Perspectivism and form in drama: A Burkean analysis of Julius Caesar

This paper is a critical application of Kenneth Burke's notions of form and perspectivism. It argues for the potential of a complementary relationship between form and perspectivism in the appeal of rhetorical artifacts. Specifically, the essay claims that form is perspectival; it limits the possibilities for appropriate interpretations within a text. Perspectivism is formal; it cultivates a logic of anticipatory reasoning. This theoretical perspective is applied to Shakespeare's Julius Caesar in the effort to illumine the rhetorical appeal of that work.

Key concepts:

• Burkean criticism
• poetics
• psychology of form
• perspectivism
• Shakespeare
• Julius Caesar
• dramatistic argument