• Grab a book.
• Turn in Antony’s funeral oration
speech analysis.
• Turn to page 1202, and get ready
to review Act 1-3
• Quiz tomorrow!!
William Shakespeare
Act I, Sc 1
Romans are celebrating the Feast of
Lupercal & Julius Caesar’s defeat of
Pompey in Rome &Caesar’s return
Two tribunes, Marullus & Flavius,
reprimand a group of commoners for
their disloyalty to Pompey, drive them
from the streets, and remove decorations
from Caesar’s statues
Act I, Sc 2
A soothsayer warns Caesar to “Beware the
ides of March” at the Feast of Lupercal
(February 15)
Brutus expresses his fear that the people
will crown Caesar king causing
Cassius wants Brutus to join the
conspiracy; Brutus considers it but does not
commit himself
Casca reports that Antony three times
offered Caesar a crown, which he refuses
before a cheering crowd
Cassius plots to write Brutus anonymous
letters praising his honor and hinting at
Caesar’s dangerous ambitions
Act I, Sc 3
March 14—amid storms, Cassius
finalizes plans to win Brutus to his side
Knowing that Caesar will be crowned the
next day, Cassius calls together his
fellow conspirators, writes further
inflammatory letters to Brutus, and sets
out to visit him with a last appeal
Exposition—presents information about
the main characters and their conflicts
 Shows the relationship between the
plebeians and Caesar & the attitude of the
soldiers toward the plebeians
Pun—a word or phrase that means two
different things at the same time
 “a mender of bad soles (souls)” (ll. 14)
 “all that I live by is with the awl. I meddle
with no tradesman’s matters nor women’s
matters, but with all” (I.i. 21-22)
• Hyperbole (overstatement)—a figure of speech
that uses exaggeration to express strong emotion
or create a comic effect
 “weep your tears, Into the channel, till the lowest
stream Do kiss the most exalted shores” (ll. 58-60)
• Tragic Hero is someone with a highly sensitive
moral conscience who suffers and dies because of
having a tragic weakness of character unsuited to
the role he or she must play
• Anachronism—an event or detail in a literary
work that is chronologically out of place
 “Peace! Count the clock” (l. 192)
 “he plucked me ope his doublet and offered them his
throat to cut” (l. 265)
o Doublet -- an Elizabethan form of dress
• Soliloquy—a long speech by a character who is
alone, which gives the illusion of being the
character’s unspoken thoughts or reflections.
 Cassius’ soliloquy—I.ii.308-322 reveals his plans to
bring Brutus into the faction of conspirators
• Blank verse--poetry written in unrhymed
iambic pentameter
 Most of the language in Julius Caesar is in blank
verse
• Prose--ordinary speech or writing without
metrical structure
 Used for a low class person or commoner in
Shakespeare’s plays
Act II, Sc 1
At dawn March 15, Brutus struggles to
persuade himself that Caesar must die
When Cassius and his faction arrive, Brutus
joins the assassination plot (set for that
morning at the Senate) but stops Cassius’ plan
to kill Antony
Brutus sees Caesar’s death as a sacrifice for the
good of Rome, but Antony’s death seems like
unnecessary butchery
After the men go, Portia chides Brutus for not
sharing his internal conflicts, and he reluctantly
agrees to do so
Act II, Sc 1
Caesar is restless after a night of wild storms
and freakish events that disturbed all Rome
Caesar goes to the Senate despite the warnings
of the fortunetellers and his wife’s dream that
Caesar’s statue spouted blood
With Calphurnia’s pleading, Caesar changes
his mind, but the conspirator, Decius,
interprets the dream favorably and reports
that the Senate will crown Caesar that day
Caesar prepares to accompany the conspirators
to the Senate
Act II, Sc 3 & 4
On the way to the Capitol…
Artemidorus hopes to warn Caesar of the plot
as he passes, wishing to hand him a scroll.
