Similarities Between Shakespeare And Plutarch

Shakespeare and Plutarch:

Two Similar Yet Different Looks on Julius Caesar’s Life

Plutarch was a prominent Greek biographer who was born in the small town of Chaeronea in 46 AD and died in 120 AD. His most recognized piece of writing was the Livesof Noble Grecians and Romanoes which first published in 1579. Since Lives was written in Plutarch’s native tongue Greek, it was later translated into French by Jacques Amyot of Melun. Amyot’s French translation was then translated into English by Sir Thomas North. According to Geoffrey Bullough’s Narrative and Dramatic Sources of Shakespeare, Sir Thomas North’s translated version of Plutarch’s Lives of Noble Grecians and Romanoes is where Shakespeare draws most of his information from for his famous tragedy Julius Caesar. (Bullough 12)

In the Lives of Noble Grecians and Romanoes, Plutarch takes the lives of several influential and prominent Greek and Roman men and describes their lives as a whole. He then compares them to each other based on “similar characteristics, situations, or periods in History.” It is believed that Alexander the Great biography was written parallel to that of Julius Caesar. Bullough described Plutrach’s Lives series as being “interested

primarily in characters and careers of individual men, which he [Plutarch] traced chronologically and surrounded with traits to anecdotes to illustrate their traits.” Other characters from Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar who have biographies in Plutarch’s Lives series include Mark Antony and Marcus Brutus; however, it is still believed that Shakespeare drew most of his inspiration for Julius Caesar from Caesar’s biography. (Bullough 13)
For The Life of Julius Caesar, Plutarch derived most of his information from Caeser’s autobiographically work De Bello Gallic. While the two works are very similar in many ways yet they are also different in many others. For instances, Caesar’s autobiography speaks mostly of his background in the war and the battlefield and he rarely refers to himself directly. Plutarch, on the other hand, speaks directly of Caesar’s war life as well as his personal life. Plutarch’s Life of Julius Caesar goes in depth the conspiracy against Caesar and his untimely death; things Caesar obviously couldn’t explain in his autobiography. Plutarch also derived some of his information from the Lives of Twelve Caesars by Caius Suetonius Tranquillus which was published in 1470 and contributed to Plutarch’s somewhat balanced view of Julius Caesar.
While Plutarch’s Life of Julius Caesar and Shakespeare’s Caesar are alike in many ways, they are very different in others. One chief difference between the two works was each author’s view on Julius Caesar. It appears as though Shakespeare was a little more sympathetic to Caesar’s situation and death than Plutarch. Plutarch’s Life of Julius Caesar portrays Caesar as being an insensitive and arrogant person who cares only of himself. Plutarch also depicts Caesar as being power hungry and all he thinks about is how he is going to get the crown and be the supreme ruler of Rome. Shakespeare, on the other hand, depicts Caesar as a “national hero” who only has the best interest of Rome’s citizens in mind.
In Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, Caesar is admired by of the people of Rome and not considered as being too ambitious; in fact, Shakespeare makes it appear that Caesar is indeed the ideal ruler for Rome.
Based upon the differences between Plutarch’s Life of Julius Caesar and Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, it is believed that Shakespeare took a “poetic license” to revise Plutarch’s biographic account of Julius Caesar’s life to transform it into that of a literary figure than that of a historical figure. An example of this “poetic license” can be found in the differences in each version of how Caesar was assassinated. In Plutarch’s Life of Julius Caesar, it explained in greater detail of how Caesar fought back from each of the conspirators blows until he saw Brutus with a dagger and he simply gave up fighting. In Shakepeare’s Julius Caesar, the assassination of Caesar only lasted a mere two lines with minimal stage directions and ends with Caesar saying the famous line after he has been stabbed by the conspirators “Et tu Brute! Then fall, Caesar” (www. shakespeare.mit.edu). In Plutarch’s Life of Julius Caesar, however, there is no mention as to what Julius Caesar’s last words were. It is believed that Shakespeare didn’t go into to great detail on Caesar’s assassination was to allow him to die a tragic hero.
Another difference that can be found between Plutarch’s Life of Julius Caesar and Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar can be found when the citizens of Rome view Caesar’s body for the first time. In Plutarch’s Life of Julius Caesar, the Romans are enraged and wanted revenge after seeing Caesar’s dead body; however, they are somewhat calmed down after Brutus delivers his speech. In Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, the citizens of Roman are also enraged after seeing Caesar’s dead body and somewhat calmed after hearing Brutus’ speech. However, in Shakespeare’s Caesar the Romans are then enraged again after Antony gives his speech shortly after Brutus. In Plutarch’s Life of Julius Caesar, there is no mention of Antony giving any type of speech after Brutus.
In both Plutarch’s Life of Julius Caesar and Shakespeare’s Caesar , Caesar is somewhat forwarned of his impending death at the hands of the conspirators.

However, in Plutarch’s Life of Julius Caesar, Caesar is directly forwarned of the conspiracy against him and in Shakespeare’s Caesar he is not. In Plutarch’s Life of Julius Caesar, it is written that Caesar was directly forewarned of the conspirators plot to kill him and that Brutus was the leader. His response to this information according to Plutarch was “… and once, when the conspiracy was already formed and some people were accusing Brutus to Caesar of being involved in it, Caesar laid his hand on his body and said to the accusers: ‘Brutus will wait for this skin of mine’” (www.

ancienthistory.about.com).
In Shakespeare’s Ceasar, however, it is written that Caesar was only forewarned of the conspirators plot to kill him through omens. In Shakespeare’s play, the only omens of Caesar’s death include the Sootsayer saying “beware the ides of March” (www. shakespeare.mit.edu) and his wife Calpurnia’s dream of his murder and a statue covered in his blood. Again, Caesar shrugged off these warnings. Caesar was also given a letter informing him of the conspirators plot to kill him by Artemidorus; however, Caesar chose to ignore this warning also.
During the time in which Shakespeare wrote the famous tragedy Julius Caesar, it is believed that he used Plutarch’s Life of Julius Caesar to gain most of the historical context used in his play. While both of the two works appear to be very different, traces of Plutarch’s historical account of Julius Caesar’s life can be found throughout Shakespeare’s play. It is believed that Shakespeare took Plutarch’s historical version of Julius Caesar to transform Caesar into a literary figure worthy of the stage. Shakespeare makes Julius Caesar out to be a “national hero” in opposed to Plutarch who portrayed Caesar into being an insensitive and arrogant human being. It is believed that Shakespeare did this to make Julius Caesar appear more sympathetic to the audience. Shakespeare also adds in the famous “Et tu Brute” line to make the audience feel sorry for Julius Caesar untimely death. Shakespeare differs from Plutarch when it comes to Caesar directly being aware of the conspirators plot to kill him. This is believed to be because Shakespeare didn’t want Caesar to appear as arrogant by dismissing blatant threats against his life. Shakespeare also added a speech by Antony after the Romans view Caesar’s body to show the Romans true loyalty to Caesar and their quest for revenge.
Plutarch of Chaeronea published Lives of Noble Grecians and Romanoes in 1579 which contained biographies on Julius Caesar, Marcu Brutus, and Mark Antony. Plutarch’s Life of Julius Caesar, however, is believed to be the main source of Shakespeare’s famous tragedy Julius Caesar. Even though Shakespeare transforms Plutarch’s Caesar into one fit for the stage, he does keep traces of the original adaption of Caesar in his play. Shakespeare’s adaption of Julius Caesar proves to be one fit for an audience and in the process even makes Caesar gain sympathy for his situation and his death.