Jeremy Starks
9/24/14
English Honors 10
Julius Caesar Act V Lesson Plan
Element
Objective
Standard(s)
Explanation
After completing this lesson,
students will be able to:
 Understand key plot
points from Act V of
Julius Caesar.
 Analyze how omens,
prophecies, etc.
motivate characters
and advance the plot of
JC.
 Compare the treatment
of war prisoners during
the time of JC to
today, or reflect on
how leaders still
influence their
followers after they
have died.
Annotation
After seeing students struggle
to discuss Act II, I want to
make sure they have a good
grasp on this last Act.
Omens, prophecies, portents,
and ghosts play an important
role in JC and other
Shakespeare plays. They
aren’t a surface-level device:
Shakespeare uses them to
reveal character
fears/ambitions and to
advance the plot.
Antony wants the war
prisoners to be treated with
kindness, so that later they do
not become his enemies.
Looking at modern day
treatment of war prisoners
allows us to evaluate our
culture’s values and see if they
have changed.
Julius Caesar’s ghost haunts
Brutus. Students could discuss
how modern leaders—such as
Hitler, Jim Jones, and David
Koresh—influenced their
followers.
9-10.SL.2.2: Examine,
Standard 9-10.SL.2.2 is
analyze, and reflect on ideas
reflected in the Act V
and support or refute points
worksheet. Students need to
under discussion, by providing examine the text in order to
specific evidence from
answer the questions. The
materials under study and
deeper discussion questions
other resources.
also reflect this standard
somewhat.
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Introduction
Activities
9-10.RL.2.3: Analyze how
dynamic characters develop
over the course of a text,
interact with other characters,
and advance the plot or
develop the theme.
Bell-ringer: Tell me, in your
own words, what a tragedy is.
What are the recurring
elements of tragedies? How
are they different from
comedies? Can you list a few
plays, books, or movies that
are considered tragedies?
1. Begin with the bellringer and collect
when the students are
done. (5 minutes)
2. Hand out worksheet
for students to work on
in small groups.
Assign different scenes
to different groups. (10
minutes)
3. Come back as a class
and go over the
answers. (7 minutes)
4. Assign the “Omens”
question to the groups,
found on page 634 of
the textbook. (20
minutes)
5. Ask for two separate
groups to offer one of
the omens they found
(5 minutes)
6. Pose one of the deeper
discussion questions to
the class at large.
7. Type up responses to
“Omens” worksheet in
Write To Learn for
homework.
Standard 9-10.RL.2.3 is
reflected in the “Omens”
worksheet; students get to see
how these supernatural events
affect characters and the plot.
I want to gauge for myself
where students are at with
their understanding of
tragedies. At the very least I
am asking them to call on
prior knowledge, as well as
get into the mindset of English
class.
The worksheet (Step #2) is
meant to show me how closely
students can read and
understand Act V. To answer
the questions, they’ll need to
take Shakespeare’s language
and paraphrase it in order to
get to the answer. I am
assigning them different
scenes to work on so we can
move through the worksheet
faster. It’s a simple question of
understanding; later in this
lesson and on 9/26 we’ll be
working at higher levels of
Bloom’s Taxonomy.
We will go over the answers
as a class (Step #3), and
students will be able to fill in
the answers for other scenes
based on what other groups
say. I will collect this
worksheet, but the students
will get it back on Friday to
use for studying.
I have divided the “Omens”
question (Step #4) into a table
so that it is easier for the
students to answer. Hopefully
students will pick different
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omens, portents, etc.
For Step #5, I will type up
each of the group’s responses
into a blank copy of the
worksheet.
Evaluation
Conclusion
I will collect the bell-ringer
and see what students have
written.
As stated above, I want to see
where the students are at with
understanding the literary term
“tragedy,” and see if they use
As students work on the Act V other literary terms to define
worksheet and the “Omens”
it, such as tragic hero and
worksheet, I will be walking
tragic flaw.
around to check for
understanding and help
Students will be working in
students where appropriate. I
groups, making it easier to
will be collecting both of these check for understanding.
worksheets.
They will be getting these
worksheets back to use as
study guides for the JC test.
