Introduction - The play and the image displayed in the picture
This section is dedicated to Julius Caesar, the play by William Shakespeare. The picture is 18th
century and image displayed represents the essence of the play which, we hope, will bring to life a
famous scene or character from the ply. The information provided in this section of williamshakespeare.info includes famous quotes / quotations, summary of the plot or story, facts about the
play, a list of the cast and characters and access to the full text - script of the play Julius Caesar by
William Shakespeare.
Summary of the plot or story
Julius Caesar is a highly successful but ambitious political leader of Rome and his goal is to
become an unassailable dictator. Caesar is warned that he must "beware the Ides of March" . The
prophecy comes true and Caesar is assassinated. Marcus Brutus is a well respected Roman senator
who helps plan and carry out Caesar's assassination which he believes will rid Rome of a tyrant.
Caesar's friend Mark Antony provides the famous funeral oration ("Friends, Romans, and
countrymen…") Brutus and Cassius meet their inevitable defeat. Brutus, the noble Roman, whose
decision to take part in the conspiracy for the sake of freedom, plunges his country into civil war.
Information provided about the play
William Shakespeare never published any of his plays and therefore none of the original
manuscripts have survived. Eighteen unauthorised versions of his plays were, however, published
during his lifetime in quarto editions by unscrupulous publishers (there were no copyright laws
protecting Shakespeare and his works during the Elizabethan era). A collection of his works did
not appear until 1623 (a full seven years after Shakespeare's death on April 23, 1616) when two of
his fellow actors, John Hemminges and Henry Condell, posthumously recorded his work and
published 36 of William’s plays in the First Folio. Some dates are therefore approximate other
dates are substantiated by historical events, records of performances and the dates plays appeared
in print.
Date first performed
It is believed that Julius Caesar was first performed between 1600 and 1601. In the Elizabethan era
there was a huge demand for new entertainment and Julius Caesar would have been produced
immediately following the completion of the play.
Date first printed
It is believed that Julius Caesar was first printed in the First Folio in 1623. As William Shakespeare
clearly did not want his work published details of the play would have therefore been noted, and
often pirated without his consent, following a performance.
The settings for the drama
The settings for Julius Caesar are Verona and Mantua in Italy
Theme of the play
The play Julius Caesar is categorised as a Tragedy
Number of words in the script
The number of spoken words in Julius Caesar, according to the Complete Public Domain Text is
20,933
Most important characters
The most important characters in the play are:
Julius Caesar, Mark Antony and Brutus