College of DuPage Theatre Department presents. The Tragedy of Julius Caesar

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1 College of DuPage Theatre Department presents The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare edited by Barbara A. Mowat & Paul Werstine for Folger Shakespeare Library directed by Carl Lindberg With Performances in the MAC Studio Theatre Thursdays through Sundays, March 3-20, 2016 Curtain at 8:00 pm, Thursday through Saturday Sunday curtain at 3:00 pm 1

2 Pre-Show Discussion with the production team Thursday, March 3 at 6:45 pm in MAC 140 Post-Show Discussion with the cast, crew, and director following the performance on Friday, March 11 JULIUS CAESAR CALPHURNIA MARCUS BRUTUS PORTIA LUCIUS CAIUS CASSIUS MARK ANTONY ANTONY S SERVANT OCTAVIUS CASCA DECIUS CINNA CICERO METELLUS CIMBER CAIUS LIGARIUS PUBLIUS PINDARUS STRATO COBBLER CARPENTER SHOPKEEPER BLACKSMITH SOOTHSAYER CHARACTERS SETTING Rome. And, later, neighboring cities. Historically B.C.; re-imagined here as the 1920 s. Act I Scene 1 A street. Scene 2 The same street. Scene 3 Another street. Act II Scene 1 Brutus yard. Scene 2 Caesar s home. Scene 3 Another street. Act III Scene 1 The Senate house. Intermission 2

3 Scene 2 Scene 3 A public forum. Another street. Act IV Scene 1 Octavius camp in Rome. Scene 2 Brutus camp in Sardis, Turkey. Scene 3 Brutus camp in Sardis. Act V Scene 1 Phillipi, Greece. Scene 2 The Battle at Phillipi. Scene 3 The Battle at Phillipi. Scene 4 The Battle at Phillipi. **The running time of the production is approximately 2 hours with one 15-minute intermission. DIRECTOR S NOTES I wanted to start these notes with "Friends, Romans, countrymen"... but my wife thought that might be a little too obvious of a joke. She's right. Nevertheless, this stage is our pulpit and we do hope we have found ways to convince you to "lend your ears." Ambition courses through the actions of each character as they attempt to walk the taut tightrope between morality and power. Ultimately, each individual's choices are taken in by the masses. Mark Antony stands in front of the citizens of Rome with specific intentions - he appeals to their nationalism - but how is he ultimately perceived? Is he really different than Julius Caesar, Marcus Brutus, or Caius Cassius? A villain may be viewed as a hero in the eyes of many, and visa versa. That was the case in first century B.C. Italy as it is here and now. The play's central characters all want what is best for Rome in the same way our contemporary civic leaders want growth for our community today. What Shakespeare, and consequently us as his audience, are contemplating is not so much about the intended product, but the process. How do we go about seeking out and earning our place in the world, and at what sacrifice? So... who is a hero and who is a villain? ~CEL UNDERSTANDING SHAKESPEARE The plays of William Shakespeare have been written to be performed more so than read. The benefit of seeing the production is that gestures, attitude, actions, spatial relationships, and tone will help to tell the story in a clear way. In fact, there are clues within Shakespeare s dialogue. It is believed that actors only received their own lines as opposed to an entire play, most likely to save paper. This lack of an entire script may be why several of Shakespeare s plays were not published until after he died. These clues give actors and modern directors 3

4 guidance as to how the action can benefit the storytelling. The audience, then, attending the performance takes in all of what was intended in the writing versus only what characters say. Shakespeare was obviously writing at a different time for a different audience. That being said, he was inventing new words every day, so playgoers may have had a challenge in watching one of Shakespeare s plays that way. We are not listening to newly invented words, but we do hear many words that are no longer in use or now have a different meaning. The actors will try to make the meaning of hard to understand words and phrases clear through how the words are said. As an audience member we may not understand the meaning of every word or phrase and that is okay the goal in those situations is to continue to follow the meaning and story line of the scene. A large part of the play is in a poetic form called iambic pentameter. The poetry will create ebb and flow that will largely go unnoticed once each individual s ears get used to it. In our every day lives we often speak with our words ordered in specific ways within a sentence. However, Shakespeare often arranges sentences in unique ways to affect the rhythm of the poetry, emphasize specific words, or to help create distinct characters. The actors have worked hard to make uniquely structured sentences make sense to the audience. Shakespeare also uses a large amount of wordplay and metaphor. The wordplay often includes puns and/or words with multiple meanings. In these instances if a word or phrase seems to mean more than one thing, it often does. Metaphor is very frequently used to describe an object or an idea as something else in a new and imaginative way. Common words and phrases to recognize and listen for: The ides of March March 15 th ere before wherefore why bootless useless mechanical a working person thou/thee you thy your (possessive) art are doth does dost do hast has wast was whence from where hence from here oft often yea even ay yes 4

