As a literature student, I am used to buying books second hand. The quality of the copy doesn’t necessarily matter because when we’re finished with it, it will undoubtedly have illegible scribbles in the margins and post-it notes spilling out of its edges. For this year’s Shakespeare: Perspectives module, I found an online supplier of second-hand books for the exact editions that were suggested for the reading list. I found a copy of Julius Caesar with the description “excellent condition, slight yellowing of the pages and a lovely dedication”.
When it arrived, flicking through the pages to see the condition, I discovered a series of signatures on the inside cover. I immediately researched some of the more legible names, as they were unknown to me at the time. I discovered the names belong to the Royal Shakespeare Company cast of 2004, starring Christopher Saul as Caesar and Zubin Varla as Brutus.
Julius Caesar, 2004
Originally performed at The Swan Theatre, Stratford-Upon-Avon, David Farr’s production of Julius Caesar was an exciting, modern take on the play. In the assassination scene, the murderers pause to allow Caesar to dip his hands into the bucket of red paint, which he subsequently wipes across his face.
The political tensions displayed in the play also echoed the tensions between Blair and Bush. Steve Orme said in a review, “I couldn’t help thinking of Caesar as Saddam Hussein; and the honourable Brutus and Cassius as Blair and Bush, the archetypal spin doctors whose motives don’t stand up.” It’s interesting to me that Shakespeare can be used to illustrate different political tensions, relative to the time it is performed showing the timelessness of Shakespeare’s work.
The irony of my ownership of this copy is that I can’t fill it with scribbles and post-it notes, as originally intended. However, the signatures in the front cover now have sentimentality and an intriguing journey from their hands to mine.