Julius Caesar | Historical Background
Historical Background
In 1599, when Julius Caesar was first performed, Queen Elizabeth I, the Tudor Queen, was in the final years of her 45-year reign (1558–1603). It was a period of history called the “Age of Discovery,” a time of scientific growth, a rebirth of the arts, and exploration of the recently discovered continents of North and South America. Historical plays were popular during Shakespeare’s lifetime and people were eager to learn about worlds other than their own. A play like Julius Caesar taught them about Roman history, and at the same time,...
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- Julius Caesar: Introduction
- William Shakespeare Biography
- Reading Shakespeare
- List of Characters
- Historical Background
- One-Page Summary
- Summary and Analysis
- Act 1, Scene 1: Summary and Analysis
- Act I, Scene 2: Summary and Analysis
- Act I, Scene 3: Summary and Analysis
- Act II, Scene 1: Summary and Analysis
- Act II, Scene 2: Summary and Analysis
- Act II, Scenes 3 and 4: Summary and Analysis
- Act III, Scene 1: Summary and Analysis
- Act III, Scenes 2 and 3: Summary and Analysis
- Act IV, Scene 1: Summary and Analysis
- Act IV, Scenes 2 and 3: Summary and Analysis
- Act V, Scene 1: Summary and Analysis
- Act V, Scenes 2 and 3: Summary and Analysis
- Act V, Scenes 4 and 5: Summary and Analysis
- Critical Commentary
- Quizzes
- Act I, Scene 1: Questions and Answers
- Act I, Scene 2: Questions and Answers
- Act I, Scene 3: Questions and Answers
- Act II, Scene 1: Questions and Answers
- Act II, Scene 2: Questions and Answers
- Act II, Scenes 3 and 4: Questions and Answers
- Act III, Scene 1: Questions and Answers
- Act III, Scenes 2 and 3: Questions and Answers
- Act IV, Scene 1: Questions and Answers
- Act IV, Scenes 2 and 3: Questions and Answers
- Act V, Scene 1: Questions and Answers
- Act V, Scenes 2 and 3: Questions and Answers
- Act V, Scenes 4 and 5: Questions and Answers
- Themes
- Character Analysis
- Principal Topics
- Essays
- Selected Quotes
- Criticism
- Suggested Essay Topics
- Sample Essay Outlines
- Modern Connections
- Pictures
- Cassius, Brutus, and others in Shakespeare Memorial Theatre production (1950)
- Caesar in Royal Shakespeare Theatre production (1987)
- Mark Antony and the body of Caesar by Bernard Partridge
- Mark Antony, the body of Caesar, and Roman citizens by Heinrich Spiess
- Brutus and the Ghost of Caesar by William Blake
- The armies of Brutus and Octavius Caesar in Shakespeare Memorial Theatre production (1950)
- Act I, Scene i: Flavius and Marullus (illustration)
- The Soothsayer warns Caesar (illustration)
- Act II, Scene i: Brutus and the Conspirators (illustration)
- Brutus stabs Caesar (illustration)
- Antony and the body of Caesar (illustration)
- Brutus addresses the crowd (illustration)
- Antony addresses the crowd (illustration)
- Cinna, the poet, surrounded by a mob (illustration)
- Antony, Octavius, and Lepidus (illustration)
- Brutus at his camp in Sardis, Greece (illustration)
- Cassius threatens Brutus (illustration)
- Brutus works out a battle plan (illustration)
- The Ghost of Caesar appears before Brutus (illustration)
- The Battlefield at Philippi (illustration)
- The farewell between Brutus and Cassius (illustration)
- The body of Cassius is discovered (illustration)
- Brutus runs into Strato's sword (illustration)
- Gathering around Brutus' body (illustration)
- FAQs
- Bibliography and Further Reading
- Copyright
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