Hearing the Unheard: Invisible Deafness in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar

This article will explore the staging of Caesar’s deafness in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. As Caesar himself declares, ‘Come on my right hand, for this ear is deaf’ (Shakespeare [1599] 2008: 1.2.213). However, this is the only explicit reference to Caesar’s deafness during the play. Arthur Humphrey claims that ‘Caesar’s deafness is Shakespeare’s invention’, which begs the question as to why Shakespeare would create and then obscure this disability (Humphrey 2008: 113). Marvin Vawter describes how the play’s references to sensory disability, such as Cassius’ eyesight, are metaphors for how attempts to ascend the ‘ladder of ambition’ are restricted (Vawter 1976: 215–218). The inability to use the senses fully is acknowledged by Caesar as a political failing, such as when he states that Casca ‘hears no music’ and thus is ‘dangerous’ (Shakespeare [1599] 2008: 1.2.204, 210). Caesar’s assertion of the importance of hearing, particularly for the efficacy of public discourse, reveals why he attempts to conceal his deafness. By rendering Caesar’s deafness visible, through scenes like one where Caesar appears to be lipreading, I will unveil his concerted effort to hide a disability that implies to his detractors that he is incapable of absorbing political rhetoric.