1. “Julius Caesar” (1599-1600)

2. READIND AND SPEAKING 1. What kind of play is Julius Caesar?. – It is the first of Shakespeare’s Roman plays. 2.What are Shakespeare’s sources for this play? – The story is based on several classical sources, especially the Greek historian Plutarch. 3.What are the themes of the play? – History, political intrigue and the struggle for power are its main themes. 4.Describe the features of its main characters. – The main characters are Caesar, Brutus and Mark Antony. – Caesar’s role is comparatively small, but his figure is outstanding in Antony’s oration at his funeral. Its presence pervades the whole passage. – Brutus is portrayed as an idealistic hero, torn between his love for Caesar and his sense of duty towards the republican ideals.

3. READIND AND SPEAKING 4.Describe the features of its main characters. – Mark Antony, instead, is the great politician who, by means of his rhetorical gifts, succeeds in convincing the Romans that Caesar was not a tyrant but a benefactor and that the men who killed him are traitors.