“Julius Caesar” has been showing up in the news recently, and for good reason. New York leads off with the play this summer in “Shakespeare in the Park” (the political parallels are overwhelming) and there is an “Ides of Trump” postcard writing campaign scheduled for March 15.
Tag Archives: Julius Caesar
“Julius Caesar” Is Only Too Relevant
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Donald Trump, Paul Waldman, Russiagate, Shakespeare in the Park, Trumpism, William Shakespeare Comments closed
Decline & Fall of the American Republic?
Trump’s victory may signal the decline of the American republic, just as the rise of the Caesar signaled the end of the Roman republic. Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar” is only too relevant to today’s politics.
How Trump Echoes Marc Antony
A New York Times article argues that Trump is using rhetorical flourishes like those that Marc Antony uses to defeat Brutus in Shakespeare’s play. His key strategy is casting himself as authentic against the inauthenticity of politicians.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged 2016 presidential election, Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, Marc Antony, Rhetoric, William Shakespeare Comments closed
Ted Cruz as Lucifer, “Squat Like a Toad”
After John Boehner compared Sen. Ted Cruz to Lucifer, I went looking through “Paradise Lost” to find passages that would apply. I found a particularly good one but, if you ask me, Cruz more resembles Blifil, Tom Jones’s nemesis.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Bram Stoker, Dracula, Henry Fielding, John Boehner, John Milton, Lucifer, Paradise Lost, Peter King, politics, Presidential Primaries, Satan, Senate, Ted Cruz, Tom Jones, William Shakespeare Comments closed
Will Plots vs. Trump Succeed?
“Beware the Ides of March,” the soothsayer tells Julius Caesar. On the Ides of March 2016, Marco Rubio received the unkindest cut from his home state of Florida. But if for perhaps a more apt application of the play, one should look at how members of the GOP establishment are hoping to stab Donald Trump at the July convention.
Rubio vs. Bush: The Unkindest Cut
The struggle between Jeb Bush and his former protegé Marco Rubio has been described as Shakespearean. The Shakespeare duos that come to mind are Caesar-Brutus, Duncan-Macbeth, and Henry IV-Hal.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged GOP primaries, Henry IV Part II, Jeb Bush, Macbeth, Marco Rubio, William Shakespeare Comments closed
Jeb! Agonistes: An Unsettling Parallel
Does Jeb Bush resemble at the moment Samson Agonistes? His rivalry with Marco Rubio also resembles any number of Shakespeare tragedies. There’s an Oedipus parallel as well.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged 2016 election, GOP, GOP primary, Henry IV Part II, Jeb Bush, John Milton, Joseph Campbell, King Lear, Macbeth, Marco Rubio, Oedipus, politics, Samson Agonistes, Sophocles, William Shakespeare Comments closed
