On June 10th, 1940, Italy declared war on England. The events leading up to that act of aggression are directly related to Italy’s expansionist campaign in North Africa, which not only violated the agreements of the League of Nations but challenged the balance of power among colonizing nations in that part of the world, like England, which reacted by taking coercive measures against Italy. This essay looks at the two decades of Mussolini’s dictatorship leading up to 1940 from the perspective of the Duce’s use of a Caesarian model of politics and leadership to make of his rule a Modern Roman Empire, and of his persona a Modern Caesar. The focus is on Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, for twice during Mussolini’s regime, this play was called up to aid and abet Fascist ideological programs, and in so doing to help rally popular consensus for Mussolini’s belligerent empire-building intentions. On several later occasions, it directly or indirectly spawned alternative stage Caesars, better suited to a changing political climate after Italy’s invasion of Ethiopia.

Isenberg, N.B. (2012). “Caesar’s word against the world”: Mussolini’s Caesarism and Discourses of Empire. In M.M. Irena R. Makaryk (a cura di), Shakespeare and the Second World War (pp. 83-105). TORONTO : University of Toronto Press.

“Caesar’s word against the world”: Mussolini’s Caesarism and Discourses of Empire

ISENBERG, Nancy Beth
2012-01-01

Abstract

On June 10th, 1940, Italy declared war on England. The events leading up to that act of aggression are directly related to Italy’s expansionist campaign in North Africa, which not only violated the agreements of the League of Nations but challenged the balance of power among colonizing nations in that part of the world, like England, which reacted by taking coercive measures against Italy. This essay looks at the two decades of Mussolini’s dictatorship leading up to 1940 from the perspective of the Duce’s use of a Caesarian model of politics and leadership to make of his rule a Modern Roman Empire, and of his persona a Modern Caesar. The focus is on Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, for twice during Mussolini’s regime, this play was called up to aid and abet Fascist ideological programs, and in so doing to help rally popular consensus for Mussolini’s belligerent empire-building intentions. On several later occasions, it directly or indirectly spawned alternative stage Caesars, better suited to a changing political climate after Italy’s invasion of Ethiopia.
2012
9781442644021
Isenberg, N.B. (2012). “Caesar’s word against the world”: Mussolini’s Caesarism and Discourses of Empire. In M.M. Irena R. Makaryk (a cura di), Shakespeare and the Second World War (pp. 83-105). TORONTO : University of Toronto Press.
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11590/166628
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