Download Shakespeare and Julius Caesar

Shakespeare
and
Julius Caesar
“Not
of an age, but for all time”
The Life of William
Shakespeare
Born in Stratford-on-Avon,
England on April 23, 1564
1st born son
Total of 8 children
. . . continued
Parents:
Mary
Arden and John
Shakespeare.
Mary: family
of successful
farmers.
. . . continued
John:
A
glover and whittawer
(dresser of white or light
colored leather).
In 1568, he was a mayor.
Apparently illiterate.
. . . continued
William Shakespeare
At the age of 14 became
apprenticed to a butcher.
Never attended a university or
college.
Voracious reader and very
observant.
. . . continued
At
the age of 18,
married Anne
Hathaway, 8
years his elder.
Had 3 children:
Susanna, Hamnet,
and Judith.
Briefly
At
a rural school master.
the age of 23, left Stratford
for London
By 1592 became a flourishing
actor and playwright.
Was part owner of a
successful theater known as
the Globe.
. . . continued
In
his forties, Shakespeare retired
in Stratford on Avon.
Popular success in his time and
invested his money wisely.
Died on April 23, 1616.
His
plays were
praised as “the
mirror of life.”
Jonson stated
Shakespeare was,
“Soul of the Age!
The applause,
delight, the wonder
of the stage.”
The Globe
Built
in 1598-99
3 stories high
Octagonal shaped
The eight sides of
the theater housed
covered tiers of
seats
. . .continued
Middle and upper-class
viewers sat in these seats.
Open-air courtyard in the
center.
Lower class viewers sat in the
courtyard.
. . . continued
1613-
It
burned down
when cannons
fired during a
performance
of Henry VIII.
Shakespeare’s Plays
All
classes of people attended.
Audiences played an active role
in the performance by hissing,
cheering, and throwing
vegetables.
. . .continued
Plays were staged w/o sets.
Costumes and props were
elaborate.
Women were not allowed to act.
Juliet was played by a young
male actor
Tragedy
Definition:
a
work of literature,
especially a play, that results
in a catastrophe for the main
character.
. . . continued
Main
Character:
always a significant person, a
king or a hero.
Possesses a tragic flaw or
weakness
. . .continued
Purpose
is to not only to arouse
fear and pity in the audience,
but also , in some cases to
convey a sense of the nobility
of the human spirit.
The Security of the Throne
Queen Elizabeth
I was the ruler of
England during
the time that
Shakespeare
wrote.
. . .continued
Faced threats to her security.
1599, when Julius Caesar
premiered at the Globe, the
situation was comparable to that
of Rome and its ruler Julius
Caesar.
By
. . . continued
The
people worried
about Queen
Elizabeth’s successor.
In 1586, Mary, Queen
of Scots, was accused
of plotting to murder
Queen Elizabeth I.
. . .continued
Conspirators
were tried and
executed.
Mary was
beheaded the
following year.
After reading Julius Caesar you
will be able to answer these
questions!
What
sort of lesson or warning
may Shakespeare have been trying
to send the people of England?
To the Queen?
To present day society?
Julius Caesar, the ruler of Rome.
Born
a patrician.
Caesar first shared the
rule of Rome with two
others.
Triumvirate: Caesar,
Gnaeus Pompey,
Marcus Crassus.
. . . continued
Pompey
murdered
by a former officer.
Crassus died in
battle.
Thus, Caesar began
to rule alone.
. . .continued
Won
battles in Greece, Asia
Minor, Africa, Egypt, Spain,
and Gaul.
Common people saw him as a
great warrior and strong leader.
. . . continued
Senate
feared he
would become too
powerful and rule like
a king.
On the 15th of March
44 BC, the so called
Ides of March, Caesar
was murdered.
“The
spirit of
an assassinated
leader is larger
in death than in
life.” Arthur
Naftalin
What
character traits
should a leader possess?
Can
power corrupt those that
possess it?