First Folio: 1623 Heminges and Condell

Why read Shakespeare anyway?  Comprehensive and thoughtful look at the human condition  Deals with consequences of sin but also demonstrates mercy  Inspired by historical events, mythological tales, and Biblical passages; all a vital part of our history  Entertaining and imaginative  Transmutes words to music

Shakespeare Life  Born April 23?, 1564; died same day as projected birth  Married older woman names Anne Hathaway; had three children  Most popular playwright of in England; part owner of Globe Theater  37 plays and 154 sonnets bear his name

Stratford-upon-Avon  Avon-River; England names towns  Country town  Not town of culture or education  Holy Trinity Church: baptized and buried in church yard so could go to heaven Good Friend, for Jesus’ sake forbear To dig the dust enclosed here: Blessed be the man that spares these stones, And curst be he that moves my bones.

Shakespeare’s Early Jobs  Holder of horses  Journeyman actor- small parts  Play-patcher  Shareholder  Playwright-director; single-handedly wrote plays for the Globe; WEALTHY

Globe Theater Burned in 1613 during Henry VIII play with cannon scene; rebuilt next year 1642 closed down for business by Puritans because sinful Not just place for plays; bear-baiting; blood-thirsty Elizabethan England

Shakespeare’s Credibility and Authenticity is Questioned  Missing Years: sketchy background  One man wrote 37 plays?  Uneducated from small town; 8 th grade grammar school

Intentions for Julius Caesar  But Shakespeare's Julius Caesar is not a history book, nor is it a piece of Roman history.  It is a play, based on the Events of Caesar's murder Pressures on the characters around him Consequences for the conspirators and Rome in general

Caesar Background  Shakespeare wrote three plays based on works of Greek historian Plutarch; JC is first of three Plutarchian plays  History was not just biography for English, but a comparison to their lives and government  Play parallels English's struggles with monarchy, particularly with Henry VIII and Queen Elizabeth

Triumvirate of 60 B.C.  Triumvir– 1 of a ruling body of 3  Pompey, Caesar, and Crassus  At this time, Rome is a Republic ruled by senators  During times of emergency, dictator was appointed; his word becomes law  Caesar started as a 2 year dictator, then went to ten years; after Spanish triumph, he named himself dictator for life  People loved Caesar; made life better through reforms

Roman Government  Romans feared kings No say in government Viewed as slavery

Act I:1  Play opens 44 B.C. on February 15  “Beware the Ides of March”  “Et tu, Brute?”  Caesar is returning from Spain  Just completed quadruple triumph (Gaul, Egypt, Asia Minor, Africa)  Typically, slaves and riches were displayed during a triumph; however, Caesar is returning from a civil war– only fought Romans in Spain  People are celebrating death of Pompey

Subjects explored in this play  Qualities of a good leader  Friendship  Role of fate and superstition; soothsayer  See cultural views of suicide Japan Modern America Ancient Rome

Elements in the Play  Soliloquy  Aside  Dramatic Irony  Foreshadow  Pun  Rhetoric