Julius Caesar
/ˌdʒuːliəs ˈsiːzə(r)/
/ˌdʒuːliəs ˈsiːzər/
- (100-44 BC) the best known of all the ancient Roman leaders, and the first one to land in Britain with an army. He did this twice, in 55 and 54 BC, although Britain did not become part of the Roman Empire until nearly a hundred years later.
- a play written by William Shakespeare in 1599. It is set mainly in Rome in AD 44, and tells how Brutus, Cassius and other Romans plan to kill Caesar because they think he wants to become king (rather than being the head of the republic). Caesar fails to listen to warnings to ‘ beware the Ides of March’ (= 15 March) and is murdered. Later Mark Antony, in a clever speech at Caesar's funeral, turns the Roman people against Brutus and Cassius, and a war begins. The army of Antony wins, and Brutus and Cassius kill themselves.