Life & Death of a Thug
Julius Caesar was an ambitious and brutal politician - and a philanderer. But he knew how to govern and while his assassination as a tyrant prevented his election as Emperor, he set the standard for those who came later. He was popular with the Roman Legions and this ensured the ultimate extinction of those responsible for his assassination. It also helped with the eventual success of his chosen successor, Octavian, over Mark Antony.
While Roman women occupied a position of inferiority to their menfolk, Caesar's treatment of his 3rd wife Calpurnia, who had been unable to provide him with a son, was particularly humiliating. This will be explored next week in Cleopatra Part I.
A brief review of History Channel and PBS background material will be followed with illustrations selected from popular movies, including 2 versions of William Shakespeare's play.