Preeminent Shakespearean Stephen Greenblatt calls out people for whining about the Shakespeare-in-the-Park production of “Julius Caesar.” After all, Queen Elizabeth I once had a Shakespeare play used against her in an attempted overthrow and just shrugged it off.
Tag Archives: Julius Caesar
Only Wimps Complain about Shakespeare
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Donald Trump, Richard II, Shakespeare in the Park, William Shakespeare Comments closed
Sly Marc Antony Resembles McConnell
The Shakespeare-in-the-Park production of “Julius Caesar” has the Right up in arms about the image of Donald Trump being assassinated. The timeliest lesson of the play, however, is the way that Marc Antony slyly slides in to take power. Think of him as Mitch McConnell quietly preparing to repeal Obamacare and deprive millions of healthcare while the nation focuses on Senate hearings.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged ACA, AHCA, health care, Mitch McConnell, politics, Russia investigation, William Shakespeare Comments closed
“Julius Caesar” Is Only Too Relevant
“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.
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
