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Julius Caesar | William Shakespeare

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Let slip the dogs of war. Reading this with the #shakespearereadalong was great fun. I was worried this high school chore might bore us all, but it‘s very much alive, with a wonderful assortment of constructions, tensions, and, of course, spectacular lines.

Bookwormjillk I just listened to this audiobook and really enjoyed it 5y

batsy "Very much alive"—I like how you put it. It seems to be the case with a lot of his plays ??? 5y

jewright After reading it again, I decided there‘s a reason high schools teach it a lot! It‘s so very good! I love so many of its lines, and the characters are very memorable. 5y

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Graywacke @Bookwormjillk you almost overlapped with our readalong. Glad you enjoyed. i bet I would love it on audio. 5y

Graywacke @batsy oh, yeah. Even the simpler ones are out there for the actors to have at them. Not sure why I was so worried about this one. Maybe because it seems the only proper way to do Romans today is through Monty Python... 5y

Graywacke @jewright yeah, I think the high schools chose the play well. A lot of fun a class can have...although it still must be tough to get students interested. 5y

batsy @Graywacke 😂 5y

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erzascarletbookgasm

Julius Caesar | William Shakespeare

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Of the few plays I read with the #Shakespearereadalong group, this has to be my favourite by far. I like that it‘s based on historical events, has such interesting characters, and I was captivated by the the splendours of the speeches (also glad to know the speeches and references in context). Who is hero, who is enemy? Enjoyed this, ghosts, dreams, and all.
I love seeing your discussion and teaser posts @Graywacke , thanks for the great hosting.

erzascarletbookgasm I find this Signet edition recommended by @batsy very helpful, better than the Folger editions I‘ve been reading from. Thanks Suba! 5y

batsy Great review! I love the grey areas that has us all hating and sympathising with almost everyone 😆 And I'm so glad you found the Signet edition helpful! It's my go-to for its annotations. 5y

Graywacke Awe, thanks! And, who is this hero? 5y

Graywacke @Batsy also noting your signet recommendation. I‘ve been playing with different publications as we work through these plays. I think I might go forward with Signet. 5y

merelybookish Great review! 5y

76 likes5 comments

Julius Caesar | William Shakespeare

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I had a really hard time articulating my feelings in this one. It still doesn‘t feel quite right, but here we go.
I read this in high school and didn‘t remember anything besides Caesar dies and the “Friends, Romans, countrymen” speech. I was excited to read this again, and I‘m so glad I did. I really enjoyed this play.
👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻

GingerAntics In the end, it‘s hard to choose who was good or bad, right or wrong. It seems that everyone had, or thought they had, something personal to gain from the actions they each took. Everyone thought their reasons for acting were just. I really did not remember everyone “falling on their swords.” 👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻 5y

GingerAntics Well worth the read. Fast paced. Engaging. Entertaining. Some comic relief in a few places (or maybe that was just me). Highly recommend. #Shakespeare #JuliusCaesar #shakespearereadalong 5y

merelybookish Reading this in high school doesn't really do it justice. Wondering about the next play. I know we originally decided on a Henry but wondered if you wanted to do something lighter. Up to you! Just didn't want you to feel obliged to do a history play. 5y

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GingerAntics @merelybookish some of us (were you one of them?) we‘re talking about Antony and Coleoptera after we all enjoyed Anthony so much in this one. I‘d love to read that one, and technology it is also a play based on history. 🤣 I‘m not that excited for Hank. I think with all the lockdowns, keeping it a little lighter might be better. 5y

merelybookish @GingerAntics Go for it! I think everyone will be on board! (I also don't want to read about a Henry!) 5y

Graywacke 100% agree. Definitely go for it. A & C is a perfect follow up. 5y

Graywacke I'm glad you enjoyed this play. 5y

GingerAntics @Graywacke @merelybookish OH GOODIE!!! I am so much more excited about that A&C. Is there one more leader to check with first? Were there 4 of us on an email at one point? 5y

merelybookish @GingerAntics Yes, @NeedsMoreBooks Rashmila are you still up to do a comedy 5y

merelybookish Hit send too soon. A comedy later in June? @GingerAntics @NeedsMoreBooks 5y

GingerAntics @merelybookish @Graywacke @NeedsMoreBooks I think several people have joined the group since I led last, so I‘m going to have to update my tag list, too. 5y

Graywacke @GingerAntics i‘ll email you mine 5y

merelybookish @GingerAntics Yes! New people have joined I removed a lot of people who are no longer active on Litsy. So use Dan's list because it should be the most up-to-date. 5y

GingerAntics @merelybookish PERFECT!!! @Graywacke to the rescue!!! Thanks Dan!!! (edited) 5y

GingerAntics @Graywacke @merelybookish do we think I‘m safe to post a schedule for A&C, or should we wait to hear from @NeedsMoreBooks ? 5y

merelybookish @GingerAntics I think it's safe to do it. 5y

Lcsmcat I‘d also much rather do A & C, for what it‘s worth. 5y

GingerAntics @Lcsmcat it‘s just not the right environment for any more of the Hanks. lol 5y

NeedsMoreBooks @merelybookish yes! I am ready to do a comedy in June. 5y

TheBookHippie It‘s a good call to switch it up!!! I‘m with you whatever you choose! 5y

batsy Nicely said! I'm glad it was a pick for you. And I feel like Shakespeare is largely wasted on the young, lol 5y

GingerAntics @batsy I think it depends on how Shakespeare is presented to the young. The way we‘ve absolutely bastardised R&J to make it a “listen to your parents, kids” moral tale for teenager is ridiculous at vest and disgusting at worst. Shakespeare‘s got to be rolling over in his grave. 5y

batsy @GingerAntics Yup, that's true! Even JC has been reduced as a kind of political treatise when it's more vast than that. 5y

Graywacke ( @GingerAntics I think I had a different indoctrination with R&J. I only remember the romance and Marcuccio. The only moral I got was don‘t be so quick to kill yourself. At least question the facts a little first.) (edited) 5y

GingerAntics @batsy from my experience, they just made JC painful. 🤦🏼‍♀️ I did not have good memories of this, but it was really good!!! 5y

GingerAntics @Graywacke it depends on when you read it. It‘s gotten really bad. It probably started in the last 20-30 years. It may only be in some places, though. I read R&J in 99 in MN and it was good. I thought they were idiots, but other than that, liked it. I prefer Macbeth (the other shakes we read that year). Read R&J and JC in 2002 in TX and kept checking it was the same text. It was ugly. Hated it then. (edited) 5y

Graywacke Texas... oye. for me it was late 1980‘s south Florida in what was an ok, if imperfect, suburban hs. My language arts teachers varied from great and clueless. Wonder what my kids will get. (My daughter is a hs freshman.) 5y

GingerAntics @Graywacke I don‘t know. I hope she gets something good. From what I‘ve been told, more conservative states/schools turn R&J into a cautionary tale of what happens when teens don‘t listen to their parents (never mind all that is wrong with that statement). Depending on the school and teacher, it sometimes is taught properly. JC often turns into a political thing, look what happens when you don‘t respect authority sort of thing. (edited) 5y

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Julius Caesar | William Shakespeare

Ouch!

#shakespearereadalong
Julius Caesar Act 5

Suicides and dramatic mourning. Insults, battles, imperfect intelligence, impromptu eulogies. Cassius has his bondman kill him, erroneously thinking he‘s about to be captured. Brutus mourns him, then later does his own assisted suicide, and Antony mourns.

Were you suicided out? Did anyone come away liking the atheist Cassius, or the philosopher Brutus. What did you think about how this ended?

Graywacke @readinginthedark @batsy @Lcsmcat @TheBookHippie @Sunraven @Trashcanman @IamIamIam @ladyneverwhere @erzascarletbookgasm @MoonWitch94 @catebutler @CoffeeNBooks @jewright @saresmoore @rabbitprincess @Balibee146 @IndoorDame @kathedron @Mtroiano @Riveted_Reader_Melissa @MrsMalaprop @Gezemice @readordierachel 5y

Graywacke @Melismatic @Sace @teainthelibrary @Susannah @kristenm @slategreyskies @Panic70 @Carolyn11215 @Alliterati @Kristy_K @Liz_M @Daisey @mhillis @Wife @wanderinglynn @Jess_Read_This @Linsy @MellieAntoinette @Yoshi-and-a-book @mollyrotondo @greenreads 5y

Lcsmcat I get that suicide had a different implication in Roman culture, but I can‘t shake my personal perspective that suicide is selfish. Especially forcing someone to hold the sword! But when I judge Brutus by his own culture and values, I respect him more than his co-conspirators. Still, as I said before, “live by the sword, die by the sword.” Not a very effective way to “save” Rome. 5y

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mollyrotondo Well when you read it, Cassius was “cowardly” (for that time) because he made his bondman kill him with the sword which killed Caesar. Brutus did the “honorable” thing and saw that he was defeated and fell on his own sword. He did the deed himself. So their two deaths are different. And Antony does say Brutus was a true man because he did not kill Caesar out of envy but because he really thought it was best for the people 5y

erzascarletbookgasm I understand that in those times, suicide was an honourable way to die and Brutus definitely did not intend to be captured and paraded through Rome by A & O. Honour was very important to Brutus, at least he did not cover his face and got someone to thrust the sword. 5y

batsy I did at the end feel for Brutus. It's interesting that he was the kind of tragic figure that one is compelled to sympathise with because of his commitment to his own ethics (I think that's how he justified Caesar's murder to himself). I'm curious about how everyone felt about Antony's speech about Brutus at the end. It's funny how we see through his rhetorical moves in the previous acts but to me this bit still felt sincere! 5y

Lcsmcat @batsy It felt sincere to me too. I think he respected Brutus‘ thinking that he was doing the right thing for Rome, even as he disagreed with him. Respecting him for being sincere and wanting what was best for others, and acknowledging that for Brutus, unlike others, it was not for personal glory. 5y

sheshedbooks @batsy Antony recognizes Brutus's actions as one that is honestly for the common good. I like to think that, in some way, Antony feels that Brutus is still Caesar's most beloved friend and thinks he could be a good ally. 5y

merelybookish I also ended up feeling moved and quite sad for Brutus. It made me want to go back to Act I and revisit how he was originally convinced that Caesar should die. He seems to have been a victim of his own ideals. I also felt bad for Cassius. I realize he was weaker, but I found him pathetic by the end too. I enjoyed this one. Speeches alone are worth it! Thanks for a great readalong Dan! You were a fantastic host!
5y

