Date of Award
Spring 2025
Language
English
Embargo Period
4-30-2025
Document Type
Master's Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
College/School/Department
Department of English
Program
Liberal Studies
First Advisor
Aashish Kaul
Second Advisor
Ineke Murakami
Keywords
Shakespeare, queer, Caesar, Renaissance, homoerotic, Roman
Subject Categories
Ancient History, Greek and Roman through Late Antiquity | Classical Literature and Philology | European History | Fiction | Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies | Other Classics | Queer Studies
Abstract
Ever since the infamous Ides of March, scholars have been debating the true psychology behind Brutus’s betrayal. The purpose of this project is to take a step back from the politicized motivations and explore the emotional, strenuous conditions of Julius Caesar’s assassination. This project will transform William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar into a novella with its central focus on the relationship dynamics between the key figures of Caesar, Brutus, and Cassius. The intention of the novella is to not only analyze the play through a critical queer lens, but to interrogate the themes of violence and desire that surround male relationships throughout history and mythology. Shakespeare’s play will be the primary source for the novella, and other secondary texts such as the work of queer theorist Eve Sedgwick will inform the creative decisions done with the main cast. The transformative aspect factors into the form the project takes: a first-person close narration from the perspective of Brutus. This will allow readers to become aware of internal dialogue and turmoil that was not directly supplied in Shakespeare’s version, opening the characters up to a broader scope of emotional conflict.
License
This work is licensed under the University at Albany Standard Author Agreement.
Recommended Citation
Wright, Grace, "Phantasma" (2025). Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present). 204.
https://scholarsarchive.library.albany.edu/etd/204
Included in
Ancient History, Greek and Roman through Late Antiquity Commons, Classical Literature and Philology Commons, European History Commons, Fiction Commons, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies Commons, Other Classics Commons, Queer Studies Commons
