Julius Caesar (Audio Theatre Collection) (A Shakespeare Story) (Classic Shakespeare - Julius Caesar)

by William Shakespeare

Dr. Barbara A. Mowat (Editor) and Paul Werstine (Editor)

The authoritative edition of Julius Caesar from The Folger Shakespeare Library, the trusted and widely used Shakespeare series for students and general readers.

Shakespeare may have written Julius Caesar as the first of his plays to be performed at the Globe, in 1599. For it, he turned to a key event in Roman history: Caesar’s death at the hands of friends and fellow politicians. Renaissance writers disagreed over the assassination, seeing Brutus, a leading conspirator, as either hero or villain. Shakespeare’s play keeps this debate alive.

This edition includes:
-Freshly edited text based on the best early printed version of the play
-Newly revised explanatory notes conveniently placed on pages facing the text of the play
-Scene-by-scene plot summaries
-A key to the play’s famous lines and phrases
-An introduction to reading Shakespeare’s language
-An essay by a leading Shakespeare scholar providing a modern perspective on the play
-Fresh images from the Folger Shakespeare Library’s vast holdings of rare books
-An up-to-date annotated guide to further reading

Essay by Coppélia Kahn

​The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, DC, is home to the world’s largest collection of Shakespeare’s printed works, and a magnet for Shakespeare scholars from around the globe. In addition to exhibitions open to the public throughout the year, the Folger offers a full calendar of performances and programs. For more information, visit Folger.edu.

• ISBN10: 0743482743
• ISBN13: 9780743482745
• Publish Date: 19 January 2004 (first published 1 January 1920)
• Publish Status: Transferred
• Out of Print: 14 September 2015
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Simon & Schuster
• Format: Paperback (US Mass Market)
• Pages: 288
• Language: English

Reviews

[clementine]

I enjoyed Julius Caesar a lot more than Richard III. It was a lot easier to keep track of, and the action moved quickly. I always find the historical plays really interesting because there's always the element of accuracy, and wondering what's being sacrificed for the sake of the audience's enjoyment.

I always like a ripple effect premise, and I really liked it in Julius Caesar, where what is meant to be a preventive measure ends up generating arguably more chaos and tragedy than it would have if they'd just left Caesar alone. Of course, I particularly enjoyed the conflict of Brutus's character, and the fact that it wasn't entirely black and white - justifications for Caesar's assassination could be made, although to me it seems like the action of the play overwhelmingly confirms that it was a bad move.

I guess I love a good political drama. Especially if there's death and prophecy.