Caesar: A Life in Western Culture

by Maria Wyke

From a Caesarian birth, via his conquest of Gaul and the decisive crossing of the Rubicon, to his love affair with Cleopatra and the fateful Ides of March ...Even the cliches of his life reveal the extent to which Julius Caesar has become an enduring part of the fabric of western culture. In this book Maria Wyke explores the ways in which Caesar's life has provided inexhaustible inspiration for two thousand years. In the Middle Ages he was held to be a 'pagan saint' whose conduct exemplified Christian virtues, and popes and emperors clamoured to establish a founding place for him in their family trees.Artists such as Shakespeare and Handel found in 'great Caesar's' life the stuff of dramatic plots which focus on supremacy and conspiracy, while Napoleon, Mussolini (to his enemies a 'sawdust Caesar') and Cesare Borgia looked to him for more practical lessons in how to seize and hold on to power. The love triangle of Caesar, Mark Antony and Cleopatra provides the archetypal story of the interplay of sex, luxury and power, and the story of his assassination, too, has been a fertile source in later centuries for explorations of tyranny, liberty and betrayal. Maria Wyke's book is a timely and highly readable exploration of a life - and afterlife - of almost unparalleled potency in the western imagination.

Genres: History, Classics

278 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Boone Ayala · Rating 3 out of 5]

The most interesting thing for me is Wyke’s method of metahistorical biography - balancing contemporary records of Caesar’s life with the appropriations of events from his life, and seeking to show the continued resonance and uses of his biography throughout history.

This seems like this would make a fun assignment for students. Something like “pick one work (art, literature, video game, movies and TV, etc) which depicts a historical event, figure, or process covered in this course. Using course materials, outline the history of the event. Then, analyze the event’s representation in media. Go beyond a simple critique of inaccuracy - why is the artist invoking this event? How does the medium change the way the event is experienced or understood ? How might you, in collaboration with the artist, change the event to make it more historically accuarate, or at least express different dimensions of the history?”

[Bonnie_blu · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book surveys western culture from Caesar's time to the 21st century and shows how Caesar's life has been used through numerous time periods and by many cultures to promote various political and/or spiritual agendas. Two very strong conclusions can be drawn from Wyke's investigation: 1) Caesar was without a doubt an extraordinary person gifted with a plethora of talents and great intelligence; thus, the continued attraction and relevance of his life more than 2000 years after his death, and 2) political/cultural/religious entities and movements will continue to co-opt the rich details of his life to promote their own agendas. Recently there has been a renewed effort to discover the "real" Caesar; however, this may be an impossible task unless additional sources are discovered. Therefore, Caesar's life will continue to be malleable.

[Anurag · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting read about the modern reflection of institutional power. I wish the author went into politics and psychology a little more but she seemed more interested in keeping the book entertaining. It's fine at first, but there are instances where the author attempts draw conclusions on our understanding of Caesar by overinterpreting rather unconsequential artifacts - things as Age of Kings - a computer game. For such reasons I probably won't recommend this book for someone interested in studying Caesar in details - but the book definitely is an entertaining commentary on the topic.

[Lyndon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think i love the concept of this work as much as the work itself. To 'read' Caesar through the centuries is to catch a glimpse of how history is anything but static; rather, it serves the purposes of those who need 'history' to come out in their favor. This is a fascinating telling of the story of Caesar, and a remarkable reading of even current manifestations of appeals to Caesar. The prose is tight and lucid, which makes the text skip along merrily.

[Adam · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book is well-written, but it turns out I wasn't interested in the subject as much as I thought.