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Name: _____________________________ Period: __________________ Date: ______________________________
William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar Guided Notes
Activator: Write down facts you know about William Shakespeare and Julius Caesar.
William Shakespeare Prior Knowledge

3 classifications of _______________________
Julius Caesar Prior Knowledge
_____________________
o ______________________: a play that traces the main character’s downfall
o ______________________: a play that ends happily and that usually contains many
humorous elements.
o ______________________: a play that chronicles the life of an English monarch.

A _________________ is a work in which a series of actions leads to the downfall of the main character
or _____________________ ___________________.

Qualities of a _____________________ ___________________
o Possesses ______________________ or __________________ ________________.
o Exhibits ___________________________ ________________________.
o Displays a _______________ ______________ - an error in judgment or defect in
character that _______________ to ____________________.
o Faces downfall with ______________________ and ________________________.

Shakespeare’s plays are ________________ ________________, plays in which the dialogue consists
almost entirely of ________________.
o His verse dramas were written in _________________ ________________ unrhymed lines.
Name: _____________________________ Period: __________________ Date: ______________________________
o ___________________ ______________________ - a fixed pattern of rhythm or
meter in which most lines contain ____________ _______________________
syllables each followed by a __________________ syllable. This means there are
______________ syllables per line.
o Often in Shakespearean plays, ___________________ characters speak in iambic pentameter,
while the ___________________ characters speak in prose/no poetry.

Shakespearean Drama ___________________ __________________:
o ___________________________: a long speech given by a character while alone on
stage to reveal his or her private thoughts and intentions.
o _________________________: a character’s quiet remark to the audience or another
character that no one else on stage is supposed to hear.
o _________________________: a long speech by one character while other characters
stage listen

on
Shakespeare’s plays contain speeches known for their use of ______________________
___________________ - use of ______________________ and ____________________ to
appeal to the audience’s emotions and make the speech more convincing and memorable.
o ____________________________: repeating words and sounds
o ____________________________: repeated grammatical structures.
o _______________________ __________________: questions requiring no answer.

Shakespeare’s plays use _______________________ __________________, the audience or reader
knows something that one or more characters do not know.

________________ ___________________is the imaginary, invisible wall of any room on stage. The
“see-through wall: allows the audience to view scene being played inside. It expands the room to include
the audience.

____________________ character: A character that serves by contrast to highlight or emphasize
opposing traits in another character.
Name: _____________________________ Period: __________________ Date: ______________________________
The Theater of Shakespeare’s Day
1. Shakespeare’s plays were produced in a _______________________
_____________________
(____________________ _____________________).
2. Public theaters were built around _____________________ _______________________ without
_______________________ ______________________. All plays had to be performed during
____________________ __________________.
3. The theater had 3 levels of _____________________ with benches where _________________
playgoers sat.
4. __________________ spectators watched the play from the _____________________ which was called
the _________________.
5. There was no ______________________ in the theaters of Shakespeare’s day. Settings were indicated
by _____________________________ in _______________________________.
6. There were __________________________ _______________________ and plenty of
__________________.
7. _______________________ did not perform on the stage of Shakespeare’s day; acting companies were
made up only of ____________________ and _______________________.
8. Young __________________ performed ______________________ roles.
The Tragedy of Julius Caesar
 Written in England in ______________; setting Rome _____________ BC

Based upon the assassination of ________________ by his close friends and confidants.

Based on ________________ book about the Romans.

Julius Caesar – born in ________________ B.C. in Rome;

Rose to power through the use of his ________________;

Was a member of the ________________ or popular party.

Caesar and ________________ agreed that one would leave to fight every three years.
Name: _____________________________ Period: __________________ Date: ______________________________

Caesar, Pompey, and Crassus form the ________________. They took over the ________________and
the rulings of Rome for a while.

The First Triumvirate would not last long due to the jealousy that erupted
between__________________________.

Pompey declares a ________________ against Caesar.

Caesar had the backings of the ________________and Pompey only had the backing of the
________________

Caesar easily makes his way into Rome and forces Pompey to flee. Caesar was now in total control of
________________.

Shakespeare’s play begins after Caesar __________________________________.

German took the name and turned it into Kaiser. The Russian word Czar as well traces its roots back to
________________.

The term _____________________________ can trace its origins back to Julius Caesar because the
popular belief was that Caesar did have not a natural childbirth, but instead was “cut from the womb.”

Connection to Shakespeare’s time period: In 1599, _____________________________ was getting old
and had no heirs. There was concern that a _____________________________ could start after her
death. Shakespeare may have written The Tragedy of Julius Caesar as a _____________________________.
Important Points to Consider:
•
Do the _____________________________ (the outcome) justify the _____________________________ (what you did)?

What is the difference between _____________________________ ?

Who is the _____________________________ ?

Is _____________________________ an honorable man?