GingerAntics I get that people didn‘t want to be captured, but it seemed excessive to me. I also sort of felt like “well, you killed Caesar, what goes around comes around. Now you have to kill yourself/force someone else to kill you or you‘re getting captured, paraded, and tortured to death. Sucks to be you.” 🤷🏼‍♀️ 5y

GingerAntics @greenreads I‘ll agree it was for the common good. I really feel like all the conspirators just no longer being part of the equation is good for the common good. It was going to come back to bite them later, one way or another. Might as well get it over with. 5y

Graywacke A note on Plutarch that relates to most of the comments above, but not directly. Plutarch was sympathetic with the Republic, especially the defenders who saw it fall and died along with it. Cato and Cicero are both kind of Republican heros, but Brutus is the big hero. Plutarch let‘s you feel his loss. Cassius is a different story, he comes out like in the play, looking corrupt and ultimately ridiculous in his death. Why? A hint 👇👇 (edited) 5y

Graywacke Plutarch thought himself first a philosopher, and, as I understand (weakly) he is classified as something of a middle-Platonist. Cassius, a prominent atheist (and Epicurean?) had the _wrong_ ideology. Whoever Cassius was in reality, Plutarch is on a smear campaign. Brutus, here, is the bard‘s creation for the stage. His internal struggle provides drama, but it‘s not really true to the source. Cassius is drawn more true, even catching his atheism. (edited) 5y

Graywacke Most of this act is pulled from Plutarch‘s life of Brutus and it‘s more accurate than you might expect. 5y

Graywacke @Lcsmcat On selfishness and suicide: what gets me is that, while suicide is better than, say, torture, it doesn‘t help all thousands and thousands who supported you and who haven‘t simply disappeared now that you‘ve lost. But, of course, Roman senators weren‘t sweating the fates of this riffraff. 5y

Graywacke @mollyrotondo I think you‘re spot on with Cassius vs Brutus and honor. (Although, I always wonder about Pindarus. Maybe he just saw a road to freedom and left the appearance of suicide. Who would know? !!) Thinking more on Brutus and if he fooled himself? (Of course, he miscalculated the consequences.) 5y

Graywacke @erzascarletbookgasm the whole suicide bit is still weird to me. Not like you get to enjoy your honor. Should we roll our eyes on their honor, or admire it? Maybe it helps your surviving relatives? 5y

mollyrotondo @Graywacke I definitely think Brutus fooled himself. He fooled himself into thinking killing was a good idea. And he continues to fool himself when he decides to throw himself on his sword in the name of honor. I do not think he‘s as honorable a man as Antony (a thief of the people in his own way) says he is. His morals were mixed up when he chose to kill his best friend 5y

Graywacke @batsy Antony - I‘m curious what everyone thinks too. I admit, I don‘t buy it, find myself looking for the motive. (There is a performative aspect to what all these characters do, and they‘re all trying to win over fickle crowds to support their moves. I think Antony sees Brutus harmless now that he‘s dead, so time to capitalize on his reputation. Still...it‘s a nice speech.) (edited) 5y

Graywacke @Lcsmcat @greenreads i like the different opinions. I don‘t believe Antony, though. 🙂 (see my parenthetical comment above) 5y

Graywacke @merelybookish awe, thanks!🙂Regarding Cassius, I‘m with you. He gets a bad rap (see my 2-part comment above). As for Brutus - hmm. I could argue the bard undermines him. 5y

Graywacke @GingerAntics the circular aspect is interesting “Time is come round,/ And where I did begin, there shall I end;/ My life has run his compass” (Cassius) 5y

Graywacke @GingerAntics @greenreads I have trouble with the “for the common good” bit. Augustus as emperor kills the sense (the myth) of liberty and justice for long time. Liberty‘s mythical path: from Athens and the classic Greeks to Rome to a long dark period, to Reformation and it‘s accidental child, a (spoiled?) colonial Declaration of Independence and the Federalist papers. Of course, I know the Brutus‘s Republic was only a facade of sorts... 5y

Graywacke @mollyrotondo Brutus - now you‘re talking! 🙂 (I‘m personally aligned with your post.) 5y

GingerAntics @Graywacke as a historian, I‘m all about time is cyclical. lol 5y

Graywacke Much more to say, but I want be sure I add on here: to everyone who celebrates, happy Easter. Hope everyone stays safe and healthy. Thanks for making this play so much fun to read and think about. I was worried it would be stodgy and formal, but the bard wrote life into it and it‘s terrific. Just skimming through to find a quote, I‘m reminded of Error and his sulking mother Melancholy hovering over Act 5 (and the whole play.) Thanks all! 5y

GingerAntics @Graywacke I‘ll agree that the American mentality has always been spoiled. Individualism with its forget everyone else what I want is more important mentality. I think Rome never really had liberty. I think Rome was always a mythical liberty. It was only liberty for powerful men (the only citizens). Women didn‘t have citizenship. Children didn‘t even have citizenship. It was a very limited “liberty.” 5y

GingerAntics @Graywacke I think the formal, stodgy read is going to be the next one. Even as a historian I just can‘t even with these history plays. 😴😴😴 5y

Graywacke @GingerAntics “as a historian” 😍 jealousy!! ☺️ It‘s fascinating to me that Athens and Rome evolved into their communal politics, and I always wonder, “how did that happen?!!” But, they were both a lot messier than advertised. 5y

Graywacke @GingerAntics 🤣🤣 A challenge to the bard 5y

GingerAntics @Graywacke 🤣😂🤣 that‘s a REALLY good way to put it. “Messier than advertised.” I don‘t know if there is much to be jealous about. There isn‘t much you can do with those credentials. lol For me, history is about the people. It‘s a conversation (one that‘s sometimes been ongoing for decades or centuries). That environment seems lost in the history plays. 5y

mollyrotondo @Graywacke 😆👍 5y

Graywacke @GingerAntics interesting. As a kid I wanted to be a historian, and as a college student I think it tilted me towards geology (a variation of history with a career path). But as I kid, I liked how clean an integrated it was in presentation. I didn‘t worry about oversimplification, biases, narrow perspectives, the ignored masses - much less the racist and sexist retellings. It‘s an interesting conversation. 👇👇 5y

Graywacke @GingerAntics a thought experiment: sit the bard and a modern historian down together for dinner and have them discuss Roman history... 🙂 5y

GingerAntics @Graywacke well, most kids in America get what we call the “great man history” of America and even the world. It‘s heavily biased (it‘s basically written by powerful white men about powerful white men) and not entirely accurate, so part of studying history past required classes in college is bursting bubbles and relearning stuff. 5y

mollyrotondo This was so much fun everyone! What is the next Shakespeare pick? 5y

Graywacke @mollyrotondo I think the best to answer is @GingerAntics (I know the play, but not the dates) (edited) 5y

mollyrotondo @Graywacke okay thank you! @GingerAntics 5y

GingerAntics @mollyrotondo we‘re going to do act I of Henry V on 26 April. I‘ll put up the full schedule tonight or tomorrow. 5y

mollyrotondo @GingerAntics thank you very much! 5y

Riveted_Reader_Melissa I found it very telling that a bunch of guys who were willing to murder “for Rome” weren‘t willing to face Rome‘s decision about their choices or the Roman people‘s justice. They, by in large, either died fighting Roman justice or committing suicide rather than being taken alive to face the very Roman justice they were willing to murder to supposedly uphold. 🤷‍♀️ 5y

TheBookHippie Late to the party!!! Sorry I was a take out dinner for 12 hours today-phew. Speeches so good in this one however I‘ve changed my mind about all the characters in the long span of time -literal decades -since I originally was introduced in high school. GREAT HOSTING. I felt the suicides cowardly,which is so unlike my personal opinion of suicide. And never do I feel it selfish. Brutus and Cassius I have new feelings for and am still pondering. 5y

sheshedbooks @Graywacke But when Antony received that Brutus was taken, he bade them to be kind to him...(or did I misread?) I agree with the idea that he possibly also wanted to capitalize on Brutus's death (brownie points?). But compare his words during Caesar's funeral & Brutus's death. At Caesar's he moved the crowd towards an action. Brutus's farewell seemed just that, a good bye. 5y

batsy @Lcsmcat @greenreads I agree, that's how it felt to me too. The contradictions are intriguing because you do sense that Antony respected him, but Antony himself seems not to be motivated by the greater good (to my impression, that is—he reminds me of way too many opportunistic politicians in my country so I'm pretty biased there 😅) 5y

batsy @Graywacke That's an interesting aspect I didn't think of! Capitalising on Brutus' image now that he's safely gone—I certainly wouldn't put it past him! And so much of this play is about politics as its practiced through the public persona as it lives on, like how Caesar lives on as image, memory, and ghost. 5y

batsy @Graywacke That's really interesting about Plutarch being on a smear campaign against Cassius because he didn't like his ideology. I love petty historians! 😆 5y

Graywacke @Riveted_Reader_Melissa that‘s a really interesting perspective. (“We‘re doing this for Rome!” “Uh, Rome didn‘t want that.” “We‘re doing this for...uh...hang a minute...”) I‘m still waiting for the unpopular rebellion to pack up, and politely apologize, and explain that they just learned they‘re the rebellion that wasn‘t actually wanted. 5y

Graywacke @TheBookHippie wait, explain “I was a take out dinner”. Is that a phrase I‘m not familiar with? Was there a typo. I‘m curious. Kind a hope it‘s actually a phrase. Glad you enjoyed and wonder what our high school language arts teachers would think of us all. 5y

Graywacke @greenreads I would argue Antony always intended to maintain the moral high ground, if possible. That maybe he would have treated Brutus poorly only in a way that didn‘t show (like in his speech). But I think the bard left it up to us to decide. @batsy wondering what was the greater good here. ( @Lcsmcat @GingerAntics ) 5y

Graywacke @batsy petty historians making their own history 🙂 5y

TheBookHippie @Graywacke I cooked Easter dinner and set out plates and kids I mentor and family picked it up off my stoop (step) They actually call me take out dinner 🤣🤦🏽‍♀️🤷🏽‍♀️ I have open plate policy at my house, under normal times you may stop by with your plate and pick up dinner any night. Holidays everyone is welcome. During this shut down I‘ve become take out dinner which is really funny I keep saying DINER -kids keep laughing. Little levity. Love 5y

Graywacke @TheBookHippie that‘s awesome...and really special you‘re doing that. 5y

