOTHSAYER.

Beware the Ides of March.

CAESAR.

He is a dreamer; let us leave him. Pass.

[Sennet. Exeunt all but Brutus and Cassius.]

CASSIUS.

Will you go see the order of the course?

BRUTUS.

Not I.

CASSIUS.

I pray you, do.

BRUTUS.

I am not gamesome; I do lack some part

Of that quick spirit that is in Antony.

Let me not hinder, Cassius, your desires;

I’ll leave you.

CASSIUS.

Brutus, I do observe you now of late:

I have not from your eyes that gentleness

And show of love as I was wont

Reviews for The Tragedy of Julius Caesar

[katieloucks · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

did an adaptation of a scene of this! love it!

[pgchuis · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was great fun, although it was quite hard keeping all the characters straight in my mind because so many of them had unfamiliar Roman/Latin names.

[a.godhelm · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

On the Naxos recording: Fantastic production of the play with great performances, clear sound and supporting sound effects. This is a proper audio capture and not just the sound from a play as performed (as many other audio versions are).

[smashbasile · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Shakespeare really has a knack for showing us all how stupid people are. Of course, it's good, it's Shakespeare. I enjoyed this more as an adult (I'm sure I read it in high school, but I blocked it out). But honestly, why does everyone have to die in his plays?

[jonbrammer-788089 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Not my favorite Shakespeare play, but mainly because this is one where the Bard was more concerned with moving the pieces around than creating those great Shakespearean moments of pathos. His audience-goers would have all been familiar with the details of Caesar's death, along with its central irony: that Octavius Caesar becomes the dictator that Brutus and Cassius were trying to stop by murdering Julius.

Contemporary audiences don't necessarily know this context, and I would have liked to see more character development: at the end of the play, I didn't have a good handle on the personalities of the conspirators.

After another reading, I agree with some commentators that what is key is the skill of the Roman orators and their attempts to convince each other (and themselves) of the justice of their cause. Especially interesting is the use of (and lapses in) iambic pentameter.

[heggiep · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was a re-read from high school days. While certainly a classic, filled with memorable passages, it's hard to give a play a high reading rating. The joy and wonder of it is in its performance.

[scottcholstad · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Not Shakespeare's best, but then even his lesser works are better than 99% of the rest out there. Not my favorite, but still recommended.

[sean191 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It's Shakespeare, so pretty much everyone dies.

[petroglyph_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I liked this one. There is some good banter at the beginning, the speeches over Caesar’s body are wonderful, and the scenes set at the battle of Philippi felt appropriately hopeful or despondent.

Caesar is a bit of a non-entity, though, and I’d have wanted a little more friction between Mark Antony and Octavian Caesar. But a very enjoyable play on the whole.

[michael_rose-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

One begins to understand cultural references the more one reads Shakespeare, and Julius Caesar is no exception to this rule (this is perhaps especially true for Star Trek fans). The fault being not in our stars but in ourselves is a great bit of poetry that everyone should heed.

[delta351 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I love the Folger editions w awesome illustrations from the library. This is a larger sized paperback which is easy on the eyes. I have to say that Shakespeare is fairly neutral in presenting the main characters.

Was happy to see "Let loose the dogs of war", though I previously thought that was from one of the Henry's.

[clancy.coonradt · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A wonderful classic that truly speaks to the duality of man and his eternal search for not only power, but those that are truly pure at heart. Amazing how many quotes and sayings have come from this piece of literature.

[locriian · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

My favourite part of this play is the "Antony is an honest man" speech. Excellent.

[aliceanna-1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

So dry. What a mistake to cram this down 15-year old throats just because it's short. How many 10th graders have been completely turned off by Shakespeare because this is over their head. I really didn't care much for this. Many of his history plays are far superior. Should've been called "The Rise and Fall of Brutus" because Caesar is such a minor character -- no development either.

[lhlogan1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Good story.

[milti_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

One of the most powerful of his plays. Yes, the characters are set in black and white in true Shakespearean style and there is no room for hman error, but therein lies the beauty and power of this drama.

[carterchristian1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I hope to see this again soon. The first time I saw it as a high school play, the next time in 1997 at a Pub theater (more members of the cast than the audience) next to the railroad station in Greenwich England...with a wonderful redo as a Mafia,
Chicago script.

[rfewell_3 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I read this play during my Sophomore year of high school. I loved it! "Et tu, Brute!" I thought of it again because I'm reading "A Long Way Gone", and this play is referenced frequently.

[tadad_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

At this point (I've not yet read King Lear or Othello), this is my favorite of Shakespeare's tragedies. Unlike the essentially silly situation of Romeo and Juliet or the artificially dragged out events of Hamlet, Brutus' struggle to reconcile patriotism and friendship, passion and honor mesmerized me right from the beginning.

This is a high point in my quest to read/re-read all of Shakespeare's plays.

[bibliophile26 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I read this due to my interest in HBO's Rome series (which has been cancelled after only 2 seasons - why TV gods, WHY???). Anyway, as an English major I read tons of Shakespeare, so it wasn't a challenging read for me and I found my mind analyzing language/passages as I would have been required to do in school. Let's just say the history plays have never been my favorites; maybe knowing the ending spoils the play?

[msnikki · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Great Play, could easily see this as a modern re-telling set in the Italian Mob or as hotile financial take over...I see Macbeth the same way.

But betrayal is a hell of a thing.

[ausie7 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is the best William Shakespeare that I have ever read. I haven't read much but this one was really appealing to me. Even though I knew the ending, I couldn't put the book down until the end.

[shawnd_72 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

"Yon Cassius has a lean and hungry look." This was one of Shakespeare's more excellent books in my opinion. While historical it wasn't as bad as one of the Richard books--it had a timeless story without being too historical or too political, especially British-ly political. One of the original eponymous tragedy, a story of a man's success and betrayal. A wonderful masterpiece and underrated.

[hlselz · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Had to read the play, cause I love the history. Im not a big fan of Shakespeare, but the loved the play because of the charectors.