Julius Caesar
Julius Caesar, perhaps the most famous Roman of all time. The imfamous first emperor of Rome, who was stabbed by senators who did not want him to rule. He was made famous by Shakespeare's plays Julius Caesar and Antony and Cleopatra. Shakespeare's plays have had a lasting effect on the character of Caesar. He is tragic and somehow likeable, even though he is ambitious. He lies somewhere between good and bad, somewhere between totally ambitious and a champion of the people.
Suetonius's The Twelve Caesars and Plutarch's The Lives of Noble Grecians and Romans paint much the same picture, without taking the time to sympathize with him. To them he was confident, proud, and most certainly ambitious. All his acts are suspect to the fact that he might be reaching toward the goal of supreme power. This was the background that Shakespeare got his character of Caesar from.
As one of the most famous Romans it is not uncommon for Caesar to appear in the Roman movie, even if he only has a bit part. The allure of his character alone would draw people to the theaters. Three films, Julius Caesar, Cleopatra, and Menu
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