Download Act I, scene 3

Julius Caesar by
William
Shakespeare
characters, plot, literary
devices, famous quotations
speeches, anachronisms
Remember,
These notes are to help
you understand and enjoy
this Shakespearean drama.
They will help you be
successful in class, in small
groups, with your journaling,
and on quizzes and tests.
The setting
•Rome
•44 BC
The drama begins …
Act I
scenes 1and 2
February 15, 44 BC
scene 3
a month later on the eve of the Ides
of March
Opening Lines:
“Hence, home you idle creatures, get you
home!
Is this a holiday? What know you not, . . . “
Shakespeare begins the play with
these powerful, attention-getting lines to
quiet and focus his audience at the Globe
Theater. Flavius and Marullus, the tribunes
which are like our national representatives,
are trying to protect the common citizens,
“the vulgar,” from big government, which in
44 BC is Julius Caesar and his quest for
the crown.
Pun: A play on words, using
same sounds and/or double
meanings
Shakespeare opens the play
with humor to catch
audience’s attention.
The puns in the opening scene use
double meanings.
• In Shakespeare’s day a cobbler could
mean a shoe maker or any unskilled
workman.
• The cobbler uses a double meaning with
the words “awl”, the shoemakers’ tool,
and “withal,” meaning nevertheless.
• He also makes puns with the word “sole”,
which is the bottom of a shoe and the
idea of “mending” the souls, or bad
humors, of the tribunes who are scolding
the commoners.
Metaphor:
•the commoners =
feathers
•Caesar = a bird
Scene 1; lines 72-75
(page 778 and 779)
Act I, scene 2
Caesar reminds his wife Calphurnia to be
blessed so she will have heirs to carry on his
lineage. Then, Caesar turns his good ear to hear a
warning in the noisy crowd; the soothsayer calls the
famous line of foreshadowing, “Beware the ides of
March.” However, it would never do for Caesar to
show fear, so his response is “He is a dreamer, let
us leave him. Pass. . . “ Then Caesar, Calphrunia,
Antony, their followers and the other noble men
leave the stage [“Exeunt all except Brutus and
Cassius.]”
The main purpose of Act I, scene 2 is the discussion between the
brothers-in-law, Cassius and Brutus.
Act I, scene 2
•
Let’s first read
over the plot
summary you will
find under your
desks or review the
online sources you
are using.
• . Pay particular
attention to the
specific anecdotes
Cassius tells about
Caesar and the
points he makes
about Julius when
trying to convince
Brutus that
something must be
done to stop Julius
Caesar’s desire to
become king.
Check your understanding
Cassius, the manipulator
• When Cassius first speaks to Brutus,
he concentrates on Caesar’s
A. need for an heir.
B. limited intelligence.
C. failures as a general.
D. physical weaknesses.
(work through the slides to #17)
page 782; ll. 63-65
• Brutus
“Into what dangers would you lead me,
Cassius,
That you would have me seek into myself
For that which is not in me?”
• Do you think that Brutus knows what
Cassius is actually tying to convince him
of?
• Have you ever asked this in a different
way?
For example:
What trouble are you trying to get me into?
In addition,
on page 785,
Brutus’s
response to
Cassius
indicates that he
knows exactly
what Cassius is
“getting at.”
lines 163-165
“What you would
work me to, I have
some aim;
How I have thought
of this, and of these
times,
I shall recount
hereafter.”
Restate these lines in modern language;
use a cliché if you know one for this
situation.
• page 782 ll. 78-81
Brutus
“What means this shouting? I do fear the
people
Choose Caesar for their king.
Cassius
Ay, do you fear it?
Then must I think you would not have it
so.”
Simile:
•lines 135-138
(page 783)
“…he doth bestride the
world like a Colossus…”
Check Your
Understanding
•When Cassius first speaks
to Brutus, he concentrates
on Caesar’s physical
weaknesses.
more famous lines which have
meaning in modern times:
“Men at some times are masters of their
fates;
The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our star,
But in ourselves, that we are underlings.”
• Ll. 139-141
Sophomores, increasingly, you are masters
of your fates.
The fault, dear students, is not in your
astrological sign or dysfunctional alarm
clock or the neighbor’s dog, or . . .
