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 UNDERGRADUATE II YEAR SUBJECT: English Language & Poetry TOPIC: Julius Caeser – William Shakespeare LESSON MAP: 3.6.C.1 Duration: 22:25 min Julius Caesar Introduction
Shakespeare, England’s most revered and most famous poet and playwright was
born on April 23rd 1564 in England. Though it is but one small scene, the murder
scene from one of his well known and well loved play, Julius Caesar that we are to
study today I am sure that the experience would instill in you all a hunger to study
more work of the great man.
I am sure you are curious to take a little peek into the life of the brilliant writer.
He was born at Stratford – on – Avon, England. He began his career by writing
comedies and histories, the years between 1589 – 1613 being his creative best. His
success as a playwright seems to have been almost phenomenal. By 1592 he was
already regarded with envy by the other dramatists of his age, including the
University Wits, who had the advantage of university education. He then wrote
mainly tragedies until 1608 – Hamlet, King Lear, Othello and Macbeth – his
greatest tragedies are considered even today as some of the finest works in the
English language. In the last phase he wrote tragicomedies also known as
romances and collaborated with other playwrights. S
Shakespeare had immense ability to hold his stories together, but it is in his
unrivalled characterization and the diction ; the poetry and the humour of the
speeches, that his genius shows itself supreme. There is hardly any of his plays,
even the most trivial which does not have lines of that remarkable beauty which we
know to be Shakespearean.
His reputation during his lifetime, though substantial did not reach the heights
that it has attained since the 19th century. The Romantics, in particular acclaimed
his genius. The Victorians worshipped with a reverence that George Bernard Shaw
sarcastically referred to as ‘bardolatary’. His popularity has only grown in the
modern times, his plays being performed more often than those of the other
playwrights : studied and reinterpreted in diverse cultural and political contexts
throughout the world.
The ‘Bard of Avon’, as he was lovingly called is said to have written about 38
plays, 154 sonnets and 2 long narrative poems though he received at most a
grammar school education and knew ‘little Latin and less Greek’
His plays are marked by extraordinary poetry, vivid, subtle and complex
characterization and a highly inventive use of the English language. He wrote no
more after 1613. He breathed his last on April 23rd, his birthday, in 1616.
Module 1.
About the Play.
Julius Caesar, believed to have been written in 1599, is most likely one of
Shakespeare’s first plays to be performed at the Globe theatre and has always been
popular both as a reading and acting play. Though listed as a tragedy it has none of
the grandeur and darkness which overshadows plays like Othello and Macbeth. It
belongs rather with ‘Coriolanus’ and ‘Antony and Cleopatra’ to a group of Roman
plays in which there is a restraint that is almost classical.
Sources of the Play
For his plays from English history Shakespeare chiefly relied on ‘Holinshed’.
However in his three plays on Roman subjects, ‘Julius Caesar’, ‘Antony and
Cleopatra’ and ‘Coriolanus’, he made still greater use of Plutarch’s ‘Parallel Lives’
originally written in Greek, translated into French and from the French version into
English by Sir Thomas North. The play brings alive the 44 BC conspiracy against
the Roman dictator, his assassination and the defeat of the conspirators at the battle
of Philippi. It is one of several Roman plays that Shakespeare wrote based on true
events from Roman history.
Julius Caesar is different from his great tragedies in this that the title character
is not the principal actor in the play. He appears only in 3 scenes and is killed at the
beginning of the third. Marcus Brutus, one of the ‘the noblest Romans of them all’
who ‘sits high in all the peoples hearts’ speaks more than 4 times as many lines
and in fact the central psychological drama is his struggle between the conflicting
demands of honour, patriotism and friendship.
Module II
Synopsis of the Play
The structure of the play, unlike many others of his plays is remarkably regular.
In Act I the ‘situation’ is described : there is joy and anticipation in the air at
Caesar’s return from his recent triumphs in Spain and at the imminent prospect of
his coronation. On the other hand, we are also made to witness a mounting hostility
to Caesar which brings together a few disgruntled and discredited aristocrats led by
Cassius, the level headed but unscrupulous initiator of the plot against Caesar.
In Act II there is a ‘development’ of the situation in the form of conspiracy
against Caesar. Markus Brutus, a close friend of Caesar’s, ‘who sits high in all the
peoples hearts’, allows himself to be cajoled into joining the group of conspirators
because of a growing suspicion implanted in his mind by Cassius that Caesar
intends to turn a Republican Rome into a monarchy. The growing tide of public
support soon turns Brutus – after a prolonged struggle with his own conscience –
against Caesar. (the public support is actually faked by Cassius who writes several
letters to Brutus in different handwritings to lure Brutus to join the conspiracy.)
Forebodings are felt by Portia, the wife of Brutus and by Calpurnia, Caesar’s wife (
terrified by horrible nightmares) who begs him not to leave home that day.
