Aim:
What really happened to Julius Caesar, and how
can knowing this help us to understand the
play?
Do Now:
Create a web for Caesar.
Background Information
about Shakespeare
Shakespeare’s World
 Lived in England during the Renaissance.
 The Renaissance was a renewal of interest in
individual human achievement and in life.
 Elizabeth I became Queen of England and supported
all of the arts; therefore, notable writers emerged, and
by the end of the 16th century, London had more
theaters than any other city in Europe.
Shakespeare’s Theater
 From the early 1590s,
Shakespeare was affiliated with
the Lord Chamberlain’s Men
theater company.
 Shakespeare wrote the company’s plays, was part
owner, and performed occasionally as an actor.
 In 1599, he became part owner of the Globe Theater.
 All classes of theatergoers enjoyed his plays because
they included something for everyone.
 Performances were given during the day in warmer
weather.
 The stage had no scenery. The dialogue told the
audience where a scene was taking place.
 Productions were by no means drab.
 Costumes could be quite ornate.
 Props such as swords, shields, and swirling
banners added to the colorful display.
 Sound effects behind the stage
Shakespeare’s Legacy
 Most familiar lines in the English
language come from
Shakespeare’s plays.
“Friends, Romans,
countrymen, lend me
your ears”
Aristotelian Tragedy
 The most important element of a
tragic drama was the unique
experience of CATHARSIS, the
arousing of the specific emotions of
pity and fear so as to dispel or purge
them in the spectator.
 This is tragedy defined by its emotional effect on the
audience.
Ideal Plot
A. One plot whose action extends over no more than a
day or two and occurs in no more than one city and its
surrounding countryside. This is the unity of time,
place and action.
 According to Aristotle, this produced a stronger
emotional response.
Ideal Plot
B. A plot structured on principles which strengthen the
emotions of “pity” and fear.” These principles are…
1. Reversal (Or change of fortune)
Simple: character experiences a turn of fortune
from happiness to misery or vice versa.
Complex: the hero, seeking happiness, brings
about his own destruction. (ironic reversal)
Ideal Plot
2. Discovery (or recognition)
a. of someone’s identity or true nature
b. of one’s own identity or true character
c. of the nature of the gods and the universe
3. The ideal climax, turning point, combines ironic
reversal and discovery in a single action.
Tragic Hero’s Characteristics
 The hero must be of noble blood. This provides the
story with dignity. It also generates the feeling in the
audience that if tragedy can happen to the advanced,
it can happen to anyone. This is an example of how
tragedy produces “fear.”
 Initially, the hero must be neither better or worse
morally than most people. This produces “fear”
because the hero is imperfect like us, and we can
identify with him. It also produces “pity” because if
the hero were perfect or totally good, we would be
outraged by his fate. If he were completely evil, we
would feel like he had gotten what he deserved.
Tragic Hero’s Characteristics Continued
 The tragic hero meets his fate because of a “tragic
flaw.” The tragic flaw is not a defect in character, but
an error in judgment of the kind we all make. Since
we all make mistakes, this generates “fear” in that we
recognize our own potential for tragedy by
committing the same errors. It also generates “pity”
because we do not blame the hero for his tragic fate.
Catharsis, or Purgation
A. “Pity” is aroused for the hero as he meets his fate.
B. “Fear” is aroused since we may meet a similar fate as
the hero.
C. These two emotions are dispelled eventually.
We
sympathize with the hero and his tragic circumstances,
but we are not overcome with pity or fear for him.
We learn a lesson from the story, our pity and fear
disappear, and that is a cathartic experience.
Shakespearean Tragedy
a play that traces the main
character’s downfall
Tragic Hero
 He must be of high rank.
 Exhibits extraordinary talents
 Displays a tragic flaw that leads to his downfall
 Faces downfall with courage and dignity
Tragic Flaw
 The flaw often takes the form of obsession.
The Abnormal, The Supernatural,
Fate/Fortune/Chance
 Shakespeare occasionally represents abnormal
conditions of the mind.
 Shakespeare introduces the supernatural.