5 nay no hie hurry aught anything yon/yonder that one there would (he were) I wish (he were) A BRIEF HISTORY OF JULIUS CAESAR, THE PLAY The Tragedy of Julius Caesar may have been the first play written for the King s Men (Shakespeare s acting troupe) in their new theatre, The Globe, in Not much else is known about its performance in Shakespeare s time. As with most of William Shakespeare s popular plays, Julius Caesar has been performed all over the world with a large number of directorial interpretations. A BRIEF HISTORY OF JULIUS CAESAR, THE PERSON The death of Julius Caesar was a story of interest to people of the Renaissance era. There were often debates as to whether or not Brutus and Cassius were traitors to Rome or not. Was the great General Julius Caesar going to dismantle the Republic and become a dictator? Or was he a war hero that was tragically murdered? This is the dilemma Mr. Shakespeare puts forth with his play. What we do know is that on March 15, 44 B.C. Julius Caesar was assassinated by a group of Senators. Prior to 44 B.C. Caesar had been a decorated war hero and successful conqueror of neighboring countries. He also had defied orders from the Senate and eventually entered into civil war with the other primary Senators of the Republic. Winning this civil war left Caesar in a position of sole power. The death of Caesar created another civil war one that resulted in the Battle of Philippi in 42 B.C. Julius Caesar s nephew and adopted son Octavius, along with Mark Antony, would defeat the powers led by Senators such as Brutus and Cassius. This victory eventually led to the end of the Roman Republic and the beginning of the Roman Empire, thus defeating the purpose of those who conspired to kill Julius Caesar to save the Senate. WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, PLAYWRIGHT Though one of the English language s foremost authors and, perhaps, the bestknown playwright in history, little is known about the details of William Shakespeare s life. We do know that he was born in April of 1564 in the town of Stratford-upon-Avon and died there in the same calendar month fifty-two years later. He spent his professional days in London working as a successful playwright, actor, and poet, also presumably profiting as an owner of The Globe theater after helping to construct it. He died a wealthy landowner owning land in Stratfordupon-Avon which is assumed he invested in while living and working in London. Mr. Shakespeare married at the age of eighteen to a slightly older Anne Hathaway and had three children, though his only son died at the age of eleven. 5

6 Thirty-seven or thirty-eight (depending on who you ask) plays have been attributed to the hand and mind of William Shakespeare, along with one-hundred-and-fiftyfour sonnets and a handful of long narrative poems. Examples of those long poems include Venus and Adonis (1593) and The Rape of Lucrece (1594), which were written when theaters were closed due to the plague. Due to large body of incredible work Shakespeare has written many scholars have questioned whether or not he is the sole author of all of his writings. In the preface to the play in Folger s updated edition our editors Ms. Barbara A. Mowat and Mr. Paul Werstine sum up a response nicely: Unlikely as it seems to those who want the works to have been written by an aristocrat, a university graduate, or an important person, the plays and poems seem clearly to have been produced by a man from Stratford-upon- Avon with a very good grammar-school education and a life of experience in London and in the world of the London theater. How this particular man produced the works that dominate the cultures of much of the world almost four hundred years after his death is one of life s mysteries and one that will continue to tease our imaginations as we continue to delight in his plays and poems. ON THE STYLE OF THE PLAY On Heightened Language A large portion of Julius Caesar is in poetic verse and the events that take place in the play include incredible acts that are unusual on a day-to-day basis such planning and executing an assassination with knives and civil war. Obviously the way the play is written and what it is written about effect the style of the play and how the words are spoken. Sixteenth century audience members were used to seeing plays written in a poetic style. I think now, just as back then, patrons who go to the theater (to see a movie or a play) are used to seeing unique stories about events that are not mundane. So, in large part, what we as a contemporary audience are adjusting to is the poetic language and the Shakespearean wordplay. As you know, the poetry is written in rhythms. As contemporary performers we may purposefully speak without using the rhythm of the lines of poetry, but the language is written with that rhythm and some of it will permeate the dialogue no matter what. The poetry may stand out to you at first as odd or foreign, but the more you listen to the story the more you will grow accustomed to the plays poetic nature to the point you will no longer notice it. It is believed that Shakespeare, either purposefully or with a natural gift, structured phrases with incredible precision. This structure will create mood and tone, perhaps whether the actors are aware of it or not. For example, phrases may be filled with words with short vowel sounds that are contained by consonants like the 6

