Julius Caesar: Act 4, Scene 2 (part 3)

So, where are we now?

We're still in the tent! Talking about stuff!

This bit of the tent scene is primarily exposition, although it does feature Brutus putting on his best "Brave, Stoic, & Noble" act.

Also, Brutus deliberately forces Messala (the guy in the helmet) to break the news of Portia's death to him, even though he already knows about it. I think that's a rotten thing to do to Messala, honestly. Way to unnecessarily put him in a really awkward and uncomfortable position, Brutus. 

PODCAST ALERT!

I was at the Shakespeare Theatre Association's annual conference last weekend and had the opportunity to sit down with the hosts of No Holds Bard (the Shakespeare podcast Shakespeare would have listened to) for a second year in a row. This time I joined Jenn Deon of Persistence Theatre, Brett Elliot of Kingsmen Shakespeare Company, and Lesley Currier of Marin Shakespeare Company to participate in the second Fantasy Shakespeare Season draft.

We all took turns selecting Shakespeare plays to include in our hypothetical theatre seasons. I'm quite pleased with how my season turned out; I'm regretting my round two pick, and I don't know how many producers would be willing to finance it, but it's got a solid theme and I'd be genuinely excited to see almost all of them (round two pick notwithstanding).

Give it a listen below or head on over to No Holds Bard! 

Julius Caesar: Act 4, Scene 2 (part 2)

More tent scene! When we last left our anti-heroes, they were busy squabbling.

If you're wondering who that guy is who interrupts Brutus and Cassius's hug-it-out session, it's "Poet", not to be confused with "Cinna the Poet", and also not to be confused with "Character Who Is Remotely Relevant".

"Poet" is apparently based on Marcus Favonius, a philosopher and senator whom Plutarch credits for helping heal the rift between Brutus and Cassius... which would be fine, except that in Shakespeare's play, he enters after Brutus and Cassius have reconciled, making him totally irrelevant and, unsurprisingly, often cut from productions. I don't think I've ever seen "Poet" on stage. 

Julius Caesar: Act 4, Scene 2 (part 1)

Hey, guess what?

It's time for THE TENT SCENE!

More accurately, it's time for one part of THE TENT SCENE, because THE TENT SCENE goes on for a long, long time. Fasten your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy night.

Julius Caesar: Act 4, Scene 1

OK, Caesar has been assassinated, speeches have been made, the citizens of Rome have been riled, the conspirators have run away, and poets have been dismembered. Let's see how Antony and his new buddies Octavius and the other guy are doing...

This is Lepidus's only appearance in Julius Caesar. He gets a little more stage time in Antony & Cleopatra, but the glaring fact of the matter is that nobody really cares about Lepidus, despite him ostensibly being one third of the Second Triumvirate.

Poor old Lepidus.

Close, But No Caesar

Phew, Julius Caesar is getting pretty heavy, isn't it? Let's take a brief moment for some comic relief before we move into Act 4:

Sorry not sorry.

Julius Caesar: Act 3, Scene 3

When we last left Julius Caesar, Mark Antony had just used the power of judiciously-applied over-the-top rhetoric to mobilize a mob of murderous citizens bent on revenge. Let's see how that goes!

Poor old Cinna.

The RSC commissioned Tim Crouch to write a series of short solo plays highlighting some of Shakespeare's minor characters, including I, Cinna (the Poet), a video of which is available to watch online. I haven't actually watched it yet because I don't need that kind of angst in my life right now, but you should give it a look!

Julius Caesar: Act 3, Scene 2 (part 4)

OK! Enough holiday shenanigans. Let's get back to Julius Caesar. If you remember, when we last left Antony, he was in the midst of making the speech of his life, having just exposed the bleeding body of Caesar to the extremely easily persuaded mob. 

Apparently Caesar's gift to Rome's citizens was indeed part of his will. However, in this scene it almost seems as if Antony has made it up himself in order to further whip the citizens into a frenzy. I wouldn't put it past him, the smooth talker....

Shakespearean New Year's Resolutions, part 5

HAPPY NEW YEAR! It's time for another round of Shakespearean New Year's Resolutions! 

Here are some resolutions from past years:

And I just realized that this is going to be my FIFTH YEAR drawing Good Tickle Brain! I started back in September of 2013. That's crazy. Thanks for sticking with me through another year of Shakespearean silliness. Here's to many more!