In the seventeenth century after the birth of Jesus Christ in Nazareth, William Shakespeare in London, England, wrote his theatre Play, “Julius Caesar”, in an attempt to coalesce two most sad events in world history into one artistically fulfilling fictive story. Such an attempt to, as it were, make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear, is quite normal in our natural world in that it is being undertaken and accomplished every minute by shellfish in the oceans that are protecting themselves from harmful foreign debris by reconfiguring the invading dirt into beautiful pearls.

William Shakespeare’s poetic inspiration to perceive a parallel in the fates of Julius Caesar and Jesus Christ might seem to have been quite within expectations when it is known that when in the year 1610 he embarked on writing his poetic Play on Julius Caesar, William Shakespeare was already a member of the King’s committee producing the first English translation of the King James edition of the Christian Bible.

Shakespeare was 46 years old; in Psalm 46 the word “shake” occurs 46 words from the beginning. The word “spear” occurs 46 words from the end. Clearly, Psalm 46 was especially translated by Shakespeare himself.

During a Legislative Session of the Central Government in the city of Rome, the Roman political leader, Julius Caesar, was assassinated by a gang of Roman citizens led by Brutus, best friend of Julius Caesar. Forty-four years later, in the city of Jerusalem, approximately 1367 miles from Rome, as the crow flies, Jesus Christ was crucified to death, having been betrayed by Judas, one of the twelve disciples of Jesus Christ.

To achieve an aesthetic coalescence of these two most sad events in world history, William Shakespeare constructed the major incidents in the plot of his fictive theatre Play to parallel major events in the last days in the life of Jesus Christ, as they are told in the Bible.

History records that the assassins stabbed Julius Caesar twenty-three times, at least. In every theatre staging of Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar”, the ‘stabbing scene’ is always the most theatrically spectacular event, and the most challenging to the Stage Director. Twenty-three is the least number of wounds Jesus suffered at his crucifixion: “they took a reed and smote him on his head”; “they platted a crown of thorns and put it upon his head”; nailings of his hands and feet; scourged by Pontius Pilate; stabbed with a spear by a Roman sentry on guard at the crucifixion.

In the Play, “Enter the conspirators, Cassius, Casca, Decius, Cinna, Metellus Cimber, and Trebonius.” In the Bible, “When the morning was come, all the chief priests and elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death.”

In the Play, “Caesar: Calpurnia here, my wife, stays me at home. She dreamt tonight she saw my statua, which, like a fountain with an hundred spouts, did run pure blood; and these does she apply for warnings, and portents, and evils imminent; and on her knee hath begg’d that I will stay at home today”; Cinna the poet’s dream of Caesar is fatal to Cinna, “I dreamt tonight that I did feast with Caesar, and things unlucky charge my fantasy. Citizen: Your name, sir, truly? Cinna: Truly, my name is Cinna. Citizen: Tear him to pieces; he’s a conspirator. Cinna: I am Cinna the poet! I am Cinna the poet! I am not Cinna the conspirator! Citizen: It is no matter. His name’s Cinna. Pluck but his name out of his heart, and turn him going.”

In the Bible, “When the Governor, Pontius Pilate, was set down on the judgment seat, his wife sent unto him, saying, Have thou nothing to do with that just man, Jesus, for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him.”

In demonstration that his choice of action is absolutely right, Julius Caesar invokes a comparison with a heavenly fact: “If I could pray to move, prayers would move me; but I am constant as the Northern Star, of whose true-fix’d and resting quality there is no fellow in the firmament. The skies are painted with unnumber’d sparks; they are all fire and every one doth shine; but there’s but one in all doth hold his place.”

In the Bible, when that High Priest asks Jesus by what authority does Jesus claim to be speaking truthfully, “Jesus saith unto him: Hereafter shall ye see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.”

The assassination of Julius Caesar is foreseen by a wandering Soothsayer; and by Artemidorus, a teacher of rhetoric; and by Calpurnia, Caesar’s wife. In the Bible, the crucifixion of Jesus Christ is foretold by an Ancient Prophecy which Jesus himself invokes: “All this was done, that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.”

Julius Caesar, standing in the building of highest legal authority in the last seconds of life, suffers despair at seeing his best friend murderously betray him, “Et tu, Brute! Then fall, Caesar.” Jesus Christ, dying crucified high up on a cross in the last seconds of his life, suffers despair that his God has abandoned him, “My God! My God! Why hast thou forsaken me?”

After the assassination of Julius Caesar, Rome was plunged into chaos: “Men, wives and children stare, cry out and run as it were doomsday. Here is a mourning Rome, a dangerous Rome; no Rome of safety. A curse shall light upon the limbs of men. Domestic fury and fierce civil strife shall cumber all the parts of Italy. Blood and destruction shall be so in use and dreadful objects so familiar.”

This societal evil pandemonium that is described by William Shakespeare in his fictional Play, was, indeed, an everyday fact of life in England, having begun thirty years before Shakespeare’s birth, and lasted until sixty-seven years after his death. The nation-wide persecution in England was begun by King Henry the Eighth who was determined to convert the nation from Roman Catholic Christianity to Anglicanism which was his brand of English Catholic Christianity.

