Gaius Julius Caesar: Difference between revisions

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The most famous Roman in history. Brilliant general, orator, politician and writer. Had nothing to do with [[Beam Me Up, Scotty|Caesar salad]] [[wikipedia:Caesarean section|or the Caesarean section]].

Gaius was born in the month [[Emperor Augustus|his successor]] would rename after himself, July (then called ''Quintilis''), in the year 100 BC, to a minor aristocratic family that nonetheless traced its line back to the foundation of Rome, as well as the goddess Venus and the hero [[The Aeneid ~~(Literature)~~|Aeneas]]. Caesar's father died when he was 16 and Caesar thus became head of the household and, within a year. also the teenaged High Priest of Jupiter, for which he had to break off his engagement to a plebian girl and marry Cornelia, the daughter of four-time consul Lucius Cinna. His family connections made Caesar a target of the dictator Sulla, who forced him to spend much of his inheritance in elaborate ceremonies, as well as removing his priesthood at the pleas of his mother Aurelia and others, and had toyed with having Caesar killed when he refused to divorce his wife Cinilla after one of Sulla's proscriptions stripped her of her noble status.

Gaius was born in the month [[Emperor Augustus|his successor]] would rename after himself, July (then called ''Quintilis''), in the year 100 BC, to a minor aristocratic family that nonetheless traced its line back to the foundation of Rome, as well as the goddess Venus and the hero [[The Aeneid|Aeneas]]. Caesar's father died when he was 16 and Caesar thus became head of the household and, within a year. also the teenaged High Priest of Jupiter, for which he had to break off his engagement to a plebian girl and marry Cornelia, the daughter of four-time consul Lucius Cinna. His family connections made Caesar a target of the dictator Sulla, who forced him to spend much of his inheritance in elaborate ceremonies, as well as removing his priesthood at the pleas of his mother Aurelia and others, and had toyed with having Caesar killed when he refused to divorce his wife Cinilla after one of Sulla's proscriptions stripped her of her noble status.

Abandoning the post of Flamen Dialis caused him to lose his position in the Senate, but enabled him to join the Military, which he did. However one of Sulla's restrictions, possibly ordered as a joke, only allowed him to ride a donkey into battle. Despite these setbacks, he went on to win glory for himself by winning the Civic Crown in a siege, which entitled him to automatic entry into the Senate (ironically, one of Sulla's reforms- in fact, Caesar couldn't have joined the army either if Sulla hadn't stripped him of his priesthood)<ref>The Crown was a reward for saving the life of a fellow citizen, ''vis a vie'' killing an enemy on the spot</ref>. He also, during this time, was sent on a mission to Bithynia to secure the help of King Nicomedes, but his lengthy stay at court sprouted (probably false) rumours in Rome that the two were having a homosexual relationship, rumours that were to dog Caesar throughout his career.

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In his absence the Senate bestowed unto Caesar a series of honours, partly because he was so merciful - unlike Sulla, almost none of his enemies were proscribed, indeed most were pardoned (his behavior in Gaul was...less so, being extremely brutal to tribes who put up too much resistance). He began a series of reforms to alleviate the plight of the poor, overhauled the Roman calendar, and built many famous buildings. He also revived an old project of Gaius Gracchus, the rebuilding of Carthage, together with Corinth, both destroyed and famously salted a century before.

Caesar was assassinated in spectacular fashion in 44 BC by a group of rebellious senators, including his young friend Brutus, being stabbed [[23]] [[There Is No Kill Like Overkill|times]] [[Blood On the Debate Floor|in the senate]]; though all told the senate brandished a total of 27 wounds. The line ''[[Et Tu, Brute?]]'' is from Shakespeare, and he never said it, though he does appear to have expressed shock once he saw Brutus was one of his killers (Also, historically what ever he mumbled was likely in Greek). The exact site of Caesar's death, in a touch of historical irony, was right under the statue of his old friend and rival Pompey. This was followed by decades of civil war, mainly between his general Marc Antony and his appointed heir, [[Emperor Augustus|Octavian]]. The latter won, and [[The Republic]] became [[The Empire]].

Caesar was assassinated in spectacular fashion in 44 BC by a group of rebellious senators, including his young friend Brutus, being stabbed [[23]] [[There Is No Kill Like Overkill|times]] [[Blood on the Debate Floor|in the senate]]; though all told the senate brandished a total of 27 wounds. The line ''[[Et Tu, Brute?]]'' is from Shakespeare, and he never said it, though he does appear to have expressed shock once he saw Brutus was one of his killers (Also, historically what ever he mumbled was likely in Greek). The exact site of Caesar's death, in a touch of historical irony, was right under the statue of his old friend and rival Pompey. This was followed by decades of civil war, mainly between his general Marc Antony and his appointed heir, [[Emperor Augustus|Octavian]]. The latter won, and [[The Republic]] became [[The Empire]].

