Julius Caesar
William Shakespeare
Julius Caesar Unit
Essential Questions
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What are the qualities and responsibilities of a good
leader?
What are the key factors in determining the success or
failure of a leader?
How does a leader affect a group or society?
When should we follow the guidance of others and when
should we follow our own conscience?
How does a person make ethical choices?
What makes a person persuasive?
Pre Reading Notes
Genres of plays
 Structure of plays
 Background (historical Julius Caesar)
 Act I, Scene I questions
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Play Genres
Tragedy
 Comedy
 History
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Tragedy
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The fall of a great man or family
 Not
because of a character flaw, but because
of a choice he made
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Many people die
Comedies
Not simply comical in the modern sense,
but often tensions between traditional
roles (male vs. female, poor vs. rich, old
vs. young, etc).
 Usually end in marriage, revision or
restoration of traditional roles. (A
Midsummer Night’s Dream, Much Ado
About Nothing, etc)
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Histories
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Based on the lives of English kings.
(Henry IV, Henry V, Richard III, etc)
Shakespeare Play Structure
Act 1 -- Exposition. We meet the characters,
and time and place are established. We learn
about the antecedents of the story. Attention is
directed toward the conflict and dramatic
tensions.
 Act 2 – Rising Action/Complications. The course
of action becomes more complicated.Tension
mounts, conflicts arise and momentum builds
up.
 Act 3 -- The Climax of Action. The development
of conflict reaches its high point, the Hero
stands at the crossroads, leading to victory or
defeat, crashing or soaring.
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Play Structure
Act 4 -- Falling Action. The consequences
of Act 3 play out, momentum slows. If it's
a tragedy, it looks like the Hero can be
saved. If not, then it looks like all may be
lost.
 Act 5 – Resolution/Catastrophe. The
conflict is resolved, whether through a
catastrophe, the downfall of the hero, or
through his victory and change.
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Background
For centuries, Romans debated and even
fought civil wars while trying to decide
whether a monarchy, a republic or a
dictatorship was the best form of
government.
 Until 509 B.C., Rome was a monarchy,
but, in that year, the Brutus family evicted
Trarquinius Superbus from the throne and
Rome was established as a republic.
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Background
By 100 B.C., Rome was a moderate democracy
in form; in actual practice, the Senate was ruling
Rome.
 In 60 B.C., a triumvirate (a 3-man rule) of
Caesar, Crassus, and Pompey was formed to
govern Rome.
 In 58 B.C., Caesar was made governor of part of
Gaul, and at the age of 44 began his military
career. During the next ten years, he proceeded
to conquer all of Gaul.
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Gaul (Western Europe)
Background
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After Crassus was killed in battle, trouble began
to develop between Pompey and Caesar.
Pompey, jealous of Caesar’s popularity, persuaded
the Senate to order Caesar to disband his army and
return to Rome.
 But Caesar invaded Rome and made himself absolute
ruler of Rome.
 Meanwhile, Pompey fled to Greece.
 Caesar defeated Pompey’s army and Pompey fled to
Egypt where he was later murdered.
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Background
Three years after Caesar defeated
Pompey’s army, Caesar defeated
Pompey’s two sons.
 Thus, as Shakespeare begins his play with
Caesar returning in victory from Spain,
Caesar was the undisputed leader and
master of the entire Roman world.
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Roman World Ruled by Caesar
Background
Setting: Rome, Italy, part of the continent
of Europe, and it is situated along the
Tiber River.
 There were two classes of people in
Rome.
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 The
rich were called Patricians.
 The poor were called Plebeians.
Background
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Hero:
 Unlike
Romeo and Juliet where the title
characters were the heroes of the play, Julius
Caesar is not the hero.
 The hero in this play is Brutus, a noble man
who truly believes his actions are for the good
of his country. Brutus dominated much of the
play.
Background
Timeline: Shakespeare compresses the actual
historical time of 3 years into a period of 6 days.