Riveted_Reader_Melissa @TheBookHippie That is amazing! Thank you for that! And wow, I hate to cook at all, I can‘t even image how you plan for that kind of cooking. 5y

TheBookHippie @Riveted_Reader_Melissa ❤️Thx❤️I cook for a teen alternative school every week and a teen mom house once a month -plus what I described above. My zen is cooking. As for planning I‘m decades in doing this but you do get a rhythm ...I believe I‘ve been given a talent that should be used as a gift as I never use a recipe really and I guesstimate amounts. Food for body book for mind is how I love the kids I mentor. ❤️ 5y

Riveted_Reader_Melissa @TheBookHippie You are amazing for doing all that you can do with that gift! I don‘t know what to say to express how grateful I am for what you do (from afar, through the Internet) but Thank you. 5y

GingerAntics @Graywacke I was wondering what the “greater good” was here, too. 5y

Graywacke @TheBookHippie just want to agree with everything @Riveted_Reader_Melissa said. You are amazing for doing that. 5y

TheBookHippie @Graywacke ❤️ I try. 5y

MoonWitch94 Sorry for missing this final discussion. Thank you for hosting @Graywacke !! 5y

Graywacke @MoonWitch94 no worries. What did you think of Act 5? 5y

Gezemice This was a great discussion and I am sorry I missed it. I did finish the play and really loved it, especially Antony‘s speech and the fight scene between Cassius and Brutus, as those are timeless. 5y

Gezemice @Riveted_Reader_Melissa @GingerAntics interesting discussion on suicide. Very American I would say. Suicide was the homorable way to go when you were defeated. Standing trial would have made them look like they were too cowardly to take their own lives. Honor in suicide is about not living with the shame. The whole “suicide is cowardly” thing is a Christian concept. 5y

GingerAntics @Gezemice oh I totally agree with that. The church did a REALLY good job of making suicide a crime and this shameful thing. I was raised Catholic and they still say suicide is a mortal sin. I once found the logical argument that it couldn‘t possibly be and the person I was talking to thought I was suicidal. 🙄 I think it‘s cultural. I‘m not sure every pre-Christian culture saw suicide as honourable, but Christianity certainly made it taboo. 5y

GingerAntics @Gezemice not to say that there weren‘t cultures that saw it as taboo before them. I don‘t know. Now I‘m intrigued by pre-Christian views of suicide (no, I‘m still not suicidal). 5y

Gezemice @GingerAntics It is not a cowardly thing in many current cultures. Many times itis the honorable thing, or an accepted way of taking an exit from an unresolvable situation. I feel that calling it cowardly is blaming the victim. It had to be unbearable to be at that point, because taking your own life takes tremendous courage. When I hear about suicide I feel that we failed someone - and not that we should now blame them. 5y

GingerAntics @Gezemice I completely agree with you. It‘s victim blaming all the way, and if someone was in such a position that that seemed the only way out, we‘ve somehow failed that person. 5y

GingerAntics @Gezemice when I still believe in god, my point was that god had the power to stop someone‘s death should he wish (making it just an attempt) and if he planned every person‘s death and knew everything before it happened, obviously he knew how that person was going to die (suicide) and was cool with it, or he‘d have “planned” something else. Right? 5y

Gezemice @GingerAntics That‘s an interesting argument! I must say that I am not even sure where to begin with theological thinking, because yes, if God has planned it all out, then what can we even do? 5y

GingerAntics @Gezemice exactly! God planned everything before we were born, but somehow, the manner of our death is our fault? Makes no sense. 5y

Graywacke @Gezemice glad you chimed in to what was a really nice series of discussions. Antony‘s speech is brilliant. (I‘ll side step the suicide discussion except to agree that blaming the victim is a cruel way of not taking responsibility. @GingerAntics ) 5y

Gezemice @Graywacke Yes, that speech is about how humans can be manipulated. I am looking forward to more Antony in the next read :) 5y

51 likes71 comments

batsy

Julius Caesar | William Shakespeare

pick

This was a 5-star read for me, after existing in my mind for years as a sort of blank since reading it in college. So much of what's here feels contemporary & myth-like at the same time. The sovereignty of rulers, the ideals of revolution, & private vs public selves. Not to mention ghosts, omens, & the dark impenetrable messages the "irrational" tries to convey. Something about the atmosphere of this one got under my skin. #ShakespeareReadAlong

batsy Thanks for the fun discussions @Graywacke look forward to the one on the final act 5y

GingerAntics I like your review. I‘m having a hard time articulating how I feel about this for my review. 5y

MariaW Wow, the cover is gorgeous. 😍 5y

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merelybookish Great review! I hadn't thought about the private vs the public but we do get both. I am surprised by how much I liked this play. (I feel like I say that every time. 🤔😆 Why am I surprised at how good Shakespeare is?!) 5y

TheBookHippie I‘m still mulling it over!!! This one was the most fun to read so far as it has brought new perspectives . 5y

CarolynM Great review🙂 5y

batsy @GingerAntics @TheBookHippie Thank you! Certainly a lot to mull over :) 5y

batsy @MariaW It definitely captures the mood of this play! 5y

batsy @merelybookish Thank you! I feel the same way. I think each play comes with its own overdetermined baggage because of how he's taught in schools so reading it again or for the first time reintroduces Shakespeare to us, in a way 🙂 5y

batsy Thanks @CarolynM 🙂 5y

bkwass Wow batsy keep it up 5y

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Julius Caesar | William Shakespeare

So many men falling on their swords. I think the top right is a bit far fetched and a little too literal. So much for the honour of the conspirators‘ cause. They all killed themselves before they could be killed honourably in battle? That makes no sense, if their cause was just.
#Shakespeare #JuliusCaesar #shakespearereadalong

batsy Some vague thing comes to mind about Roman code of ethics in battle. Suicide as noble if one was heading towards a loss, and rather than be taken by the enemies, die by one's hand. But I could be completely wrong! 5y

Lcsmcat @batsy I had that same vague thought, @batsy. Also, I couldn‘t help thinking “He who lives by the sword, dies by the sword.” 5y

Graywacke Also, I don‘t think Roman‘s were particularly kind to pows... 5y

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GingerAntics @Graywacke that sounds right. They either enslaved them or tortured them to death. 5y

GingerAntics @batsy @Lcsmcat that does sound about right. They certainly didn‘t treat POWs very well, so why would they think anyone else was going to? Maybe it was the audio version I was reading along with, but it all seemed rather mellow dramatic. 5y

TheBookHippie @batsy I had that same thought about honor .. 5y

batsy @Lcsmcat @TheBookHippie @Graywacke Good point about how POWs were treated, as well. It's the circumstances of their social and political lives that would have made some of these far-fetched choices (as we might interpret them in the play) seem realistic/honourable at the time. 5y

GingerAntics @batsy right? POWs now, in theory, are treated humanity. You‘re just in prison. You hang around, wait for the war to end, and go home. Back then, it was slavery if you were lucky or certain tortuous death. Killing yourself, “falling on your sword,” was probably your best bet, really. 5y

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Julius Caesar | William Shakespeare

Act V scene 2 was just mind numbingly long. I just couldn‘t wait for it to be over! 🤣😂🤣
One page. 3 different acts. 🤷🏼‍♀️
#Shakespeare #JuliusCaesar #shakespearereadalong

18 likes

Julius Caesar | William Shakespeare

Good enough day to die as any. 🤣😂🤣
#Shakespeare #JuliusCaesar #shakespearereadalong

Graywacke Curious - the bard may have done that too, die on his birthday... 5y

GingerAntics @Graywacke that‘s a misconception as we don‘t know what day he was born. We only know the day he was baptised. We can speculate his birthday from there. 5y

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Julius Caesar | William Shakespeare

Maybe some Romans had trouble figuring out which end of the sword is which. Dangerous toys. ⚔️ Lets discuss all these inspiring suicides Sunday, #shakespearereadalong - Julius Caesar Act 5

Riveted_Reader_Melissa Yes, let‘s! 🤦‍♀️ 5y

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GingerAntics 🤣😂🤣 can‘t wait 🤣😂🤣 🗡🗡🗡 5y

TheBookHippie 🤣🤣🤣🤣⚔️🗡🔪 5y

batsy 😆 5y

51 likes6 comments

Julius Caesar | William Shakespeare

pick

I finished listening to Act V this morning since my audiobook loan expires tomorrow. This is a play I've heard referenced often, sometimes knowingly and sometimes unknowingly, so I was glad to finally read it and experience those references in context. I also think reading it as an adult with a group of fellow readers adds so much to my appreciation and enjoyment of the story.

#ShakespeareReadalong #CatsofLitsy

Graywacke I loved all your posts, @Daisey Really happy you enjoyed this one. (edited) 5y

Daisey #ArkAngelShakespeare 4y

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Lcsmcat

Julius Caesar | William Shakespeare

Check it out #shakespearereadalong ! @Graywacke

MrsMalaprop I‘m so behind with this read along. Need to get on it! 5y

Graywacke Love these! ❤️ 🤣 🤣 5y

batsy So good! The Titus Andronicus one 😅😅 5y

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Graywacke @batsy I don‘t know that one. 😢 5y

batsy @Graywacke Maybe we can read it with the group someday 🥧😈 5y

merelybookish Saw this today! So hilarious! 😂😂 5y

merelybookish @batsy 🤢 5y

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Riveted_Reader_Melissa

Julius Caesar | William Shakespeare

pick

This one still holds up, even if this one was a re-read for me and some of the speeches and lines were still memorable after all these years ... the political manipulation by charismatic leaders was so much more noticeable, and dare I say relatable, as an adult than I ever realized as a High School reader.

#ShakespeareReadAlong

Daisey I still have the last act to read, but I am so glad I am reading this for the first time as an adult. I think I appreciate it much more. 5y

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Julius Caesar | William Shakespeare

GREAT CAESAR‘S GHOST!!!
#Shakespeare #JuliusCaesar #shakespearereadalong

batsy I wanted the ghost to have a longer moment! 👻 5y

GingerAntics @batsy right? Such a lead up and then he gets three bloody lines. What‘s up with that?! Shakespeare can do ghosts better than that and we all know it. 5y

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Melismatic

Julius Caesar | William Shakespeare

pick

My hold on the audiobook was about to run out so I read ahead while audiopuzzling. I really enjoyed this #Shakespearereadalong! Very twisty and intense.

Any suggestions for good film versions/parodies?

