1. William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar: The Historical Background of “Billy” and “Jules”

2. Who was Willie? Bubonic Plague – an infectious disease which wiped out 1/3 of Europe’s population from 1300- 1500. Queen Elizabeth I (1533- 1603), daughter of King Henry VIII, began the English Renaissance, or Elizabethan Age

3. Shakespeare’s Timeline 1564: Born in Stratford-upon- Avon on April 23 1582: At 18, he married Anne Hathaway, who was 26. 1582 1583: Daughter Susanna is born. 1585: Twins—Hamnet (boy) and Judith (girl) 1592: Shakespeare becomes a “hot” commodity in the London theatre world. 1594: Shakespeare’s plays are performed exclusively by Lord Chamberlain’s Men. 1596: Hamnet dies. 1599: Globe Theatre built by LCM (burned down in 1613). 1599 1611: After 38 plays, 154 sonnets, and countless poems, Shakespeare retires. 1616: Shakespeare dies at the age of 52 on his birthday.

4. Shakespeare’s Drama Types Comedy – has a happy ending, usually involving marriages between the unmarried characters, and a light-hearted tone. Tragedy – the protagonist must be an admirable but flawed character, capable of good and evil. History – a depiction of real life historical figures, usually of royal background. First Folio – two colleagues gathered 36 plays into one book, Mr. William Shakespeare’s Comedies, Tragedies, and Histories

5. Inspiration for the Play Shakespeare wrote the play in 1599. He based the play on Sir Thomas North’s translation of Plutarch’s [left] Lives of Noble Grecians and Romans. Plutarch was a moral philosopher, not a historian. Shakespeare used the questions of morality in his version of the play.

6. Caesar: Rise to Power 100 BC: Born Gaius Julius Caesar on July 13 th. 84 BC: Married Cornelia for POWER, but divorced because of politics. 80 BC: Awarded the Corona Civica, an oak crown, for bravery in war. 75 BC: Went to Rhodes to learn how to become a great orator. 70 BC: Pompey, greatest soldier, and Crassus, richest man, become consuls of Rome (like Presidents of US). 63 BC: Elected Pontifex Maximus, or leader of the religion. 61 BC: Named Governor of Spain.

7. An Alliance Broken 60 BC: Caesar returns to Rome to join with Crassus and Pompey to form the 1 st Triumverate. 59 BC: Caesar gives his daughter Julia as a gift to Pompey. 58 BC: Caesar goes to Gaul, modern day France, to defeat the Nervii, a. 56 BC: Caesar’s friends try to get him more power; Pompey NOT pleased. 54 BC: Julia dies. 53 BC: Crassus invades Parthian Empire (Iraq/Iran/Afghanistan) and dies. 52 BC: Pompey names himself the only consul. Kicks all Caesar supporters out of the government. 51 BC: Pompey tells Caesar he is fired as general of the most powerful army in Rome. Caesar disagrees. 49 BC: Caesar crosses the Rubicon River with his army. Pompey runs to Greece with his army. 49 BC 48 BC: While gathering ships to go to Greece, Caesar is named consul.

8. 47 BC: Caesar arrives at Pharsalus The Battle of Pharsalus The Battle of Pharsalus Julius Caesar vs. Pompey the Great

9. PART 1PART 2 PART 3

10. Caesar: After the War 48 BC: After the Battle of Phasalus, Pompey was killed in Egypt. 47 BC: Because of the Civil War, the Senate gave Caesar a ten-year term. 45 BC: The Senate named Caesar, Dictator Perpetuus, or dictator for life—he wanted the title of King. Caesar named Octavius [left], his nephew his heir. 44 BC: Caesar defeated Gnaus and Sextus, Pompey’s sons, in a Battle at Munda, Spain. 44 BC: He returned to Rome after the defeat…which is where Act 1, Scene 1 picks up.