7 word cut. When saying the word cut it feels cold and abrupt. An example of the opposite is the word woo, which means to flirt essentially. Shakespeare would place this word woo in the dialogue when one character is wooing another because it is a warm open vowel sound that can be elongated and natural makes your lips pucker out in a kiss-like shape. Try it. My suggestion to you is to take in as much meaning as possible without stopping to clarify everything for yourself. When the play is over ask yourself, Did I understand the story as whole and how do I feel about it? The heightened language will hopefully leave you with feelings and a change in your energy. On Tragedy William Shakespeare s plays often fit into one of three categories: comedies, histories, and tragedies. There is no doubt that this play falls into the description that it does. Almost everyone dies and there is no sense of true resolution for Rome at the end of the play. As with most works of art, the style hopes to support the intended message. In my opinion, Julius Caesar encourages conversation about politics and how to best serve a community. The tragic nature of the story connects one s feelings to message. On Cutting and Updating The play s fifty-four plus characters have been reduced to twenty-three and the epic tale s length has been condensed into under two hours. Much of the subplots make up the material that has been cut. The director has also cast this production with actors that may not fit the description of middle-aged Roman men with the intent to more closely represent our current culture. Updating the production to a partially recognizable American century that of the 1920 s ought to allow each of us to connect to the characters more so than characters wearing togas. The director and production team have chosen to stylize the battles and blood for this production of Julius Caesar. By not putting emphasis on real fighting or real blood more emphasis will be placed on the actions that bring about fighting and killing due to the nature of thinking about those results in a different way. Thought goes into every detail; for example, we placed the audience on two sides of the stage on the longest available axis to help subconsciously give the audience the feeling of being in a Roman coliseum. So despite wanting to move away from togas in an overt way, we still want to recognize that Roman culture is still the foundation of this story. THOUGHTS TO BRING IN TO THE THEATRE Things to think about before the performance: Where might you have seen Shakespeare s storylines before? Have you seen The Lion King? It is based on Hamlet. There are countless others. 7

8 Why might the work of a playwright who was writing over four hundred years ago still be studied and performed? Do you think William Shakespeare wanted his work to survive him in perpetuity? You have undoubtedly heard some of the famous lines from Julius Caesar, such as Et tu, Brute?, Beware the ides of March, and the fault is not in our stars, but in ourselves. Are you curious as to the origin and context of these quotations? What to watch for during the performance: Which characters do you like and when? Does it change? How does the tone of the play change after Julius Caesar is assassinated? The action takes place on a unit set (unchanging scenery), yet represents multiple locations and supports varying theatrical styles. Are you able to imagine where and when the action is taking place? What to ponder upon leaving: Which characters (or character types) are familiar to you? And why? How much of Shakespeare s language did you actually understand? And is that more or less than you expected? Do you have a different point of view about your government and civic leaders? How were blood and battles represented during the play? Were those stylistic choices effective for you? Are you more or less interested in reading and/or seeing more of William Shakespeare s plays? Further analysis tools: What is the significance of the title? What happens in the very last moments of the play? Certainly, the last few minutes, but, more importantly, the last thirty seconds? In that time, WHAT happens or is said, and what does that say about what the play is about? In a nutshell, how does the playwright drive his point(s) home? What is the overall feeling that you are left with? What do you feel you know about the Rome Julius Caesar and Marcus Brutus were navigating? In what ways does it relate to our government? Do you view Shakespeare differently? If either yes or no, why do you think that is? FURTHER READING Shakespeare, William. Mowat, Barbara A. and Werstine, Paul, editors. Julius Caesar. New York, NY: The Folger Shakespeare Library, ** Prepared by Carl Lindberg February 25,

Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare

Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare Big Ideas: Ambition, Loyalty, Leadership, and Integrity Essential Questions: How did the era in which Shakespeare lived influence and reflect his writing? When is ambition