Graywacke Most of my group read post pictures come from the 1953 classic with Marlon Brando as Antony. But I haven‘t seen it - only checked out the video for a couple of scenes. 5y

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Julius Caesar | William Shakespeare

“There are no tricks in plain and simple faith”

#ShakespeareReadalong

Graywacke It‘s nice to see these lines out of context, without thinking about everything else that‘s is going on. This is a great piece in here. 5y

Daisey @Graywacke I agree; in the midst of all the rest, these lines really caught my attention with a clear message. 5y

batsy I loved this bit. Like @merelybookish notes, "hot friend cooling" feels very modern and kind of reminds me of a Tori Amos song called Cooling ? 5y

Daisey @batsy I didn‘t really think about that, but it does sound somewhat modern. These lines were my favorite part of this act. 5y

BookishMe Memories of school days! 😁😁 5y

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Julius Caesar | William Shakespeare

#shakespearereadalong
Act IV - hark! Stand ho! Battle plans and petty maneuvering/bickering. Antony maybe shows his true colors. Then Brutus durst to cut down Cassius, but he‘s had a bad day. What was weird to me is the act then seemed to stumble along, all for the ghost of Caesar to say two lines.

So, what are your thoughts? Weakest act in the play so far and anticlimactic, or high drama with tensions? What else? (Durst we say more?!!)

Warnings: Finding Cassandras to Stop Catastrophes

mollyrotondo It was definitely weak compared to what we‘ve read so far. Antony is nothing like the poised orator in Act III. Here he is clearly a scumbag politician (of course). And Brutus and Cassius just acted like big babies. I liked that Brutus shows hurt when speaking of Portia‘s death to Cassius, but acts like it doesn‘t bother him when talking to Messala in order to show what I strong leader he is. His two personalities shining again 5y

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mollyrotondo And I just loved seeing the ghost of Caesar. I love a ghost in Shakespeare 🤩 5y

Melismatic I agree in it being the weakest - it felt like so much build up and this act unraveled so much...but maybe that was the intent. 5y

merelybookish I was reminded again of MacBeth. These power hungry men really need to listen more to the supernatural. ? I thought the bickering between B and C was believable. They aren't really sure they can trust one another but they also don't have much choice. The line about "the hot friend cooling" stood out to me. It sounded so modern. Also lots of baying and being bayed. Which is I guess is dog imagery? 5y

Lcsmcat Like @Melismatic said, this act show unraveling. But I thought it was on purpose. This violent act that they claimed was to make Rome better really results in petty feuds and civil war. Showing that their altruistic claims were bogus. 5y

merelybookish @Lcsmcat Good point. And a reminder that ruling is actually messy and hard and tedious. 5y

jewright @merelybookish I was thinking of Hamlet too for that same reason. 5y

jewright @mollyrotondo I love the ghost too! 5y

jewright I still love Brutus in this act. He‘s so kind to the boy who plays for him. He argues with Cassius, and we see him stand up for himself. I love the ghost appearance, but seriously, Portia. 5y

erzascarletbookgasm Well, after the amazing previous Act, this one pales in comparison. I still like Brutus. ‘There is a tide in the affairs of men..‘ was a great quote. 5y

Riveted_Reader_Melissa @Lcsmcat I agree, they could come together to stab together, but after that... it all falls apart. I felt like they were all scrambling to try and blame/cast blame on each other. It‘s hard to trust your “friends”, you can unite against a common foe, but after he‘s gone...how can you trust them not to stab you in the back next. So no honor among stabbers? 🤷‍♀️😂 5y

Lcsmcat @Riveted_Reader_Melissa “no honor among stabbers”! Perfect! 5y

Riveted_Reader_Melissa Plus the murder they committed to prevent an emperor...is leading to the chaos and scheming and untrustworthiness among senators that will lead to an Emperor. 5y

Riveted_Reader_Melissa @Lcsmcat Right, much worse and untrustworthy than the usual no honor among thieves...they all had their own reasons for betraying Caesar, but they also know that their co-conspirators were all in it for personal reasons too, not just “the greater good of Rome” so they all know that logic could just as easily be turned against them if the others get together and start whispering. I think they are all afraid the rest are whispering, ... (edited) 5y

Riveted_Reader_Melissa ...”It was all X‘s fault, they lied to me and told me Caesar did xYz...I was deceived, lynch them instead” (edited) 5y

TheBookHippie @Riveted_Reader_Melissa no honor amongst stabbers my new saying !!! I too like a ghost in Shakespeare and why do none of the men listen to ghost ? The need and drive for power... I think the greater good gets used improperly daily define evidence here! I like how every time we read Shakespeare it‘s relatable to today! 5y

Riveted_Reader_Melissa @TheBookHippie The political ones especially....and Anthony is slick, but times of chaos (like here in the story and here here) are times where people try to seize power...while the mobs are busy chasing the wrong people (like the poet). 5y

Graywacke @Riveted_Reader_Melissa “no honor among stabbers” 🤣 🤣 🤣 5y

Graywacke @TheBookHippie like women, the wisdom of ghosts is always neglected in Shakespeare. (In defense of ghost neglect, I wouldn‘t be inclined to listen to a ghost. I would have to explain to it that it:”s existence is materially impossible and so instead of listening to it, I would really instead desperately need psychological help. It might be a difficult conversation.) 5y

Graywacke @mollyrotondo @Melismatic @merelybookish @Lcsmcat @jewright @erzascarletbookgasm @Riveted_Reader_Melissa I think we have a consensus that this act is weaker, a transition, an unraveling hence words are slippery and falsely confident instead of, well, actually confident. 👇👇 5y

Graywacke I‘ll add my 2¢ to say the give and take with Brutus and underdeveloped Cassius was interesting. Brutus calls Cassius corrupt and tries to emphasize honor. Cassius always gives ground - “Did I say ‘better‘” (well, he said “abler”) - while trying to maintain his weak alliance. Underneath is a break in everything except the survival need for coordination. They have nothing in common. (And Cassius could have unloaded too. The ghost does instead.) 5y

Graywacke @mollyrotondo @merelybookish @jewright @TheBookHippie Shakespeare has a way with 👻s 🙂 I don‘t think his are as cute as the 👻 on my iPhone. (edited) 5y

Graywacke @merelybookish “hot friend cooling” - I like this line too!! That whole paragraph to Lucious (or was it Lucilious 🙄) is terrific. @Daisey posted the paragraph and just seeing it by itself, without the distracting busy context, there‘s a lot there. 5y

Riveted_Reader_Melissa @Graywacke I‘d argue that instead of trying to convince the ghost that it‘s “existence is materially impossible” and you shouldn‘t listen to it, that more likely it‘s a figment of your imagination and you are trying to give yourself some advice from your subconscious, so don‘t bother talking to yourself and then telling yourself to ignore yourself. 🤪😂😂😂 5y

GingerAntics There did seem to be three distinct parts. Anthony‘s bit. The argument. Then the ghost. It does sort of meander from the argument to the ghost. Maybe that‘s just me. 5y

TheBookHippie @Graywacke maybe the ghosts are too feminine for the men 🤣🤣🤣🤣. If we hear ghosts we should probably just follow and not mention 😳🤣 5y

Graywacke @Lcsmcat @Riveted_Reader_Melissa enjoying the political commentary. If read Plutarch, the Republic died with Sulla in the 80 bc civil war. But, that aside, with all these heroes of the dying republic - it‘s curious. What should they have done? Damned if they do and damned if they don‘t. Counting on mobs is tricky business (although it worked for the American Revolution...er...uprising) 5y

Graywacke @Riveted_Reader_Melissa this is getting confusing. 👻s 🧠s 😳 5y

Graywacke @TheBookHippie I have more on that. On @jewrights post she mentioned how extreme Portia‘s actions are - stabbing self, swallowing live coals (even Isaiah only kissed them). I suggested she‘s making up for the men‘s blindness - she‘s reacting to the magnitude of the event they don‘t see. 👇👇 5y

Riveted_Reader_Melissa @Graywacke There is definitely some damned if you do and damned if you don‘t, and in this play the old idea that the “cure” is worse than the disease....Caesar is very popular and successful, the people would make him Emperor...so we‘ll nip that in the bud in the most destructive way possible and end up creating an Emperor instead. Like those old fairytales where the prediction of overthrow, causes the current ruling group to make decisions, ... 5y

Graywacke Given, this is an iffy foundation, but the women and ghosts do have a lot in common. They are both mostly absent, unlistened to, and weighty. This act fails without Portia and Caesar‘s 👻 to bring it home (IMO). And they both see and understand the big picture far better than the men. Portia essentially sees the future (ok, add her to the pile of prophets here). 👇👇 5y

Riveted_Reader_Melissa ...that end up leading to their overthrow. But not just fairytales, but Moses in the Bible, some of the Ancient Greek stories were the prophecies twist behavior to bring about the result (Oedipus, Antigone, etc...I‘m rusty there, it‘s been years, but I think I have two of the right ones). But I think they‘d have been smarter to get together in the Senate and pass unanimously some new rules about Emperors and Senators, maybe some... 5y

Graywacke Just thought it was interesting both in the play itself and in the bard‘s construction. He uses them, women and 👻s, for substance yet with minimal stage time. 5y

Riveted_Reader_Melissa ...clarifications on the roles of each. Like a monarchy in name only (British model) to please the masses, but the Parliament (or in this case Senate) still rules. They could have put more robust guardrails on if they were so concerned, but they jumped right to murder him, which doesn‘t protect them much when another great leader/warrior/charismatic/whatever comes along...or in this case doesn‘t even protect them through the rest of their... 5y

Riveted_Reader_Melissa ...lifetimes, some of which are very short indeed. Plus the collateral damage they caused is way more than they every planned. 5y

Graywacke @Riveted_Reader_Melissa i like your post. Makes me think it was an extremist last act. The R was dead, but they were in (suicidal) denial. 5y

Graywacke @Riveted_Reader_Melissa and, completely agree it was fundamentally counter productive 5y

Riveted_Reader_Melissa @Graywacke On the ghosts and women‘s advice topic...I totally agree. They aren‘t listened too, but Shakespeare uses them as explanatory devices sometimes...they come out even in his comedies like in Comedy or Errors to tell us how ridiculous this is, it doesn‘t make sense, almost like an aside to the audience, but the main characters just continue on their own way anyway. 5y

Graywacke @GingerAntics definitely wasn‘t just you. 🙂 5y

Graywacke @Riveted_Reader_Melissa the bard must have adored Cassandra. (Also, a 🥇for anyone who can untangle our mixed longer multi-post posts. 😕..🙂) 5y

Riveted_Reader_Melissa @Graywacke 🥇 For us! 😂. Although we also created the problem...hmmm 🤔. Thank you for mentioning Cassandra, that reminds me of a book on my to-read pile I should pick up soon. I was just thinking about it the other day in reference to our current world.... you can tell people about climate change or a virus is coming, but even when they can see it coming from afar, people don‘t really believe it and change their behavior until it lands on ...