Everyone in England who openly showed they were Roman Catholic, was arrested for treason, and after a brief fiasco of a trial, they were proclaimed to be guilty, and were given an opportunity to publicly renounce their religion. If they refused, and some did, they were publicly hanged. Usually, while the hanging victim convulsed at the end of their rope, they were cut down and, while still alive, their bodies were chopped up into four pieces. Each piece was taken to a different part of the country, and desecrated before being burnt to ashes. This persecution had started thirty years before William Shakespeare was born, and it went on for 149 years. By the time it ended in 1683, at least 213 Roman Catholic Christians in England had been executed by the English Catholic (Anglican) authorities. Of this approximate total of executed Roman Catholic Christians, 145 were ordained priests; 3 were layperson women. When William Shakespeare, who was a Roman Catholic Christian, walked to work in London, England, every day he had to pass Government roadside wood pikes mounted with the decapitated heads of Roman Catholic Christians tortured and executed for treason. Among those heads were two of Shakespeare’s family, which meant William Shakespeare all his life every day was reminded that he lived every moment in the cross-hairs of the Church of England(Anglican) Government. In the Bible, “And while Jesus yet spake, a great multitude with swords and staves came from the chief priests and elders of the people. Then all the disciples of Jesus forsook him, and fled.”

In the Play, Brutus decides to assassinate his friend, Julius Caesar, even though he acknowledges his friend has done nothing wrong, “To speak truth of Caesar, I have not known when his affections sway’d more than his reason.” In the Bible, although the Roman Governor, Pontius Pilate, believed Jesus had done nothing wrong, he, nonetheless, gave in to the mob that accused Jesus of wrong-doing. “Pilate saith to the multitude: What shall I do, then, to Jesus which is called Christ? They all saith unto him: Crucify him; let him be crucified! And the Governor said: Why? What evil hath he done? But they cried out the more, saying: Let him be crucified! When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, he took water and washed his hands before the multitude, saying: I am innocent of the blood of this just person.”

In the Play, “Antony: You all do know this mantle. I remember the first time ever Caesar put it on. Look, in this place ran Cassius’ dagger through. See what a rent the envious Casca made. Through this the well-beloved Brutus stabb’d.”

In the Bible, “Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom.”

“Then the soldiers when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments, and made four parts, to every soldier a part. And also his coat.

Now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout. They said therefore among themselves, Let us not rend it, but cast lots for it whose it shall be.”

In the Play, Portia’s noble and unswerving love for Brutus, her husband, dooms her to immeasurable pain of everlasting personal failure. In the Bible, Mary Magdalene’s noble and unswerving loyalty to Jesus incurs immeasurable pain of failure.

In the Play, Brutus has doubts about the course of action to which his diligently righteous thoughts are leading him, “I turn the trouble of my countenance merely upon myself. Vexed I am of late with passions of some difference, conceptions proper to myself only.” In the Bible, Jesus thrice doubts the truth to which he has committed himself: “My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death.” “O my father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt.” “My God! My God! Why hast thou forsaken me?’

In the Play, Caesar has an exchange with a Soothsayer. “Caesar: The ides of March are come. Soothsayer: Ay, Caesar, but not gone.” In the Bible, Jesus had an exchange with John the Baptist, “Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of John. But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now, for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness.”

In the Play Caesar is tempted three times. “Brutus: Was the crown offered Caesar thrice? Casca: Ay, marry, was’t, and he put it by thrice. Antony: You all did see that on the Lupercal I thrice presented Caesar a kingly crown which he did thrice refuse.” In the Bible: “After a while came unto Peter they that stood by, and said to Peter, Surely thou art one of them, for thy speech bewrayeth thee. Then began Peter to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the man. And immediately the cock crew. And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said unto him, ‘Verily I say unto thee that this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice.’”

In the Play, Marcus Antonius asks the assassins for permission to take possession of the corpse of Caesar: “I am suitor that I may produce Caesar’s body to the market place, and in the pulpit, as becomes a friend, speak in the order of his funeral.” In the Bible, “A rich man of Arimathea, named Joseph, went to Pontius Pilate, the Governor, and begged the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered.”

In the Play, immediately following Caesar’s assassination, “Men, wives and children stare, cry out and run as it were doomsday!” In the Bible, “Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. And immediately the Earth did quake, and the rocks rent. And the graves were opened, and many bodies of the saints which slept, arose and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.”

In the Play, “Enter the Ghost of Caesar. Brutus: Ha! Who comes here? I think it is the weakness of mine eyes that shapes this monstrous apparition. It comes upon me. Art thou any thing? Art thou some god? Some angel? Or some devil? Speak to me what thou art! Ghost: Thy evil spirit, Brutus.”

In the Bible: “Then was Jesus led up of the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city----Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain----.


Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan.”

In the Play, in the words of his two principal assassins, Cassius and Brutus, on the battlefield at Philippi just before they kill themselves, the betrayed dead Julius Caesar is shown to be ultimately victorious against the cowardly assassins: “Cassius: This is my birthday; on this very day was Cassius born. Caesar, thou art revenged, even with the sword that kill’d thee.” “Brutus: Julius Caesar, thou art mighty yet! Thy spirit walks abroad, and turns our swords in our own proper entrails.
Caesar, now be still: I kill’d not thee with half so good a will.”

The Bible tells of the ultimate victory of the betrayed dead Jesus: “There was a great earthquake, for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven. His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow. And the angel said unto the women, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary: Fear not ye, for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here, for he is risen as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.”

William Shakespeare’s attempt to beatify literal history by coalescing the ugly evil deaths of Julius Caesar and Jesus Christ into a work of literary art replete with  Hopeful aesthetic figurations, has been vindicated in literal history insofar as at present, living in England, are more Roman Catholic Christians than English Catholic Christians(Anglicans)!
___________________________________