The Ides of March have come and gone but I’m not quite done talking about Julius Caesar (the guy) or Julius Caesar (the play).

This play is harder to get into than some of Shakespeare’s other delightful works. To help explain why and to try to figure out where Shakespeare was coming from, I’ve read some Plutarch, gotten more context for how a sixteenth century audience might have thought about Roman history and looked at a lot of memes online.

When everyone’s favorite comparison about a distinguished figure in history is to talk about how he’s the same thing as a salad, what does that mean for how we relate to a play written about him?

Plus, some bonus thoughts on ways to set up a modern adaptation of the play.

Further Reading

William Shakespeare, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar

Plutarch’s Lives of Noble Grecians and Romans (see The Life of Brutus and The Life of Julius Caesar)

Gary Miles, “How Roman are Shakespeare’s ‘Romans’?”

Heather James, “Shakespeare’s Classical Plays” from the New Cambridge Companion to Shakespeare

Marjorie Garber, “Julius Caesar” from Shakespeare After All

Credit where credit is due

Art by Halie Branson

Music recording by josdvg