Julius Caesar was a Roman dictator who was assassinated by a group of senators on the Ides of March in 44 BC. The document provides historical context on Caesar's rise to power and dictatorship in Rome, the conspiracy led by Brutus and Cassius to assassinate him, and the aftermath including Antony's speech that turned public opinion against the conspirators. It also discusses William Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar, which dramatizes these same events from Roman history focusing on the character of Brutus.

2. History
Drama
WAR
Prophets
Politics
Murder
Conspiracy Ghosts

3. Murder

4. IMPERATOR
GAIUS
JULIUS
CAESAR
DIVUS
Julius
Caesar

5. Julius Caesar
July 12, 100 BC – March 15, 44 BC,
was a Roman military and political
leader and one of the most
influential men in classical antiquity.
He played a critical role in the
transformation of the Roman
Republic into the Roman Empire.

10. Leading his legions across the Rubicon,
Caesar sparked civil war in 49 BC that left
him the undisputed master of the Roman
world.
After assuming control of the government,
he began extensive reforms of Roman
society and government.
He was proclaimed dictator for life, and he
heavily centralized the bureaucracy of the
Republic.

12. These events incited a friend
of Caesar, Marcus Junius
Brutus, and a number of other
senators, to assassinate the
dictator on the Ides of March
(March 15th) in 44 BC.

14. • The assassins hoped to
restore the normal running
of the Republic, but their
actions led to another
Roman civil war, and
eventually to the
establishment of the
autocratic Roman Empire
by Caesar's adopted heir,
Augustus.
• In 42 BC, two years after
his assassination, the
Roman Senate officially
sanctified him as one of
the Roman deities.

15. Brutus began to conspire against Caesar with his friend and brother-
in-law Cassius and other men, calling themselves the Liberatores
("Liberators"). Many plans were discussed by the group, as
documented by Nicolaus of Damascus:
“The conspirators never met openly, but they assembled a few at a time in each
other's homes. There were many discussions and proposals, as might be expected,
while they investigated how and where to execute their design. Some suggested
that they should make the attempt as he was going along the Sacred Way, which
was one of his favorite walks. Another idea was for it to be done at the elections
during which he had to cross a bridge to appoint the magistrates in the Campus
Martius; they should draw lots for some to push him from the bridge and for
others to run up and kill him. A third plan was to wait for a coming gladiatorial
show. The advantage of that would be that, because of the show, no suspicion
would be aroused if arms were seen prepared for the attempt. But the majority
opinion favoured killing him while he sat in the Senate, where he would be by
himself since only Senators would be admitted, and where the many conspirators
could hide their daggers beneath their togas. This plan won the day.”
Two days before the assassination of Caesar, Cassius met with the
conspirators and told them that, if anyone found out about the plan,
they were going to turn their knives on themselves.

16. On the Ides of March of 44 BC, a group of senators
called Caesar to the forum for the purpose of reading a
petition, written by the senators, asking him to hand
power back to the Senate. However, the petition was a
fake.
Mark Antony, having vaguely learned of the plot the
night before from a terrified Liberator named Servilius
Casca, and fearing the worst, went to head Caesar off at
the steps of the forum. However, the group of senators
intercepted Caesar just as he was passing the Theatre of
Pompey, and directed him to a room adjoining the east
portico.

17. As Caesar began to read the false petition, Casca pulled
at Caesar's tunic and made a glancing thrust at the
dictator's neck. Caesar turned around quickly and
caught Casca by the arm, crying in Latin "Villain Casca,
what do you do?" Casca, frightened, called to his fellow
senators in Greek: "Help, brothers!"
Within moments, the entire group, including Brutus,
was striking out at the dictator. Caesar attempted to get
away, but, blinded by blood, he tripped and fell; the
men eventually murdering him as he lay, defenseless,
on the lower steps of the portico. According to
Eutropius, around sixty or more men participated in the
assassination. He was stabbed 35 times.

18. As Caesar began to read the false petition, Casca pulled
at Caesar's tunic and made a glancing thrust at the
dictator's neck. Caesar turned around quickly and
caught Casca by the arm, crying in Latin "Villain Casca,
what do you do?" Casca, frightened, called to his fellow
senators in Greek: "Help, brothers!"
Within moments, the entire group, including Brutus,
was striking out at the dictator. Caesar attempted to get
away, but, blinded by blood, he tripped and fell; the
men eventually murdering him as he lay, defenseless,
on the lower steps of the portico. According to
Eutropius, around sixty or more men participated in the
assassination. He was stabbed 35 times.

20. Caesar's last words are given
as
"Et tu, Brute?
Then fall, Caesar."
Shortly after the assassination the
senators left the building talking
excitedly amongst themselves, and
Brutus cried out to his beloved city:
"People of Rome, we are once again
free!".

22. Caesar's funeral was a public one, taking place in the Roman
Forum, with a great number of Romans in attendance. Caesar's
will was read and it was discovered that two of his assassins were
his heirs.
A gruesome wax model of Caesar's body, showing every wound
he suffered, was displayed to the crowd, as was his actual body.
Mark Antony gave a stirring speech, and the angry crowd set fire
to the meeting hall where Caesar had been killed and went in
search of the assassins.

23. Caesar's death also marked, ironically, the end of
the Roman Republic, for which the assassins had
struck him down. The Roman middle and lower
classes, with whom Caesar was immensely
popular, were enraged that a small group of
aristocrats had killed their champion.

24. Mark Antony gave a dramatic
eulogy that appealed to the
common people. It was a
reflection of public opinion
following Caesar's murder.
Antony, who had been drifting
apart from Caesar, capitalized
on the grief of the Roman mob,
perhaps with the intent of taking
control of Rome himself.