Riveted_Reader_Melissa ...their doorsteps. So maybe instead of asides to the audience, Shakespeare‘s going a bit deeper with how much you can be warmed by people in general (Beware the Ides), even by people you may even know and love (the wives in almost all of these plays lately), but you (the main character) still thinks it won‘t happen, you‘ll be immune from the repercussions, until they are at your doorstep, eh tent flap. (edited) 5y

Riveted_Reader_Melissa So maybe more of a statement on the eminence Hubris all these big figures had, that they were untouchable, no matter how many voices warned them. 5y

Graywacke @Riveted_Reader_Melissa or the 🔪 is literally (ok, not literally, but only appears to be by stage special effects...) sticking out your back. I think it‘s a Shakespearean theme. PS - in the Act I discussion @batsy called the wives Cassandra‘s. I‘m echoing. 🙂 5y

TheBookHippie @Riveted_Reader_Melissa I agree with you ! 5y

TheBookHippie @Riveted_Reader_Melissa no matter how many voices warned them 🤯😳 kinda like NOW 5y

TheBookHippie @GingerAntics it definitely meanders!!! 5y

Graywacke @TheBookHippie yeah. kinda like now 5y

GingerAntics @TheBookHippie was it me, or did the “I didn‘t mean to snap at you, I love you, you‘re my brother” went on for some 2-3 pages. 🤦🏼‍♀️ 5y

Riveted_Reader_Melissa @Graywacke Thanks to @batsy then, sorry I had missed discussion on act 1 5y

TheBookHippie @GingerAntics I didn‘t know if it was me or my struggle to concentrate this week 🤣🤷🏽‍♀️🤯😫😫 5y

GingerAntics @TheBookHippie I thought maybe it was me, but I‘m guessing since we‘re all seeing that, it‘s not. 5y

batsy I'm in the minority, but I enjoyed this act for the unravelling & the ugliness. (I was just reading a piece about the behind the scenes squabbling in the Trump admin about an antimalarial drug in treatment—REALITY & SHAKESPEARE COLLIDE!) Like @merelybookish I thought the squabble between Cassius & Brutus realistic, also semi-romantic in how Cassius seems shaken by how flimsy their bromance seems to be. Antony revealing himself as who he really is. 5y

batsy I loved Brutus speech: "There is a tide in the affairs of men / Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune..." Not least because it finally hit me where one of Agatha Christie's titles, Taken at the Flood, came from :) Also, Portia's death seemed absurd, brutal, & tragic all at once, which is kind of fitting with the dark, omens-and-ghosts vibe of the whole play. 5y

batsy @Graywacke @Riveted_Reader_Melissa Thanks for referring to my Cassandra comment. Not much more I can add to your really interesting discussion. I feel like the women and ghosts do often play the role of instinct that's been ignored, so it's an intriguing public/private role. Like it taps into both the individual and social subconscious. 5y

erzascarletbookgasm @batsy I too realised the origin of the Christie‘s title! 😉 5y

sheshedbooks I hated that Portia died and Brutus just went on with the politics. It seemed like that to me. Also, I don't get the ghost part. It seemed off unlike in Macbeth's. @batsy 😂 Bromance between Cassius & Brutus is a new way for me to see it. Perhaps I wouldn't be so annoyed at those two if I saw it as such. 5y

batsy @greenreads I think my modern mind keeps imputing bromance tendencies to ancient Roman male friendships, but then the homosocial aspects of ancient society are quite interesting in their own ways ? I found it so interesting that Brutus tries to be rational but Cassius keeps lapsing into "I thought our love was stronger than this" type speech, which could be sincere or a form of emotional manipulation. Or both! 5y

MoonWitch94 I agree with @batsy about Brutus speech. For me, it was the highlight of this Act. Portia‘s death was so awful 😢 and I had totally forgotten about for the first time I read this play. But what would a true Shakespearean tragedy be without brutal death? Definitely reminded me why this was a forgotten play for me. 5y

Graywacke @batsy (and @TheBookHippie @Ginger @greenreads @MoonWitch94 and like everyone else) Bromance! ... 🤣... wait... sorry... I mean...awe. I mean...it‘s so true and funny. Ok... I think you had the most positive view on this portion. I was kind of with @GingerAntics about it dragging, but maybe I was a little impatient for some plot. Like - ok, move on (kiss and make up?) and lets go make more war...or something. 5y

Graywacke @batsy @Riveted_Reader_Melissa interesting. 👻s as subconscious seems reasonable. Women and public/private roles and how it comes out in, or is used in, these plays (and elsewhere in the Western canon) is really interesting. 5y

Graywacke @greenreads Brutus the philosopher was trying to be the perfect stoic. He was supposed to just go on...but it‘s really cold. Brings up some questions Like, does the coldness undermine the philosophy or does his failure to maintain a stoic response reveal his true deep affections? Or was his stoicism an excuse to cover for his lack of feelings? 5y

Graywacke @MoonWitch94 @batsy the tides comment was also interesting because it was a terrible analysis - the tide was flowing strongly the other way. 5y

GingerAntics @Graywacke I‘m with ya on the kiss and make up, we‘ve got a haunting to get to. Shakes has certainly done better hauntings, too. 5y

batsy @Graywacke I like that you ask if the stoicism was an excuse to cover for his lack of feelings. I had the same question and it's kind of unnerving that I still can't quite tell. @greenreads 5y

sheshedbooks @batsy @Graywacke Wouldn't put it down to stoicism. Remember when Portia made a cut on her leg? He was honored but just sent her away when someone knocked. 5y

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Julius Caesar | William Shakespeare

Continuing my current Sunday morning routine . . . Listening to and reading Shakespeare with breakfast followed by online church.

#ShakespeareReadalong #BookAndBreakfast

Lindy I‘m having trouble posting with a photo too. 5y

Daisey @Lindy Now it works again. 🤷‍♀️ 5y

Lindy @Daisey Yes, I just kept trying until it worked. 😊 5y

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Julius Caesar | William Shakespeare

Seriously, what these guys up to? Let‘s discuss Sunday - Julius Caesar Act 4
#shakespearereadalong

Lcsmcat 😂 5y

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Riveted_Reader_Melissa Right! 5y

TheBookHippie The faces !!!!! 5y

mollyrotondo Fantastic! 5y

merelybookish I'm behind. 🙈 Will try to catch up by Sunday. 5y

Graywacke @Lcsmcat @Riveted_Reader_Melissa @mollyrotondo 🙂 @TheBookHippie those faces, man. 5y

mollyrotondo They are the worst. And yet, the best haha 5y

Graywacke @merelybookish no worries, hope you‘re well. (I don‘t think the two in the picture are disappointed in you. I mean, by their faces it‘s possible...they could be. 🙂 ) 5y

sheshedbooks 😂 if that's what an evil scheming face looks like, i best remember to not scheme any evil 5y

TheBookHippie @greenreads 🤣🤣🤣 5y

batsy I appreciate your little teaser posts 😆🗡️ 5y

merelybookish @Graywacke Caught up! And not sure I care what those dudes think! 😛 5y

Melismatic I just finished Act IV - that escalated quickly. Lol 5y

Graywacke @merelybookish 😂 😂 5y

Graywacke @greenreads oh, come on, expand your horizons. 🙂 It‘s funny...had they won their historical reputations would be quite different. Republic forev...well, maybe a little longer, anyway 5y

Graywacke @batsy thanks - a variation of a reminder 5y

Graywacke @Melismatic yeah... 5y

erzascarletbookgasm I caught up! Much foreshadowing, makes me want to quickly read the battle scene. 💀👻 5y

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Julius Caesar | William Shakespeare

The bane of my existence for three weeks in 2002 when my sophomore English class had to recite this and almost no one gave a 🤬 to memorise it. 🤦🏼‍♀️
(Yes, I know you can‘t read it. That‘s kind of the point.)
#Shakespeare #JuliusCaesar #shakespearereadalong

jewright This must be the section to memorize. I had to memorize it in school too. 5y

GingerAntics @jewright the intro essay info in my edition says that this section was the section used as the example of a good persuasive speech. I‘m guessing it wasn‘t just us. I can promise that lesson wasn‘t even mentioned to my class. 5y

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Julius Caesar | William Shakespeare

Julius Caesar Act 3 discussion
#shakespearereadalong

The deed is done, the most famous dying line is spoken. Cassius set Brutus up to give their action the image of honor, and Brutus miscalculates - leading to Mark Antony‘s famous speech on honorable men.

We‘re in the parts of play that are more famous than the play itself! “Et tu, Brute” “Friends, Romans, countrymen “ Were you wowed? Was Antony‘s speech that good? What did you think of Act 3?