(See handout.)
 Characters: See handout
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Act I, Scene I Questions:
After we read Act I, Scene I aloud in class, answer
the following questions in your notes:
1.) Who is in this scene?
2.) What are they doing?
3.) Where does the scene take place?
4.) When does the scene take place (and why is it
important)?
5.) Why are the people celebrating?
6.) How do Marullus and Flavius feel?
Rhetoric and Persuasion
Rhetoric—the art of speaking or writing
effectively
 According to Aristotle, rhetoric is “the
ability, in each particular case, to see the
available means of persuasion.”
 Three types
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 Ethos
 Logos
 Pathos
Rhetoric and Persuasion
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Ethos
 Appeal
based on the character of the speaker
 Relies on the reputation of the speaker/author
as credible, trustworthy, honest, and ethical
 Uses the following:
 Language
appropriate to the audience
 Restrained, sincere, fair-minded presentation
 Appropriate level of vocabulary
 Correct grammar
Rhetoric and Persuasion
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Logos
 Appeal
based on facts, evidence, and reason
 Appealing to the audience’s sense of what is
logical
 Uses the following:
 Definitions
 Factual
data and statistics
 Quotations
 Citations from experts and authorities
 Informed opinions
Rhetoric and Persuasion
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Pathos
 Appeal
based on feelings emotions
 Uses:
 Vivid,
concrete language
 Emotional examples
 Vivid descriptions
 Narratives of emotional events
 Emotional tone
 Figurative language
Persuasion in Advertising
Example 1: Logos
 Tire Ad #1:
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 Tire
X lasts 40% longer than the leading
brand, costs half the price, and has achieved
excellent anti-hydroplaning ratings.
Persuasion in Advertising
Example 2: Ethos
 Tire Ad #2:
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 Jeff
Gordon, successful racecar driver and tire
aficionado prefers Tire X.
Persuasion in Advertising
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Example 3: Pathos
Assignment
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In groups of three, find a minimum of 4 magazine
advertisements.
Complete the following for each advertisement:
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Write a detailed description of the ad (who is in it, what is going
on, what it is advertising, etc)
Explain which persuasive device the ad is appealing to (logos,
ethos, pathos) and why you believe it is that particular device.
Decide if you think the ad company was successful in persuading
you to buy the product, donate to something, vote a certain
way, etc.
Choose 1 advertisement to present to the class. Be sure to show
us the actual advertisement, explain the persuasive device, any
fallacies, and if you thought the ad was successful.
Act I, Scene 2
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All about Cassius
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Mean Girls clip:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPDt6cMYvoM
Soliloquy
1. A soliloquy is when a character of a drama/play conveys
his/her secret thoughts and/or intentions to the audience or
the readers.
2. While doing so, he/she preserves the secrecy of those
thoughts/intentions from other characters of the drama. It’s
just the character and the reader.
3. It helps the audience/reader to better understand the
character, his thoughts, his intentions, and the presumable
development of the play.
Act I, Scene 2
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All about Cassius
 As
we read, think about the elements of
persuasion that Cassius uses to manipulate
Brutus
 What information do we gain from his
soliloquy?
 ‘Open Mind’ graphic organizer—List Cassius’s
thoughts throughout Act I, Scene 2. What is
his plan?
ACT III, Scene 2
Funeral Speeches
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Terms to Know
Prose—the ordinary language people use when
writing or speaking; not poetic
 Poetry—Literary work in which special intensity is
given to the expression of feelings and ideas by the
use of distinctive style and rhythm
 Rhetorical questions—a figure of speech in the form
of a question without the expectation of a reply
 Sarcasm—The use of irony to mock or convey
contempt
 Repetition—repeating words, lines, or phrases
 Ethos, logos, pathos—appeal to character, logic,
emotion
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Funeral Speeches
For each of the terms defined on the
previous page, write an example from
Antony’s speeches in Act III, Scene 2 on
your note sheet.
HW: Antony writing prompt