Julius Caesar - Softcover

Shakespeare, William

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0141012390 ISBN 13: 9780141012391

Publisher: Penguin Classics, 2005

Synopsis

Set at the birth of the Roman Empire, William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar is a taut historical drama exploring the violent consequences of betrayal and murder. This Penguin Shakespeare edition is edited by Norman Sanders with an introduction by Martin Wiggins.

'Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears;
I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him'

When it seems that Julius Caesar may assume supreme power, a plot to destroy him is hatched by the senators Brutus and Cassius, who are determined to preserve the threatened Republic. But the different motives of the conspirators soon become apparent when high principles clash with malice and political realism. Seizing his opportunity, the ambitious young Mark Antony turns public opinion against the conspirators, plunging the nation into a bloody civil war.

This book includes a general introduction to Shakespeare's life and Elizabethan theatre, a separate introduction to Julius Caesar, a chronology, suggestions for further reading, an essay discussing performance options on both stage and screen, and a commentary.

William Shakespeare (1564-1616) was born to John Shakespeare and Mary Arden some time in late April 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon. He wrote about 38 plays (the precise number is uncertain), many of which are regarded as the most exceptional works of drama ever produced, including Romeo and Juliet (1595), Henry V (1599), Hamlet (1601), Othello (1604), King Lear (1606) and Macbeth (1606), as well as a collection of 154 sonnets, which number among the most profound and influential love-poetry in English.

If you enjoyed Julius Caesar, you might like Richard III, also available in Penguin Shakespeare.

'If we wish to know the force of human genius we should read Shakespeare'
William Hazlitt

About this title

About the Author

William Shakespeare (1564-1616) was born to John Shakespeare and mother Mary Arden some time in late April 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon. He wrote about 38 plays (the precise number is uncertain), a collection of sonnets and a variety of other poems.

Stanley Wells is Emeritus Professor of the University of Birmingham and Chairman of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust.

Norman Sanders is retired from the position of Professor of Shakespeare at the University of Tennessee. He has also edited Julius Caesar in the Penguin Shakespeare series.

Edition details

• Publisher: Penguin Classics
• Publication date: 2005
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0141012390
• ISBN 13: 9780141012391
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 272
• Editor: Sanders Norman, Wiggins Martin