Publisher's Synopsis
Julius Cæsar is among the best of Shakespeare's historical and political plays, composed in 1599. The story is about the power struggle that occurs after the assassination of Julius Cæsar, and it takes its readers through the course of the rebels' defeat in the Battle of Philippi. The book is set in the Roman Empire in 44 bc and paints a picture of the struggle for power that was prominent during the phase. The story begins when Brutus, a close ally and friend of Julius Cæsar's, is enticed by the conspirators who plot the murder of Cæsar under the guise of working for the interest of the republic. The book then depicts the manner in which Cæsar ignores the warning from his astrologer about the impending danger to his life. When Cæsar is assassinated after Brutus delivers the final blow, the rebels attempt to win public support for their deeds, which Mark Antony, another Cæsar faithful, works against, with the help of a rousing. Through events surrounding his death, the themes of frustrated ambition and crude demagoguery are picked up and brilliantly handled. It is interesting to see how Cæsar's personality dominates the play. About the Author: William Shakespeare (baptised 26 April 1564) was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the 'Bard of Avon' (or simply ""The Bard""). His surviving works consist of 37 plays, 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, and several other poems. His plays have been translated into every major living language. Shakespeare was born and raised in Stratford-upon-Avon. Scholars believe that he died on his fifty-second birthday, coinciding with St George's Day. At the age of 18 he married Anne Hathaway, who bore him three children: Susanna, twins Hamnet and Judith. Between 1585 and 1592 he began a successful career in London as an actor, writer, and part owner of the playing company the Lord Chamberlain's Men, later known as the King's Men. He appears to have retired to Stratford around 1613, where he died three years later. Shakespeare produced most of his known work between 1590 and 1613. His early plays were mainly comedies and histories, genres he raised to the peak of sophistication and artistry by the end of the sixteenth century. Next he wrote mainly tragedies until about 1608. He was a respected poet and playwright in his own day, but his reputation did not rise to its present heights until the nineteenth century. The Romantics, in particular, acclaimed Shakespeare's genius, and the Victorians hero-worshipped Shakespeare. In the twentieth century, his work was repeatedly adopted and rediscovered by new movements in scholarship and performance. His plays remain highly popular today and are consistently performed and reinterpreted in diverse cultural and political contexts throughout the world.
