Reading Shakespeare: Julius Caesar

But, for my own part, it was Greek to me. (1.2.283)

Well, for my part, it wasn't Greek. It was one of the best texts of literature that I've ever read. One that both the reader and the viewer of the play would enjoy. In other words, Julius Caesar deserves all the praise that it gets and have been getting through the years and decades.

I truly believe that one should first read a Shakespearean play before watching an adaptation of it. Although it's an actual play, but a reader will definitely get more from it than a viewer. There are many characters and literature elements that a reader will find, when reading the entire play, being that a play or an visual adaptation of it will not necessarily include every scene or every line in the play. This aspect of the reading experience is important to give every character its moment and value.

I've had the privilege to both read the play and also watch a good adaptation of it. Having done that, I had a specific picture of every character in the play and a specific sense to them, watching actual actors perfume and give their characters their own flavor and take was something that I did not want. But I will say this, that although I did not like the concept of giving an actual image to a fictional character in a Shakespearean play, one should always watch a visual adaptation of it, as it's in the end, a play.

As for the play itself, Julius Caesar is a story that has it all. It tackles most of the questions that not only did the Romans have at that time, but general questions that everyone has. questions about loyalty and friendship are at the surface of the play, but also there are many more deeper issues explored in the play. Shakespeare wanted to show his own opinion on the concept of revolting against the system. He, as many argue, believes that changing a system does not necessarily have good results. One can also reflect the times that the play writer wrote in, having a queen like Queen Elizabeth, Shakespeare wanted to voice his own opinion of her and the whole monarch system throughout his play.

Another Shakespearean play that one should both read and see.