Question

Why do you think Shakespeare wanted to tell his audience the story of Julius Caesar?

(5 or more sentences)

Answer 1

Shakespeare had many reasons for writing this play. One of the reasons was to show that history repeats itself. The queen of England had no heirs and neither did Julius Caesar. He left the empire for anyone to get and that started a civil war. I think Shakespeare was predicting what was going to happen when the Queen was dead. He was trying to convey to the people to watch out and pay attention to what was going on. Another reason for writing the play was to show how power corrupts people. For example, Caesar was power hungry and he got stabbed 35 times in the chest by the people who lost their power to him. Antony was an obedient servant when Caesar was alive but became just as power hungry as Caesar when he was killed. For example, he tried to get rid of Lepidus so he would have one less person to share power with. Shakespeare was trying to say that power can make people act differently than they usually would. The final reason I think Shakespeare wrote this play was to show how people shouldn’t act. For example, Brutus was way to trusting and he got betrayed by Antony. Cassius was some-what paranoid and killed himself out of fear. Caesar was way to ambitious an got stabbed by his best friend. Shakespeare was trying to show what happens to people who act certain ways.

Answer 2

Brutus, one of the characters in Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar", had appeared in Dante's "Divine Comedy". Both Cassius and Brutus had been confined to the lowest region of Inferno for their assassination of Julius Caesar. Shakespeare's fascination for Greek and Latin literature is evident in most of his plays. The Brutus we see in the theatrical representation differs from Dante's master piece. He has a justification for the slaying of Caesar: his ambition. We read provoking lines in his own voice saying: " Romans, countrymen, and lovers, hear me for my cause, and be silent that you may hear." He addresses to a multitude of Romans in confusion for the unexpected events. History has a lot of details that the eye might miss, and Shakespeare attempts to show in a witty way what at times history might conceal.