A Tragedy in 5 Acts
By William Shakespeare
Characters

Julius Caesar

 Not the main character
 Characters are preoccupied with him
 Wants to become emperor (king)
Brutus

 High-ranking, well-respected nobleman
 Motivated by his sense of honor
 Places Rome above his own personal interests
 His honor is his weakness
Mark Antony

 Loyal friend of Caesar
 Impulsive, pleasure-seeking, passionate
 Lives life in the moment
Cassius

 Talented general
 Acquaintance of Caesar
 Resents that Roman populace revere’s Caesar as a
god
 Shrewd opportunist
 Lacks integrity
Octavius

 Caesar’s adopted son and appointed successor
 Authoritative figure
 Later changes his name to Augustus
Casca

 Conspirator
 Tribune
 elected official that represents the common people
 Rough, blunt
Calphurina or Calpurnia

 Caesar’s wife
 Invests in the authority of omens and portents
Portia

 Brutus’s wife
 Daughter of Cato (Roman Noble)
 Brutus’s confidante
Flavius and Murellus

 Tribunes who condemn the plebeians for cheering
for Caesar , when they use to cheer for his enemy—
Pompey
 Remove decorations from Caesar’s statures during
his triumphal parade.
Cicero

 Senator
 Known for his oratorical skill
 Speaks at Caesar’s triumphal parade
Go Team!

Team Caesar
 Julius Caesar
 Mark Antony
 Octavius
 Lepidus
 Calphurnia
Team Pompey
 Brutus
 Cassius
 Flavius
 Murellus
 Casca
 Portia
Themes, Motifs, and
Symbols

Theme

 A central idea or statement
 Unifies and controls an entire literary work
 Author’s way of communicating:
 Ideas
 Perceptions
 Feelings
 Stated or implied
Theme examples

 Brief and meaningful insight; comprehensive vision
of life




Progress: Victorian works
Order and duty: early Roman works
Carpe diem (Seize-the –day ): late Roman works
Jealousy: Shakespeare’s Othello
Theme examples

 Complicated doctrine
 Milton’s theme in Paradise Lost
 justify the ways of God to men
 Upton Sinclair, The Jungle
 Socialism is the only sane reaction to the labor abuses in
Chicago meat-packing plants
Theme of Play

 Fate vs. Free Will
 Public Self vs. Private Self
 Misinterpretations vs. Misreadings
 Inflexibility vs. Compromise
 Rhetoric and Power
Motifs

 Recurring structures, contrasts; or literary devices
that can help to develop and inform the text’s major
themes
Motifs in Play

 Omens and Portents
 Letters
 The power of a written letter depends on the
addressee
 Orators must read the emotions of the crowd, they can
adjust their speech and intonations as needed
Symbols

 Objects, characters, figures, or colors used to
represent abstract ideas or concepts
Symbols in Play

 Women and Wives
 Represent the private/domestic realm
Resources

 www.shoomp.com
 www.sparknotes.com
 Sparknotes IPhone app