A Lover Scorned

      Queen Elizabeth, in My Enemy the Queen, is yet again twisted into a caricature of herself. In this novel, she's a name-calling, desperate, and lonely scorned lover who depends entirely on Robert. Holt even wrote: "The Queen was never happy when Robert wasn't with her."
      So, what is the reason these novelists have used Elizabeth as a focal point? How do they change her personality for the novel? What kind of pattern do we see in these changes? Particularly, why is it that Elizabeth is used mainly for romance novels? (This brings us back to history's strange obsession with her 'sex life'.)

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Riddle me this....

Why is it, do you think, that Shakespeare's Julius Caesar begins and stays for an entire scene without Caesar himself, specifically in relation to Richard III? Richard was about as direct as could be as he spoke directly to the audience with a bold monologue, whilst Caesar is only talked about by other people at first.

What does it say about Caesar's character and what Shakespeare's intent was in regard to presenting the characters (Richard III and Caesar)? Consider how it would be as performed in front of a live audience and the affect it would have on them.

P.S.

Seems like a lot to ask, but it's pretty much the same thought; answering one thing helps answer another, I think. I, of course, have my own conclusions on the matter, but I figured since it's a discussion question that I shouldn't write my own answers here...? Eh?

The Fall of Caesar's Character

So after our discussion about the HBO series in class on Monday- and of course after reading the first two acts of the play- I started thinking about the potential differences between the show and the play. So to that end, my discussion question would have to be 'How similar or different are the show and the play?' for example, are the reasons for the assassination of Caesar as selfish and morally gray as they were in the tv show, or is he more of a clear villain? Or do they not adequately explain why he had to die? I think discussing this would help us gain more of an understanding of whether Caesar was truly an evil man, or if he suffered from the same defamation of character that Richard III did.

Caesar: big ego or actual want for love?

Why does Caesar feel the need to make everyone like him? He is obviously a very powerful leader, particularly in the military, so why does he want common people to genuinely like him rather than just rule them by fear? Is it because of his ego or does he feel there is actually a true advantage to the common people genuinely liking who he is?

Man of Power and the People

       A large part of Caesar's life, as presented by Plutarch, centers around his drive for power. In multiple instances, he uses his wit and cunning to win over the people, and they rally around him in times of need. They become tools in his quest for position and power, yet he treats them with the utmost of respect even beyond simple 'winning over'. He was generous and honorable to his soldiers: "All he gave to deserving soldiers as so much increase to his own riches...there was no danger to which he did not willingly expose himself, no labor from which he pleaded an exemption" (Plutarch, 210).
      After reading about Caesar's life, what type of man can we conclude him to be? What are instances where he sides with the people only to gain their favor, and how does that later assist him in his rise to power and his impressive exploits as a leader? How does his relationship with the people (particularly the commoners, not the nobility) coincide with his power?

From the movie Little Caesar.

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Plutarch on Caesar

Does Caesar act like a dictator?