Julius Caesar Paper Project

For their Costume Design 2 course, Rio designed a production of William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar.

As they read over the script and delved into the characters, Rio became obsessed with the elements of mysticism and supernaturality it presented. Calpurnia sees visions of her husband dying tragically; a soothsayer ominously warns Caesar to beware the Ides of March; and there are secret meetings to discuss his downfall. This felt shadowy, dark, feverish, and hazy.

As the audience, we are very aware of what will happen to Julius Caesar, and Rio did not want to shy away from that in these designs. They are symbolic in color and shape, reflecting silhouettes of the period but not necessarily being accurate. The conspirators run in cold tones, with Cassius, the root of the betrayal, being the darkest blue. No traitor features white on their costume, leading you to question whether their moral reasoning for murdering Julius Caesar was redeemable.