Julius Caesar

by 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: Shakespeare, Graphic Novels, Classics

139 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 1964

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.

[The 99th Edition · Rating 1 out of 5]

توقفت عند صفحة رقم 50 و لم أكملها إذ وجدت أن وقتي أضيق و أقيم من أن يضيع في عمل ركيك لا يستحق ... أعتقد أن المؤلف أخطأ للغاية عندما استعمل اللغة الشكسبيرية العتيقة التي سطرت بها الرواية ... فأسلوب شكسبر بليغ و شاعري و متشابك و معقد و يحتاج إلى إلمام متعمق باللغة الإنجليزية ورغبة و مقدرة على تذوق الأدب و هذا ما لا يجيده قطاع عريض من القراء و أنا منهم فما بالك بالنشئ الذين يفترض أن هذه الرواية المصورة موجهة لهم أصلا؟! أرى أنه كان يتوجب على المؤلف تبسيط نص الرواية الأصلي إلى سردية خفيفة ورشيقة تتناسب و روح العصر وكذا طبيعة القصص المصورة كمنشور يستوجب المرونة والسلاسة في الطرح لتحقيق المتعة الذهنية و الرياضة العقلية المنشودة ... بالنسبة للرسومات فأنا أمنحها واحدا من عشرة فللوهلة الأولى و أنت تتصفح الرواية سريعا تجذبك الرسومات و لربما قررت شرائها لذلك السبب تحديدا ... لكنك بعد أن تجلس بهدوء لتقرأ و أنت تحتسي الشاي المنعنع تجدك منصدما من رداءة الرسم ... فكثير من التفاصيل مفقودة و أنا أعشق الرسام الذي يولي اهتماما بالغا بأدق التفاصيل كما و أن بعض المشاهد في الرواية تبدو مفبركة كما لوكانت صنعت على عجل و لعلها و لدت باللذكاء الاصطناعي هذا فلمسة الاتقان التي تحددها اليد الماهرة غير موجودة في هذه الرواية كما وان التلوين أيضا غير متقن بالمرة فهل تجده معقولا أن تكون كل شخصيات الرواية بلون بشرة وشعر و ملامح تكاد تكون متطابقة تماما؟! حتى إك لتجد صعوبة في تتبع الشخصيات الرئيسية .. نعم شخوص الرواية أوروبيون بيض لكن حتى بين البيض تجد فوارق ظاهرة بين كل فرد واخر فهذا ابيض مشوب بحمرة أشقر الشعر وهذا أبيض تكسوه سمره خفيفة كستنائي اشعر وهذا أبيض بنمش - البعض يسميه كلفا - أسود الشعر و هكذا في المجمل أقول أن الرواية ردئية لا تضيع فيها وقتك و لا مالك

[Lucas]

Here is the thing about Julius Caesar. Everyone knows how it ends. Caesar dies. Brutus stabs him. Antony gives a speech. The problem is not the plot. The problem is the distance. The language is old. The characters are names from a textbook. The stakes feel like history, not like life.

This graphic novel fixes that.

Dan Whitehead's adaptation keeps the core of Shakespeare's language but cuts the fat. Naresh Kumar's illustrations give every character a face, a posture, a moment of doubt. When Brutus walks into the conspiracy, you see his hesitation in his eyes before he says a word. When Caesar ignores the warnings, you feel the arrogance in his posture.

The best part is the pacing. 112 pages means no scene overstays its welcome. The assassination happens fast. The civil war happens faster. And the final image of Brutus falling on his own sword lands harder than any staged production I have seen.

Who is this for? High school students who hate Shakespeare. Adults who want to finally understand the play. Graphic novel fans who like political stories. Teachers looking for a classroom friendly version.

Who is this not for? Purists who want every single line. People who think illustrations are cheating.

I finished this book and immediately understood why this story has lasted 400 years. It is not about ancient Rome. It is about now. It is about who you trust and who you kill and whether good people can do bad things for good reasons.

[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.

[Sara Pezzoni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Come ho fatto a vivere senza finora non lo so proprio.

[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.