THE PURPOSE of this edition is to help the student to read Shakespeare's play with as much as easy as possible, and to understand it. With this purpose in mind the Notes include brief comments on the historical and literary background of the play as it is referred to in the text, but concentrate on the actual language of the play, translating difficult passages into present-day English, drawing the reader's attention to Shakespeare's imagery, explaining difficult or archaic words.
Throughout, the aim has been to enable students to read the play uninterrupted by lengthy explanations, and so to help him or her to follow the dramatic clash of political ambitions, of ideology against political reality, and the interplay between the characters with all their weakness and strengths, which make Julius Caesar an absorbing study for our time. The introduction provides useful information about Shakespeare's life and times, explores the plot of the play, and examines the dominant themes and concerns that run through it.