Customer Reviews

Julius Caesar (Arkangel Complete Shakespeare)

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I have purchased this version of the play and I have listened to it to compare it the the public library version I am using in class. That version is the Caedmon cassette. I like the production values of this one over the one I am using. The Caedmon version is good too, so don't think about buying this if you already have it. But if you are buying this for your class, it is worth the investment. Good acting, emotional, good music. A good way to communicate the text to the kids without video.

_Julius Caesar_ is one of those Shakespeare plays that you read in high school, forget about, and then have the joy of rediscovering years later. The Archangel recording will (re)introduce you to one of Shakespeare's great plays.

As others have commented, this play is primarily about Brutus, Shakespeare's dearest friend, who must decide how to lead a noble life. Is it right to kill his friend to preserve Rome as a republic? With the deed done, how can he remain true to his ideals, even as Rome itself threatens to shatter?

Other characters also come to life, largely in comparision or contrast to Brutus's: the scheming Cassius; Caesar, trapped between his own ego and his sense of justice; Marc Antony, driven by passion to smash Rome itself to revenge himself on the conspirators; and Brutus's and Caesar's wives, each of whom can see what is happening but is helpless to prevent the tragedy.

At one level, this is a play about politic and ethics. At another, it's a play about words and the power of stagecraft. In one of the play's finest moments, Brutus and Marc Antony use their best rhetoric to try to sway the Roman people for and against the conspirators. Hearing each speech performed, I can't help but think that we are being given a view into Shakespeare's own understanding of how to fill a crowd with passion or horror.

The Archangel recording of this play is excellent. It's very much a radio-style production instead of a simple reading, and the sound effects and interscene music are excellent, as are the performances. In particular, Adrian Lester steals the show as Antony, and the actor playing Cassius also does a remarkable job.
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I love the version of the drama Julius Caesar! It has taken me forever to find the cassettes of the performance. With the cassettes I'm able to just press play for my students and stop when we finish for the day. I don't have to hassle with the CDs. Love it!