TheBookHippie My son had to memorize the speech last year and quote it for a play. He cannot believe I‘m reading it for fun!!! I‘ll post thoughts later need to cook lunch here! 🤣 5y

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mollyrotondo I loved Antony‘s speech! Uhhh all those sarcastic remarks of the conspirators being “honorable men.” Oh it was perfect! And how Brutus thought he could keep the ear of the people when in fact Antony was a much more persuasive orator and knew how to get down on their level in order to capture the people and rile them up. I loved every second of it! Of course what happens to poor Cinna the poet is the horrifying consequence of it all 5y

batsy The whole scenario with Mark Antony was so creepily fascinating; I sort of fell under his weird spell, too. Thought it was masterfully done, how Shakespeare showed the power of rhetoric and manipulation. Cassius saw it coming but Brutus was so naive. But I was also mad at the Plebeians, because I saw myself in them obviously and know how well manipulated we are even when we think we don't trust politicians (my cynicism is strong today...) 5y

Melismatic I couldn‘t help but color Mark Antony as a crooked politician - playing both sides for his own gain, it made my skin crawl. What was even more unnerving was the crowds immediate intense reactions and how quickly the tides could turn. It shows how little has changed. That final scene with Cinna made me think of social media mob mentality. 😰 5y

Melismatic @batsy exactly this!! The crowd was so easily hypnotized! 5y

Lcsmcat Shakespeare really knew human nature! So much of what he‘s showing in this act is eerily familiar. Antony is the consummate politician. But I have to say I‘m of two minds regarding him. I hate how he riled the crow up, but kind of admire his rhetorical ability. (Even if it really is Shakespeare‘s ability. 😀) 5y

Graywacke @TheBookHippie what your son must be thinking...my mom‘s really lost it now, she‘s doing my homework from LAST year... for _fun_ !! 🙂 5y

Graywacke @mollyrotondo I liked how Antony never cracks his act, never breaks the rules, never acknowledges what he‘s actually doing, keeps a straight face (even in the sarcasm) to the end. It‘s the crowd that interprets malice. The Cinna the poet getting torn apart bit is pulled from Plutarch. 5y

Graywacke @batsy politicians suck - or, more accurately, manipulative politicians suck, and non-manipulative politicians have very short careers, so we‘re stuck with the manipulators. ... But interesting how you felt it. I was wondering if Antony would change my opinion of Caesar, but actually felt the same before and after (mixed). Was Antony motivated by love or just power? - hard to believe he wasn‘t just working the situation. 5y

Graywacke @batsy @Lcsmcat (My phone wants to correct Antony with Ántonia ... ) 5y

Graywacke @Melismatic I feel the same about Antony now... but interesting I didn‘t feel that while I was reading his speech. I was just waiting to see whether he was sincere or not, and he never cracks, so I held that question well beyond when it was reasonable!! As for crowds... 5y

Graywacke @Lcsmcat Also admiring Shakespeare. It occurs to me that it‘s never harder to be at your best than when you know you have to be. He started that speech knowing it was critical to the play...and he nailed it. That impresses me a lot. It has so many different elements that make it work, disarming, killing comments turned over using “but were I Brutus.” 5y

Graywacke @mollyrotondo @batsy @Melismatic @Lcsmcat opinions vary, but interesting how quickly we go from the manipulation of fictional Roman crowds to our own. The power of crowd stupidity. (Brutus works them too.) Did anyone feel that Trump/Putin and the like seem to understand Antony‘s speech and crowd manipulation better than their less-reprehensible opponents? From US perspective, seems Bernie/Biden should be thinking more about this speech. 5y

Graywacke Another question: did anyone think about how the Queen might have had a moments panic after the conspirators start praising liberty and Brutus begins his speech? (Brutus ultimately undermines himself and it all by focusing on ambition instead of tyranny...so her heart rate might have gone up only momentarily) 5y

Graywacke (And what did Calpurnia think about that will?) 5y

Lcsmcat @Graywacke Oh yes! It is so obvious that the GOP is “better” at this! Think of how they went from accusing Obama Care of having Death Pannels to deciding the elderly need to die of COVID 19 to save the stock market. And they do it without blushing! 5y

Lcsmcat @Melismatic @Graywacke Mob mentality hasn‘t changed, has it. And it‘s just as scary today. (edited) 5y

Lcsmcat @graywacke @batsy I love that your phone has gone all Cather on you! 5y

GingerAntics I certainly enjoyed Anthony‘s speech better this time around than the last time I read this play. I rather like Anthony as a character. I like how he managed to turn the crowds against the conspirators, all while calling Brutus honourable. I think he may be the cleverest character. 5y

GingerAntics @Graywacke I completely agree with the parallel between Anthony‘s speech and modern politics. @Lcsmcat I was having that thought the other day. How is this the “pro-life” party when they are straight up saying people need to die for the common good/economy so easily. Don‘t even get me started on Dan Patrick. 5y

Graywacke @GingerAntics (re Patrick. Are you in Tx? I am. It was interesting seeing my R friends post surprise on fb. Do they not realize what this guy had been saying his entire career? Seriously, the comment was in character) 5y

GingerAntics @Graywacke I sure am!!! It was totally in character. That comment was entirely on message for him. I don‘t understand how people are shocked by it. What I‘m shocked about is that people are actually shocked. He‘s been open about being cool with sacrificing people he sees as less than for the entire time I‘ve been aware of him. So are a lot of his colleagues. 5y

Graywacke @GingerAntics yup. (But 🙌 to another blue Texan 🙂) 5y

GingerAntics @Graywacke there sure aren‘t enough of us. That‘s for sure! 🙌🏻 I‘m a blue Texan for now. We‘re headed back to Minnesota as soon as this semester is over. 5y

Graywacke Just slipping in: I appreciated Shakespeare‘s little meta bit: Cassius: “How many ages hence / Shall this our lofty scene be acted over / In states unborn and accents yet unknown!” (like here in this play...which now itself is acted in states then unborn and so on...) (edited) 5y

Graywacke (Was set as a spoiler by mistake. I tried to edit that off. ) 5y

MoonWitch94 @Graywacke Shakespeare “meta” bit is actually one of my favorite parts of this play. If you‘re not careful it can skip you by. It‘s very clever 5y

Riveted_Reader_Melissa Finally caught up, and I remember thinking the big speeches were so powerfully crafty/clever when I read them way back in HS, but I definitely view them more cynically and manipulative now. Still great oration either way, but it was interesting to me how my view shifted a bit from “clever” more positive to “manipulative” more negative of the same text with life experience and well current events. 5y

Riveted_Reader_Melissa @Graywacke Yes, Shakespeare meta is so interesting when it shows up, I just finished The Return of the King with my other group reading and they also talk about how their tale might be written and retold... I always find that so interesting when it crops up, it seems a bit prophetic, but of course we only notice it when the tale it‘s written it really becomes passed down over time..not in the ones lost to time. 5y

Graywacke @MoonWitch94 I loved that line. It‘s up there with: the fault, dear Brutus, is not our stars, but in ourselves. 5y

Graywacke @Riveted_Reader_Melissa are we getting more cynical as we age...or more practical? 🙂 5y

Riveted_Reader_Melissa @Graywacke After listening to weeks of Trump Briefings...both! And his speeches aren‘t nearly as good or persuasive. 5y

Graywacke @Riveted_Reader_Melissa Shakespeare, of course, played it safe. He couldn‘t have known what his work would become. But, as it‘s Cassius who says the line, Shakespeare proves it‘s veracity simply by writing it in. Clever 🙂 5y

Graywacke @Riveted_Reader_Melissa I can‘t listen to him say anything live...😳😬😫😩😖😡🤯 5y

Riveted_Reader_Melissa @Graywacke I‘ve spent most of the last 3 & 1/2 yrs trying to avoid it myself... but the pandemic made me think I needed to listen...it only lasted a few weeks and then I couldn‘t stand it even if it is a national emergency. I started turning off his briefing this Saturday. 5y

Gezemice This was amazing.I think this act is the best of all of the bard‘s - the drama is just masterful. I knew they were gonna kill Caesar but it was still exciting. And the speech by Anthony is pure gold. Repeating “honorable men”. Slowly working the crowd and denying he isa good orator. Did you notice how Brutus‘s speech was in prose, but Anthony‘s in verse? Shakespeare conveying here who the true politician is. 5y

Gezemice @Graywacke @Riveted_Reader_Melissa Yes, the self-referential, I noticed, too! It is clearly self-fulfilling as by Shakespeare‘s time people were clearly still remembering Caesar‘s assassination. Also, story-tellers love to reference the story-telling - it is in Tolkien, but if you read The Name of the Wind, or The Witcher series, the bard has an important role in how, or even if, the story is told. (edited) 5y

Gezemice @GingerAntics I am an Anthony fan, too! He does seem genuinely shocked by the murder, but cool-headed enough to play the situation masterfully to his advantage. Brutus keeps misjudging the situation: he thinks killing Caesar will save the Republic, but that‘s not what Rome wants. Then he leaves Anthony alone with the crowd ???. Like the conspirators never thought beyond the deed - where will it lead? 5y

Gezemice @Graywacke Yep, the fault in our stars, great line. 5y

sheshedbooks Well, wow Loved Antony's lines and how he moved the crowd! I didn't know they were really supposed to kneel before they stab Caesar. I thought they'd just crowd on him and stab him. I wonder if the "cut first, stab last" will be important on later acts. Annnd I know killing Cinna the poet is just brutal, but I laughed when the plebeian said "kill him for his bad verses" 5y

GingerAntics @Gezemice that‘s a great way to put it. The conspirators didn‘t plan or think through anything after the actually assassination. 5y

Gezemice @GingerAntics It is Anthony who first thinksof the consequences and worries about the people - when he is alone, not when he is trying to manipulate the crowd. “Domestic fury and fierce civil strife shall cumber all the parts of Italy”. He is also genuinely moved by Caesar‘s death in that scene: “Thou art the ruins of the noblest man that ever lived in the tide of times” (edited) 5y

Gezemice @greenreads Shakespeare is known to put some morbid humor into his tragedies, too... yeah. You can see some self-reference here, too - what could offend a playright more than bad verses? Maybe it was a reference to someone Shakespeare thought was a bad poet... 5y

GingerAntics @Gezemice you‘re definitely selling me on this. I didn‘t notice that before. You‘re right, he‘s the only one who has thought beyond themselves in this. It‘s making me like Anthony all the more. 5y

Graywacke @Gezemice yeah, it was still exciting. It‘s interesting that although England hadn‘t forgotten Caesar, it didn‘t know of Plutarch. North‘s first translations (from a French translation of, I think, a somewhat recent Latin translation of the rediscovered Greek Greek) came in 1579. So, England was just discovering this version of Caesar when Shakespeare wrote. 5y

Gezemice @Graywacke That‘s very interesting. Shakespeare had the most amazing sources. And he made many of those stories immortal. Bards are so important. My edition has the Plutarch in the appendix and I have looked at it. It is not as difficult as I thought, but I doubt I will read it. Need something lighter nowadays... 5y

Gezemice @GingerAntics Fans of Anthony, unite! (Separately in your own homes) 5y

Graywacke @greenreads @Gezemice “kill him for his bad verses” 🤦🏻‍♂️ ☺️ 5y

Graywacke @GingerAntics @Gezemice I‘m trying to think of the play from the perspective Cassius vs Antony. It‘s hard to know Cassius‘s plan, since it depended on Brutus who got him run out of town. I suspect he had a plan, but I‘m not entirely sure what it was. Antony, of course, manipulates, but arguably has the moral high ground as he hasn‘t done anything unprovoked. Does he really? Anyway, he plays it that way. (Antony unity ☺️🙂) 5y

sheshedbooks @Graywacke right ? they say "tear him for his bad verses" 5y

GingerAntics @Gezemice that‘s right. We must keep quarantine. 🤣😂🤣 5y

GingerAntics @Graywacke @Gezemice Cassius certainly hasn‘t articulated much of a plan beyond manipulating Brutus into joining them. Anthony definitely has the moral high ground. I think he‘s trying to prevent all our anarchy. 5y

