March-April 2019
Central Library Lobby
William Shakespeare (c. 1564-1616) was an English actor, playwright and poet. Born on April 23, 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon, Shakespeare became one of the foremost dramatists of his age, producing over thirty plays and nearly 200 poems. Shakespeare’s plays have been staged regularly for over 400 years. His works have been translated into eighty languages and adapted for radio, theater, movies, and television. They cover the gamut of human emotion and achievement and include treatments of historical events, comedies, tragedies, and romance.
One of Shakespeare’s most enduring tragic plays was a dramatization of the death of Roman politician and general Gaius Julius Caesar on the Ides of March (March 15th on the Roman calendar). The play was written in 1599 and was likely one of the first plays to be performed in the Globe Theater in London. After the death of Caesar in the third act, the play turns to the fate of the conspirators, especially Caesar’s friend Brutus who took part in the assassination.
This exhibit includes a 1903 edition of the stage play and two rare prints of scenes from the play.