Thanks, Guys!

It is almost the end of the month and I am letting go of Julius Caesar. I am in love with this play. It seems so timeless and so current. Genius. 

I am haunted by Caesar, and I sense that my uneasiness with him is akin to Brutus's: power concentrated in one person is frightful. What happens when the rule of law becomes the rule of one? Decisions become arbitrary and capricious, justice disappears, liberties are curtailed. For Brutus, the idealist, this prospect is unacceptable and that moves him into action. I sense the same indignation laced with fear that prompts thousands of people to recklessly take to the streets to protest against their government. 

I was also convinced that Wills decided not to exploit the historical rumor that Brutus may have been Caesar's son, and these artistic choices fascinate me. Perhaps it is because we are reading all of Shakespeare, I am overall interested in Shakespeare's development as an artist, his influences, his context and especially the choices he makes as a writer, more than I am trying to catch every detail of every play. I believe that going back to his first plays will be very productive, as well as continuing reading the different biographical studies we have at hand.

I was captivated by Marjorie Garber's articulation of the central conundrum in the play: the conspirators go out to kill Caesar the public figure, the symbol, but they end up killing Caesar the man only. 

Although Cassius is drawn even with less detail than Caesar in this play, I feel very drawn to him: he is the obsessive compulsive, the skinny bundle of anxious energy, the smarty pants who drives the story. I'll agree with Bloom that he is a precursor for Iago, although Iago is the meanest son of a gun, while Cassius is just a disgruntled roman nobleman (noblesse obligue?)

I am still at odds with this young Mark Antony, although I admire how Shakespeare shows us his highs and lows in a very transparent way. He still has to grow into his toga to become the flawed tragic hero in Antony and Cleopatra.

One last tidbit before I say goodbye to this crew of romans: How awesome is it that Shakespeare killed Cinna de poet "for his bad poems" in an homage to his buddy Chris Marlowe? 

So bye for now, guys! I will get back to you as soon as I can!