Download *Shakespeare *Elizabethan Drama *Julius Caesar

*Shakespeare
*Elizabethan Drama
*Julius Caesar
Shakespeare
and
His Times
When William Shakespeare was born,
England was in the midst of its
Renaissance.
 Queen Elizabeth I was the ruling
monarch.
 It was a time of national strength and
wealth, and the prevailing attitude was
that life was exciting.
 It was an age of exploration, not only of
the world but also of human nature and
the English language.
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Some Ideas that characterized the
English Renaissance that are important
to this play are:
Humans had potential for
development.
 The Protestant Reformation that
began in Germany, and Elizabeth’s
father’s break with the Roman
Catholic Church paved the way for
rapid advances in art, science, and
philosophy.
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This was a time for heroes.
 The ideal Elizabethan man was a
talented courtier, adventurer, fencer,
poet, and conversationalist. He was a
witty and eloquent gentleman who
examined his own nature and causes
of his actions.
 Despite the fact that the nation was
ruled by a queen, women had a lower
social status than men.

Elizabethans still maintained their
belief that the reigning monarch was
God’s agent, and to rebel against a
reigning monarch was to rebel against
God.
 In England, there was a succession
crisis- Queen Elizabeth was 66 years
old, obviously nearing death and had no
children.
 The potential horrors of an unclear
succession were still very fresh in the
minds of the Elizabethans.
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Shakespeare was not able to comment
directly on his country’s political situation,
but through the theater he provided a sharp
commentary that politically aware
theatergoers would appreciate.
While Shakespeare had no way of predicting
the future of English royalty, by sheer
coincidence, 1599 was the year Oliver
Cromwell was born.
After the execution of Charles I in 1649,
Cromwell would rule England as “Lord
Protector” (essentially a military dictator),
from 1653 until his death in 1658.
1599 was the year of Julius Caesar’s first
performance and the completion of
Shakespeare’s Globe Theater.
 Caesar was a popular subject in
Shakespeare’s time.
 Many English writers saw numerous
similarities between their own
country’s current situation (Elizabeth’s
lack of a heir, England’s establishment
as a world power, the first attempts at
colonization of the New World) and the
political uncertainty faced by the first
century BCE Romans.
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Features of Shakespeare’s
Use of Language
Blank Verse
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Shakespeare’s essential pattern in his plays is
BLANK VERSE (unrhymed iambic pentameter).
Iambic pentameter means that each line in the
poetry is built on five iambs.
An iamb consists of an unstressed syllable
followed by a stressed syllable, as in the word
prepare.
Pentameter means that there five iambs in a line.
Therefore, whenever a reader notices a change in
this pattern there is a reason for the change.
With the change, Shakespeare is creating a mood,
establishing character, etc.
Shakespeare’s characters often speak in similes
and metaphors- to expand ideas and amplify
IMAGERY.
The Tragic Hero
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The tragic hero, according to Aristotle, was a
man who rises to a high position and then
falls from that high position-usually to utter
desolation and/or death.
Two forces seem equally powerful in classical
tragedy: the tragic hero’s tragic flaw (or
hamartia) and fate.
Some tragic heroes clearly bring about their
own downfall, as in the case of Creon in
Antigone, whose downfall is due to his hubris
(excessive pride)- he believes his law holds
precedence over the gods’ sense of Right.
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Other tragic heroes seem to be more pawn of
fate, like Oedipus who has done everything in
his power to prevent the fatal prophesy from
coming to pass that Oedipus would murder
his father and marry his mother. It is the very
act of trying to avoid destiny that the
prophesy fulfilled.
By the Renaissance, however, people
generally felt themselves to be less pawns of
fate and more in control of their own
destinies.
The Elizabethan tragic hero, therefore, is
much more often responsible for his own
downfall.
Julius Caesar
Notes
 503
BC – Rome ends rule of
Tarquins, a series of harsh, cruel
rulers.
 Rome decides never again to be
under the rule of an oppressive
government.
 Refuse all forms of govt. that consists
of kings & emperors (rulers who
achieve power based on inheritance).
 Rome
sets up a Republic – a govt.
in which officials are elected
 The new govt. was made of 2
parts:
 2 Consuls (leaders)
– elected
officials
 Senate – appointed by Consuls
 Governing
bodies could be made
of people from any walk of life:
noble or common
Julius
Caesar got into
politics during a time in
which the Consuls and the
Senate were having
problems.
 In this time of instability,
he became an outspoken
leader.
In
60 BC the first
triumvirate (3-person
governing body) was
formed.
