The Tragedy of Julius Caesar
By William Shakespeare
Ideas to Consider as We Read…..
1. Most people resent others’ power….
2. Sometimes being superstitious is a good
thing….
3. No cause, political or other, is worth dying
for…
4. Revenge is like drinking poison…
5. Power necessarily corrupts….
Ideas to Consider as We Read…..
6. I am drawn more to advice from my peers than
that from persons of authority….
7. "The evil that men do lives after them; the good
is [often buried] with their bones.”
8. One instance of betrayal from a friend
warrants ending that relationship…
9. People are drawn toward darkness, whether
they admit it openly or not….
10. Murder and honor cannot coexist….
Plot Diagram of Julius Caesar
• Act I– Exposition- intro of characters, elements of
setting (time, place)
• Inciting Incident/Exciting Force- intro of major
conflict, force that drives rest of plot
• Act 2– Complication (Rising Action)- struggles
intensify, plot events leading twrd climax
• Act 3– Climax- highest point of tension/action
• Act 4– Denouement (Falling Action)- events
following climax, leading twrd resolution
• Act 5– Resolution- loose ends tied up; major
problems solved!
Act I, Scene i
Setting: Streets of Rome, 44 B.C.
Marullus & Flavius- 2 tribunes (officials
elected to ‘protect’ interests of commoners)
People are celebrating both the Feast of
Lupercal and Caesar’s defeat of Pompey’s
sons. (Caesar had defeated Pompey, an old
rival, in 48 B.C; he has just defeated
Pompey’s sons in battle)
Act I, Scene i
Cobbler (shoemaker) & Carpenter- both
commoners- meet Flavius, Marullus
Note comic relief & pun- play on 2 words
similar in sound and meaning- lines 13-15
“mender of bad soles”
F & M- see Caesar as threat to Rome’s
republican rule, want to shame commoners,
remind them of past loyalty to Pompey,
lines 41-5
Act I, Scene i
Flavius- disgusted w/ celebrations
He orders all statues be removed of any
decorations celebrating Caesar (lines 73-80)
“These growing feathers plucked from
Caesar’s wing/ Will make him fly an
ordinary pitch….”
Act I, Scene ii
Note evidence of superstition and ritual
early in this scene: Caesar orders Antony to
touch his wife Calpurnia so that she may
become fertile.
(Antony participating in Feast of Lupercal
races- lead runner believed to be able to
remove curse of sterility)
Act I, Scene ii
---Soothsayer (fortuneteller) to Caesar
“Beware the ides of March.”
(foreshadowing)
Ides- Latin- translated roughly to halfway
point- ‘ides of march’- modern-day:
metaphor for doom
The arrogant Caesar blows him off:
“He is a dreamer. Let us leave him pass.”
Questions for Review
1.Why could Flavius and Marullus be
described as officious and supercilious?
2. Look at the rhetorical ?s in Marullus’
speech in 1.1. What is their function?
“That Tiber trembled under her banks…”literary devices?....
Characterize the relationship between
Caesar and Pompey.
(C & P had had a major falling out during
their rule in the 1st triumvirate of Rome….)
Act I, Scene ii
Cassius- is a shady, sly character- uses flattery
to lure Brutus in; Cassius wants to take Caesar
down, to take advantage of Brutus’ inner
conflict regarding Caesar.
Why might Brutus be conflicted?
Brutus: “I love the name of honor more than
I fear death.”
“I would not Cassius, yet I love him well.”
Act I, Scene ii
Brutus loves Caesar, but he fears that he
will not lead Rome well. (internal
conflict)-He is caught between his loyalty
to a dear friend and his love of Rome, his
commitment to honoring the good of the
republic.
Which Macbeth character does Brutus
remind you of? Why?
Act I, Scene ii
Cassius- ‘Why shouldn’t you, Brutus, be the
leader of the Romans? You are just as good
as Caesar!’
Cassius’ story of Caesar’s past:
monologue- lines 97-138- Caesar is a
physically weak man; why should someone
like him be king? (cannot swim, fevers,
epilepsy)
Act I, Scene ii
Casca to Brutus- The people of Rome love
Caesar, want to crown him king. Caesar
‘refused’ the crown 3 times, suffered epileptic
fits, even offered the crowd his throat to be
cut…. – a true spectacle!
