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Julius Caesar
By William Shakespeare
Shakespeare
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There are three types of plays
Shakespeare is most well
known for writing: Comedies,
Tragedies, and Histories
Julius Caesar is a tragedy
What do we already know
about this genre?
Do not be misled by the title 
Julius Caesar is not the tragic
hero of the play
The Rise of Ancient Rome
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Ancient Rome started off as a Republic—a form
of government in which power is shared by the
people.
The word “Republic” literally means “thing of the
people”
By 100 BC, the Senate was the largest
governing body of the Republic
 300
members
 Goal of large Senate  share the power and make
sure no single person gained too much power
The Roman Republic
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As the Roman Republic grew and
prospered:
A
great gap grew between the rich and the
poor
 Corruption and greed replaced the virtues of
hard work and duty that had been the
foundation of the Republic
 Unemployment became a huge problem
The Roman Army
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First comprised of citizens who volunteered to defend the
Republic
Shifted to professionals who were paid to be in the army
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Professional soldiers were more loyal to the commanders
who hired them than to the overall good of the Republic
 Some commanders used their soldiers to try to defend the
Republic
 Other commanders used their soldiers to try to overthrow the
Republic
 Result = civil war
Shift of Power
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In 60 B.C., a triumvirate (a 3-man rule) of
Caesar, Crassus, and Pompey was formed to
lead the Senate
gets killed in battle  trouble begins to
develop between Pompey and Caesar
 Pompey, jealous of Caesar’s popularity, persuaded
the Senate to order Caesar to disband his army and
return to Rome
 Caesar invaded Rome and made the Senate vote him
the powers of a dictator
 Crassus
Julius Caesar
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One of the most powerful army
commanders
Won many battles and gained
fame and respect for his victories
Hosted a huge banquet and
invited all of the common people
of Rome to attend to celebrate
his victories in battle
Very popular among the common
people
Caesar’s Legacy
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Between 48 BC and 44 BC, Caesar used
his power to accomplish many reforms:
 Gave
free grain to the hungry
 Created jobs for the unemployed
 Gave land to poor farmers
 Planned and built a road system across Italy
 Expanded the territory of the Roman Republic
and granted Roman citizenship to many
conquered people.
Before Caesar
After Caesar
Setting the Stage for Conspiracy
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Shakespeare begins his play in 44 BC with
Caesar returning to Rome, having just defeated
Pompey in battle
 Common
people love Caesar because he uses his
power to help improve their daily lives
 Senators distrust Caesar and fear he is getting too
much power
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Timeline: Shakespeare compresses the actual
historical time of 3 years into a period of 6 days