Consisted of Caesar,
Pompey (a famous general),
and a wealthy man named
Crassus.
 Crassus
died.
 Eager for more power and
realizing that he could only achieve
it with conquests and money,
Caesar departed for what has been
called the Gallic Wars.
 His armies roamed Europe for 8
years.
 Caesar amassed huge sums of
money, which he sent back to
Rome to gain favor with the
people.
Pompey, jealous of Caesar’s growing
power and favor with the people,
threw his weight to the Senate, which
was also weary of Caesar’s
ambitions.
 Caesar refused the Senate’s order to
give up his command and return to
Rome.
 Instead, Caesar’s army marched on
Rome, took control, and chased
Pompey all the way to Egypt. There,
Pompey was murdered.
o
 Caesar
returned to Rome, was
accepted by the people for his
military abilities, was loved
for all the goods he brought
back from his conquests, and
was elected Dictator for Life.
 Caesar would now rule Rome
until his death, and the next
leader would have to be
elected.
Many
believed that
Caesar wanted to be
Emperor instead of just
Dictator for Life.
 If emperor, Caesar’s son
would inherit the throne,
instead of being elected.
Many
feared that Caesar
would bring back a style
of life similar to when the
Tarquin’s ruled.
To prevent this, some
members of the
legislature carried out a
deceitful plan…
Key Themes
Honor
Ambition
Envy
Power
Look for Rhetoric
 “The
art or study of using
language effectively and
persuasively”.
 Make sure to look for persuasion
and the use of language
throughout the play (note the
characters techniques to win
public and political support).
So
why did Shakespeare
feel that Renaissance
England would respond to
Julius Caesar?
 Shakespeare
saw Caesar and
Roman civilization not just as
one that precedes the future,
but as one that sets the
pattern for future civilizations.
 Shakespeare's England faced
concerns of a country about to
change leadership and
centuries.
Cast of Major
Characters
Julius Caesar
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Ruler of the Roman Empire.
He is presented as a man of strong will and
self-belief. He is used to issuing commands and
being obeyed. He is stubborn and will not listen
to pleas for mercy if he thinks he is in the right.
He considers himself to be resolute and
unwavering.
Caesar denies he is afraid of Cassius and
claims not to fear anyone or anything.
The conspirators believe Caesar is too
ambitious and will soon acquire such power that
Rome will be enslaved to one man.
Although Caesar is a commanding figure, he is
physically weak, suffering from epilepsy as well
as deafness in one ear.
Mark Antony
Mark Antony is Julius Caesar’s righthand man and personal friend.
 He enjoys sports and theater.
 It is Antony’s cunning speech to the
masses after Caesar’s death that turns
public opinion against the assassins,
who gravely underestimated and
misread him.
 He shows fairness/nobility in victory.
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Marcus Brutus
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Marcus Brutus is recruited for the
assassination by Cassius.
He becomes part of the plot because he
is concerned about the welfare of Rome.
He does not covet power for its own
sake, and nor does he have any
personal complaint about Caesar.
He is presented throughout as a man of
courtesy and honor, although perhaps
also as a man who is unsuited to wield
political power.
After he is dead, Antony salutes him as
“the noblest Roman of them all.”
Cassius
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Cassius is the chief conspirator against
Caesar.
It is he who recruits Brutus and the others.
Cassius is consumed with envy of Caesar,
and sees no reason why Caesar should
hold power over him.
Cassius is a good observer of men and he
has uncommon insight into people’s
motivations.
Caesar observes that Cassius has a “lean
and hungry look.”
He is in every way a contrast to the more
sociable Antony.
Casca
 Casca is one of the
conspirators, and it is he who
stabs Caesar first.
 Casca is known for his wit
and liveliness.
 He is a man of action who can
get things done.
Artemidorus
 Artemidorus is a teacher of
rhetoric who tries but fails to
warn Caesar of the plot
against him.
Trebonius
A
member of the consipiracy
against Caesar.
Decius Brutus
Conspirator who uses
flattery to get Caesar to the
Senate House.
Calpurnia
Caesar’s
wife.
Calpurnia invests great
authority in omens and
portents.
Portia
Brutus’s
wife; the daughter
of a noble Roman who took
sides against Caesar.
Flavius
A
tribune (an official
elected by the people to
protect their rights).
Murellus
A tribune-condemns the
plebeians for their fickleness
in cheering Caesar (they once
cheered for Caesar’s enemy
Pompey.
Cicero
A Roman senator renowned
for his oratorical skill.