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A review by thaurisil
Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare
5.0
“Et tu, Brute? Then fall, Caesar!”
I love this iconic line. Caesar, stunned by treachery and racked with pain from being stabbed multiple times, gets stabbed by his close friend Brutus, and he reacts not with anger, but surprise. Faced with betrayal from a friend, he resigns himself to death. Brutus, who has steeled himself for an act he does not want to perform but believes is right, walks away with the memory of his friend's surprised, dismayed face, and however he convinces himself that he did what was right, his heartstrings tug in a different direction. Six simple words, and this line captures the essence of the play.
This was my first time reading the play, and I realised how little I know about it. I knew it is about the assassination of Julius Caesar, but I didn’t know how little Caesar actually appears in person. He is killed in the first scene of Act 3, and there are six acts in total. Even prior to his death, he doesn’t have much screen time, only having enough speaking lines for us to discover that he is proud and ambitious, but physically weak, with epilepsy and deafness in one ear. Some question whether the play should be titled Julius Caesar. But while Caesar does not appear much in person, the play still centers on his name, what he represents, and how it affects Rome and its people.
For this play is not about any one man. It is no more about Brutus or Cassius or Antony as it is about Caesar. None of these men can claim to be the protagonist. It is a play about ideas, values and human nature. Caesar, having defeated his rival and made a step towards being Rome’s king, is killed by a group of men who want their freedom. Most of them are selfish, but one man, Brutus, loves Caesar, and acts out of his belief that Rome would be better off without Caesar’s hypothetically tyrannical rule. But he makes one of several fatal mistakes, letting Mark Antony, Caesar’s beloved friend, conduct the funeral, and Antony incites the Romans to civil war. The war culminates in Antony and Octavius killing Brutus and Cassius, but not before we see hostile tension between the future leaders of Rome, and genuine love between the defeated friends.
None of the characters are perfect. Most of them suffer from a degree of pride and inconsistency. Brutus is my favourite, but his noble, trusting character is marred by over-idealistic ideas and a tendency to over-rule Cassius’ wise plans with foolish ones. Cassius is impetuous and rude, but he redeems himself by his genuine love for Brutus and sorrow at Brutus’ wife Portia’s death. Antony is initially portrayed as a brilliant orator and Caesar’s only loyal friend, but he turns out to be ruthless in dealing with those who would vie with him for power. Octavius scarcely appears, and while he is more moderate and humble than Antony, he is also unsympathetically pragmatic. I flip-flopped about whether I liked each character or not, for every act painted a new aspect to their personalities.
Omens feature heavily. Initially there are only hints of oncoming tragedy, but talk of war and mischief and death grow, and as the play speeds towards its end, dark supernatural events happen. But unlike many other plays, fate is hardly ever to blame. It’s clear that the tragedy that happens to the individual characters are to Rome in general are the result of man’s actions. Some are well-intentioned but misguided, some are foolish, and some are downright evil. The sequence of events that lead to Caesar’s death, to civil war, and to the deaths of Brutus, Cassius and their allies, build on each other, initiated and contributed by the actions of men, and at many times, tragedy is preventable if only the men would be wise or good.
On this backdrop of cruel ambition and selfish pride, human love shines bright. The warm passionate love between Brutus and Portia is followed by a more distant but still caring relationship between Caesar and Calpurnia. Antony’s emotional outbursts on seeing Caesar’s body and his determination to avenge Caesar are followed and overshadowed by the deep brotherly love between Brutus and Cassius. Their parting words prior to their entry into battle were particularly moving.
I love this iconic line. Caesar, stunned by treachery and racked with pain from being stabbed multiple times, gets stabbed by his close friend Brutus, and he reacts not with anger, but surprise. Faced with betrayal from a friend, he resigns himself to death. Brutus, who has steeled himself for an act he does not want to perform but believes is right, walks away with the memory of his friend's surprised, dismayed face, and however he convinces himself that he did what was right, his heartstrings tug in a different direction. Six simple words, and this line captures the essence of the play.
This was my first time reading the play, and I realised how little I know about it. I knew it is about the assassination of Julius Caesar, but I didn’t know how little Caesar actually appears in person. He is killed in the first scene of Act 3, and there are six acts in total. Even prior to his death, he doesn’t have much screen time, only having enough speaking lines for us to discover that he is proud and ambitious, but physically weak, with epilepsy and deafness in one ear. Some question whether the play should be titled Julius Caesar. But while Caesar does not appear much in person, the play still centers on his name, what he represents, and how it affects Rome and its people.
For this play is not about any one man. It is no more about Brutus or Cassius or Antony as it is about Caesar. None of these men can claim to be the protagonist. It is a play about ideas, values and human nature. Caesar, having defeated his rival and made a step towards being Rome’s king, is killed by a group of men who want their freedom. Most of them are selfish, but one man, Brutus, loves Caesar, and acts out of his belief that Rome would be better off without Caesar’s hypothetically tyrannical rule. But he makes one of several fatal mistakes, letting Mark Antony, Caesar’s beloved friend, conduct the funeral, and Antony incites the Romans to civil war. The war culminates in Antony and Octavius killing Brutus and Cassius, but not before we see hostile tension between the future leaders of Rome, and genuine love between the defeated friends.
None of the characters are perfect. Most of them suffer from a degree of pride and inconsistency. Brutus is my favourite, but his noble, trusting character is marred by over-idealistic ideas and a tendency to over-rule Cassius’ wise plans with foolish ones. Cassius is impetuous and rude, but he redeems himself by his genuine love for Brutus and sorrow at Brutus’ wife Portia’s death. Antony is initially portrayed as a brilliant orator and Caesar’s only loyal friend, but he turns out to be ruthless in dealing with those who would vie with him for power. Octavius scarcely appears, and while he is more moderate and humble than Antony, he is also unsympathetically pragmatic. I flip-flopped about whether I liked each character or not, for every act painted a new aspect to their personalities.
Omens feature heavily. Initially there are only hints of oncoming tragedy, but talk of war and mischief and death grow, and as the play speeds towards its end, dark supernatural events happen. But unlike many other plays, fate is hardly ever to blame. It’s clear that the tragedy that happens to the individual characters are to Rome in general are the result of man’s actions. Some are well-intentioned but misguided, some are foolish, and some are downright evil. The sequence of events that lead to Caesar’s death, to civil war, and to the deaths of Brutus, Cassius and their allies, build on each other, initiated and contributed by the actions of men, and at many times, tragedy is preventable if only the men would be wise or good.
On this backdrop of cruel ambition and selfish pride, human love shines bright. The warm passionate love between Brutus and Portia is followed by a more distant but still caring relationship between Caesar and Calpurnia. Antony’s emotional outbursts on seeing Caesar’s body and his determination to avenge Caesar are followed and overshadowed by the deep brotherly love between Brutus and Cassius. Their parting words prior to their entry into battle were particularly moving.
Brutus:
Forever and forever farewell, Cassius.
If we do meet again, why, we shall smile.
If not, why then this parting was well made.
Cassius:
Forever and forever farewell, Brutus.
If we do meet again, we’ll smile indeed.
If not, ’tis true this parting was well made.