A Comparison of Plutarchs The Lives of the Ancient Grecians and Romans

A Comparison of Plutarch's The Lives of the Ancient Grecians and Romans and Shakespeare's Julius Caesar When closely evaluating the two texts: Plutarch's The Lives of the Ancient Grecians and Romans and Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, there are stark differences of the theme and characters. While Plutarch's text is mostly informative, as describing a series of historical events, Shakespeare incorporates a wide variety of dramatic conventions as well as changing many events to entertain an audience. It is important to note that Shakespeare's play was based on Plutarch's text, which is why many of the differences are because of Shakespeare's revision. Shakespeare changes the tone of many important characters such as Marcus Brutus and Mark Antony. He also adds details to make the storyline heroic and inspiring. Plutarch's text is a third-person view on the events, with little explanation of people's opinions and thoughts. Plutarch describes Brutus as merely one of the conspirators that took a little persuading. After Brutus joined the conspiracy, he rapidly gained control. In the...