Ambition and Betrayal in If We Were Villains: The Influence of
Macbeth and Julius Caesar

C 2025

Ambition and Betrayal in If We Were Villains: The Influence of Macbeth and Julius Caesar

POHLODKO, Danny

Basic information

Original name

Ambition and Betrayal in If We Were Villains: The Influence of Macbeth and Julius Caesar

Authors

POHLODKO, Danny

Edition

1. vyd. Opava, Contemporary Approaches to Text Analysis / Moderne Herangehensweisen an die Textanalyse, p. 168-191, 24 pp. 2025

Publisher

Slezská univerzita v Opavě

Other information

Language

English

Type of outcome

Chapter(s) of a specialized book

Field of Study

60206 Specific literatures

Country of publisher

Czech Republic

Confidentiality degree

is not subject to a state or trade secret

Publication form

printed version "print"

Marked to be transferred to RIV

Yes

RIV identification code

RIV/47813059:19240/25:A0001603

Organization unit

Faculty of Philosophy and Science in Opava

ISBN

978-80-7510-619-3

Keywords in English

ambition; betrayal; Shakespearean influence; tragedy; Macbeth; Julius Caesar; If We Were Villains

Abstract

In the original language

If We Were Villains (2017) by M.L. Rio is a contemporary novel that explores themes of ambition, betrayal, and identity within a group of young theatre students whose lives begin to mirror the tragedies they perform. This paper analyses how Rio draws from Shakespeare’s Macbeth (1623) and Julius Caesar (1599) to shape her characters’ motivations and moral conflicts, using these works to deepen themes of power, loyalty, and self-destruction. By examining the blurred boundaries between performance and reality, this article highlights how the novel reinterprets Shakespearean tragedy to reflect modern struggles with identity, ethical compromise, and the consequences of ambition, demonstrating the influence of Shakespeare on contemporary storytelling.

Cite

POHLODKO, Danny. Ambition and Betrayal in If We Were Villains: The Influence of Macbeth and Julius Caesar. In NOGOLOVÁ, Veronika a Miroslav URBANEC (eds.). Contemporary Approaches to Text Analysis / Moderne Herangehensweisen an die Textanalyse. 1. vyd. Opava: Slezská univerzita v Opavě, 2025, p. 168-191. ISBN 978-80-7510-619-3.

@inbook{89929,
   author = {Pohlodko, Danny},
   address = {Opava},
   booktitle = {Contemporary Approaches to Text Analysis / Moderne Herangehensweisen an die Textanalyse},
   edition = {1. vyd.},
   editor = {NOGOLOVÁ, Veronika a Miroslav URBANEC (eds.)},
   keywords = {ambition; betrayal; Shakespearean influence; tragedy; Macbeth; Julius Caesar; If We Were Villains},
   howpublished = {tištěná verze "print"},
   language = {eng},
   location = {Opava},
   isbn = {978-80-7510-619-3},
   pages = {168-191},
   publisher = {Slezská univerzita v Opavě},
   title = {Ambition and Betrayal in If We Were Villains: The Influence of Macbeth and Julius Caesar},
   year = {2025}
}

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ID  - 89929
AU  - Pohlodko, Danny
PY  - 2025
TI  - Ambition and Betrayal in If We Were Villains: The Influence of Macbeth and Julius Caesar
VL  - neuveden
PB  - Slezská univerzita v Opavě
CY  - Opava
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N2  - If We Were Villains (2017) by M.L. Rio is a contemporary novel that explores themes of ambition, betrayal, and identity within a group of young theatre students whose lives begin to mirror the tragedies they perform. This paper analyses how Rio draws from Shakespeare’s Macbeth (1623) and Julius Caesar (1599) to shape her characters’ motivations and moral conflicts, using these works to deepen themes of power, loyalty, and self-destruction. By examining the blurred boundaries between performance and reality, this article highlights how the novel reinterprets Shakespearean tragedy to reflect modern struggles with identity, ethical compromise, and the consequences of ambition, demonstrating the influence of Shakespeare on contemporary storytelling.
ER  -

POHLODKO, Danny. Ambition and Betrayal in If We Were Villains: The Influence of Macbeth and Julius Caesar. In NOGOLOVÁ, Veronika a Miroslav URBANEC (eds.). \textit{Contemporary Approaches to Text Analysis / Moderne Herangehensweisen an die Textanalyse}. 1. vyd. Opava: Slezská univerzita v Opavě, 2025, p.~168-191. ISBN~978-80-7510-619-3.

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