Against the wishes of the priest who advise him of dark portents, the Soothsayer
who warns him to be there of the ides of March and his wife, Caesar sets out to the
capital goaded by Decius Brutus, one of the conspirators who gives a different
interpretation to Calpurnia’s dreams.
In Act III, which we will study in detail ‘the crisis is reached with Caesar’s
murder and its immediate aftermath.
Act IV records the ‘falling action’ stressing the gradual downfall of the
conspirators.
In Act V, the ‘catastrophe’ concludes the play with tragic failure and the death
of Caesar’s enemies.
Module III
Dramatic Irony.
Dramatic irony involves a situation in a play or a narrative in which the audience
or reader shares with the author knowledge of present or future circumstances of
which a character is ignorant. In that situation the character unknowingly acts in a
way we recognize to be grossly inappropriate to the actual circumstances, or
expects the opposite of what we know – that fate holds in store a says something
that anticipates the actual outcome, but not at all in a way that the character
intends. Writers of Greek tragedies, who based their plots on legends whose
outcome was already known to them made frequent use of this device. Sophocles’
Oedipus, is very complex instance of tragic irony. Oedipus engages in a hunt for
the incestuous father- murderer who has brought a plague upon Thebes little
knowing that the object of this hunt is the hunter himself. ( the audience knows it
all along ) In Julius Caesar, Shakespeare makes remarkable use of this device.
Module IV
We will now closely look at the murder scene, one of the most famous and
significant scenes of the play, occurring in Act I, scene I. The play reaches its
climax or crisis in this scene. The very first words that Caesar utters are ironic-the
‘ides of March are come’ says he to the soothsayer who replies ‘Ay, Caesar; but
not gone’ (we, the audience know that the conspirators are all set to murder him in
a little while – a remarkable use of dramatic irony .) Artemidorus, a well wisher of
Caesar’s petitions him to read his letter instantly – the contents of the letter are
disclosed to us in scene III of Act II itself :
Caesar, beware of Brutus ; take heed of Cassius ; come not near Casca ;
have an eye to Cinna ; trust not Trebonius ; mark well Metellus Cimber ; Decius
Brutus loves thee not ; thou hast wronged Caius Ligarius. There is but one mind in
all these men, and it is bent against Caesar. If thou be’st not immortal, look about
you : security gives way to conspiracy. The mighty Gods defend thee! Thy lover.
Caesar replies ‘what touches us ourself shall be last serv’d’ – a brilliant use of
dramatic irony.
After a few initial moments of suspense and misgivings the conspirators begin
to execute their plan. As a part of the plan, Metellus Cimber pleads on behalf of his
banished brother. Caesar predictably rejects the petition chiding him for his ‘lowly
courtesies’ and ‘couchings’ which might fire the blood of ‘ordinary men’ but he
was no ordinary man. He was like the ‘northern star’ and ‘Olympus’ in the fixity of
his resolve and his belief that the man was banished by a ‘fair judicial order’. He
reminds him that ‘Caesar’ does no ‘wrong’. Metellus calls upon Brutus, Cassius
and Casca to help him in his cause. As per plan they move closer, but even they are
spurned with great rudeness. Casca strikes the first dagger blow and the others
press in and repeatedly stab Caesar. Brutus delivers the last blow upon which
Caesar utters the famous line – ‘Et tu, Brute? Then fall, Caesar ! ‘ suggesting that
Caesar did not want to survive such treachery and deceit.
Brutus delivers an oration defending his actions and assuring the bewildered
people and the shocked senators that no harm would come their way for. Utter
mayhem prevails – men, women and children crying out and running amuck as if it
were the doomsday. Antony, a dear friend of Caesar then comes on to the scene
grieving and mourning for his friend. He tells the conspirators to kill him, if they
so intend right then. No time was more ‘fit’ than Caesar’s ‘death’s hour’ when
their hands were still red with Caesar’s blood. But Brutus assures Antony of their
respect and admiration for him and says that the ‘bloody’ act was motivated by the
great injustice done to the Republic, for just as one fire engulfs another so their
pity for Rome forced them to swallow all pity for Caesar. Cassius adds that Antony
would have an equal voice with them in the new government. Once the crowd was
calmed down, Antony will be given a detailed account of the why’s and the
wherefores of the deed.
Antony requests to be allowed to address the crowd in the market place on the
day of Caesar’s funeral. Brutus gives him permission on some conditions; that he
should speak only after he would have spoken, and that he should tell the crowd
that he was there only with their permission, he should speak from the same pulpit
as Brutus, he should not blame them but could speak good things about Caesar.
Antony, when left alone with the body of Caesar seeks Caesar’s forgiveness for
being meek and gentle with the ‘butchers’ and prophecies over Caesar’s wounds
that Italy shall be torn by civil strife until Caesar’s enemies have been uprooted.
The arrival of Octavius Caesar’s servant at the end of the scene is an indicator of
the crucial role that Octavius would play in the rest of the play.