Graywacke @GingerAntics @Gezemice I thought Antony generated the anarchy...😶 5y

GingerAntics @Graywacke did he? I felt like he got the crowd to see the conspirators for the murderers/assassins they were. I thought he restored sanity. 5y

Graywacke @GingerAntics he‘s clever... 5y

GingerAntics @Graywacke that he is!!! Now I‘m keeping an eye on him. I still like him, though. 😏 5y

Gezemice @GingerAntics @Graywacke He is the only sane one. He is the one taking action. He contacts the murderers and makes a pact with them while silently mourning Caesar. He immediately contacts Octavian and arranges for the funeral and the opportunity to speak there. He produces Caesar‘s will. All the while he remains loyal to Caesar even in death. The man is in control. The conspirators all run around like chicken with their heads cut off.⬇️ (edited) 5y

Gezemice I am starting to see what Cleopatra dug about him. 😉 @Graywacke @GingerAntics (edited) 5y

GingerAntics @Gezemice I‘m seeing it, too. You make very good points. That Cleopatra had taste!!! 5y

Graywacke @Gezemice @GingerAntics withholding comment, well I mean he was a pretty hot for a Roman, but we‘ll get there eventually in this readalong. 5y

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Julius Caesar | William Shakespeare

Sunday morning plans include online church, coffee, and books. I finished Act III of Julius Caesar and appreciated the intensity of this act. I hope to finish most of The Return of the King later today. 📚 ☕️

#ShakespeareReadalong #ArkAngelShakespeare #FellowshipofTolkien

Lcsmcat I have the works of Kipling, Tolstoy, Maupassant, and Hugo in the same edition asyour Shakespeare! They‘re beautiful, aren‘t they? 5y

Daisey @Lcsmcat They are beautiful! I received this as a Christmas gift and I'm truly enjoying reading it. 5y

Allylu @Daisey I am planning to finish The Return of the King tonight, too! Are you going to read the Appendices? My daughter says we should. 5y

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Daisey @Allylu I won‘t get to them today, but I do plan to reread the Appendices. 5y

kimberlystew Everyone‘s talking about the books but let‘s not overlook that awesome mug. 🧐 5y

Daisey @kimberlystew Thanks! This is one of my favorite mugs, and it was a gift from students who know me well. 5y

89 likes6 comments

Linsy

Julius Caesar | William Shakespeare

MURELLUS: ... What trade are you?
COBBLER: ... I am but, as you would say, a cobbler.
MURELLUS: But what trade art thou? ...
COBBLER: ... A mender of bad soles.

MURELLUS: ... Mend me, thou saucy fellow?
COBBLER: Why, sir, cobble you.

Love the word play! Cobble, of course, can mean to throw something together or to mend shoes. It also sounds a lot like couple. 😂

I may be behind, but I'm having fun! #shakespearereadalong #classicschallenge2020

Graywacke 🙂 5y

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saika

Julius Caesar | William Shakespeare

Finally got the time to read it again it was my first interesting book which I've gone through

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Julius Caesar | William Shakespeare

I don‘t want to alarm anyone...but I think something bad‘s going to happen to this guy next act.

#shakespearereadalong Julius Caesar, Act 3. See ya Sunday.

(Thank you, Dom DeLuise)

TheBookHippie And to us as well 🤣 read the play -watch opera -watch the news -same-same-same .... see you Sunday ! 5y

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Lcsmcat 😂🤣😂 5y

GingerAntics 😂🤣😂 You know what, I‘ve been getting a sense of foreboding as well. I can‘t quite put my finger on it, but I‘m pretty sure something bad is going to happen to him, too. 😂🤣😂 5y

MoonWitch94 😂🤣😂🤣 5y

Graywacke @TheBookHippie oh dear... may we all have a much better Sunday than our subject. 5y

Graywacke @GingerAntics some slight hint at some just elusive thing... 🤷🏻‍♂️ 5y

sheshedbooks 😂😂😂 5y

TheBookHippie @GingerAntics 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 5y

GingerAntics @Graywacke @TheBookHippie 🤷🏼‍♀️ 5y

TheBookHippie @GingerAntics it‘s making me smile this week. Grateful! 5y

GingerAntics @TheBookHippie it really is helping to lighten things a bit! 5y

mollyrotondo Thank you for this! 5y

jewright Spoiler alert!!!😂🔪 5y

batsy Surely you don't think that. It's not like there are signs or dreams or premonitions. 5y

Melismatic @TheBookHippie lol! 😂 accurate! 5y

TheBookHippie @Melismatic 🤷🏽‍♀️🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 5y

Graywacke @TheBookHippie @GingerAntics @Melismatic you guys have a dark humor 🙂😁 @mollyrotondo 🙂 @jewright reading groups are dangerous😜 @batsy aren‘t happy bloodbath dreams are always encouraging ?? 5y

GingerAntics 😇😇😇 MEEEEE?! 😇😇😇 😂🤣😂 5y

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Julius Caesar | William Shakespeare

This was such a strong part of this act. The female characters, especially Portia, are especially strong in this play. It seems only the women have any sense of reality or right and wrong in this one. The men all just want what they want, and they don‘t care what getting it costs them.
#Shakespeare #JuliusCaesar #shakespearereadalong

TheBookHippie I like her 🤣🤣🤣 5y

GingerAntics @TheBookHippie so do I! 5y

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Melismatic

Julius Caesar | William Shakespeare

Act II - still feeling timely and helping stir up the dark omen that this isn‘t going to end well. #shakespearereadalong

Unsurprisingly, I find the ladies most relatable for being more safe than sorry, Time period-equivalent misogyny notwithstanding. 🤷🏻‍♀️ 🤴 🔪

Graywacke Awe, you captured my favorite part of the play so far in your picture! 5y

Graywacke No doubt, misogyny and sexism are rampant in Shakespeare...but also he created many wonderful strong female characters. Portia is a maybe little of both. 5y

GingerAntics Yes. Apart from the sexism, the women are the strongest characters in this one. 5y

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Julius Caesar | William Shakespeare

#shakespearereadalong
Act II - Psychology act - Brutus‘s wavers and decides just in time for a visit from the Cassius‘s squad. Then, as the squad works Caesar over despite the clearest portents, we get a new look into Caesar‘s mind. But, for me, this is Portia‘s act. Kneel not. Your plea was my favorite part (Deborah Kerr‘s version pictured)

So, how is everyone doing? If you‘re enjoying this as much as me, what do you think makes this work?

Graywacke For those interested, a short summary of Shakespeare‘s sources: http://www.bardweb.net/content/ac/sources.html 5y

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Graywacke Julius Caesar is pulled from the North translation of Plutarch. Here‘s a note on that: https://www.writework.com/book-guides/julius-caesar-william-shakespeare/shakespe... 5y

Graywacke Oh, I meant to put the word “wafture” in the post, from Portia describing of Brutus, the “angry wafture of your hand” A lovely new word I‘ll have to find a way to use. 5y

Melismatic Same same same! Portias speech was my favorite bit. I really love all the dark, stormy settings - adds to impending doom of it all. 5y

Lcsmcat Perhaps “In these days of social distancing, wafture has taken on increased importance.” 5y

Graywacke @Melismatic I thought Portia was so sharp and she shows real feelings where the others are consumed by not feeling, but rationalizing. She just struck a nerve. Ominous weather is appropriate... 5y

Graywacke @Lcsmcat much better than the wafture of hair off my dogs whole body when gets excited. 🙂 5y

Lcsmcat @Graywacke 🤣 5y

Lcsmcat And Portia is one of the few likable characters. I loved the scene with her and Lucius. 5y

GingerAntics Portia stole the show for me as well. She seems to be the character who is the most in control of herself and her senses. The men around seem to have all gotten excited to kill Caesar, but she‘s the one keeping things together and speaking reason. 5y

mollyrotondo I like the counter scenes starring Brutus. He has let himself think that killing Caesar is the right thing to do and that it‘s what is best for the Romans. He let the gang of conspirators get into his head. But then we see Portia, a symbol of Brutus‘s personal life and his consciousness, and he is hesitant to tell her his plan to kill his friend. He deep down knows this is not the right thing to do but he‘s ignoring his conscience. 5y

Graywacke @Lcsmcat Portia is definitely likable. Poor Lucius. 🙂 (edited because instead of Lucius, I had posted Luscious. 😊... ) (edited) 5y

Graywacke @GingerAntics I was thinking the same about Portia being the only one who is reasonable (who hasn‘t drunk this let‘s-freak-out-and-kill-him cool aide.) Maybe it‘s Cassius‘s fault, but Brutus‘s reasons seemed weak to me. 5y

Graywacke @mollyrotondo ( @GingerAntics ) yes, that! Exactly what I was thinking. But...if he‘s so smart, how did he let them get into his head? 5y

mollyrotondo @Graywacke Brutus is a pawn. Portia is the smart one in that relationship 5y

Graywacke @mollyrotondo Yeah, he becomes a pawn, thanks to how Cassius plays him. (The philosopher who got played?) Portia doesn‘t finish the act so great - she goes along with this. You could say she has the sharpest language but maybe not the sharpest actions. 5y

GingerAntics @Graywacke they do seem really weak, don‘t they? It‘s sort of like “well, the cool kids are killing Julius, so I‘m going with them.” 5y

Graywacke @GingerAntics hmm. I was thinking Brutus was above peer pressure. He thinks his own way. But Cassius found a window in, a lever to push. So, impressionable, definitely. It‘s just he goes through all these bad things tyrants can become, then spells out how Caesar shows no signs of any of it, then concludes he has to be stopped anyway. It seems like a contradiction at best, and a soft foundation for jumping to extremes. 5y

merelybookish Just finished up the act and I am also enjoying. I'm here for all the signs, dreams, omens, and soothsaying. Portia is indeed the star of this show. Also, Caesar was manipulated pretty easily. Playing up to his ego, making him believe he is above fate. That counter interpretation to Calpurnia's dream was nuts. If you believe a dream about blood streaming from holes in your body is GOOD, you are delusional! 5y

Graywacke @merelybookish so many omens. I think the bars was having fun. (Plutarch is rife with omens, and of course the signs were never heeded ...could Shakespeare be poking fun at that?) 5y

