The fault, dear Brutus, is in not reading Julius Caesar
Lend me your ears. You’ll be glad. Today’s subject is the controversial production of “Julius Caesar” in which a Donald Trump-like figure gets assassinated. Given today’s angry political climate, the costuming showed poor taste at the very least. Delta Air Lines and Bank of America withdrew their sponsorship, and who could blame them?
But let’s give a closer look to the Shakespeare play, which just finished a run at New York’s Central Park. Its deeper message apparently flew over the heads of the pro-Trump hecklers and no doubt many in the cheering audience.
“Julius Caesar” does not simplistically celebrate the violent removal of would-be dictators. There are opposing arguments here, both voiced by noble Romans. And the assassins also end up dead.
That’s why few went crazy five years ago when a “Julius Caesar” production at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis chose an actor resembling Barack Obama for the title role. In 2015, Providence’s Trinity Repertory Company cast a woman, suggesting Hillary Clinton as Caesar — without incident. More on that later.
A protester at the Trump-themed production rushed the stage. Her colleague hollered from his seat, “You are all Goebbels,” a reference to the Nazi propaganda minister.
The two disrupters were publicity hounds tied to a right-wing conspiracy factory. Isn’t it cute how professional right-wing liars like to accuse others of being exactly what they are? I will not do them the honor of naming their affiliation.
(Spare me your outrage about leftists shouting down conservative speakers on campus. They’re obnoxious, too.)
http://www.heraldnet.com/opinion/harrop-the-fault-dear-brutus-is-in-not-reading-julius-caesar/?utm_source=DAILY+HERALD&utm_campaign=9cf4186971-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_d81d073bb4-9cf4186971-228635337