“if Caesar had stabbed their mothers they
would have done no less…”
Act I, Scene ii
Caesar on Cassius: He is very wary of
him, yet he goes on to say he doesn’t fear
him…. (dramatic irony/foreshadowing)
Caesar- half deaf and epileptic
Why do you think Shakespeare
portrayed Caesar this way?.....
Act I, Scene ii
Cassius’ soliloquy- his plan to lure Brutus into
the conspiracy against Caesar.
Cassius’s plan- write letters in all sorts of
handwriting, throw them in Brutus’ window
(inciting incident/exciting force!)
Note the presence of rhyming couplets.
Cinna will plant the letters…..
(Every conspirator plays a key role)….
Act I, Scene iii
Notice the omens Casca says he experienced
(signs from nature, usually somewhat
spooky/supernatural, that are linked to future
disaster).
Locate 5.
Act I, Scene iii
A tempest (violent storm)
A slave’s hand was on fire, but he is unscathed.
There was a random lion in the capitol, but he
did not attack.
A crowd of women see a group of men walking
around on fire.
A creepy owl shrieking during the day
(Shakespeare is clearly obsessed).
Act I, Scene iii
Conspirators
Brutus, Cassius, Casca, Cinna,
Metellus Cimber, Trebonius, Decius
(Later, another is added as revealed later in Act
2- Caius Ligarius- he’s not so important,
though).
Act II, Scene i
Lucius- Brutus’ servant
Brutus’ soliloquy illustrates his feelings about
Caesar: ‘My issues w/ Caesar are not personal.
I fear that if he is crowned king, he will change;
power might go to his head. He seems to have
risen to power too quickly and poses a danger to
the republic. Ambition may ruin him- and
Rome!’ – B’s internal conflict….
Act II, Scene i
Key points of his soliloquy:
What is an adder anyway?
‘Th’ abuse of greatness is when it disjoins/Remorse from
power./…lowliness is young ambition’s ladder,/Whereto the
climber upwards turns his face…scorning the base degrees/By
which he did ascend.’
Note the extended metaphor
Note the simile in line 33.
Act II, Scene i
Key points of his soliloquy:
The adder is used as a metaphor to symbolically
represent Caesar as a potentially evil tyrant.
Brutus fears what could happen to Rome if he is
given the crown, is successful in achieving total
control.
The ladder is used as a metaphor to symbolically
represent Caesar’s rise to power. Should Caesar
climb to the top, he will treat those down belowthe common Romans- poorly and with disdain.
ActII,
II, Scene
Act
Scenei i
Brutus’ reaction to letters planted by Cinna:
I will act on these requests of the Romans and
do what is best. He is resolute in his decision.
--- Has Brutus started to change? How so?
What exactly is his tragic flaw? (ironically
enough…)
ActII,
II, Scene
Act
Scenei i
It is the ides of March (as Lucius reveals)
All conspirators arrive
Cassius- repeats what is contained in
letters to make sure Brutus joins
conspiracy (97-102)
Brutus: ‘Oaths are beneath us; they
aren’t necessary for we are men of
honor….’
ActII,
II, Scene
Act
Scenei i
Cassius feels Marc Antony should also be
killed, but Brutus does want to make things
“too bloody.” He feels Antony does not
pose too much of a threat, “is only a limb of
Caesar./” – extended metaphor of body
continues in 195,6
Clock strikes- anachronism- placement of
an event, idea, or person in wrong time
period- Clocks didn’t exist at this time.
ActII,
II, Scene
Act
Scenei i
Portia, Brutus’ wife, senses he is
tormented, begs him to trust her and confide
in her, tell her his secrets. She states that
even though she is a woman, she can handle
anything he may tell her. She even stabs
herself in the thigh to show her toughness!
Does she remind you of anybody? How so?
ActII,
II, Scene
ii i
Act
Scene
Caesar is very troubled by Calpurnia’s
dream in which she cried out 3X- “Help ho,
they murder Caesar!” (foreshadowing)
Omens she mentions: scary lioness, graves
opening and closing, warriors fighting
amongst themselves in the clouds, blood
raining down on Capitol, horses going
nutty…
Doe she remind you of anybody? How so?
ActII,
II, Scene
ii i
Act
Scene
Calpurnia refers to omens as “comets from
heaven”- He must not go to Capitol.
Literary devices/techniques in her
speech?...
Where and how is animal sacrifice present?
What does this show about the Romans?
Why does Caesar decide to ignore the
advice of Calpurnia? What does this show
about him?
