Julius Caesar
Imagine
• You are the leader of the free world
• You are the most powerful human being on
earth.
• You control the most powerful country in
the world.
• You are untouchable.
• You can say and do anything you want.
YOU NEVER SAW IT COMING…
Your best friends stab you
in the back….
The Real Caesar
• Julius Caesar really existed, and
Shakespeare took his story from Plutarch’s
biography of Caesar and made it into a play.
• Caesar lived from 102 B.C. to 44 B.C
• He was Rome’s military leader.
The Real Caesar
 Rome ruled the world at this time.
 They were constantly waging wars and
taking over countries.

The Real Caesar
Once they would take over a country, a
Roman governor would rule that place.
The Roman officials were often times very
cruel.
Many times the generals who took over the
countries were asked to stabilize the place.
Many generals got power-hungry and turned
on each other.
The Real Caesar
• Caesar, a real commander, turned on
another general, Pompey. Caesar and
Pompey had been friends.
• Pompey tried to sway the Roman
government to overturn Caesar.
• Caesar gained control by bribing the people
with his money.
• He took control of Rome, and went after
Pompey.
Julius Caesar
• Caesar was invincible.
– He wrote this on the
Temple walls…
– “To the
Unconquerable
God”
– Talking about
himself.
The Real Caesar
• For many Romans, having another king sounded
horrible. They had been run by a republican
government for 450 years. Caesar became more
pretentious.
• Senators made plans to assassinate him on March
15, 44 B.C. The “Ides of March.”
– Ides: (In the ancient Roman calendar) the fifteenth
day of March, May, July, or October, and the
thirteenth day of the other months.
Discuss and Write
• What makes a great ruler?
• Was Caesar a great ruler? If yes, why? If
no, why?
• Compare Caesar’s government to ours.
The Main Characters
•
•
•
•
Caesar – Successful military leader who wants
the crown of Rome. Murdered midway through
play. His spirit appears to Brutus later in the
play.
Brutus – Judicial magistrate of Rome. Known
for his noble nature.
Cassius – Brother-in-law of Brutus. Organizes
conspiracy against Caesar.
Antony – Devoted follower of Caesar.
Persuasive speaker.
Elements of Fiction/Shakespearean Tragedy
Exposition:
Characters & Setting
Act I
Rising Action:
Introduction of Conflicts
Act II
Climax:
Turning Point
Act III
In a tragedy, things usually go from bad to
worse in Act III
Falling Action:
Conflict resolution begins to fall into place
Result of the climax
Act IV
Denouement:
Main conflicts are resolved
Act V
This act includes a catastrophe, which is
another climactic turning point in the story
line.
Julius Caesar
 Physically weak: Caesar has several infirmities
 A tyrant: Caesar has had Marullus and Flavius arrested
 Superstitious: Caesar believes in portents and dreams
 Indecisive: Caesar cannot make up his mind whether or not
to go to the senate
 Inflexible: Caesar thinks himself perfect and decisive
Brutus
* Of Noble Heritage Brutus is a Roman nobleman, as was his
father
 Sincere: Brutus truly believes that his role in the assassination
is for the good of Rome
 Honest: He refuses to take bribes
 Naive: He believes in the essential goodness of those around
him
 Philosophical: His philosophies guide his actions and decisions.
Cassius
· Envious: Cassius has contempt for Caesar and envies Caesar's position ·
Fearful: Cassius is afraid that Caesar has ambitions to be king. He fears
what might become of Rome in such an instance.
· Politically Astute: He advises Brutus to assassinate Antony along with
Caesar. Understanding what can happen, he advises Brutus not to allow
Antony to speak at Caesar's funeral.
· Corrupt: Prior to the battle at Philippi, he is accused by Brutus of taking
bribes
· Military Strategist: His battle plan for Philippi is well thought out and
based on sound military principles
Marc Antony
Loyal to Caesar: Antony loved and admired Caesar
· Clever: Antony pretends to befriend the conspirators and
asks that he be allowed to speak at Caesar's funeral
A skilled orator: Antony's speech at Caesar's funeral sways
the crowd
Hard: Antony's role in condemning men to death shows he
can be as cold hearted as he is passionate
· A skilled military leader: Antony has an equal voice in
planning the war against the legions of Brutus and Cassius
THEMES
Major Theme
The major theme of Julius Caesar is that misused power is a
corruptive force. This is seen in the fact that Caesar is a dictator
suspected of being tyrannous, that Cassius is so power hungry that
he assassinates Caesar, hoping to become more powerful himself,
and that Antony, Octavius, and Lepidus become a dictatorial and
tyrannical Triumvirate, worse than Caesar ever hinted at being.
Tragic Hero
• Is of a high social rank – a king, a prince, or
a general
• Has a tragic flaw – an error in judgment or
a character defect – that ultimately leads to
his or her downfall.
• Suffers complete ruin or death
• Faces his or her downfall with courage and
dignity
Discuss and Write
• Which character do you believe will be an
antagonist? Which will be an protagonist?
• Which might develop in to a tragic hero?
Minor Themes
•
•
•
•
goodness of loyalty, honor, and friendship;
the evil of pride, conspiracy, and anarchy;
the logic of political order;
and the viability of republicanism as a form
of government.
MOOD
The mood of Julius Caesar is one of impending doom and catastrophe.
From the beginning, danger lurks in every corner. Friends can no longer
be trusted, as they turn to manipulation and conspiracy and plot their next
moves.
Images of violence, blood, and death dominate the visual texture of the
play.
The weighty political intrigue is always present throughout the drama.
The latter half of the play even assumes an eerie mood with the
appearance of Caesar's ghost, returning to seek revenge.
The closing phase of the play is dominated by the sinister image of the
sword.
SETTING
• Julius Caesar is largely set in Rome, in February of the
year 44 B.C.
• In later scenes, the action moves to Sardis and the
battlefield at Philippi.
• The physical landmarks of ancient Rome, such as the Tiber
River, the Capitol, and the house of the Senate, are referred
to with great frequency.
• The Forum is also the setting for an important scene.
Roman political institutions and officials, such as tribunes,
Senators, Patricians, and priests, are always present.
Shakespeare’s Globe Theater
•The Globe Theater was a perhaps the most famous and
interesting theater in the Elizabethan era.
•The theater was built just outside of London, (in
Southwark to be exact.) after the triumphant reign of
Queen Elizabeth I.
•The main reason the Globe Theater is especially famous
is the fact that many of William Shakespeare's plays were
written and preformed there.
•The idea of creating plays and theaters to perform them
in was a strange new concept for the Europeans of the
Elizabethan Era (aka the sixteenth century.)
Today’s Globe Theater
•Theatre is a faithful reconstruction of the open-air playhouse
designed in 1599, where Shakespeare worked and for which
he wrote many of his greatest plays.
•The theatre season runs from May to September with
productions of the work of Shakespeare, his contemporaries
and modern authors.
•Today, audiences of this ‘wooden O’ sit in a gallery or stand
informally as a groundling in the yard, just as they would have
done 400 years ago.
Virtual Tour: http://www.shakespearesglobe.com/about-
us/virtual-tour/stage
The End
Julius Caesar is
the COOLEST!