Download The Tragedy of Julius Caesar

THE TRAGEDY OF
JULIUS CAESAR
by William Shakespeare
Ms. Robinson
Intensified English 10
Your Old Friend Billy Shakes
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1564-1616
By the time he was 28, Shakespeare had
established himself in London as an actor and had
written at least three plays.
His plays are STILL RELEVANT AND
IMPORTANT….Why?
The Globe
The Stage…
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There were no spotlights or modern special effect
equipment, and the stage usually did not have much
scenery.
Actors had to be flexible and inventive.
The audience was very close to the stage, which
enabled Shakespeare to use asides and soliloquies
to make for a more intimate relationship with the
audience.
The audience wasn’t watching, they were
participating.
Two things to look for….
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Asides: a part of an actor's lines supposedly not heard by others on
the stage and intended only for the audience.
Soliloquies: a speech by a person who is talking to himself or
herself or is disregardful of or oblivious to any hearers present.
Often used as a device in drama to disclose a character's innermost
thoughts
The Experience…
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Attending a dramatic performance in Elizabethan
times was an exciting event.
Large numbers of people gathered in an open area
where they ate, shouted to their friends, and
generally socialized.
The lower classes stood in large open areas near
the stage. They were referred to as groundlings,
different from the wealthier playgoers who sat in
raised boxes around the perimeter of the
groundlings area.
There was no curtain and no darkening of lights to
signal the start of the action.
The Tragedy of Julius Caesar
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2730 lines
Written around 1599—midpoint of Shakespeare’s
career
Of the 20 plays written before Caesar, two are
tragedies…of the 17 plays written after Caesar, all
but 3 are tragedies or tragic comedies
So Caesar is considered to be the real start of
Shakespeare’s tragedies
The Play’s History
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Primary defining feature: POLITICS
Based in classical history rather than English history
Historical source for Caesar: Plutarch
The language of the play is sparse, direct, and
straightforward
Caesar
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Born Gauis Julius Caesar
100BC - 44BC
Caesar was a politician and general of the late
Roman republic, who greatly extended the Roman
empire before seizing power and making himself
dictator of Rome, paving the way for the imperial
system.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/c
aesar_julius.shtml
What does it mean to be a good and
honorable friend?
What is more important, loyalty to your state
or loyalty to your friends?
vs.
How do you persuade people? Is it
good or bad?
Themes
 Supernatural elements
 Courage and Cowardice
 Good character/Bad character?
 Which comes first: friends or country?
 Ambition
 Mob mentality
Characters
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Julius Caesar
A
great Roman general who has recently returned to
Rome after a military victory in Spain.
 NOT the main character of the play that bears his
name
 All characters are preoccupied with Caesar—
specifically with the idea that he may soon become
king
 If
Caesar were to become king, it would be the end of the
republican system in Rome
 Noblemen would consider themselves slaves if this were to
happen
Brutus
A high-ranking, well-regarded
Roman nobleman who participates in a
conspiracy to assassinate Caesar.
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Motivated by his sense of honor,
which requires him to place the good of Rome above his
own personal interests or feelings.
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His sense of honor is also his weakness. He’s easy to
manipulate because he thinks all Romans are as highminded as he is.
Antony
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Caesar’s loyal friend.
Notoriously impulsive and pleasure-seeking
Passionate rather than principled
Cassius
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A talented general and longtime acquaintance of
Caesar.
Resents the fact that the Roman populace has come
to revere Caesar almost as a god.
Slyly leads Brutus to believe that Caesar has
become too powerful and must die.
Octavius
• Caesar’s adopted son and appointed successor.
Casca
• One of the conspirators
•Resents Caesar’s ambition
Calphurnia
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Caesar’s wife
Invests great authority in omens
and portents
Warns Caesar of impending
doom because she has
terrible nightmares
Portia
 Brutus’s
wife and the daughter of a noble
Roman who took sides against Caesar.
Flavius and Murellus
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Two tribunes who condemn the plebians for their fickleness
in cheering Caesar when once they cheered for Caesar’s
enemy Pompey
Cicero
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A Roman senator renowned for his
oratorical skill.
Lepidus
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The third member of Antony and Octavius’s
coalition.
Decius
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A member of the conspiracy. Decius convinces
Caesar that Calphurnia misinterpreted her
nightmares.