 Shakespeare, in most tragedies, allows “chance” in
some form to influence some of the action.
The Tragic “Story”
PLOT
 Shakespearean plays do not all occur in a day or two.
Many plays give the assumption that they do.
 The tragic story leads up to, and includes, the death of
the hero.
 The suffering and calamities that befall the hero are
unusual and exceptionally disastrous.
The Tragic “Story” Continued
PLOT
 The calamities of tragedy proceed mainly from men’s
actions. The hero recognizes his own responsibility
for the calamity too late to prevent his own death.
 The tragic hero faces downfall with courage and
dignity.
Tragic Conflicts
 The action of the tragic hero is most often motivated
by external or internal conflicts, which lead to
complications from which further conflicts arise. This
drives the action toward a tragic resolution.
Julius Caesar
Aristotle
Shakespeare
Classic definition:
Renaissance =
rebirth of classics
1. Unity of time/ place
2. Hero must be of great
stature
3. Hero’s fall is due to a
flaw in his nature
4. Must produce catharsis
1. Writers modeled their
works on classic works but
wanted to make them better.
2. They modified Aristotle’s
1 and kept 2, 3, and 4 the
same.
Julius Caesar
 He was a Roman general and politician who lived
from about 100 to 44 B.C.
 He was known as one of the greatest military leaders
in Roman history; he conquered most of
Gaul, a land that covered the areas now
known as France and Belgium.
 He also brought Roman civilization to
the island that eventually came to be
Britain and later led his army in a
takeover of Egypt.
Julius Caesar
Triumvirate
Board of commission in ancient Rome, composed
of three men (Trimviri)
 1st Triumvirate made in 60 B.C.
Pompey the Great, Julius Caesar, and Marcus Crassus
designed to carry out schemes against the Senate.
 2nd Triumvirate:
Octavian (Augustus), Mark Antony, and Marcus Lepidus
Julius Caesar
Power Play
While Caesar was in Gaul (~56 B.C.), his agents
(Tribunes) attempted to dominate politics in
Rome.
 Caesar threatened Pompey’s position, causing tension
between them.
 In 53 B.C., Crassus was killed, destroying the buffer
between the other two.
Julius Caesar
 The Senate (goaded by Pompey) called for Caesar’s
resignation and dissolution of his army, lest he be
considered a public enemy.
 The tribunes (Caesar’s agents) vetoed this
motion…CIVIL WAR
 Caesar returns to Rome as dictator.
Julius Caesar
Caesarian Reforms
 Eliminated the highly corrupt tax system.
 Sponsored colonies of veterans, extended Roman
citizenship.
 Reconstituted the courts.
 Increased the number of senators.
 Reformed the calendar, giving Rome a rational means
of recording time.
Julius Caesar
Threats
A number of senatorial families felt that Caesar
threatened their position, and they feared that he
would become a rex (king), a title the
Republicans hated.
 In 44 B.C., an assassination plot was hatched by
senators, including Gaius Cassius and Marcus Junius
Brutus.
 On March 15, 44 B.C., when Caesar entered the senate
house, they killed him.
Julius Caesar
The Cast of Characters
 Cassius: Roman general, conspirator
 Fought against Caesar in the civil war, under
Pompey.
 One of the leaders of the assassination
conspiracy
 Raised an army to fight Caesar’s commander
in chief, Mark Antony.
 After being defeated in battle, committed
suicide to avoid captivity.
Julius Caesar
The Cast of Characters Continued
 Brutus: Roman political leader
 Supported Pompey in the civil war.
 Pardoned and taken into Caesar’s favor.
 Conspirator
 Joined Cassius’ army against Mark Anthony.
 After being defeated in battle (20 days after
Cassius), committed suicide.
Julius Caesar
The Cast of Characters Continued
 Mark Anthony: Roman statesman and general
 Defeated the assassins of Julius Caesar.
 Formed the Second Triumvirate with
Octavius and Lepidus.
 After fleeing to Egypt with his lover
Cleopatra and being defeated, he fell on his
sword, killing himself due to a false report of
Cleopatra's suicide.