Julius Caesar by the Orlando Shakespeare Theater Production

Julius Caesar, believed to have been written around 1599, is one of William Shakespeare’s most well-known historical works. The events of the play follow the conspiracy to assassinate Julius Caesar by a group of Roman senators, and the subsequent upheaval of the state. The recent Orlando Shakespeare Theatre production of Julius Caesar utilized a cast of seven to portray a Dramatis Personae of more than thirty characters, similar to the style in which acting troupes would have performed Shakespeare’s works in taverns and smaller towns of the period. The reduced cast size and intimate setting of the Goldman Theatre, in which the play was staged, combined to more fully immerse the audience in the action of the play.

Like many of Shakespeare’s works, it is unknown when Julius Caesar was originally written. Though originally published in the First Folio in 1623, there is a record of the play in the diary of Thomas Platter in September of 1599 (“The Norton Anthology of English Literature”). Based on this record, the similarities in meter and word choice to other Shakespearean works of the time, and the reference to an unnamed play about the assassination of Caesar in Hamlet, historians have placed the original performance sometime in the earlier part of 1599 (Dobson and Wells 230). Assuming this date to be accurate, it is highly likely that Julius Caesar was one of the first plays to be staged in the newly constructed Globe Theatre.

Julius Caesar was perhaps the most influential man in Roman history. A decorated war hero, he was elected consul and eventually offered the title of monarch, which he refused. Fearful of his growing power and influence, a group of senators, including Marcus Brutus, one of Caesar’s confidants, conspired ...

... middle of paper ...

...ical aspects of the show to be in perfect synchronization with each other for the full duration. This production excelled in all of these aspects, managing to keep the audience enthralled during even the most long-winded exposition. The Orlando Shakespeare Theatre is well-known for the incredible quality of their shows, and this was no exception.

Works Cited

Dobson, Michael, and Stanley Wells. The Oxford Companion to Shakespeare. 1st ed. Oxford:

Oxford UP, 2001. Print.

"The Norton Anthology of English Literature: The 16th Century: Topic 4: Texts and Contexts."

The Norton Anthology of English Literature: The 16th Century: Topic 4: Texts and

Contexts. W. W. Norton & Company, 2010. Web. .

Shakespeare, William. Julius Caesar. Ed. Marvin Spevack. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1988. Print.