Portia is burdened by her knowledge of the
assassination
Portia becomes distressed when she meets the
Soothsayer, who is waiting to warn Caesar of
danger
Dramatic Irony– occurs when the audience
knows something that one or more characters in
the play do not
 “Pardon me, Caesar, for my dear dear love To your
proceeding bids me to tell you this, And reason to my
love is liable” (II.ii.102-104)
Aside– a short statement made to the audience;
the characters on the stage do not hear the
statement
 Caesar: “Trebonius! Be near me, that I may remember
you.”
Trebonius: “Caesar, I will. [So near will I be that your
best friends shall wish I had been further.]”
Alliteration– The same sound starts a series
of words and syllables
 “Enjoy the honey-heavy dew of slumber.”
Imagery– Descriptive words and phrases that
create pictures in the reader’s mind appealing
to the 5 senses
 “Graves have yawned and yielded up their dead.
Warriors fight upon the clouds in the form of war.
Which drizzled blood up the Capitol the noise of
battle hurtled in the air. Horses did neigh and
dying men did groan. And Ghosts did shriek and
squeal in the streets.”
Act III, Sc 1
On his way to the Capitol, Caesar discounts
the soothsayer’s warning
Caesar: “The Ides of March are come.”
Soothsayer: “Ay, Caesar, but not gone.”
Artemidorus urges Caesar to read the paper
w/ the warning
Decius steps forward with another paper for
Caesar to read eager to keep Artemidorus
out of the way
Popilius Lena approaches Cassius saying, “I
wish your enterprise today may thrive.”
Cassius afraid the plans will go awry states,
“For I will slay myself”; Brutus calms him
down
Part of the plan: Trebonius is to draw
Antony away so he won’t be in the way of
the assassination
Caesar: “Are we all ready?” (to go before the
Senate)—Ironic b/c the conspirators are
ready to carry out their plan
Metellus Cimber kneels before Caesar begs
for repeal of his brother’s banishment
Brutus and Cassius joins Metellus Cimber’s
plea surrounding Caesar
Caesar: “I am constant as the Northern
Star.”--Simile
Casca is 1st to stab Caesar/others follow/Brutus
last “Et tu, Brute?”—And you, too, Brutus!—
Climax!!!!!
Caesar is overwhelmed that Brutus would go
against him
Brutus calms the crowd—acted in order to end
tyranny, restore freedom, and punish Caesar
for ambition
Conspirator’s have not thought realistically
what will happen to Rome after Caesar’s death
Antony has fled to his house
Conspirators bathe hand, swords in Caesar’s
blood — they are proud
Antony sends servant to ask Brutus for
protection -- Brutus agrees
Cassius says Antony will cause trouble
Antony shakes bloody hands of the
conspirators and says he wants to join them
(trick)
Antony asks to speak at Caesar’s funeral—
Cassius says no, but Brutus agrees
Brutus says Antony can’t blame the
conspirators, and he will speak first—not
smart Brutus!!!!
Brutus is idealistic—he can’t see evil in others-Tragic Flaw
Antony promises to avenge Caesar’s death in
soliloquy—Foreshadowing (Antony is
predicting what is about to happen – the
conspirators downfall has begun)
Sends servant to Octavius Caesar to warn him
to wait for the outcome of his oration before
coming to Rome
Act III, Sc 2
Brutus’ speech:
 Asked crowd to use reason to judge him
 Says he didn’t love Caesar less, but Rome more
 Celebrates Caesar’s successes, honors his valor,
killed him b/c of his ambition
 Asks if anyone is offended—none answer
 Did it for the good of Rome/same dagger for
himself when it pleases the country—
foreshadowing—Brutus doesn’t know how
near the truth his words are!!