But in yourselves if you are underachievers!
• Ms. Lambert
Caesar and Antony return to the stage.
Who is right about Cassius?
• Page 785-786
Caesar
“Yond Cassias has a lean and hungry
look;
He thinks too much: such men are dangerous. . . .
Such men as he be never at heart’s ease
Whiles they behold a greater than themselves
And therefore are very dangerous.”
Antony
“Fear him not, Caesar, he’s not dangerous;
He is a noble Roman, and well given.”
Shakespearean irony:
•The reader and audience
clearly know that Antony is
wrong and is speaking with
unconscious irony.
And yet, does Caesar
fear Cassius?
Caesar continues, “ I rather tell thee
what is to be feared
Than what I fear, for always I am
Caesar.”
What is Caesar actually saying
here?
Does this attitude lead to his
downfall/tragic death?
Casca, the informant
On pages 786-789, notice how
Shakespeare has Casca speak not in
iambic pentameter, but in plain prose. His
speeches do not even look like poetry on
the page; they look like regular
paragraphs. Shakespeare uses this
technique to indicate a character who is
less educated.
Therefore, Casca can not tell Cassius
and Brutus everything that was said. What
language did Cicero speak that Casca does
not understand? How does Casca feel
about this?
• Use Casca’s famous line in modern
context.
“I saw Mac Antony offer him a crown-yet ‘twas not a crown
neither, ‘twas one of these coronets . . . “
Are the Roman citizens ready to return
to the rule of a king?
Casca related how
Antony offered the
symbolic crown to
Caesar three times,
and even though
Caesar was “very
loath to lay his
fingers off it,” the
crown cheered
louder each time he
refused the
coronet.
In our era, this is
similar to political
surveys and polls.
text to world
Check Your Understanding!
• Casca’s account of Caesar’s refusal of
a crown suggests clearly that Caesar
A. wants no additional honor nor
worries
B. really does desire to be king
C. cares little about the mood of the
Roman people
D. is always afraid of becoming too
excited
Check Your Understanding!
Casca’s account of Caesar’s
refusal of a crown suggests
clearly that Caesar really
does desire to be king.
(choice B)
Cassius has more news too . . .
“Marullus and Flavius, for pulling
scarf off Caesar's images, are put to
silence.”
• The margin note on text p. 788 will
help the reader understand their
punishment.
scene 2 ends with a soliloquy
Cassius, alone now, says that while he
believes that Brutus is noble, he hopes that
Brutus’s noble nature may yet be bent: “For
who so firm that cannot be seduced?” he asks
rhetorically . He decides to forge letters from
Roman citizens declaring their support for
Brutus and their fear of Caesar’s ascent to
power; he will throw them into Brutus’s house
that evening. This plan certainly
demonstrates Cassius’s deceitful, cunning
personality.
Act I, scene 3
“Beware the ides of March”
Foreshadowing
The strange events of March 14, 44
BC, as Casca and Cicero discuss what
Casca has seen in the city, are
interpreted that the gods are angry
and will visit destruction upon Rome.
Cassius interprets the events as a
sign that Caesar must be stopped. In
addition, in lines 89-90 he states that
he will comment suicide rather than
live under Caesar’s reign as a king.
Do you think that Cassius
would really commit suicide
rather than live under
Caesar’s rule as king? Or is
he just being overly dramatic?
Cassius continues to plan the
conspiracy!
• Cassius continues to have the fake letters delivered
to Brutus to persuade him that action against
Caesar is needed. He states that Brutus is threefourths convinced and will join the plot upon their
next meeting. As Act I ends, Casca and Cassuis
discuss why Brutus is needed to make the
conspiracy successful:
“O, he sits high in all the people’s hearts;
And that which would appear offense in us,
His countenance, like richest alchemy,
Will change to virtue and to worthiness.”
Check Your Understanding!
Select all that are correct.
The audience learns that the
conspirators are anxious to have Brutus
as their leader because
• A. he is shrewd and crafty.
• B. he will make a popular ruler.
• C. all the conspirators are timid,
indecisive people.
• D. his reputation will bring respect to
their cause.
Check Your Understanding!
Select all that are correct.
The audience learns that the
conspirators are anxious to have
Brutus as their leader because he
will make a popular ruler and his
reputation will bring respect to their
cause.
