ABSTRACT
Shakespeare and Caesar can be understood as complex systems. These systems contain deep stable attractors, which pull ever more elements into the orbit of their systems. Shakespeare has grown into an unfathomably large and complex network that comprises the individual playwright and far exceeds him. This chapter examines some of the dominant agents within the system and note some recent key changes that indicate significant system developments. The Shakespeare system of Stratford-upon-Avon, like the fictional political system within Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, is characterised by the presence of a dominant attractor. Systems can contain multiple attractors and they can move from one state to another through the process of self-organisation. The formation of attractors is therefore influenced by a system's self-organisation, and this is in turn affected by the state of the attractor. The play's opening scene underlines the potency of the public in creating and reinforcing the system's attractors.
