Shakespeare it Seems That William

Shakespeare

It seems that William Shakespeare used the Thomas North translation of Plutarch's biography of Julius Caesar, entitled 'Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romans,' as the source for the play 'Julius Caesar' (William pp). It also is believed that Shakespeare used his play as a social and political commentary of his time, for in June 1599, "the Privy Council had issued an order forbidding the production of English History plays, some of which had been a source of political embarrassment" (William pp).

Shakespeare's account of the events appear to be accurate, from Caesar arriving victorious back to Rome, holding the position of dictator, to the conspiracies against him (Julius1 pp). On March 15, 44 BCE, Caesar attended the last meeting of the Senate before his departure, and the sixty conspirators, "led by Marcus Junius Brutus, Gaius Cassius Longinus, Decimus Brutus Albinus, and Gaius Trebonius, came to the meeting with daggers concealed in their togas and struck Caesar at least 23 times as he stood at the base of Pompey's statue" (Julius1 pp). Antony offered Caesar a diadem, but Caesar refused it, saying Jupiter alone is king of the Romans, "possibly because he saw the people did not want him to accept the diadem, or possibly because he wanted to end once and for all the speculation that he was trying to become a king" (Julius1 pp). In Shakespeare's account, Antony says at the funeral, "I thrice presented him a kingly crown, Which he did thrice refuse. Was this ambition? Yet Brutus says he was ambitious, And sure he is an honourable man" (Julius III.ii)