?Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war.? Julius Caesar, a tragedy in five acts, by English playwright and national poet, William Shakespeare, was written between 1599?1600 and published in the First Folio of 1623. The play is one of several penned by Shakespeare based on actual events from Roman history such as Antony and Cleopatra, Coriolanus and Titus Andronicus. Set in Rome, Julius Caesar depicts the moral dilemma of Caesar?s friend, Brutus, as he considers joining a conspiracy led by Cassius. Brutus is conflicted between friendship and his deep love for the country but eventually decides to become part of the plot and murder Caesar, Rome?s prominent military leader and statesman, in order to prevent him from becoming the dictator of the republic. The assassination of Caesar goes on to ignite civil war in the Roman republic. The celebrated play is an incisive study on the nature of ambition, power, and patriotism and their impact on the human psyche.