Graywacke Wondering how this play is working for everyone in our current environment. It strikes me a play that should be ridiculous, but isn‘t because it leads us to wondering about what‘s going on in everyone‘s crafty mind. Is it true? But, whatever that‘s worth, it might just be washed out by the stress of our pandemic. Seriously, conversation is light here. Are you finding you‘re able to enjoy this? (edited) 5y

TheBookHippie @Graywacke okay here I am!!! I really like Portia . Now that I‘ve had time to sit with this I want to reread it in the quiet tonight. And “wafture” is the Congress currently ?! I do love all the smart language in this one. Also the alll bad things tyrants become ...daily witnesses we are ! Oye. I‘ll be back now that I‘m not figuring out chaos I can reread it and ponder more. It‘s a wonderful read to escape to! 5y

GingerAntics @Graywacke that‘s what‘s so odd about it. He knows he shouldn‘t, but chooses to anyway. Is he afraid of the group of guys doing it? Does he see some benefit for himself? It‘s so hard to tell. It makes no sense as to why he‘s signed on for this. 5y

sheshedbooks I loved that Decius proved himself able to change Caesar's mind. I wonder if he had agents within the household and had time to think up his interpretation of Calpurnia's vision. 5y

batsy I'm liking this a lot, & agree with @merelybookish that the signs, dreams, prophecies really hit the mark. The setting/atmosphere really creeps up on you & I thought wonderfully used to set the scene, so to speak. The tension created in the Brutus & Caesar scenes is pretty superb; you can see the push and pull of how they're manipulated, how they try to reason it out to themselves, & their wives as Cassandras, sensing the worst & being ignored. 5y

batsy @greenreads Decius is so good at manipulation I was almost in awe! 5y

batsy @Graywacke I read the Caesar chapter from Plutarch's Roman Lives & yes, rife with signs & prophecies! A lot of that atmosphere was readily felt in Plutarch & it's pretty cool to see how Shakespeare picked up on it & ran with it. 5y

sheshedbooks @batsy It feels as if without Decius, the plan would just fall apart... I think Cassius may be the mastermind, Brutus the moral compass, but Decius is the hidden dragon. 5y

jewright @Graywacke The planted letters do a lot for convincing Brutus. He feels the people need this. They have asked for it. 5y

jewright Does the whole Portia stabbing herself in the thigh bother anyone else? It just seems wrong to hurt yourself to prove a point. 5y

Graywacke @TheBookHippie wafture is my sanity frittering against gravity whenever I peak at anything political. Tyrants. Enjoy. 5y

Graywacke @GingerAntics I‘m pondering @jewright ‘s comment. (With the random space before the apostrophe to allow the tag) I‘m kind of with you, though. He‘s not making a good calculation... 5y

Graywacke @greenreads @batsy I‘m hoping, had Decius had some time to think, he would have come up with something a little less ridiculous then a joyful bloodbath. 😳 He was brilliant, though, working Caesar over, throwing in a little play to his vanity. I wouldn‘t want to play poker with him. 5y

Graywacke @batsy @merelybookish am I under appreciating the prophecies? I thought the bloodbath dream and Decius‘s explanation...well my 🧠 went all monthy python...like bard was thinking, “how far can I push this prophecy bit?Ides, storms, heartless beasts...not enough! Throw in a blood bath!” 5y

Graywacke @batsy they are Cassandras, all the wives. Perfect description. Wait, you read the Plutarch chapter? Recently? As in just for play? I bow to you. I know that‘s now easy reading. Caesar is captured in the Cato the Younger chapter maybe better than his own - because it‘s there we see how happy and buddy buddy he is. 👇👇 5y

Graywacke @batsy Caesar let a lot of animosity go, without (inevitably enough) worry. Cicero surrenders to him in a suicide move, and Caesar instead is just happy to talk with him and just walks with chatting amicably and let‘s him go. 5y

Graywacke @greenreads Brutus really is the moral compass - of the play and the (well-doctored) historical record. I always thought he was...well, a brute. He‘s anything but. 5y

Graywacke @jewright thanks for that reminder. The people needs this! (Brutus might have needed a better polling system. A few flaws...maybe). Does he really mean the rich powerful senators needed this? 5y

Graywacke @jewright Portia stabbing herself is... so weird! I didn‘t believe her, then googled and sure enough... Maybe wrong, but...convincing, I guess 🤷🏻‍♂️ (edited) 5y

TheBookHippie @Graywacke 🤣🤣🤣 5y

GingerAntics @Graywacke @jewright that‘s a really good point. He‘s taking these letters very seriously. It‘s like he knows Julius isn‘t a bad leader, but he‘s going with these letters that say otherwise. It‘s confusing. 5y

jewright @Graywacke Brutus is honorable, so it never occurs to him that other people might be manipulating him. He takes everything at face value because he‘s honest and just expects other people to be honest too. Instead, he ends up being a pawn in a selfish power grab. 5y

sheshedbooks @jewright Huh. I read that as Portia showing Brutus an old wound in the thigh. To remind him of her loyalty even though it caused physical scars. But if she did that at that moment, during that speech, well that's weird. 5y

sheshedbooks @Graywacke 😂 so no spies for Decius. He's just quick on his feet and knows Caesar well enough. 5y

merelybookish @Graywacke @batsy All the supernatural elements.reminds me of MacBeth. I think Shakespeare does have great fun with that. And it makes for great character conflict as they wrestle with their fate and their sense of grandeur. 5y

batsy @Graywacke Yes, found an epub just last week as our lockdown started on the 18th and strangely enough it kept me focused and calm as everything descended into chaos. I read the Robin Waterfield translation (Oxford World Classics) and it doesn't have the Cato the Younger chapter! Only the Elder 😆 5y

batsy @merelybookish @Graywacke Nicely put! I didn't think of the MacBeth similarity but it's certainly there. I like the way Shakespeare seems to be parodying the Romans, too. 5y

jewright @greenreads I have always read it as she did it that evening before she spoke to him. 5y

Graywacke @jewright @greenreads some illustration: https://sites.google.com/site/annotatedjuliuscaesar/act-2/2-1-288-end 5y

sheshedbooks @jewright @Graywacke 😱😵 But why?! And then Brutus just sent her away like that? 5y

Graywacke @jewright ( @GingerAntics ) am I remembering correctly, Jennifer, you‘ve taught this? It makes sense that Brutus is intellectual but not people smart - at least not like those who can think in their toes like Decius, much less a calculating deceiver like Cassius. It makes sense Cassius is using Brutus‘a nature to work him over. Does it make sense that Portia supports him doing this...? 5y

Graywacke @greenreads Decius is having the most fun so far... 5y

Graywacke @merelybookish @batsy - hmm, Macbeth. Double, double toil and trouble... But the witches are proactive. These prophecies are reactive...(reactive of the future? pre-active-reactive? ... anyway, passively observing the future as all good prophecies do) I mean, maybe these witches are in the backroom stewing with the missing heart of the beast... well, I guess “the Fates with traitors do contrive”... (edited) 5y

Graywacke @batsy that‘s really cool that you read Waterfield‘s Plutarch. Maybe it reads nicer than the ancient “Dryden translation” that I read last year. Surely, Waterfield didn‘t skip Cato the Younger? He was the hero of the fall of the Republic, to me. Hmm. Cato the Elder was a conceited 💩. !! 5y

Graywacke @greenreads @jewright why, indeed, Portia. She makes her point, though! 5y

jewright @Graywacke Yes, to sophomores... fun times! I would definitely agree with your statement about Brutus. He really does want to do right, but he never sees the manipulation. 5y

jewright @greenreads I never really thought about that! And just wait... there‘s more to come from Portia. 5y

batsy @Graywacke I love all your comments & now I clearly have to read the whole book so we can trade gossipy insights 😁 I loved how Pompey's army was described as being young & good-looking (the Instagram models of their era?) & so Caesar set up his own army to try to wound them in their face, which made Pompey's young cavalrymen flinch & retreat into a muddle. This is the good stuff of history! 5y

Graywacke @batsy what has possessed you to think consider reading all Plutarch? 🙂 It was my self-imposed torture last year, although there was much to take away. Pompey is just entertaining. He was such a happy, laid back ruler, had the weak senate in control and never saw what was coming, was caught so unready. But Plutarch also loves the rumors and silly stories. A whole super calvary undone by their pretty-boy vanities - certainly P couldn‘t resist. 5y

Graywacke @batsy if you read more, I‘ll really enjoy following and revisiting through your frustrations...um, I mean, thoughts. 5y

Gezemice @Graywacke Catching up here, as usual. I am quite enjoying it. I thinkit is absolutely excellent, and while we have some murdering going on, people are actually considering what‘s best for Rome, and not just for themselves, so that‘s a bit refreshing... and in general, Shakespeare transports us into another place, another time. 5y

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Mtroiano

Julius Caesar | William Shakespeare

I had no idea this line came from Julius Caesar
#shakespearereadalong

batsy I was just reading it and was drawn to this bit, too. 5y

Graywacke Finding all these lines is really fun. 5y

Daisey This quote caught my attention today too. 5y

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Lcsmcat So many quotable lines. 5y

TheBookHippie Loving all of it. 5y

jewright I love this line. 5y

30 likes6 comments

Julius Caesar | William Shakespeare

Enjoying a fresh baked raspberry almond scone and listening to Act II of Julius Caesar

#ShakespeareReadalong #ArkAngelShakespeare #StayHome24in48

Sharv_Sona Yummy 5y

Graywacke The scone looks delicious. Love your edition. 5y

Daisey @Graywacke Thanks! This edition was actually a Christmas gift from @jewright partly to convince me to try and keep up with the Shakespeare readalong this year. 5y

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Graywacke @Daisey such a perfect gift. You had a lot of nice stuff altogether there (classic play, audio, lovely print edition, fresh baked scone (!) ) Did it add up to a good experience? (Wondering if @jewright is caught up... ☺️😉) 5y

jewright @Graywacke I am! And @Daisey, it worked! 5y

Graywacke @jewright 🙂 yay! 5y

77 likes6 comments

Melismatic

Julius Caesar | William Shakespeare

I started a week late but wow the timing of reading this for the first time ever is hitting a bit different in the midst of this sweeping pandemic. Ides of March indeed.

Trying something new - listening to the audio as I follow along with my own copy. It helps to hear if performed to get the feel and vibe (for me). #shakespearereadalong