Julius Caesar, Translatio Imperii and Tyranny in Jasper Fisher\u2019s Fuimus Troes

This article discusses Jasper Fisher\u2019s Fuimus Troes (1633), a play that has received scant critical attention despite raising a number of issues relevant to Stuart foreign and domestic policy. First, the article demonstrates how deeply the play\u2019s treatment of Julius Caesar is influenced by previous dramatic portrayals of him. Secondly, it shows that the uneasiness in accepting Caesar\u2019s Commentarii as the most authoritative historical source for the events depicted is mirrored stylistically in the Britons\u2019 attempt to avoid pronouncing Caesar\u2019s name as a way to exorcise his power. Then, the article examines the negative depiction of the Roman Empire in order to shed light on the play\u2019s scepticism about the notion of translatio imperii that was so crucial to Stuart propaganda. Finally, it considers how the play ends up being oddly prophetic through its focus on the issues of tyranny and internal dissension, which would mark Charles I\u2019s reign till its tragic epilogue