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Julius Caesar
by William Shakespeare
Information on William Shakespeare
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Wrote during the Elizabethan Period.
Born in Stratford-on-Avon, England.
Married Anne Hathaway and had 3
children.
Wrote Histories, Tragedies, Comedies,
and Romances.
Wrote 37 plays and 154 sonnets.
Information on William Shakespeare
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Received most of his information on
Julius Caesar from Plutrach’s Lives of
the Greek and Roman Nobles.
Never wrote a play set in his own time.
Died at the age of 52. Left his wife his
“second best bed” in his will.
Key Concepts of Julius Caesar
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History Play - a patriotic story about
English history
Tragedy - terrible happenings that end
in the death of the main character
Tragic Hero - neither villainous nor
exceptionally virtuous, with a basic
character flaw that leads to his downfall
Themes
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Chaos results when the lawful social order is broken.
The best intentions of good, noble people can lead to
a tragedy.
Language is a powerful weapon, and in the hands of
a skilled person, it can be used to manipulate others.
Violence and bloodshed can never have morally
good results.
Orderliness and stable rule, even rule by a dictator,
are preferable to chaos.
Symbols
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Body and Illness
Blood
Femininity
Omens and Fate
Rome
Historical Background
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In 60 BC, Caesar, Crassus, and
Pompey ruled the Roman Empire as the
First Triumvirate
Caesar, the most popular, was a strong
military leader
Caesar led his troops against Pompey,
who had already been murdered
Caesar declared himself dictator for life
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Pompey’s sons continued to fight
Caesar, but were defeated in Spain
Both Brutus and Cassius had supported
Pompey in his war against Caesar, but
they were pardoned by Caesar after
Pompey’s death
Characters
Julius
Caesar
Soon to be crowned sole
leader of Rome after
defeating Pompey
Cassius
Instigator of conspiracy to kill
Caesar
Marcus
Brutus
Roman army general and
Roman senator; first kills
Caesar, then fights against
Marcus Antonius and
Octavius Caesar
Conspiracy Members
Casca
Ligarius
Cinna
Metellus Cimber
Decius Brutus
Brutus
Trebonius
Cassius
The Wives
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Portia is the
confidant to Brutus,
yet she finds him
hesitant to share his
troubles during the
plot to kill Caesar.
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Calpurnia
she was married to
Julius Caesar in 59
BC and was loyal to
him despite his
many infidelities and
his neglect.
Shakespeare
portrays her as
sensitive to omens.
The Loyalists
Marcus
Antonius
Caesar’s loyal aide
Octavius
Caesar
Helps Antony battle against
Brutus and Cassius for
control of Rome
Artemidorus Loyal subject of Caesar’s
who tries to warn him of the
conspirators’’ plot
Other Important Characters
• Soothsayer: Twice, the soothsayer warns Caesar of the
Ides of March.
• M. Aemilius Lepidus: One of the triumvirs who rule
following the death of Julius Caesar, Lepidus is weak
and Antony uses him essentially to run errands.
• Cinna the Poet: Only because he has the same name as
one of the conspirators, Cinna the Poet is murdered by
the riotous mob intent on avenging Caesar’s death.