The Shakespeare tragedy set in ancient Rome and centered on the assassination of a dictator is “Julius Caesar.” The play dramatizes the conspiracy against Julius Caesar, whose expanding authority alarms senators who fear that Rome’s republic is becoming a monarchy.
Although the title names Caesar, much of the tragedy follows Marcus Brutus. Brutus cares for Caesar but convinces himself that killing him is necessary to protect Roman liberty. Cassius recruits Brutus into the conspiracy, and the assassins kill Caesar during the Ides of March, traditionally dated to 15 March 44 BC.
The assassination does not restore peace or republican stability. Mark Antony’s funeral speech turns the Roman crowd against the conspirators, while Caesar’s supporters—Antony, Octavius, and Lepidus—form a triumvirate and pursue them. The resulting civil war ends with the defeat of Brutus and Cassius at Philippi.
A common mix-up is “Antony and Cleopatra,” which also involves Rome and follows the political aftermath of Caesar’s death, especially Antony’s relationship with Cleopatra. “Coriolanus” and “Titus Andronicus” are Roman tragedies too, but neither centers on Caesar’s assassination.