The Primary Shakespeare Company
PICTURE RESOURCES
Julius Caesar
Here are some famous works of art to inspire you....
'Julius Caesar', Act III, Scene 1, the Assassination
William Holmes Sullivan (1836-1908)
Here we can see the moment that the conspirators move to strike. "Speak hands for me". The artist captures the moment of excitement just before Julius Caesar falls.
Royal Shakespeare Company Collection, Stratford-upon-Avon, England.
‘Julius Caesar’, Act III, Scene 2, the Murder Scene (1822)
George Clint (1770-1854)
This picture shows the moment just after the deed has been done. Julius Caesar lies slain, and Brutus urges everyone to keep calm. Little does he know the events which will follow....
Royal Shakespeare Company Collection, Stratford-upon-Avon, England.
Brutus and the Ghost of Caesar (c 1802)
Richard Westall (1765-1836)
engraved by Edward Scriven (1775–1841)
The ghost of Caesar appears to Brutus in his tent. "Thou shalt see me at Philippi". Brutus is confused (and a bit scared).
Location unknown
Brutus and Caesar’s Ghost (1806)
William Blake (1757–1827)
The same scene is depicted here. this time Brutus looks a little braver. "Spirit, I would hold no more talk with thee".
Location unknown
Portia (wife of Brutus) (1896)
Lawrence Alma-Tadema (1836-1912)
In Act II, Scene 1, Portia becomes concerned about Brutus's troubled state of mind and his involvement in some weighty matter, but Brutus does not disclose the details of the conspiracy to her.
Although Portia tries to get information from Brutus, he remains secretive about the plot. Portia' is aware that something significant is happening, but she doesn't know the exact details of the conspiracy against Caesar.
Folger Shakespeare Library, Washington, DC
An illustration of Act II, scene 2. Calpurnia, Caesar's wife, is seen imploring him not to go to the senate-house, where he will be murdered. It is a view from inside an elaborate Roman home, with a highly polished floor and marble columns. Two figures stand in the centre of the picture, their backs to the viewer. On the right is Caesar who is looking across to his wife, Calpurnia. She looks up at her husband, her face lit in contrast to Caesar's which is in shadow. She gestures with her right hand towards a comet which has crossed the sky and is moving out of view. Just to the left of the comet's trail is the silhouette of a statue of a soldier, armed with a shield and spear.
Manchester Art Gallery
This is a picture of Mark Antony giving his speech as Caesar's funeral. He keeps talking about the conspirators being "honourable men", meaning exactly the opposite! The people of Rome get the message loud and clear, and Rome is thrown into chaos.
Royal Shakespeare Company Collection
The final battle , Cassius and Brutus vs Mark Antony and Octavius. Eventually the forces of Cassius and Brutus were overrun, Octavius end the play saying, "So call the field to rest, and let’s away to part the glories of this happy day."