Essay On Marc Anthony In Julius Caesar

In William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, the line “Et tu, Brute?” stands out as one of the most famous lines in the play. The only problem, however, is that Julius Caesar did not say that line upon being stabbed twenty-three times. Although the play Julius Caesar seems quite credible, Shakespeare has indeed embellished a few parts of it. In the play, the character of Marc Antony does not correspond to historical texts; but the assassination of Julius Caesar in essence does stand validated with history. First of all, the identity of Marc Antony does have some factual properties reflected in the play. Described as Julius Caesar’s “friend and right-hand man,” Marc Antony rose to become one of Caesar’s closest subjects (Mark). Also, the very aspect of their friendship and closeness portrayed in the play is true, exemplified in Antony’s words: “When Caesar says, ‘do this,’ it is performed” (I.ii.13). Most importantly, Antony’s eulogy reflected his unwavering loyalty as he succeeded in “gathering the Roman’s support for his revenge” for Caesar, illustrating the historically true character of Antony in the play (Loveday). Even so, Shakespeare embellished certain parts of Antony, especially his personality and lifestyle. In the play, Antony seems calculative and sharp-minded, shown in his masterful speech that …show more content…
Though certain parts of the play share the validity of historical facts, it does not give the play credit for historical accuracy. Considering the dearth of first-hand accounts of this particular event, Shakespeare has every right to adjust and embellish history to suit the plot of his play and the characters. By using both accurate and fictitious representation of characters and events, Shakespeare managed to breathe life into history to create an eternal tragedy that would make “Caesar bleed in sport”