Setting

Click on the images below to find out more about the setting of Julius Caesar and what we know about where the play is set.

  • Julius Caesar_ 2012_ Mark Antony_ Lepidus and Octavius_2012_Photo by Kwame Lestrade _c_ RSC_32114
    Rome is a republic and until just before the start of the play it was ruled by a triumvirate, or group of three leaders. Caesar was one of them. When the play ends a new triumvirate is formed with Antony, Lepidus and Octavius Caesar.
  • Julius Caesar _2004_Manuel Harlan _c_ RSC_68993
    Rome is a place of military might where victory is very important. Several of the main characters are also soldiers and Caesar himself is cheered for having won a great victory at the start of the play.
  • Julius Caesar _2012_Kwame Lestrade _c_ RSC_31985
    Caesar is the most important man in Rome and now the only ruler.
  • Julius Caesar production images_ 2017_2017_Photo by Helen Maybanks _c_ RSC_214162
    There is a Senate in Rome where a number of politicians, called senators, meet to make decisions.
  • Julius Caesar _2009_ production images._Ellie Kurttz _c_ RSC_99928
    The people of Rome are often highly superstitious and believe in the power of omens. They also think that soothsayers can see into the future.
  • Julius Caesar_ 2009_ Calpurnia_2009_Photo by Ellie Kurttz _c_ RSC_99924
    In Rome, women do not have as much power as men and were believed to be weaker.

Every performance of Julius Caesar will be set in a place that has all of the elements above, but it can be staged in lots of different ways. For example, the play could be set in any military regime where a ruler has become too powerful, such as a dictatorship or a contemporary police state.

Why do you think it might be helpful for modern audiences to change the world of a play? What worlds can you think of where Julius Caesar might be set?

Teacher Notes

On this page students can explore some of the key things that we know about the setting of Julius Caesar by clicking on the pictures.

You can use these pictures, or other images, as a starting point to discuss what they know about the setting of the play and to think about where they would set the play if they were creating their own production. A great way of doing this visually is for students to create a mood board or collage of images that could be used as design inspiration.

The activity in the Teacher Notes on the Productions page develops on this and asks students to think about the messages or ‘ruling ideas’ they would want to put across in a production.