(choices B and D)
Act II
The rising action builds with
soliloquy; conspiracy planning
and character development;
serious discussion and
promised revelations; storms
and nightmares; flattery, irony,
and suspense!
Beware, it is the ides of March!
Act II
•
Let’s first read
over the plot
summary you will
find under your
desks or review the
online sources you
are using.
“It must be by his death; and for my part, I know
no personal cause to spurn at him, But for the
general.”
Act II, scene1
• This scene begins with Brutus’s
soliloquy which informs the
reader/audience of his intentions
and why he feels he must join the
conspiracy. He uses several
metaphors and ends with a
simile. Carefully read lines 10-34
to find them.
Metaphors and Similes
• Caesar = the adder, a very poisonous
snake
• Caesar is compared to someone who
climbs “ambition’s ladder” and reaching
the top, turns his back on those below
• The soliloquy ends with a simile:
Caesar is the serpent’s egg which
must be killed “in the shell.”
another letter . . .
• Lucius, Brutus’s servant brings him
another letter (ironically, the audience
knows it was written by Cassius).
Brutus can read the letter because,
“The exhalations whizzing in the air
Give so much light that I may read by
them.”
Before dawn, March 15, 44 BC
Brutus and the conspirators in his
garden
Characterization
• As the characters
finalize their
plans, read
carefully to infer
what the
conversations
and decisions
reveal about
each personality.
Who will be included? Who
will be harmed?
• In lines 141-191 decisions are
made. Will Cicero be told about
the conspiracy? Why would he
be included/ Why not?
• Why does Brutus, unlike
Cassius, not want to harm
Antony. Who do you think is the
better judge of Antony’s
personality/human nature?
The Most Famous Anachronism in all
of Shakespeare!
Shakespeare uses this
anachronism to indicate
time and move the plot
forward. What is the
anachronism?
anachronism
“ (Clock strikes.)
Brutus. Peace! Count
the clock”
Cassius. The clock
hath stricken three.”
Act II, scene 1
The scene continues in
Brutus and Portia’s garden.
After the conspirators leave,
Portia has a serious and
assertive discussion with her
husband. He finally promises to
tell her his secrets and plans.
Act II, Scene 2
It is the morning of the Ides
of March; this scene takes place
at Caesar’s house, where
Calpurnia tell Caesar of her
nightmare and interprets it that
he must not go to the Senate
today.
Calpurnia’s advice:
• Lines 30-31
“When beggars die, there are no comets
seen,
The heavens themselves blaze forth
the death of princes.”
What do these lines really mean?
Is symbolism involved?
How are these lines also
foreshadowing historical events?
Does Caesar fear death?
“Caesar
Cowards die many times before their
death; The valiant never taste of death
but once.
Of all the wonders that I yet have heard,
It seems to me most strange that men
should fear,
Seeing that death, a necessary end,
Will come when it will come.”
Act II, scene 3. lines 32-37
Do you agree?
“Calpurnia “Alas, my lord,
Your wisdom is consumed in
confidence.
Do not go forth today.”
•Act II, scene 2, lines 49-50
Shakespearean Irony
Caesar: “ Good friends, go in and taste some
wine with me.
And we like friends will straightway to
together.”
Brutus (aside)
“That every like is not the same, O Caesar,
The heart of Brutus earns to think upon.”
Act II, scene 2, ll. 126-129
The Tragic Hero (s)
The tragic hero is a man of high rank who possesses a
tragic flaw that leads to his downfall. As you read, research,
and think about the drama, consider the tragic flaws of both
Brutus and Caesar. Complete the following on your own JC
notes.
Tragic flaws of Brutus (use textual
evidence):
Tragic flaws of Caesar (use textual
evidence):
Act II, Scene 3
•What is the purpose ( not
the content) of the soliloquy
spoken by Artemidorus?
Check Your Understanding
What does Portia know?
• After reading and listening to
Act II, scene 4, list three to five
adjectives which describe
Portia’s state of mind:
What does Portia know?
• After reading and listening to Act II, scene 4,
list three to five adjectives which describe
Portia’s state of mind:
• 1.
concerned
• 2. anxious
• 3. suspicious
• 4. unstrung
• 5. witless