ActII,
II, Scene
ii i
Act
Scene
Decius follows through on his pledge to
conspirators to ensure that Caesar goes to
Capitol- uses flattery and trickery
“This dream is all amiss interpreted./ It is a
vision fair and fortunate.”
This dream shows you are the lifeblood of
Rome, giving Romans hope as a strong leader
who will do what must be done! The blood is
not a sign of death.
ActII,
II, Scene
ii i
Act
Scene
Decius’ deception continues….
Decius: The Romans intend to crown you
king. Are you going to tell them that you fear
your wife and are too scared to show?....
Act II,
iii-ivi
Act
II,Scene
Scene
Artemidorus: He reads aloud a letter in
which he tries to warn Caesar of the plot
against him.
He will try to pass this letter to Caesar as he
passes on his way to Capitol.
Portia is a mental wreck at this point. She is
onto the conspirators.
She pumps the soothsayer for info, but she
can only wait….
Act II,
III, Scene
Scene I i
Act
Shakespeare dramatized some of the actual history
behind the story of JC’s assassination…..
Caesar dismisses Artemidorus’ attempt to
warn him about the threat to his life.
“What touches us ourself shall be last
served….What, is the fellow mad?”
ActII,
III, Scene
Scene i i
Act
Trebonius: “draws Marc Antony out of the
way.” (During the murder, Trebonius will pull
MA aside so that he cannot protect C).
Metellus Cimber: distracts Caesar by asking
him to lift the banishment (exile) placed upon
his brother, Publius Cimber.
Casca: He will be the first to stab Caesar;
others will then join him. (As Cinna states,
“You are the first that rears your hand…” line
32)
ActII,
III, Scene
Scene i i
Act
Caesar refuses to lift the banishment he has placed
upon Publius Cimber: “I am as constant as the
Northern Star.”
Casca stabs Caesar, others join in
Et tu, Brute? (Latin- you too, Brutus?)- shows
Caesar’s recognition of the betrayal
According to Brutus’ instructions, conspirators
smear their swords, wash and hands in Caesar’s
blood, walk around crying, Peace, Freedom,
Liberty!
ActII,
III, Scene
Scene i i
Act
Marc Antony’s servant enters, pledging that
Marc Antony will be loyal to Brutus now
that Caesar is dead. Brutus assures the
servant that MA will be “untouched.”
How does Cassius feel about Marc
Antony’s vow? (lines 160-2) What had he
said in II.i about Brutus’ decision to let
Marc Antony live? What does this show
about Cassius?
ActII,
III, Scene
Scene i i
Act
When he appears, Marc Antony is trying to
get the conspirators to trust him. He tells
them that if they wish to kill him, then he
would feel honored to die next to Caesar’s
body.
Brutus assured MA that he is not in danger.
MA- “…you shall give me reasons/Why and
wherein Caesar was dangerous” (Why did
you kill my friend?....)
ActII,
III, Scene
Scene i i
Act
Marc Antony- let me speak at the funeral
Cassius doesn’t think this is such a hot idea
Brutus grants Marc Antony permission to
speak at C’s funeral under these conditions:
- Brutus speaks first
- MA has to tell the crowd he is speaking b/c
Brutus said he could.
- MA cannot speak badly about the
conspirators.
ActII,
III, Scene
Scene i i
Act
What happens when MA speaks over
Caesar’s body?
In this soliloquy, MA vows to Caesar’s
corpse that he will avenge Caesar’s death,
will go after the conspirators bigtime.
He invokes help of Ate (allusion to Greek
mythology, god of discord & vengeance) to
make Brutus & conspirators pay.
MA- not afraid to start bloodiest of wars in
getting justice for his friend.
ActII,
III, Scene
Scene i i
Act
Octavius is on his way to Rome (Caesar’s
great-nephew, actually did go on to rule
Rome under the name Augustus)…
Act II,
III, Scene
Scene ii i
Act
Rhetoric: the art of speaking and writing
persuasively; skill in using language
effectively
Rhetorical devices: techniques writers
(speakers) use to enhance their arguments
and communicate more effectively
Pay close attention to the rhetoric in both
Brutus’ and MA’s speech: which proves
more effective in winning over the
plebeians?
Act II,
III, Scene
Scene ii i
Act
Plebeians (common folk) demand answers
regarding Caesar’s death.
Brutus- Why did I kill Caesar?- “not that I
loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome
more…” (I killed Caesar for his ambition,
his potential to become a tyrant).
