Shakespeare’s 'Julius Caesar': A Critical Introduction

What is the play really about?Tragedy, history, problem play - what is its genre?Who, if anyone, is the play's hero?Is the murder of Caesar justified?Is Brutus a hypocritical Stoic?How does posthumous characterisation work?What makes the play so topical?"Julius Caesar" has long been regarded as one of Shakespeare's greatest dramas. Some of its phrases live on famously: "Beware the Ides of March"; "Et tu, Brute?"; and "Friends, Romans, countrymen: lend me your ears!". When Cassius says, "How many ages hence / Shall this our lofty scene be acted over, / In states unborn and accents yet unknown?", his question is indeed prophetic: history's answer has transformed the question into a boast. This concise, clear introduction explains just why.Professor Cedric Watts, M.A, Ph.D., is the editor of the Wordsworth Classics' Shakespeare Series.