Shakespeare's Misrepresentation of Julius Caesar

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For those who have read the play Julius Caesar, it is easy to speculate that it is an accurate autobiography of Caesar’s last days before he was murdered. Without presented with the historical facts, this assumption remains unchallenged. Yet this is far from the truth, and its playwright William Shakespeare had planned it this way, as we shall view shortly. The many altercations interlinked in this writer’s story include incorrect biological relations between Caesar and the other characters and Caesar’s authentic personality and questionable motives are sugarcoated.

The reason as to why this powerful novelist’s story of Julius Caesar is not a custom retelling of his life is because of Shakespeare’s reaction to pressure. In the late 1580’s when he first began writing, he was surrounded by the overwhelming influence of other playwrights and the constant demand for fresh, innovative plays based on past historical events turned into elaborate exaggerations. These types of plays were crowd-pleasers and must-seers. Shakespeare felt compelled to produce as many plays as possible in order to get his name above his competition. Although he had little education, he possessed a working vocabulary of over 54,000 words, and he skillfully evoked his talents into literary works teeming with words that sprang to life. His highly qualified skills in writing earned him a phenomenal reputation.

When compared to the life of Caesar, this play neither accurately paraphrases the biological relations and marital associations between the characters, nor does it hint at any rumors circulating Caesar’s existence. Octavious, identified as Caesar’s adopted son in the play, was really his grandnephew. Shakespeare’s heedlessness in mentioning Ca...

... middle of paper ...

... of Caesar’s actual character paints him as a more naive and annoying person, hiding this man’s true capabilities and intentions deep in the shadows.

Works Cited

1. Unknown, Unknown “William Shakespeare” http://www.biography.com/people/william-shakespeare-9480323? Unknown

2. Unknown, Unknown, “Julius Caesar” http://www.biography.com/people/julius-caesar-9192504 Unknown

3. James Farrant, Sam Keay, Ruth Johnston, Neil Thom, Dominic Calllagher, Bill Gill, Stella Capaldi “Julius Caesar” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z88_UTf23nc Unknown

4. Unknown, Unknown “Julius Caesar” http://www.slieshare,net/ssclasstorremar/julius-caesar-27964185 Unknown

5. Unknown, Unknown “Shakepeare’s Plays” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shakespeare%27s_plays 2013

6. Branyan, John “The Three Little Pigs” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxoUUbMii7Q Unknown

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