benwillie 's review for:

Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare

4.0

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One of the Shakespeare plays I had the pleasure of spending 5 weeks with this year. After reading, I wrote an essay on Brutus's gullibility and naïvete. The play has lots of very engaging and controversial characters, a pack likely led by Brutus with Cassius in hot pursuit. The story raises interesting ethical questions too; is it morally acceptable to kill someone who might grow into a maniacal violent tyrant? Cassius and co. seem to think so, yet that scheme (especially as it is selfishly motivated) ends in disaster for all involved. And even the most spectacular blunders (why would you let a renowned orator speak to a potentially violent crowd of armed Romans at his best friend's funeral?!) lead to historic moments such as the unrivaled delivery of the oft-lauded "Friends, Romans, Countrymen!" (Which I got to memorize and deliver for school; great fun ;) Many memorable moments: Caesar ignoring all prophetic warnings (C'mon, it's Shakespeare! You don't just disregard an ominous dream!) followed by the classic "Et tu, Brute?" (getting really loose with that Plutarch Mr. Playwright...) preceding the iconic stabbing. Cue "Bring your knife to work day" and salad dressing jokes Whoops, retroactive spoiler alert. Oh no, have I turned into one of those sarcastic and cynical Goodreads reviewers?? Sorry, I'll stop. Julius Caesar seems to be a play that is surprisingly historically accurate, yet the Bard manages, with his signature spellbinding and articulate style, to twist the tale into a touching tragedy that prompts the audience to ponder lessons on power, authority, honor, and honesty. Highly recommend giving it a read or even better watching it performed! (And I hope to see it enacted on stage near me in the next few years...hint hint wink wink)