Brutus’
Speech i
Act
II, Scene
He establishes his credibility and honor
immediately by stating, rather logically, his
reasons for killing Caesar: “as he was ambitious, I
slew him.”
The crowd is convinced by his authoritative
pledge to protect the republic.
At the end of his speech, he appeals to the
plebeians’ sense of nationalism…..
His 3 objectives: Establish his honor, that of the
conspirators, and the necessity of Caesar’s death.
His ambition would have choked the republic!
Rhetorical
devices
in Brutus’
Act
II, Scene
i speech
- Repetition: “honor”, “ambition”, “love”,
“weep”- these appeal to crowd’s emotions
- Parallelism- same types of sentences and
grammatical constructions used over and
over again emphasize his points
- Key example of parallelism: “Hear
me….believe me….censure me…”
Rhetorical
devices
in Brutus’
Act
II, Scene
i speech
- Note the repetitious use of “If….” towards
the end- This an example of anaphorarepetition of an initial word/s to emphasize
a key point.
- Rhetorical questions “Who here is so vile
that will not love his country?” (appeals to
the plebeians’ sense of nationalism)
- How could we characterize his tone?....
-
-
Rhetorical
devices
in Brutus’
Act
II, Scene
i speech
More on anaphora & parallelism:
“As he was fortunate….As he was
valiant….as he was ambitious….”
“Who is here so base….Who is here so
rude….Who is here vile…”
Notice how the sentences begin the same
way (parallelism) and key words are
repeated (anaphora)
Act III,
Scene
MA’s speech
Act
II, ii-Scene
i
Repetition- Honorable, ambitious
Antony emphasizes that Caesar was not
ambitious- at least in the negative way the
conspirators suggest- and that the conspirators are
not honorable
Did in this Caesar seem ambitious?.....(had denied
crown 3x during Feast of Lupercal)
Apostrophe- literary device in which someone
(usually, but not always absent), some abstract
quality, or a nonexistent personage is directly
addressed.
Act III,
Scene
MA’s speech
Act
II, ii-Scene
i
Rhetorical questions- (several times)
He wants his listeners to think they have a
say in what he is doing or even that they are
controlling him. The crowd is reacting in
exactly the way Antony wants them to: he is
manipulating them, but they do not realize
it.
Key example of verbal irony: “Brutus is an
honorable man.” (MA doesn’t think he is).
Act III,
Scene
MA’s speech
Act
II, ii-Scene
i
Paralepsis- emphasizing a point by seeming
to pass over it (the reading of the will).
Notice that he wants the audience to hear
about Caesar’s will. Why?....
What is the effect of the presence of
Caesar’s body upon the audience? (Notice
how MA shows them the wounds and uses
the conspirators names as he does so).
Act III,
Scene
MA’s speech
Act
II, ii-Scene
i
MA persuades the crowd into believing that
Caesar’s murder was unjust and that the
people should rise up. (Remember his vows
during the soliloquy).
‘We’ll mutiny….“We’ll burn the house of
Brutus!” (plebeians)
Lepidus joins forces w/ MA and Octavius
Brutus and Cassius have fled Rome b/c they
are scared of the plebeians, who have turned
against them.
Act III,
Scene
MA’s speech
Act
II, ii-Scene
i
Cinna the poet is torn to death because the
crowd has gone wild. At first, they think he
is Cinna, one of the conspirators, but when
they realize he is Cinna the poet, they shrug
it off and murder him anyway. (They’re all
riled up, want revenge, acting like lunatics).
Cinna the poet is used to emphasize how
effective MA’s speech was in ‘turning’ the
plebeians against the conspirators….
Literary
Terms i
Act
II, Scene
All literary plot diagram terms
Alliteration
Allusion
Anachronism
Apostrophe
Dramatic Irony
Internal Conflict
External Conflict
Foreshadowing
Kenning
Metaphor
Parallelism
Literary
Terms i
Act
II, Scene
Paralepsis
2 different types of speeches
Pun
Syntax
Rhetoric
Tragic Hero
Rhetorical Devices Tragic Flaw
Rhyming couplets
Verbal Irony
Simile
KeyII,
Characters
Act
Scene i
Artemidorus
Brutus
Calpurnia
Casca
Cinna
Cassius
Cinna/Cinna the Poet
Decius
Flavius/Marullus
Marc Antony
Metellus Cimber
Portia
Soothsayer
Trebonius