Includes bibliographical references and index.

"Shakespeare's 'Julius Caesar' reflects perennial cultural concerns about order and freedom, particularly as they clash in the figures of Caesar and Brutus. This innovative experiment in Shakespeare literacy provides materials to provoke interpretations of the cultural meanings of 'Julius Caesar' based on historical reactions to the play, allusions to its language, and often unconscious echoes of its symbols. Most of the materials presented here are available in no other printed form. Study questions, project ideas, and bibliographies provide additional sources for examining the cultural and historical context of the play. In addition to a literary interpretation of the play, the book includes: A modernized version of Plutarch's lives of Caesar and Brutus ... ; Dramatic sequels to the play in the Elizabethan theater; A comparison of 'Julius Caesar' to the Lincoln assassination ... ; Excerpts from popular culture, including a rap version of the play ... ; parodies from 'Mad Magazine'; James Baldwin's 'Why I stopped hating Shakespeare'; and John Houseman's reflections on making the film version that starred Marlon Brando; Popular allusions to the play and its verse from the 18th century to the present; A chapter on teaching the play that includes commentary by noted teachers and a parallel layout of a rendering in Basi english alongside Shakespeare's edited play ..."

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