The Public Theater shows Trump being Murdered on Stage

Recently, in New York, The Public Theater’s free Shakespeare in the Park performance has caused controversy for having Caesar be played by an actor who looked an awful lot like President Donald Trump. Delta airlines and Bank of America pulled their sponsorships of the production after this brutal display. The main reason why portraying Trump as Caesar is so controversial is because at the end of the play Caesar gets viciously attacked and stabbed to death. We agree with the decision to stop the play, however, we think that the play had the right to stage it under free speech. In other words, the play had the legal right to put it on, but not the moral right.

This brings into question how far art can push the boundaries between what is acceptable and what is not. Art is undeniably important. Art can be progressive, without displaying a horrific and brutal murder of a president. This issue is not a Republican versus Democrat issue. It is a bipartisan dilemma. It is a moral issue.  Would this display of violence be okay if it was during the era of President Obama, and he was the one being assassinated?

What about President Bush? We believe that no matter who the president is, showing them being brutally murdered on stage is wrong. Much like the photo that Kathy Griffin holding Trump’s decapitated head, there is a difference between what one can do, and what one should do. Some may argue that progressive art is important, and that shutting down the play would be a freedom of speech violation.

Progressive art is important; no one is debating that. Art can cross the line though, and it is a case-by-case scenario. Not too long ago, a Republican senator was shot in Arizona, leaving many people to be sensitive to the killing of politicians. Putting on this play, so soon after this horrific event, is just morally wrong. Art is also not to be censored. However, what happens after the art is released is up to the public?

If enough backlash to the art is made, the artist may decide to take the piece down. This is what action we want the play to take. They have received major backlash, what they displayed is morally wrong, therefore they should decide to shut down the play. To reiterate, this is not a legal issue, this is a moral issue. Even if you hate a presidential candidate, you cannot incite violence onto them, and we believe that this play is doing just that.

Overall, we believe that the Julius Caesar play put on by The Public Theater should be shut down. This is not based on the legal ground of things, rather the moral ground. In the future, the theater should try and be more sensitive to what’s going on in the world before green lighting a play. Even though portraying a president being murdered isn’t ever morally okay, it’s especially not okay when real attempts on political lives are taking place.

This editorial was written by Samantha Henke based on the opinions of a JAMS 504 editorial board.