Transcript Julius caesar

Julius
Caesar
Background
Until 509 B.C., Rome was a monarchy
o In that same year, the Brutus
family evicted Tarquinius Superbus
from the throne and Rome was
established as a republic
o By 100 B.C., Rome was a moderate
democracy; the Senate was ruling
Rome
o In 60 B.C., a triumvirate (3-man
rule) of Caesar, Crassus, and
Pompey was formed to govern Rome
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
In 58 B.C., Caesar was made governor
of part of Gaul
At the age of 44, he began his
military career and proceeded to
conquer all of Gaul
After Crassus was killed in battle,
trouble began to develop between
Pompey and Caesar.
Pompey persuaded the Senate to order
Caesar to disband his army and return
to Rome
Caesar, instead, invaded Rome and made
himself absolute ruler of Rome
Pompey fled to Greece
Caesar defeated Pompey’s army, and
o
o
o
o
Three years after Caesar defeated
Pompey’s army, he defeated
Pompey’s two sons.
Caesar was made dictator for life
Shakespeare begins his play with
Caesar returning in victory from
Spain
Caesar was the undisputed leader
of the entire Roman world
Rome at the time of
Caesar’s death
Hero
o
o
o
o
Julius Caesar is a tragedy,
just like Romeo and Juliet
Unlike Romeo and Juliet, Julius
Caesar is not the hero of the
play
In this play, the hero is
Brutus, a man who believes his
actions are for the good of his
country
Brutus dominates much of the
Setting
o
The setting is Rome, Italy,
part of the continent of
Europe, along the Tiber River
Life in Rome
o
o
o
There were two classes of
people in Rome
The rich people were called
Patricians
The poor people were called
Plebeians
Politics
o
o
o
o
Julius Caesar is a political
play
Political issues are the root
of the tragic conflict in the
play
It is a play about a general
who would be king, but because
of his own pride and ambition,
meets an untimely death
Shakespeare appears to be
o
Focus of the
play
The play focuses on men who
were responsible for the
assassination of Julius Caesar
and their ill-fated attempt to
control Rome.
Timeline
o
Shakespeare compresses the
actual historical time of 3
years into six days.