Julius Caesar

By: William Shakespeare

Narrated by: Andrew Buchan, Sean Barrett

Length: 2 hrs and 16 mins

Publisher's summary

Julius Caesar is one of Shakespeare’s most compelling Roman plays. The plot against Caesar and the infamous assassination scene make for unforgettable listening. Brutus, the true protagonist of the play, is mesmerizing in his psychological state of anguish, forced to choose between the bonds of friendship and his desire for patriotic justice.

Download the accompanying reference guide.

Public Domain (P)2012 Naxos AudioBooks

Best Play to Start Your Shakespeare

Julius Caesar. Composed by William Shakespeare, and narrated by Andrew Buchan, Sean Barrett, others and a cast of very noisy plebeians. First a personal story. In Eight Grade our English teacher assigned Julius Caesar, to be read from a particular publication. The right-hand side of the page contained the play, the left, comments on the narrative, Caesar’s history and his return to Rome, and most important the histrionics of the words when spoken in 17th Century England and their shaded meaning for today. The play, its plot, its strategies between the actors, the learning of history and grammatical flux in the language and the magnificent book made my very first experience with Shakespeare; deliciously sweet and challengingly intellectual. Including the anachronisms. There were no bells ringing out the time in ancient Rome.
It is no secret this play is amongst the greatest in literature presenting the dilemma of whether a ruler should be allowed to thrive or canceled before his ego harms the nation. All this lays in the hand of Brutus. Brutus loves Caesar but is also aware of his ego and what it may bean to the rule of law that has brought the Roman Empire so far. Other conspirators will follow Brutus but Brutus must make the decision to allow the egotist to rule or protect Rome’s past and very successful political structure.

Once Brutus makes his decision it is challenged by Mark Anthony; but not by “brute” force, as had Brutus, but rather by tactics, strategy, and animal cunning. That interplay excited me as a child. It has no less of an emotion and intellectual thrashing during this read. With that said, I find Julius Caesar one of Shakespeare’s simplest of plays.
One awful comment the actors, the background noise from the citizens and the cadence made this an awful edition. Find another reading. I also purchased the Kindle edition and like to follow the words as read by the actors. Just not this awful edition.

A Well Acted Alternative

I found the audio version of the classic Shakespeare story to be much more engaging than reading it aloud or performing it in a classroom setting. If you're a fan of Shakespeare or just want something that feels a bit more digestible, this is a great alternative to reading the text (or you could read along to see what changes might have been made in your edition).

fine performance of a classic

A fine performance of a classic, complete with sounds effects. Beautifully acted and well produced, it's a fine choice for this work that introduced many phrases into the English language.

The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars

I think that reading Shakespeare's plays does not do them justice - they aren't meant to be read, they are meant to be performed, and seen performed. However, you also miss a lot if you aren't already familiar with the context and the Shakespearean language, because of course ol' Will packs a lot into every single line.

So, this is the famous play about the conspirators who assassinated Julius Caesar, fearing his ambition to become king. Among the famous lines to which we owe this play: "Et tu, Brutus?" "Cry havoc, and let slip the dogs of war!" "Cowards die many times before their deaths; the valiant never taste of death but once." And "The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves."

Mark Antony's speech is probably the highlight of the play. Having just been informed of Caesar's death, and with the assassins having convinced the Roman public that they'd saved Rome from a tyrant, Mark Antony gives his famous speech which is a masterpiece of mob manipulation, turning them against the conspirators and in favor of the slain Caesar.

The conflicts are patriotism versus friendship, loyalty versus ideals, and the taint of self-interest always present in one's motives. As a tragedy, this is one of those Shakespearean plays where almost everyone ends up falling on a sword one way or the other.

Brutus is clearly the protagonist, but I think Mark Antony wins it.

Performances were clear and dramatic in this production. Not quite as good as seeing the play, but all the action is clear enough with minimal sound effects.

Well done

This a very well done version of the classic tale and the full cast really brings the play to life. Well worth a listen.

Shakespeare novice, good story

What did you love best about Julius Caesar?

learning that several utterances we say unto today are from this story.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Julius Caesar?

the death of Brutus.

Which character – as performed by Andrew Buchan and Sean Barrett – was your favorite?

Brutus

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, over several days on my drive to and form work.

Julius Caesar by Will Shakespeare

You read it in high school...same story but well done with multiple readers. Enjoyed it greatly

Classic

The death of Caesar in this book is well done and easy to follow.

Amazing performance

Amazing performance of a classic, a highly entertaining two hours spent listening to a dramatised piece of history

Probably a must for students.

A difficult listen for those not well versed in Shakespeare. I last red thus at 14. Had no comprehension then as we read a line each in class (regardless of punctuation). Not a good start. Good performances but a melodrama and work of art not appreciated by everyone. I would need to listen AND read this to reap the greatest value.