ENG2P
Loyalty and
Betrayal
(Friendship)
Appearances
vs. Reality
(this often
refers to lies
that are told)
That Was Then, This Is Now
 Friendship was used as a cover to
blind Julius Caesar from the truth,
from the plots against him.
 Brutus, Decius, and all the other
conspirators would use this to their
power, and to Julius Caesar's
weakness.
 Brutus’s rigid though honorable ideals
leave him open for manipulation by
Cassius
 Brutus betrays Julius Caesar
because they were very close friends
and Brutus joined the conspiracy to
kill Caesar.
 Antony proves to be loyal to Caesar
as he betrays Brutus and the
conspirators by turning the people of
Rome against them for having killed
Caesar.

Mark betrays Bryon by selling drugs
to Bryon’s girlfriend’s brother.

Bryon betrays Mark by turning him
into the police…however, Bryon is
justified in doing so as he has a
moral obligation to protect M&M

Mark betrays Bryon by selling drugs
to Bryon’s girlfriend’s brother.

Bryon betrays Cathy when he
breaks up with her after the incident
with M&M and the drugs

Bryon used to go with Curly's sister.
She broke up with him, but he spread
it around school that he broke up with
her.
Bryon was the hustler…he appeared
to not know how to play pool, and
then tricked people out of their money
Charlie said Bryon lied like a dog. He
said that was why Bryon could not get
a job.
M&M's father criticized him about his
hair and his grades, but in reality, he
loved him.
Mark appeared to be tough, but his
was really hurt when Bryon turned
him in to the police
 Brutus is strong and refuses to show
weakness when in public, whether it
be speaking to the plebeians or
leading an army into battle.
 However, we see through his intimate
conversations with his wife Portia and
with Cassius, that Brutus is often
unsure and greatly pained.
 Specifically, after fleeing Rome,
Brutus learns that his wife has
committed suicide, and is
heartbroken when discussing it with
Cassius.
 However, as soon as soldiers enter
his tent, he pretends to not know of
her death, and when told of it, does
not react with great emotion.
Bryon was ambitious in that he
wanted to start a new life with
Cathy, eventually spending less
and less time with Mark.

Mark was ambitious in that he
wanted to provide more for the
family, so he started selling drugs.
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Ambition &
Lack of SelfControl
Julius Caesar

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Caesar is a great man, and an
ambitious man.
His ambition is what worries Brutus,
and ultimately leads to Brutus joining
the conspiracy to murder Caesar.
Cassius is also a very ambitious man,
and because he is so jealous of
Caesar's power, wishes to kill him to
gain more power for himself.
Ultimately, the ambition of these two
men leads to their downfalls and to
virtual anarchy in the streets of Rome.
Great ambition leads to great conflict
Individual vs.
Society
(Responsibility)
Violence
 Bryon starts to realize that he needs
to start thinking of others, rather than
just about himself.
 Brutus feels that he has a
responsibility to Caesar because he
is his friend
 Bryon gets a job and has to make
sure that he cleans up he language
and bad attitude when dealing with
customers.
 However, he also feels responsible to
the republic of Rome to prevent them
from being ruled by one single
dictator
Violence leads to more violence
B & M cut a girl’s hair while she is
drunk, and the Sheppard boys come
to beat Bryon up in retaliation.
 Bryon and Mark jump at the chance
to save M&M from getting beaten up
by Curly Shepard and his gang
 Mark notices an African American
and suggests they “jump him.”
 Bryon’s uncertainty towards violence
as a solution increases when he talks
to Mike Chambers, a young gang
member who got beaten up by a
young black woman’s friends after he
tried to help her.
 Mark gets in a fight and gets hit in the
head with a beer bottle and has to be
taken in an ambulance to the hospital
to get stitched up.
 Charlie is killed by the Texans
because
 violence leads to more violence
 Julius Caesar returns to Rome in
triumph, having defeated the sons of
his archenemy, Pompey the Great
 Cassius and a few others, known
collectively as the conspirators, are
envious of Caesar's popularity and
have begun to plot against him… they
plan the death of Julius Caesar
 conspirators want to kill Mark Antony
but Brutus said no
 Antony allies himself with Caesar's
heir, Octavius, and with Aemilius
Lepidus. They propose to jointly rule
in the wake of Caesar's reign and
they try to out-maneuver one another
to gain more power. They also
declare a civil war against Brutus,
Cassius, and the conspirators.
 Cassius loses all hope of victory. He
kills himself order to escape the
ignominy of defeat.
 Brutus despairs and asks his
servants Clitus and Volumnius to kill
him, but they refuse. At last, Strato
agrees to hold the sword while Brutus
runs on it.
 Caesar's murder has been avenged
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http://englishrocks1.tripod.com/That%20Was%20Then,%20This%20Is%20Now/that_was_then,
_this_is_now.htm
http://www.pinkmonkey.com/booknotes/monkeynotes/pmJuliusCaesar05.asp