Overview
For those of you that don't know, these men are well related. Not only were these two figures VERY famous, they were linked by the fact that Shakespeare wrote a tragic story about Caesar! The first of these figures we actually studied, though, was Julius Caesar, through the history of Ancient Rome.
Caesar
Over the few weeks we studied Caesar, we were discussing as a class about whether he was a "hero", or a "tyrant". While many of us agreed that he was a hero for his love for the common people, and great success for the Roman Empire, others of us found him to be a tyrant, as he was responsible for the deaths of many people during that time. Well, that dispute wasn't exactly figured out by the time we finished on that section. But, we were able to learn of his success, for example, the bridge he had built as a General with his army, or helping Rome on the trail of becoming the largest Empire in the world! However, we also studied the tyrant in him, like all the innocent people he killed trying to conquer more land for his Empire. I, for one, found him to be a hero, despite what everyone else says about him, because he lead future war veterans to victory through his strategy, and because he was in command during the Gladiator times. But the main reason I find Caesar to be a hero is because as a leader of his time, he was caring and passionate about the common people of the Empire.
Caesar was also tied into Shakespeare's work during a much later era, through one of Shakespeare's infamous tragic stories, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, which I go on about in the next paragraph.
Caesar was also tied into Shakespeare's work during a much later era, through one of Shakespeare's infamous tragic stories, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, which I go on about in the next paragraph.
Shakespeare
Although most don't see the genius within Shakespeare's writing, through the study of his work, my class was able to identify what made many people find it incomparable to any other writing we know as humans. Language evolves, you can say, over time. That's one of the main reasons Shakespeare's writing might be harder to understand today than ever. Back around the time he was alive, Shakespeare created pieces of work that fit the kind of language that was used on a daily basis during that time. His poems, stories, etc. were viewed as pieces of art back then, because he portrayed hilarious, yet devious quotes that stunned people, and made Shakespeare's work one of the best forms of entertainment around. Shakespeare later went on to become so famous, that even today, his signatures are worth possibly millions of dollars. But the fact that only 7 have ever been found might also play a role into their worth.
One of Shakespeare's tragic books that we read, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, really ties Caesar and Shakespeare together for obvious reasons. In this book, Shakespeare writes a true story about Caesar's reign until death, and the aftermath. While studying Shakespeare's writing technique, we as a class were also able to learn a little about the kind of person Caesar was, as well as what his assassins' reasons were for killing him. As it turns out, the Council found Caesar a threat, as he was taking power from them, then giving it to the poor. So, they called for him to attend a meeting, where they all killed him, stabbing him several times with knives. That is how my class and I were able to learn both of these people's history in one section.
One of Shakespeare's tragic books that we read, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, really ties Caesar and Shakespeare together for obvious reasons. In this book, Shakespeare writes a true story about Caesar's reign until death, and the aftermath. While studying Shakespeare's writing technique, we as a class were also able to learn a little about the kind of person Caesar was, as well as what his assassins' reasons were for killing him. As it turns out, the Council found Caesar a threat, as he was taking power from them, then giving it to the poor. So, they called for him to attend a meeting, where they all killed him, stabbing him several times with knives. That is how my class and I were able to learn both of these people's history in one section.