Step #6 will serve as the
The deeper questions are
conclusion to the lesson. The
meant to get the students to
two “Deeper Discussion
think about modern
Questions” are listed at the
equivalents of things found in
end of this document.
the play. Comparing and
reflecting could help them
remember items for the test, or
what they talk about could be
used in an essay prompt.
Discussion Questions, Lines of Text, and Answers:
5.1 Questions:
1. What exchange between Antony and Octavius shows us a bit of a split between them? (lines
16-20)
Antony tells Octavius to lead his soldiers out on to the left hand of the field, and Octavius says he
will go right and Antony should take the left. Antony asks Octavius why he crosses (goes
against) him and Octavius says he is not crossing Antony but will do so.
2. What does Antony accuse the conspirators of (aside from the obvious, murder) during their
parley? (lines 30-44)
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Antony accuses the conspirators of being flatterers who pretended to be loyal to Caesar and then
betrayed him.
3. According to Antony, from where and how did Casca stab Caesar? (lines 43-44)
Casca struck Caesar in the neck, while standing behind Caesar.
5.3 Questions:
1. What did Cassius do to a flag bearer in his own army when he tried to retreat? (lines 1-4)
He killed him and took his flag up, charging into battle with it.
2. How does Pindarus misinterpret what he is seeing; what does he think is happening to
Titinius? (lines 28-35)
Pindarus is actually seeing Titinius being surrounded by their own soldiers, who are taking him
down off his horse and are shouting for joy because they are winning. Pindarus believes the
soldiers surrounding Titinius are enemy soldiers who have captured him and are shouting with
joy at having captured one of the enemy.
3. What literary device or devices is Messala using on lines 5.67-71?
Personification. Messala gives human qualities to the inanimate idea of “error.” Other answers:
apostrophe and metaphor.
5.4 Questions:
1. Right after Cato the younger, son of Marcus Cato, identifies himself, whom does Lucilius
falsely claim to be in an effort to fool the enemy? (lines 7-8)
Lucilius claims to be Brutus.
2. How does Antony order his men to treat Lucilius? (lines 26-29)
Antony orders that their prisoner will be treated with all kindness and kept safe; he would rather
have such men as friends than enemies.
3. What does Brutus say about Julius Caesar in Scene 5?
Brutus tells Volumnius that the ghost of Caesar has appeared to him twice.
5.5 Questions:
1. Why does Brutus want one of his friends to kill him? (lines 23-25)
Brutus says that they are at the edge of a pit and are surrounded by their enemies; he considers
it more noble to jump and take control, having a friend end his life, rather than suffer the
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indignity of being pushed into the pit by the enemy and be killed by one of them. He does not
want to give them the satisfaction of being able to kill him. He wants to die on his own terms, in
control to the last. Also, he does not want to be captured and taken prisoner, because this would
be too humiliating. He also cannot commit suicide because he also sees this as cowardly and
this violates the principles of the philosophy of Stoicism, of which he is a follower.
2. What does Brutus mean when he says, just before he dies, “Caesar, now be still; I kill’d not
thee with half so good a will”? (lines 50-51)
Brutus means that he was more willing to kill himself than he was willing to kill Caesar. He was
only half as willing to kill his friend Caesar as he was willing to kill himself.
3. What offer does Octavius make to all those who followed Brutus? (lines 60-61)
Octavius offers to take on all those who followed Brutus as his own employees. They can now
serve under Octavius. They won’t be taken prisoner or killed.
Throughout the play, omens, portents, prophecies, and ghosts appear. Choose two events
and explain how they are interpreted by the characters in the play. What do these
interpretations reveal about the motives, ambitions or fears of the characters? How does
Shakespeare use these events to further the action of the play?
Deeper Discussion Questions:
Look back at how Caesar’s ghost affects Brutus. Consider world history and current events.
Have there been, or are there still, leaders who continue to cause harm even after they are dead,
due to their loyal followers?
Answers will vary.
Look back at the way Antony orders his men to treat Lucilius. How are prisoners of war or
enemy combatants treated today? Are they treated with as much kindness and civility? If they
are, what do you think that means? If they aren’t, what do you think that means?
Answers will vary.
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