Cato, a Tragedy

Joseph Addison wrote the play Cato, a Tragedy in 1712, and it was shown for the first time on April 14, 1713. It is based on the events of Marcus Porcius Cato Uticensis, often known as Cato the Younger, who lived from 95 to 46 BC and was a Stoic whose actions, speeches, and resistance to Julius Caesar's dictatorship made him an image of republicanism, virtue, and liberty. Themes covered in Addison's play include individual liberty vs tyranny by the government, republicanism versus monarchy,...