The Big Bad: Who Is It?

Okay, guys, we made it! No more Shakespeare for the rest of the semester! But since we are still discussing Julius Caesar, I find that I have an issue with this play.

Who is the villain?

Many of us enjoy villains. They are what make and break a movie, show, book, etc. etc. etc. So the fact that I can't figure out who the centralized villain is is disconcerting.

I'm not sure who we are really supposed to be rooting for in this whole thing. 

Are we rooting for Brutus because he's a great candidate as a protagonist and we follow him through the entire play?

Are we rooting for Marc Antony, Cassius, Caesar (although that would be short-lived)?

WHO ARE WE SUPPOSED TO HATE AND WHO ARE WE SUPPOSED TO LIKE!?

That's what, to me, makes this play infuriatingly frustrating and also infuriatingly likable. 

It has me in knots because as soon as I make up my mind on who fills the role as the protagonist/antagonist, the roles switch or something new comes into play to mess with me. It kept me guessing trying to figure out which direction the characters would go. 

As a lover of history, I knew Shakespeare wouldn't deviate too far from the truth.

I knew that Caesar would die... and that Brutus would die... and that Rome was pretty much up for grabs for Octavian to come in and snatch it up. But even in this story rooted in fact, I can't discern who the good guy is. I know a lot of people in here are bad... but who is the main Big Bad?

Usually, in a piece of entertainment, the villain and the hero are pretty obvious. 

Harry Potter vs. Voldemort

Jamie & Claire Fraser vs. Black Jack Randall (**Side note: Anyone find it odd that Tobias Menzies played Brutus in Rome AND BJR in Outlander? Coincidence? I think not)

Snow White vs. The Evil Queen

I'm curious to find out who you guys fill the roles as "hero" and "villain" in this play because, to me, Shakespeare has put me through the ringer trying to figure this out!!

Why Julius Caesar?

We finished Shakespeare, we did it! However, I do have to say Shakespeare was a walk in the park after reading Plutarch.

                                      

I like the dialogue between the characters, it gave the plot more depth and understanding. Also since my preferred media is audio I was able to listen. The sassiness in Act 4 was pretty funny, from a person that wants to be a leader a Rome is acting like a little kid.At the end of the day you need to man up if you want to rule in the future and bragging about what you have done to certain people will only weaken you. Now let’s talk about the ghost, we all knew it was coming, would it be a Shakespeare if there was not a ghost, I feel like the play wouldn’t be complete. 

                                          

This may be just me but I still don’t understand, why the play is called Julius Caesar, why not Marcus Brutus? I mean when you think of it the play doesn’t end when Caesar is killed. There are at least a good two and a half acts after Cesar’s death. I feel as if this whole play is about all the life choices that Brutus makes in his almost rise to leader of Rome.