Tag Archives: Covenantal Shakespeare

Julius Caesar: Act 1 Commentary

My covenantal argument about The Tragedy of Julius Caesar is that the real god in this play is the Roman state. The fight between the empire and republic obscures their deeper commitment to the state. This is a commitment only a Christian could see. What evidence would confirm this reading? First, the play should dramatizeContinue reading “Julius Caesar: Act 1 Commentary”

Julius Caesar: The Historical Bind

Shakespeare rarely made up his own stories. He frequently adapted historical events from chronicles or fictional tales from various places. He wrote at least eight plays with HISTORY in the title. Every event portrayed in those two tetralogies were over a hundred years old. Consequently, talking about history in a Shakespeare play requires two overlappingContinue reading “Julius Caesar: The Historical Bind”

Julius Caesar: A Covenantal Outline

In a previous post, I gave the covenantal plot for Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar (1599). Here I complete an outline of that work using the biblical covenant as a model. QUOTATIONS Transcendence: “[K]iss dead Caesar’s wounds / And dip their napkins in his sacred blood” – Marc Antony (3.2); Antony turns Caesar into a sacrificial god.Hierarchy:Continue reading “Julius Caesar: A Covenantal Outline”

Julius Caesar: The Covenantal Plot

I am working on a Shakespeare e-course that connects the biblical covenant to Shakespeare’s famous tragedies. My first play is Julius Caesar. Below, I show how the play’s five acts mirror the five elements of the covenant. Transcendence: Caesar has become a god, and Brutus and Cassius lament the republic’s dissolution. Hierarchy: Rome has aContinue reading “Julius Caesar: The Covenantal Plot”

Biblical Presuppositions: Transcendence

I began working through Ray Sutton’s That You May Prosper today. Sutton articulates the biblical vision of the covenant, the way which God has chosen to interact with humanity. The covenant has five points: Transcendence, Hierarchy, Ethics, Sanctions, and Succession. I am building a Shakespeare e-course around these five points and will be working withContinue reading “Biblical Presuppositions: Transcendence”