26. The Tragedy of
Julius Caesar
by
William Shakespeare

27. • Julius Caesar is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed written
in 1599. It portrays the conspiracy against the Roman dictator Julius
Caesar, his assassination and its aftermath. It is one of several Roman
plays that he wrote, based on true events from Roman history, which
also include Coriolanus and Antony and Cleopatra.
• Although the title of the play is Julius Caesar, Caesar is not the
central character in its action; he appears in only three scenes, and is
killed at the beginning of the third act. The protagonist of the play is
Marcus Brutus, and the central psychological drama is his struggle
between the conflicting demands of honor, patriotism, and friendship.
• The play reflected the general anxiety of England over succession of
leadership. At the time of its creation and first performance, Queen
Elizabeth, a strong ruler, was elderly and had refused to name a
successor, leading to worries that a civil war similar to that of Rome
might break out after her death.

30. "Beware the Ides of March."
Soothsayer, Act I, Scene II
"Cowards die many times before their
deaths; The valiant never taste of death but
once."
Julius Caesar, Act II, Scene II
"Et tu, Brute! Then fall, Caesar."
Julius Caesar, Act III, Scene I
"Cry 'Havoc' and let slip the dogs of war"
Mark Anthony, Act III, Scene I
"Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me
your ears;
I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him."
Mark Anthony, Act III, Scene II
"This was the noblest Roman of them all"
Mark Anthony, Act V, Scene V

32. Cast of
Characters

33. JULIUS CAESAR: A great Roman general who has recently
returned to Rome after a military victory in Spain. Julius Caesar is
not the main character of the play that bears his name; Brutus has
over four times as many lines, and the play does not show us
Caesar's point of view. Nonetheless, virtually every other
character is preoccupied with Caesar—specifically, with the
possibility that Caesar may soon become king. If Caesar were to
become king, it would mean the end of Rome's republican
system of government, in which senators, representing the
citizens of Rome, wield most of the power. To noblemen like
Brutus and Cassius, who consider themselves the equals of
Caesar or any other citizen, Caesar's coronation would mean
they would no longer be free men but rather slaves. Caesar
never explicitly says that he wants to be king—he even refuses
the crown three times in a dramatic public display—but
everything he says and does demonstrates that he regards himself
as special and superior to other mortals. In his own mind, he
seems already to be an absolute ruler.

34. BRUTUS: A high-ranking, well-regarded Roman nobleman who
participates in a conspiracy to assassinate Caesar. Brutus is motivated by
his sense of honor, which requires him to place the good of Rome above
his own personal interests or feelings. Thus, he plots against Caesar in
order to preserve the republic even though he loves and admires Caesar
personally. While the other conspirators act out of envy and rivalry, only
Brutus truly believes that Caesar's death will benefit Rome. Brutus's
sense of honor is also his weakness, as he tends to assume that his fellow
Romans are as highminded as he is, which makes it easy for others to
manipulate him.
CASSIUS: A talented general and longtime acquaintance of Caesar.
Cassius resents the fact that the Roman populace has come to revere
Caesar almost as a god. He slyly leads Brutus to believe that Caesar has
become too powerful and must die, finally converting Brutus to his cause
by sending him forged letters claiming that the Roman people support
the death of Caesar. Impulsive and unscrupulous like Antony, Cassius
harbors no illusions about the way the political world works. A shrewd
opportunist, he acts effectively but lacks integrity.

35. MARK ANTONY: A loyal friend of Caesar's. In
contrast to the self-disciplined Brutus, Antony is
notoriously impulsive and pleasure-seeking, passionate
rather than principled. He is extremely spontaneous and
lives in the present moment. As resourceful as he is
unscrupulous, Antony proves to be a dangerous enemy
of Brutus and the other conspirators.

36. OCTAVIUS: Caesar's adopted son and appointed successor.
Octavius, who had been traveling abroad, returns after Caesar's death,
then joins with Antony and sets off to fight Cassius and Brutus. Antony
tries to control Octavius's movements, but Octavius follows his adopted
father's example and emerges as the authoritative figure, paving the way
for his eventual seizure of the reins of Roman government.
CASCA: One of the conspirators. Casca is a tribune (an official
elected to represent the common people of Rome) who resents Caesar's
ambition. A rough and blunt-speaking man, Casca relates to Cassius and
Brutus how Antony offered the crown to Caesar three times and how each
time Caesar declined it. Casca insists, however, that Caesar was acting,
manipulating the populace into believing that he has no personal
ambition. Casca is the first to stab Caesar.
CALPHURNIA: Caesar's wife. Calphurnia invests great
authority in omens and portents. She warns Caesar against going to the
Senate on the Ides of March, for she has had terrible nightmares and
heard reports of many bad omens.
PORTIA: Brutus's wife and the daughter of a noble Roman
(Cato) who took sides against Caesar. Portia, accustomed to being
Brutus's confidante, is upset to find him so reluctant to speak his mind
when she finds him troubled.

37. FLAVIUS AND MURELLUS: Two tribunes who condemn the
plebeians for their fickleness in cheering Caesar when once they
cheered for Caesar's enemy Pompey. Flavius and Murellus are
punished for removing the decorations from Caesar's statues
during Caesar's triumphal parade.
CICERO: A Roman senator renowned for his oratorical skill.
Cicero speaks at Caesar's triumphal parade. He later dies at the
order of Antony, Octavius, and Lepidus.
LEPIDUS: The third member of Antony and Octavius's coalition.
Though Antony has a low opinion of Lepidus, Octavius trusts
Lepidus's loyalty.
DECIUS: A member of the conspiracy. Decius convinces Caesar
that Calphurnia misinterpreted her dire nightmares and that, in
fact, no danger awaits him at the Senate. Decius leads Caesar
right into the hands of the conspirators.