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Paterson Joseph as Brutus
Featuring a distinguished cast of black actors and shot on location in the RSC's theatre at Stratford-upon-Avon, the setting of this production of Julius Caesar is a modern African state in which the tyrant Caesar is about to seize power.
As Cassius persuades Brutus to join the conspirators plotting an assassination, a vivid struggle for democracy unfolds as two men are united by an explosive act of political violence.
In the exclusive content below, delve behind-the-scenes of the production with our exclusive video, explore the histories of Julius Caesar on stage and page with Open University academic, Edmund G. C. King, then explore our learning resources about Shakespeare and the Roman Empire.
Visit the BBC Four pages to discover more, including a a blog entry from producer John Wyver.
Watch this exclusive video about the making of the BBC film version of the Royal Shakespeare Company's production of Julius Caesar Watch now: Julius Caesar: From stage to screen
Watch this exclusive video about the role of gender in the making of the BBC film version of the Royal Shakespeare Company's production of Julius Caesar Watch now: Julius Caesar and gender
In this exclusive video, the director and producer of the BBC film version of the RSC's production of Julius Caesar talks about how it's relevant to... Watch now: Julius Caesar and the present moment
In this video, the spotlight is placed on the influence of African politics in the BBC film version of the RSC's Julius Caesar Watch now: Julius Caesar and Africa
This exclusive video from the set of the BBC film version of the RSC's Julius Caesar focuses on the actors Watch now: Julius Caesar and acting
The role of the public is explored in this behind the scenes video from the RSC's production of Julius Caesar Watch now: Julius Caesar and the people
The histories of people reading, performing and witnessing Julius Caesar are surprisingly diverse. In this article, The Open University's Edmund King explains more Read more : Julius Caesar on stage and page
Is Shakespeare still relevant today? How does his work influence pop culture today? Do the themes of his plays continue to resonate with modern audiences... Watch now: Shakespeare: A critical analysis
Develop your knowledge of the range and variety of Shakespeare’s dramatic work, as well as how it has been perceived critically since it was written.This... Visit prospectus for Shakespeare: text and performance
Study a broad range of arts subject areas (from history to philosophy, music to English) across multiple cultures and historical periods in this university-level introduction.This... Visit prospectus for The arts past and present
Watch the Shakespeare episode of The History of English in Ten Minutes from our iTunes team below:
Acclaimed novelist and screenwriter William Boyd wrote a drama about William Shakespeare entitled "A Waste of Shame". His drama is based on academic research and... Read more : Imagining the Bard: William Boyd Interview
Peter Thomson describes Shakespeare's family life. Read more : Shakespeare's Family
Gill Stoker considers to what extent Shakespeare woulld be at home in our contemporary world. Read more : Shakespeare: Our Contemporary?
Katherine Duncan-Jones outlines the mystery behind Shakespeare's sonnets. Read more : Shakespeare's sonnets
Tony Hill of the Royal Shakespeare Company assists young people in accessing Shakespearian language by working through lines from Hamlet and understanding the meaning behind... Watch now: Getting to grips with Shakespearian language
, watched by Osric (Ryan Gage) listens to Claudius (Patrick Stewart) as he prepares to fight Laertes (Edward Bennett) 0063.jpg)
Pulling together a production is more than just the script, Hannah Lavery from the Open University explains the process behind Hamlet and invites us to... Read more : How do we 'know' Hamlet?
An overview of the Roman occupation of Britain. Read more : Timeline of Roman occupation
The Roman Empire
Timeline of Roman occupation
I have just watched Julius Caesar on BBC iPlayer. I found the play very entertaining. The transposing of the play from Roman times to modern day Africa was genius, even if the accents were obviously fake. I was able to grasp that even after 2000 years human intercourse hasn't really changed. I was impressed that Shakespeare's work was brilliantly portrayed and shows that his work is so relevant today. Thank you BBC and the RSC
OK, I saw this production, the one they televised, live' at RSC Stratford on Avon, at the 7:15pm performance, on 2 June. I was blown away by Ray Fearon's performance and the whole production, it was magnificent. Now, I confess that, if you will allow me to indulge myself, as this blog has very few entries so far, that I will make a further comment when I have caught up with the televised performance on the iPlayer. Julius Caesar was what I studied for O Level, way back in 1979, and I was very lucky in that the previous BBC production of JC was transmitted in the spring of that year. I was even more lucky in that my English Lit teacher at the time, Martin Tyrell (yes, see link below, the very same teacher who taught Benedict Cumberbatch at Harrow - and - I believe he taught Lawrence Fox too - and even possibly Adam Woodyatt) took me into character studies of Antony and Brutus.
The Cumberbatch/Tyrell link:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b012tnt0
Now, I was an extraordinary bad pupil, an utter disaster, and I hated Shakespeare
with utter contempt, as I thought he was a.... well.... er... I was a punk at the time and I just couldn't stand him. Anyway, 33 years later, having paid an awful price for being a rebel (no career), here we are, a performance that I thought was the most extraordinary and powerful Shakespeare play I have yet seen, in my entire life. Yes, I will do a part II to this blog, honest, this play and my life are interwoven. Anyway, I also enjoyed Benedict in the Rattigan Enigma too, and Mr Tyrell does not look like he's aged much either. So, part II of this very personal review later this week!
OK, I saw this production, the one they televised, live' at RSC Stratford on Avon, at the 7:15pm performance, on 2 June. I was blown away by Ray Fearon's performance and the whole production, it was magnificent. Now, I confess that, if you will allow me to indulge myself, as this blog has very few entries so far, that I will make a further comment when I have caught up with the televised performance on the iPlayer. Julius Caesar was what I studied for O Level, way back in 1979, and I was very lucky in that the previous BBC production of JC was transmitted in the spring of that year. I was even more lucky in that my English Lit teacher at the time, Martin Tyrell (yes, see link below, the very same teacher who taught Benedict Cumberbatch at Harrow - and - I believe he taught Lawrence Fox too - and even possibly Adam Woodyatt) took me into character studies of Antony and Brutus.
The Cumberbatch/Tyrell link:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b012tnt0
Now, I was an extraordinary bad pupil, an utter disaster, and I hated Shakespeare
with utter contempt, as I thought he was a.... well.... er... I was a punk at the time and I just couldn't stand him. Anyway, 33 years later, having paid an awful price for being a rebel (no career), here we are, a performance that I thought was the most extraordinary and powerful Shakespeare play I have yet seen, in my entire life. Yes, I will do a part II to this blog, honest, this play and my life are interwoven. Anyway, I also enjoyed Benedict in the Rattigan Enigma too, and Mr Tyrell does not look like he's aged much either. So, part II of this very personal review later this week!
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