Background to Julius Caesar and
William Shakespeare
Mr. Hershey
What do you know about
Shakespeare?
About William Shakespeare…
• born in Stratford-uponAvon on or about April
23, 1564
• the third of eight
children, three of whom
died in childhood, born
to John Shakespeare
and Mary Arden.
• never went on to
university.
About William Shakespeare…
• married Anne Hathaway on
November 28, 1582.
• three children: a daughter,
Susanna, and twins,
Hamnet and Judith. Hamnet
died at age 11.
• Globe theater was built in
1599
• Shakespeare wrote 37 plays
(History, Tragedy, Comedy)
• Also wrote sonnets and
poems
About William Shakespeare…
• Works offered something
for everyone; rich and
poor; educated and
uneducated
• Shakespeare wanted to
explore human behavior
• To understand how
different people deal
with life’s universal
problems
Elizabethan Age…
• Queen Elizabeth I ruled
England from 1558-1603
• Elizabeth I strongly
supports the arts
• Artists of all types were
held in high esteem
• Elizabethan Age produced
some of the greatest
works that England has
ever seen.
Blank Verse
• Shakespeare wrote in
blank verse – poetry with
lines that do not rhyme
• Lines written in a pattern
called iambic pentameter
• iamb: pair of syllables;
unstressed, stressed
• Pentameter: five
measures
• Ten syllables in each line
• Sometimes changed the
words to fit the pattern
“I do fear the people choose Caesar
for their king.”
William Shakespeare
History of Government in Rome
• Monarchy until 509 BC
• Brutus family drives king from power and
Rome becomes a republic
• Moderate democracy by 100 BC ruled by
Senate
• Triumvirate was formed in 60 BC
– Caesar, Crassus, and Pompey
Historical Context: Julius Caesar
•
•
•
•
Roman general and politician
Lived from 100 to 44 BC
Greatest military leader in Roman history
Gained much support from the people
– Spent money on entertainment
– Freed farmers from heavy taxes
Historical Context: Julius Caesar
• Senate ordered Caesar to disband his army
around 50 BC
• Caesar refused
• Led his forces in a civil war against the forces
of Pompey.
• Caesar defeats Pompey in 45 BC and returns
to Rome