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Caesar (Xena)
Encyclopedia
Caesar is a fictional character
from the television series Xena: Warrior Princess
loosely based on Julius Caesar
. He is portrayed by New Zealand
actor Karl Urban
. Caesar is a recurring antagonist in seasons two and three, with a guest appearance in season six as well as being the main antagonist of season four.
and her pirates he is not afraid. When threatened by Xena he tells her, "I know what I'm fated to do with my life". He allows Xena to seduce him, when in reality she is the one being seduced. This ultimately leads to her capture and crucifixion
at the hands of Caesar. It is this betrayal by Caesar which contributes to Xena becoming an evil warlord with a hunger for violence.
. Caesar's might within the Republic is such that he is able to command an army to invade Britannia
. It is in Britannia that Xena helps Boadicea
defeat Caesar. He teams up with Crassus
and Pompey
to form the First Triumvirate
. Even though he is beaten every time he comes up against Xena, he still does not think that she is a real threat to his destiny, still firmly believing in his own fate.
, and Caesar is forced to have him killed. Although Caesar still appears to hold a genuine attraction to Xena, any positive feelings she had for him died when she was left for dead on the cross.
, and he wants to be that ruler. The rivalry between the two statesmen is so great that they continue to fight each other as the woods blaze around them.
follows him implicitly, telling Xena and Gabrielle
that their vision of Caesar is "blinded by hatred", "He is the only hope to restore the democracy of the Republic". Gabrielle, however, plants a seed of doubt in his mind, and Xena gives him evidence about Caesar's self-centred plans. When Caesar rejects the peace treaty with the Amazons, which Brutus thinks might benefit both parties, Brutus teams up with other members of the Senate as they plot to murder Caesar. Meanwhile, Xena kills Pompey. With Pompey's defeat, Caesar becomes the ruler of Rome, he still cannot beat Xena. In order to finally be rid of Xena, he enlists the help of a demonic Callisto
. With Xena finally out of the way, Caesar feels he can now claim Rome for himself. As he prepares to declare himself the ruler of all of Rome, Brutus and his allies turn on Caesar and murder him.
According to Shakespeare, Caesar, upon seeing his close friend Brutus among his murderers, became disheartened, asking "Et tu, Brute?
" In Xena, however, Caesar had been cast as a younger man (instead of being middle-aged, as the real Caesar was at the time of his death), and this incarnation of Caesar reacted with a rage-filled "And you, Brutus!"
, he captures the Fates
and rewrites his fate and gets another chance to fulfil his destiny. In the alternate universe, he is the Emperor of Rome and Xena is the Empress. Alti
, in the new universe, is the High Priestess of Rome. In this new life she realizes who she was in the other universe and uses that to increase her power over Caesar. Once again his egotistical ways lead to his downfall. Alti now wants Caesar's power for herself. While being seduced by Alti, she retrieves a dagger she has concealed and kills him again, revealing that his true destiny is to be stabbed.
3.04 The Deliverer
3.16 When In Rome...
4.06 A Good Day
4.20 Endgame
4.21 The Ides Of March
6.18 When Fates Collide
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
from the television series Xena: Warrior Princess
Xena: Warrior Princess
Xena: Warrior Princess is an American–New Zealand supernatural fantasy adventure series that aired in syndication from September 4, 1995 until June 18, 2001....
loosely based on Julius Caesar
Julius Caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar was a Roman general and statesman and a distinguished writer of Latin prose. He played a critical role in the gradual transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire....
. He is portrayed by New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
actor Karl Urban
Karl Urban
Karl-Heinz Urban is a New Zealand actor.He is known for playing Éomer in the second and third installments of Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy in the 2009 film Star Trek and Julius Caesar on Xena: Warrior Princess...
. Caesar is a recurring antagonist in seasons two and three, with a guest appearance in season six as well as being the main antagonist of season four.
Caesar meets Xena
Caesar is first introduced as a young Roman patrician. He is portrayed as being very arrogant, so much so that when he is captured by XenaXena
Xena is a fictional character from Robert Tapert's Xena: Warrior Princess franchise. She first appeared in the 1995–1999 television series Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, before going on to appear in Xena: Warrior Princess TV show and subsequent comic book of the same name...
and her pirates he is not afraid. When threatened by Xena he tells her, "I know what I'm fated to do with my life". He allows Xena to seduce him, when in reality she is the one being seduced. This ultimately leads to her capture and crucifixion
Crucifixion
Crucifixion is an ancient method of painful execution in which the condemned person is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross and left to hang until dead...
at the hands of Caesar. It is this betrayal by Caesar which contributes to Xena becoming an evil warlord with a hunger for violence.
Caesar and Boadicea
Later Caesar becomes the most powerful man in the entire Roman RepublicRoman Republic
The Roman Republic was the period of the ancient Roman civilization where the government operated as a republic. It began with the overthrow of the Roman monarchy, traditionally dated around 508 BC, and its replacement by a government headed by two consuls, elected annually by the citizens and...
. Caesar's might within the Republic is such that he is able to command an army to invade Britannia
Roman Britain
Roman Britain was the part of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire from AD 43 until ca. AD 410.The Romans referred to the imperial province as Britannia, which eventually comprised all of the island of Great Britain south of the fluid frontier with Caledonia...