Caesar is a controversial figure and historians to this day are divided about him. The Republic he overthrew was extremely corrupt and increasingly ineffective, while he provided strong, stable and popular leadership. He was merciful to his (Roman) enemies and widely respected for his many talents. When he died he was either about to take personal power as the dictator, or possibly ensure reform efforts after denying the crown several times <ref> though, in context, its possible that he didn't ''plan'' on denying it, as the Roman citizens booed when he tried to take it and cheered whenever he turned it down</ref>, it is one of the great [[What If|What Ifs]] of history as to what he would have done.

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** The common consensus is that this was actually just a nasty rumor spread by his enemies to hurt his political career.

** It didn't work, though: when taunted with being Nicomedes's "woman", Caesar calmly pointed out that many women had proven themselves capable leaders over the centuries.

* [[Blood On the Debate Floor]]

* [[Blood on the Debate Floor]]

* [[Casanova]]: Big time. He was not the only guy doing it at the time, but he was one of the most prolific. He especially seemed to like married gals, which was unfortunate because women were treated much more harshly than men when it came to adultery.

** They were usually fine though. Half the reason he chose married women was to humiliate his enemies, so their husbands preferred to keep it quiet rather than seek punishment.

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* [[Everybody Did It]]: Killed by a swarm of assassins, each wielding a knife.

* [[Evil Empire]]: Expanding the Roman borders aggressively, even into allied nations. Although it wasn't exactly [[The Empire]] until after his death.

* [[Face Death ~~With~~ Dignity]]: According to Suetonius, while he was being murdered, he drew his robe "to his feet with his left hand, in order to fall more decently, with the lower part of his body also covered." According to Plutarch, he pulled his toga over his head.

* [[Face Death with Dignity]]: According to Suetonius, while he was being murdered, he drew his robe "to his feet with his left hand, in order to fall more decently, with the lower part of his body also covered." According to Plutarch, he pulled his toga over his head.

* [[Famous Last Words]]: "Και σύ, τέκνον;" (Kai su, teknon?), "You, too, my son?" to Brutus in Greek.

** And popularly from Shakespeare, we get ''Et tu, Brute?'' ("You too, Brutus?") -- the Bard depicting Caesar's lapse into Greek (the language of educated Romans) by having him lapse into Latin ([[Limited Reference Pools|the language of educated Elizabethans]]). Oh and Shakespeare at most barely knew Greek.

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* [[Gambit Pileup]]: Rome was a vipers nest of rival ambitions. He was far from the only character plotting to overthrow the Republic, or increase personal power or glory, to say nothing of the men trying to stop people like him. Schemers include Crassus, Cicero, Pompey, Catilina, Clodius, Cato and many others, and Caesar allied with, fought against, and allied with again pretty much very one of these characters.

* [[Glory Seeker]]

* [[A God Am I]]: He claimed descent from Venus and was nearly deified during his lifetime; rumour said that he did not really die but [[Ascend to A Higher Plane of Existence]]. [[Emperor Augustus|His successor Octavian]] established a full-fledged cult of the "Divine Julius".

* [[A God Am I]]: He claimed descent from Venus and was nearly deified during his lifetime; rumour said that he did not really die but [[Ascend to a Higher Plane of Existence]]. [[Emperor Augustus|His successor Octavian]] established a full-fledged cult of the "Divine Julius".

* [[Grey and Gray Morality]]: While Caesar was seen as an enemy of the Republic by his political opponents, those opponents were the ones who opposed his entirely rational and beneficial initiatives out of principle of opposing Caesar. While neither side could exactly claim the moral high ground by today's standards, Caesar was the one who at least pretended to be rational. It's also important to remember that modern Western values, while descendants of the Roman culture, are very different from the Roman Republic's ethics.

* [[Groin Attack]]: According to Plutarch, Brutus stabbed him there.

* [[I Coulda Been a Contender]]: Apparently he sank into something of a depression on seeing a statue of Alexander the Great in Spain and reflecting that by the time Alexander was his age, he had conquered the known world. Of course, this was before Caesar's great triumphs in Gaul.

* [[I Gave My Word]]: To some pirates who kidnapped him and failed to ask for a high enough ransom. His promise was he would seem them crucified, and he did. A somewhat [[Darker and Edgier|darker version]] of this trope.

