The Shakespeare Conference: SHK 13.2102  Friday, 18 October 2002

[1]     From:   M. Yawney <
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        Date:   Thursday, 17 Oct 2002 09:04:29 -0700 (PDT)
        Subj:   Re: SHK 13.2099 Questions about "Julius Caesar"

[2]     From:   Clifford Stetner <
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        Date:   Thursday, 17 Oct 2002 12:58:17 -0400
        Subj:   Re: SHK 13.2099 Questions about "Julius Caesar"

[3]     From:   Claude Caspar <
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        Date:   Thursday, 17 Oct 2002 15:10:37 -0400
        Subj:   Re: SHK 13.2099 Questions about "Julius Caesar"


[1]-----------------------------------------------------------------
From:           M. Yawney <
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Date:           Thursday, 17 Oct 2002 09:04:29 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: 13.2099 Questions about "Julius Caesar"
Comment:        Re: SHK 13.2099 Questions about "Julius Caesar"

When directing this play, I found it one of the most difficult in the
canon because of the issues you bring up.

Any playwright takes the audiences prior knowledge of historical
characters into account--that is as much part of the material he is
working with as plot, meter, costume, etc. The writer can either confirm
that knowledge (like in Abe Lincoln in Illinois) or work against it
(like Blackadder).

The difficulty I have with Caesar is that our contemporary prior
knowledge (and beliefs) and those of Shakespeare