For the next installment of my “Shakespeare and Neurodiversity” series, I discuss a play that may be polarizing in today’s society with all that is going on, but it’s really important to cover, nonetheless.
That play is, of course, “Julius Caesar.”
Now, this was I believe one of the first plays that Shakespeare did that was based on a real person. Julius Caesar was a dictator and paved the way for other dictators to follow including Napoleon Bonaparte, Adolf Hitler, Kim Jong-Il and most recently, Vladmir Putin.
So, it may sense for him to be put down in the most monotonous way possible. But it’s a good idea to not jump ahead in the story. Yes, some of us get a thrill of death scenes (myself included if it’s warranted) but it’s a good idea to start at the beginning and then work your way up the ladder.
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Alba as the Soothsayer in “Julius Caesar” (1970)
For one thing, “Julius Caesar” teaches us the importance of heeding warnings in the form of the soothsayer telling Caesar to beware the “Ides of March.” But Caesar ignores the warnings and tells him to shoo.
Now, I am pretty sure that a lot of Neurodiverse and Special Education Students in school or in the workplace for that matter don’t like to heed warnings. Those who ignore warnings tend to think that they are above anything because of their position or power.
We see this a lot in our world today where authority figures seem like they are invincible when in reality, they are not. Take for example the scene where Caesar is urged to come to the senate, but his wife Calpurnia advises against it. Eventually, Caesar makes the foolish choice and goes to the senate where he is put down by his friends and allies.
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Jill Bennett as Calpurnia, John Gielgud as Julius Caesar and Charlton Heston as Marc Antony in “Julius Caesar” (1970)
Now believe me, I’ve had plenty of moments as a neurodiverse individual where I needed to have my leash yanked to keep me from getting into trouble and doing something foolish. It wasn’t my cup of tea at first, but over time, I realized that whatever was keeping me held back was the wise decision made.
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Louis Calhoun as Julius Caesar in “Julius Caesar” (1953)
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James Mason as Brutus in “Julius Caesar” (1953)
The next theme that students can learn from “Julius Caesar” is the importance of betrayal and treason. We see plenty of betrayal and treason go on, especially in both business and politics. This is clearly in the case of Brutus, one of Caesar’s trusted friends.
He doesn’t want to kill Caesar, but he needs to think of the future of not just the Roman Empire, but the whole world as a whole. We all have to make very tough decisions in life and sometimes, the toughest decisions end up being the most important decisions we ever make.
In a way, I can sympathize with Brutus in the sense that he just did something that he would regret for the rest of his life and the rest of the play for that matter.
Jason Robards as Brutus in “Julius Caesar” (1970)
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Marlon Brando as Marc Antony in “Julius Caesar” (1953)
Charlton Heston as Marc Antony in “Julius Caesar” (1953)
Finally, if there is one good thing that comes out of a play like “Julius Caesar” is that a lot of aspiring public speakers like myself can practice our craft in the form of Marc Antony’s speech during Caesar’s hasty funeral service on the steps of the Roman Senate.
Antony’s “Friends, Romans, Countrymen” speech holds a ton of power and is enough to give even a practice audience a run for their money. This is a speech that a lot of schools will require students to practice or even do their own spin on it along with another famous speech that I will talk about in a later blog.
For now, watch each speech below and try and picture yourselves in how you would say this particular speech:
Now, I’m pretty sure that a lot of my fellow friends and colleagues in the autism/neurodiversity and disability communities have become public speakers based on studying speeches such as this when they were in school.
Who knows? Maybe you might have a future public speaker in your classroom that is just waiting to show you what they can do with a little help from the Bard.
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If you want to find film versions to show your class, there are two versions of “Julius Caesar” that stand out to me the most.
A. “Julius Caesar” (1953): This version follows the plot very similarly to the original source material, but one thing that makes it different is the assassination scene itself. The assassination scene lasts about 15 to 20 seconds and may be easier for sensory friendly and neurodiverse students to handle.
Not to mention it has a strong cast for its time including Marlon Brando as Antony, James Mason as Brutus, Louis Calhern as Caesar, Edmund O’Brien as Casca and John Gielgud as Cassius along with Greer Garson as Calpurnia and Deborah Kerr as Portia
B. “Julius Caesar” (1970) This was the version that I watched in high school and looking back on it now, it tries to be like the 1953 version, but there are times where it just looks like the acting could use some improvement, especially in Jason Robards’ performance as Brutus. Now look, I respect and admire Jason Robards, but he could have been better, either that or I am used to him as Al Capone in “The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre” (1967).
Also, unlike the 1953 version, the assassination scene is shown in its entirety, lasting about 3 to 4 minutes complete with bongo drums which I find a little bit strange for an assassination scene. Then again, this was made in the 1970s, so it was probably being fit with the times. Still, students who are neurodiverse or sensory friendly should be given the choice to not watch the assassination scene given its graphic nature.
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Catch you all later!!
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