* [[It Is Pronounced Tro PAY]]: In classical Latin, his name is properly pronounced Guy-oos Yoo-li-oos Kai-sar.

* [[It Is Pronounced "Tro-PAY"]]: In classical Latin, his name is properly pronounced Guy-oos Yoo-li-oos Kai-sar.

* [[Just the First Citizen]]: Though he probably would have preffered to be King.

* [[Kill'Em All]]: He boasted of having killed five million Gauls and enslaved three million. It was an exaggeration: he probably [[Moral Event Horizon|only killed one million and enslaved two million.]]

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* [[Third Person Person]]: In his accounts about the Gallic Wars and the Civil War, he referred to himself in third person.

* [[Ubermensch]]: Probably one of the main inspirations.

* [[War for Fun ~~And~~ Profit]]: Mainly profit and personal glory.

* [[War for Fun and Profit]]: Mainly profit and personal glory.

* [[Warrior Poet]]: Caesar was a vigorous writer, especially during his campaigns. Ironically enough, it from is the ''Commentarii de Bello Gallico''--an eight-book account of the Gallic Wars written during Caesar's nine-year campaign to conquer the Gauls--that we derive much of our knowledge of ancient European tribes, customs, and religions. Had Caesar not warred against them, such things would likely be lost to history.

** During the civil war Caesar wrote a treatise on Latin, called ''De Analogia'', in addition to poetry.

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=== Caesar in fiction ===

* [[William Shakespeare]]'s play ''[[Julius Caesar (~~Theatre~~)|Julius Caesar]]'' is about Caesar's assassination and its aftermath. Caesar is the title character, but not the protagonist; he appears in only three scenes.

* [[William Shakespeare]]'s play ''[[Julius Caesar (theatre)|Julius Caesar]]'' is about Caesar's assassination and its aftermath. Caesar is the title character, but not the protagonist; he appears in only three scenes.

** In the 1953 film adaptation in the play, he's played by Louis Calhern.

* Karl Urban played Caesar in a recurring role on ''[[Xena: Warrior Princess]]'' and a one-off episode of ''[[Hercules: The Legendary Journeys]]''. Having been Xena's one time ally, and lover, his betrayal (and crucifixion) of her led to Xena's warlord days, the time of her life which she spent the series atoning for.

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** In the 1945 film adaptation, he's played by [[Claude Rains]].

* He's played by John Gavin in [[Stanley Kubrick]]'s ''[[Spartacus]]''.

* He's played by Rex Harrison in the 1963 film ''[[~~Cleopatra (Film)|~~Cleopatra]]''.

* He's played by Rex Harrison in the 1963 film ''[[Cleopatra]]''.

* He's played by Klaus Maria Brandauer in ''Druids''.

* The first season of the [[HBO]] miniseries ''[[Rome]]'' is about Caesar's rise and fall. He's portrayed by Ciarán Hinds.

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* He appears in Steven Saylor's ''[[Roma Sub Rosa]]'' series.

* He appears in John Maddox Roberts' ''SPQR'' series.

* He's mentioned in ''[[I Claudius]]''

* He's mentioned in ''[[I, Claudius]]''

* Played by [[Timothy Dalton]] in the ''Cleopatra'' mini-series.

* The last missions of the Roman campaign in ''[[Empire Earth]]: Art of Conquest'' were about his rise to power.

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* He appears in ''[[Imperium]]'' and ''[[Lustrum]]'', Robert Harris' novel about Cicero.

* In the Susan Howatch novel ''The Rich Are Different'', the story of Julius Caesar is retold in a 1920's Wall Street setting.

* Edward "Caesar" Sallow from ''[[Fallout New Vegas]]'' modeled his band of tribes after the Roman Legions after reading the Commentarii and fancied himself as great a man as Gaius Julius Caesar was.

* Edward "Caesar" Sallow from ''[[Fallout: New Vegas]]'' modeled his band of tribes after the Roman Legions after reading the Commentarii and fancied himself as great a man as Gaius Julius Caesar was.

* In ''[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood ~~(Video Game)~~|Assassin's Creed Brotherhood]]'', the Scrolls of Romulus chronicle Brutus' plan to assassinate Caesar, with the equipment and knowledge provided to carry out the assassination provided by {{spoiler|a Piece of Eden hidden in a [[Precursors|First Civilization]] bunker underneath Rome.}}

* In ''[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood|Assassin's Creed Brotherhood]]'', the Scrolls of Romulus chronicle Brutus' plan to assassinate Caesar, with the equipment and knowledge provided to carry out the assassination provided by {{spoiler|a Piece of Eden hidden in a [[Precursors|First Civilization]] bunker underneath Rome.}}