Julius Caesar

by William Shakespeare

Rome, 44BC, the great general Julius Caesar arrives home from war as the sole ruler of Rome. The citizens cheer the conquering hero, but not all are pleased to see him return. Many fear that with nobody to oppose him, this military genius will become a cruel dictator. A conspiracy takes shape that ensnares the proud Brutus, one of Caesar's most trusted allies, in an assassination plot that will change the course of history.

What is most important, Shakespeare asks, loyalty to your leaders or to your country? Can good ever come of evil actions, and are those who speak of freedom always trustworthy?

Now imagined as a thrilling graphic adventure, William Shakespeare's classic retelling of actual historical events is revealed as a timeless political thriller - a bloody saga of friendships betrayed, alliances destroyed, and a nation torn apart by civil war.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Shakespeare, Classics

Mass Market Paperback

Published December 17, 1981

About the author

William Shakespeare was an English playwright, poet, and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon" (or simply "the Bard"). His extant works, including collaborations, consist of some 39 plays, 154 sonnets, three long narrative poems, and a few other verses, some of uncertain authorship. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright. Shakespeare remains arguably the most influential writer in the English language, and his works continue to be studied and reinterpreted.
Shakespeare was born and raised in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire. At the age of 18, he married Anne Hathaway, with whom he had three children: Susanna, and twins Hamnet and Judith. Sometime between 1585 and 1592, he began a successful career in London as an actor, writer, and part-owner ("sharer") of a playing company called the Lord Chamberlain's Men, later known as the King's Men after the ascension of King James VI and I of Scotland to the English throne. At age 49 (around 1613), he appears to have retired to Stratford, where he died three years later. Few records of Shakespeare's private life survive; this has stimulated considerable speculation about such matters as his physical appearance, his sexuality, his religious beliefs, and even certain fringe theories as to whether the works attributed to him were written by others.
Shakespeare produced most of his known works between 1589 and 1613. His early plays were primarily comedies and histories and are regarded as some of the best works produced in these genres. He then wrote mainly tragedies until 1608, among them Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Othello, King Lear, and Macbeth, all considered to be among the finest works in the English language. In the last phase of his life, he wrote tragicomedies (also known as romances) and collaborated with other playwrights.
Many of Shakespeare's plays were published in editions of varying quality and accuracy during his lifetime. However, in 1623, John Heminge and Henry Condell, two fellow actors and friends of Shakespeare's, published a more definitive text known as the First Folio, a posthumous collected edition of Shakespeare's dramatic works that includes 36 of his plays. Its Preface was a prescient poem by Ben Jonson, a former rival of Shakespeare, that hailed Shakespeare with the now famous epithet: "not of an age, but for all time".

Reviews

[mari0ndule · Rating 2 out of 5]

outil de torture much cette pièce bien que la situationship cassius/brutus rendait ça un peu plus intéressant 🚬

[Jose Marquez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Complejo lenguaje al ser adaptación de la obra de teatro de Shakespeare, no descarto defectos en la traducción. Ia ilustración podría ser mejor ya que los rasgos faciales y la estructura corporal casi no se diferencian entre los protagonistas, si en los otros y en el pueblo de Roma. Excepción de Octavio que si se diferencia por su cabello rubio y algo más delgado.
Considero necesario haber leído la obra antes de esta novela gráfica para entender mejor la trama.

[Emmaj]

I'm not a big fan of Campfire Graphics. They have some good ones, but mostly they feel flat and formulaic to me. Making a work in graphic novel form does not automatically increase its appeal.

[Michael P. · Rating 3 out of 5]

The script for this graphic novel is generally sound and so are the captions to set up new scenes. The cuts are mostly sensible and while there aren't enough glosses, those included are very helpful. The problem is with the art. Naresh Kumar has a light and pleasing style but is a terrible storyteller. While faces are distinct, little is done with clothing, especially late in the story, to help readers distinguish the speakers. This is especially a problem in long shots. The character on the left side of a panel my be in the right side in the next panel, making identification even more difficult. Kumar even fails to bring anything like dramatic impact to the art by not having the emotion expressed in the word balloons mirrored in the faces of the speakers. It all just plods along. Colorists Vijay Sharma and Pardeep Sherawat also fail to use dramatic shifts of palate to underline the things said, so the color plots, too. A big disappointment.

[PleaseJustLetMeRead · Rating 3 out of 5]

En udmærket læseoplevelse, som måske netop kan virke tiltalende grundet sin form; at den er bygget op som grafisk roman / tegneserie og ikke en teksttung roman må kunne gøre noget for de, der har udfordringer med store mængder tekst.
Illustrationerne er virkelig flotte, og der er gjort rigtig meget ud af at gøre det livagtigt.
Sproget vil for mange dog nok være lidt vanskeligt at gå til, - det er trods alt en fortolkning af et Shakespeare stykke, så lige her kan der altså være lidt udfordringer, da netop dét ikke er up-to-date. Tekststykkerne er dog netop, igen fordi det er en tegneserie, relativt korte, så selvom det er svært, burde det være til at overskue at kæmpe sig igennem det.

[S · Rating 3 out of 5]

This play for me starts off very very strong, and with possibly my favourite speech in it of all Shakespeare’s. The “friends romans countrymen” - not many move me like that one. I feel like it just peters off a little towards the end and the characters all get a little muddled and it drags. But overall a great interpretation of great men and their faults. Some brilliant themes. I hope one day I can perform it or have a hand in reinventing it for modern ears…

[Damian · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this book is pretty good. I like the intense pictures and the chat boxes. It is descriptive and filled with action. I like how the storyline was all plotted out. Overall is a good graphic novel.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

If the purpose of putting Shakespeare plays into graphic novel form is to make it easier to understand the story through visual cues, this novel doesn’t achieve it. The people seem emotionless and all the characters look too similar.

[Constanza · Rating 3 out of 5]

For me , as an 11 year old , this graphic novel way to difficult to read . The drawings were really nice though.

[Tian Gao · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very detailed notes, which I find a little distracting.

[Lidia · Rating 4 out of 5]

✨ 4 stars

[Dennis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've not yet read any of the Arden Shakespeare: Third Series but am so impressed by the detailed, comprehenive and readable! books. That last quality in my list is a rare quality in so much of otherwise worthy books on the plays. Thank you to David Daniell and all the other Shakespeare scholars who've contributed to this compendium of both the play and its history covering so many areas of the play's life in our culture.
Well, done.

[audrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Guys I LOVE JULIUS CAESAR! I LOVE IT! Such a good edition, and the introduction is soooo juicy. I also appreciated the excerpts from Plutarch's Lives, and the text is actually so entertaining despite being thousands of years old?? Gagged.

The way to my heart is to ask me about Brutus and Cassius. That's all.