Julius Caesar: His Time Has Come, directed by Uli Edel, and the play, Julius Caesar,

written by Shakespeare, has many similarities and differences. They both express the story of a
man named Julius Caesar, yet the interpretations throughout both the movie and the play are very
different. One scene that is very different between the both is the scene where Calpurnia has her
dream about Caesar. Another scene that is different is when Portia sees the conspirators. Finally,
another scene that is different is when Caesar dies. All three scenes in the play and movie
interpret Julius Caesar in very different ways.
Calpurnia’s dream in both the movie and play differentiate greatly. In the original play
written by Shakespeare, Calpurnia dreams of dead man walking, ghosts, a lioness giving birth in
the street, and lightning being shattered across the skies. In the movie directed by Uli Edel,
Calpurnia dreams of a window where leaves are being rustled around, Caesar’s statue being on
fire, a bloody cloth, and candles being blown out by the wind. Both dreams warn of Caesar’s
death approaching. Calpurnia’s dream in the movie and play are interpreted differently in both,
yet they express the same idea.
One other scene that is different is when Portia sees the conspirators and warns Calpurnia
of the oncoming danger for Caesar. In Shakespeare’s version, Portia does not see the
conspirators, only Brutus who is pacing back and forth. She asks him what is wrong and his only
response is that he is feeling unwell. She persuades him to tell her what is wrong, yet he does
not. In Edel’s version, Portia secretly watches the conspirators talk out in the garden and later
finds Brutus putting a knife in his toga. She asks him what is wrong and he says that he is feeling
unwell. Edel’s interpretation makes you feel like Portia is more important because she knows a
little of what is going to occur, rather than Shakespeare’s interpretation where Portia only knows
that something is wrong.
Finally, one other scene that is different between the play and movie, Julius Caesar, is
Caesar’s death. In Shakespeare’s version, Caesar dies and the play continues on. Only the
conspirators knew for sure that Caesar would die. However, in Edel’s movie, Portia warns
Calpurnia that Caesar may die and she goes running after him, but she is too late. Calpurnia finds
Caesar’s dead body on the ground, leans over, begins to sob, and then the movie is over. The two
are drastically different. Edel’s version ends the movie right at Caesar’s death, while the
Shakespeare version shows Caesar being avenged. Both interpretations show Caesar’s death, yet
the aftermath of the death is very different.
In conclusion, all three scenes are very different from one another in both the play written
by Shakespeare and the movie directed by Uli Edel. Calpurnia’s dream about Caesar
differentiates in the two. Portia sees the conspirators in the movie while she does not in the play.
Caesar’s death is drastically different. Overall, both Julius Caesar: His Time Has Come and
Julius Caesar have different interpretations from one another, yet they both express the same
tragedy of a man named Julius Caesar.