For centuries, Julius Caesar has endured in our collective imagination as a favorite among historians and scholars, playwrights and poets. In legend he lives as the great conqueror "of" Rome's immense empire, a remarkable diplomat and writer, an unrivaled heartbreaker, and a man of relentless determination who met a seemingly tragic end. "Caesar" examines the riveting story of a complex man within the context of the crisis of the Roman republic. Meier vividly reconstructs the distinctive features of this age by emphasizing the prevalent educational practices that imposed limitations on individual development. Meier clearly shows that Caesar early on established himself as a man whose unique drive, self-confidence, and detachment would bring him into continual conflict with established institutions. It was not that he wanted to destroy the Republic; rather, he believed strongly in the rights of individuals and their rights to freedom of speech.