Julius Caesar

play by Muret

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June 29, 2026

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Marc-Antoine de Muret, a French humanist and classical scholar, wrote a Latin play titled Julius Caesar in the 1540s. This work is recognized as the first tragedy on a secular theme known to have been written in France. Muret's play is distinct from William Shakespeare's more famous play of the same name, which was inspired by the historical events surrounding Julius Caesar's assassination on the Ides of March, 44 BCE. Muret's Julius Caesar predates Shakespeare's by several decades and represents an early example of secular tragedy in French literature.12

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Marc-Antoine de Muret
During the 1540s his play Julius Caesar, written in Latin, was performed; it is the first tragedy on a secular theme known to have been written in France. In the early 1550s he lectured on philosophy and civil law in Paris. He became intimate with the poets of La Pléiade,…
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During the 1540s his play Julius Caesar, written in Latin, was performed; it is the first tragedy on a secular theme known to have been written in France. In the early 1550s he lectured on philosophy and civil law in Paris. He became intimate with the poets of La Pléiade,…
Read More