 Irony—citizens have misunderstood
Brutus/they don’t act with reason, but with
emotion to his words
 Brutus introduces Antony saying he was not
part of the conspiracy
 Appeals to the crowd’s love of freedom/country
Antony’s speech-after Brutus, in blank
verse, manipulates crowd’s emotions
 “Friends, Romans, and countrymen, lend me
your ears; I come to bury Caesar, not to praise
him”
 Says Caesar was not ambitious (loved the poor,
refused the crown 3X)
 Refers to Brutus several times as “an honorable
man”—verbal irony—he thinks otherwise
 Mentions Caesar’s will to the crowd—they
demand he read it—last thing Caesar did was
leave every male Roman money and land
 Skilled public speaker
 Emotional appeal to the crowd
 Shows them Caesar’s wounds
Fickle crowd shifts allegiance from Brutus to
Antony—Now a mob ready to riot
They want revenge on Caesar’s killers and
rush off to search for them
Servant tells Antony that Octavius (Caesar’s
adopted son) has arrived and is with Lepidus
(both future members of the 2nd triumvirate)
Brutus and Cassius have fled Rome
Brutus made an error trusting Antony to not
turn the crowd against the conspirators
Act III, Sc 3
This scene involves a famous Roman poet
named Cinna – not the one who participated in
the assassination
The angry mob comes upon the poet, believing
he is Cinna the conspirator
Realizing that he is not the same one, they are
so enraged that they kill him anyway for his
“bad verses”
They rush through the city after the true
killers of Caesar
This scene is included to show the mob
mentality of the crowd.
30 questions (multiple choice and quote
identification)
Study
Literary Charts
Act I, Scene 3 worksheet
Brutus’ soliloquy
Antony’s funeral oration
Reread the summaries at the beginning of
each scene.
Read any scene you missed while absent.
Antony, Octavius, & Lepidus form the Second
Triumvirate and create a list of condemned people
who will be executed
Antony has misgivings about Lepidus believing
that he is useful only as a tool, someone to be
used
Octavius defends him calling him a “tried and
valiant soldier”
Antony and Octavius decide to increase their
preparation for battle with the armies of Brutus
and Cassius
They plan to also discuss how to deal with the
many enemies they have, both secret and open
Brutus waits for Cassius to meet him at his
military camp in Sardis
Brutus expresses his belief that Cassius is not as
friendly as he was before
When Cassius arrives, he confronts Brutus
about the way he has treated him
Brutus accuses Cassius of taking bribes and
argue about honor but reconcile their
differences
Brutus, Cassius, Titinius, and Messala discuss
the recent news of the enemy as well as the
death of Portia
Brutus is grief-stricken because Portia has
committed suicide by “swallowing fire”
The men decide, at Brutus’ urging, to meet the
enemy at Philippi
After the others leave, the ghost of Caesar
appears to Brutus, announcing that Brutus will
meet him again on the battlefield at Philippi
The army of Octavius and Antony and the
army of Brutus and Cassius arrive at the field
of battle; they exchange insults
After their meeting, Cassius reflects on the
possible outcomes of the day, mentioning an
omen that he interprets as predicting their loss
Brutus and Cassius discuss their plans as if
the battle is lost and make their final farewells
The opposing armies face each other on the
plains of Philippi with Brutus gaining
advantage over Octavius’ forces
On another part of the field, Cassius’ forces are
losing their battle, and Antony’s troops have
set fire to their tents
Cassius sends Titinius to get a closer look and
report back to him
Believing that Titinius has been captured by
the enemy, Cassius orders Pindarus to kill him
with the sword that stabbed Caesar
Titinius had actually met with Brutus’ men, not
the enemy; they find Cassius’ body
Brutus, who has seen Caesar’s ghost again,
believes defeat inescapable
Brutus tries to persuade his companions to help
him end his life, but each refuses
The enemy’s forces approach, so Brutus’ army
retreats
Brutus stays behind with Strato, who holds
Brutus’ sword while he runs upon it
Antony speaks over Brutus’ body, calling him
the noblest Roman of all
While the other conspirators acted out of envy
and ambition, he believed that Brutus acted for
the benefit of Rome
Octavius orders that Brutus be buried in the
most honorable way
The men then depart to celebrate their victory
Chaos results when the social order is
overturned
The best intentions of good, noble men can lead
to tragedy
Language is a powerful weapon which can be
used to manipulate others
Violence and bloodshed can never have morally
good results
Orderliness and a stable rule, even though
dictatorial, are preferable to social chaos