Julius Caesar is a play about class conflict. The play began with Caesar entering Rome accompanied by his supporters and a group of citizens. He was offered the crown three times, but refused. Brutus and Cassius were worried about how much power Caesar had gained. They plotted against Caesar to lure him into the Capital, on the assumption that he would be crowned the leader.
That evening, Caesar's wife Calpurnia dreamt of a statue of Caesar bleeding from a hundred wounds. Calpurnia begs Caesar to remain at home and not venture into the Capital that day, he agrees. However, Decius, one of the conspirators, arrives and reinterprets Calpurnia's dream to mean that all of Rome sucked the reviving blood of Caesar for its benefit.
Brutus met with Cassius and the other conspirators and shakes all their hands, agreeing to join their plot. He convinced them to only kill Caesar, and not his most loyal friend Antony, because he does not want them to "seem too bloody".
The conspirators arrive at the Senate House and Caesar assumes his seat. On Casca's comment, "Speak hands for me" the group attacks Caesar, stabbing him to death. The conspirators, now led by Brutus and Cassius, dip their hands in Caesar's blood and prepare to run to the streets crying out "peace, freedom, and liberty". Antony arrives and begs them to let him take the body and give Caesar a public eulogy. Brutus claimed that he "sacrificed" Julius Caesar's life for freedom and that he killed him because he was too ambitious. Antony takes full advantage of his speech and informs the crowd that Caesar was a selfless man who cared for Rome above everything. The people now believe Caesar to have been great and good, seize his body and vow revenge upon Brutus and the rest of the conspirators. Cassius and Brutus flee. On the battlefield at Philippi, Antony and Octavius battle against Brutus and Cassius, with Antony and Octavius reigning victorious. Octavius, unemotional through all of the carnage, merely ends the play with the lines, "So call the field to rest, and let's away / To part the glories of this happy day".
Overall I thought that the play was fantastic. Each actor spoke clearly, and with confidence, which made it very easy to hear. The play was well prepared and performed seamlessly. It was amazing at how well each actor knew exactly when and where to go on stage. The set design was simple, yet incredibly convincing. The costumes looked authentic, and reflected the time period perfectly. There were elements of humour added with the student narrators, which really helped the audience in understanding such a sophisticated dramatic presentation.
We thoroughly enjoyed watching Julius Caesar, and look forward to attending the Challenge program's Shakespeare play next year! Congratulations to the students in Mrs. Hymmen's class for a superb performance (you definitely deserve a treat from your teacher), and congratulations to Mrs. Hymmen, you rock as a teacher, and your students a re so lucky to have you in their lives. I'm very proud of you little sis!!
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