. It is in Britannia that Xena helps Boadicea
Boudica
Boudica , also known as Boadicea and known in Welsh as "Buddug" was queen of the British Iceni tribe who led an uprising against the occupying forces of the Roman Empire....
defeat Caesar. He teams up with Crassus
Marcus Licinius Crassus
Marcus Licinius Crassus was a Roman general and politician who commanded the right wing of Sulla's army at the Battle of the Colline Gate, suppressed the slave revolt led by Spartacus, provided political and financial support to Julius Caesar and entered into the political alliance known as the...
and Pompey
Pompey
Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, also known as Pompey or Pompey the Great , was a military and political leader of the late Roman Republic...
to form the First Triumvirate
First Triumvirate
The First Triumvirate was the political alliance of Gaius Julius Caesar, Marcus Licinius Crassus, and Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus. Unlike the Second Triumvirate, the First Triumvirate had no official status whatsoever; its overwhelming power in the Roman Republic was strictly unofficial influence, and...
. Even though he is beaten every time he comes up against Xena, he still does not think that she is a real threat to his destiny, still firmly believing in his own fate.
The end of the Triumvirate
When Caesar and Xena meet again, it is only at this point that she becomes more important in his life and his ultimate destiny. Xena kidnaps Crassus and uses him as a pawn in her fight against Caesar. She substitutes Crassus for a prisoner, VercinixVercingetorix
Vercingetorix was the chieftain of the Arverni tribe, who united the Gauls in an ultimately unsuccessful revolt against Roman forces during the last phase of Julius Caesar's Gallic Wars....
, and Caesar is forced to have him killed. Although Caesar still appears to hold a genuine attraction to Xena, any positive feelings she had for him died when she was left for dead on the cross.
An even match
Caesar is shown to be the greatest general ever to have lived, and this balances Xena's own skill in being able to outfight him. Whether in hand-to-hand combat or in military strategy, Xena always finds a way to beat Caesar. One such display of Xena's ability is when she battles both Caesar's and Pompey's armies and leaves them both slaughtered and causes a cease in their civil war for power in Rome. Even though defeated he tells Xena, "This is only a minor setback, Xena. You can't change my destiny".A bitter feud
The ongoing feud between Caesar and Pompey is an important element is the events of Caesar's life leading up to his death. Both men's desire for power is so great it serves to show the petty side to Caesar's personality. He wants to be rid of Pompey, as he sees him as a great threat to him fulfilling his destiny. He realizes that there is only enough room for one ruler in the Roman EmpireRoman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
, and he wants to be that ruler. The rivalry between the two statesmen is so great that they continue to fight each other as the woods blaze around them.
Murder and betrayal
Caesar has always shown great leadership skills and BrutusMarcus Junius Brutus
Marcus Junius Brutus , often referred to as Brutus, was a politician of the late Roman Republic. After being adopted by his uncle he used the name Quintus Servilius Caepio Brutus, but eventually returned to using his original name...
follows him implicitly, telling Xena and Gabrielle
Gabrielle (Xena)
Gabrielle is a fictional character played by Renée O'Connor in Xena: Warrior Princess. She is referred to by fans as the Battling Bard of Potidaea. Her trademark weapons are the Amazon fighting staff and later, the sais...
that their vision of Caesar is "blinded by hatred", "He is the only hope to restore the democracy of the Republic". Gabrielle, however, plants a seed of doubt in his mind, and Xena gives him evidence about Caesar's self-centred plans. When Caesar rejects the peace treaty with the Amazons, which Brutus thinks might benefit both parties, Brutus teams up with other members of the Senate as they plot to murder Caesar. Meanwhile, Xena kills Pompey. With Pompey's defeat, Caesar becomes the ruler of Rome, he still cannot beat Xena. In order to finally be rid of Xena, he enlists the help of a demonic Callisto
Callisto (Xena)
Callisto is a fictional character in the fantasy TV series Xena: Warrior Princess. She features as the most frequently recurring villainess on that show. She also makes appearances on three episodes of the parent show Hercules: The Legendary Journeys...
. With Xena finally out of the way, Caesar feels he can now claim Rome for himself. As he prepares to declare himself the ruler of all of Rome, Brutus and his allies turn on Caesar and murder him.
Et tu, Brute?
"Et tu, Brute?" is a Latin phrase often used poetically to represent the last words of Roman dictator Julius Caesar to his friend Marcus Brutus at the moment of his assassination. It can be variously translated as "Even you, Brutus?","And you, Brutus?", "You too, Brutus?", "Thou too, Brutus?" or...
" In Xena, however, Caesar had been cast as a younger man (instead of being middle-aged, as the real Caesar was at the time of his death), and this incarnation of Caesar reacted with a rage-filled "And you, Brutus!"
Caesar, Emperor of Rome
When Caesar escapes from TartarusTartarus
In classic mythology, below Uranus , Gaia , and Pontus is Tartarus, or Tartaros . It is a deep, gloomy place, a pit, or an abyss used as a dungeon of torment and suffering that resides beneath the underworld. In the Gorgias, Plato In classic mythology, below Uranus (sky), Gaia (earth), and Pontus...
, he captures the Fates
Moirae
The Moirae, Moerae or Moirai , in Greek mythology, were the white-robed incarnations of destiny . Their number became fixed at three...
and rewrites his fate and gets another chance to fulfil his destiny. In the alternate universe, he is the Emperor of Rome and Xena is the Empress. Alti
Alti
Alti is a fictional character in the television series Xena: Warrior Princess. She is portrayed by Claire Stansfield.-Overview:Alti is a Siberian Amazon Shamaness. She was driven out of her Siberian tribe by Queen Cyane, because of her hunger for power...
, in the new universe, is the High Priestess of Rome. In this new life she realizes who she was in the other universe and uses that to increase her power over Caesar. Once again his egotistical ways lead to his downfall. Alti now wants Caesar's power for herself. While being seduced by Alti, she retrieves a dagger she has concealed and kills him again, revealing that his true destiny is to be stabbed.
Appearances
2.12 Destiny3.04 The Deliverer
3.16 When In Rome...
4.06 A Good Day
4.20 Endgame
4.21 The Ides Of March
6.18 When Fates Collide