Julius Caesar (play) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Julius Caesar
Ghost of Caesar appears to Brutus
Written by	William Shakespeare
Characters	Julius Caesar Mark Antony Octavian Cassius Brutus
Date of premiere	21 September 1599
Place of premiere	Globe Theatre London, England
Original language	English
Subject	Conspiracy Assassination Patriotism Dictatorship Republicanism
Genre	Tragedy
Setting	Rome, 44 BC

The Tragedy of Julius Caesar is a history play and tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1599 and was first published in 1623 in the First Folio, a collection of all of Shakespeare's plays. It is one of several plays written by Shakespeare based on true events from Roman history, which also include Coriolanus and Antony and Cleopatra.

Although the play is named Julius Caesar, Brutus speaks more than four times as many lines as the title character; and the central psychological drama of the play focuses on Brutus' struggle between the conflicting demands of honour, patriotism, and friendship.

The play was one of Shakespeare's first plays to be performed at the Globe Theatre. The theatre had just been built. A Swiss traveller saw a tragedy about Julius Caesar at a London theatre on 21 September 1599. This was probably Shakespeare's play.

The play has been made and featured into various movies and television shows. In a 1950 movie, Charlton Heston played Antony. In a 1953 movie, James Mason played Brutus and Marlon Brando played Antony. In a 1970 movie, Jason Robards played Brutus, Charlton Heston played Antony, and John Gielgud played Caesar.

Images for kids

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  Within the Tent of Brutus: Enter the Ghost of Caesar, Julius Caesar, Act IV, Scene III, Edwin Austin Abbey (1905)

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  Herbert Beerbohm Tree (1852–1917), as Mark Anthony in 'Julius Caesar' by William Shakespeare, Charles A. Buchel (1914)

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  The first page of Julius Caesar, printed in the Second Folio of 1632

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  John Wilkes Booth (left), Edwin Booth and Junius Brutus Booth Jr. in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar in 1864.

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  Orson Welles as Brutus in the Mercury Theatre's Caesar (1937–38)

See also

In Spanish: Julio César (Shakespeare) para niños