JULIUS CAESAR STUDY GUIDE |
"Cowards die many
times before their death; |
Caesar, Julius Caesar, Act II, scene ii |
Characters | Historical Background | ||
Caesar the Man | Caesar by Shakespeare | ||
Video Questions | Assignments | ||
Shakespeare | Home Page |
"Men at some times are masters of their fates" |
Cassius, Julius Caesar, Act I, scene ii |
Julius Caesar | protagonist, most powerful leader and politician in Rome |
Calpurnia | wife of Caesar |
Marcus Brutus | antagonist, friend of Caesar, believed in Republic, conspirator |
Portia | wife of Brutus, daughter of Cato (loyal to Pompey) |
Caius Cassius | brother-in-law of Brutus, conspirator |
Mark Antony | friend to Caesar, senator, triumvirate member after Caesar's death |
Octavius Caesar | great-nephew to Julius Caesar, member of triumvirate, heir to kingdom |
Casca | conspirator, friend of Brutus |
Plebeians | commoners |
Conspirators | Casca, Cassius, Cinna, Metellus Cimber, Decius Brutus, Trebonius, Marcus Brutus |
Soothsayer | predicts the future |
March 15 | Ides of March |
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND/ROMAN HISTORY |
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Fall of 450 year old empire | |||
Started as a monarchy (similar to Britain) | |||
Rebellion led to a republic | |||
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patricians (nobles) - dominated | |||
plebeians (commoners) | |||
Conflict between Senate factions | |||
Caesar sided with plebeians against nobles & spent his own money on entertainment & tax relief | |||
Formed triumvirate - governing body with Caesar, Pompey (military leader), Crassus (wealthy noble) | |||
Caesar led army into Gaul and became governor there | |||
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Crassus died | |||
Pompey feared Caesar's popularity and power - ordered Caesar to disband and return to Rome | |||
Caesar refused | |||
Pompey fled to Greece - killed eventually in Egypt by Caesar | |||
Pompey's sons continued fight - defeated by Caesar | |||
Caesar appointed dictator for life | |||
Returns to Rome in triumph | |||
Conspiracy against Caesar | |||
Caesar killed 44 B.C. | |||
End of republic - start of civil war | |||
Augustus Caesar crowned emperor |
JULIUS CAESAR - THE MAN |
102 B.C. - 44 B.C. |
Noble family |
Wife Calpurnia - no children |
Gifted politician and military leader |
Ambitious, arrogant, egotistical |
Cared about people of Rome |
Falling sickness - Epilepsy, partially deaf |
begins after Caesar's defeat of Pompey's sons | ||
based on Plutarch's (historian) The Lives of the Noble Greeks and Romans | ||
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warning to Elizabethan England | ||
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noble intentions not always enough - result in negative outcomes | ||
conspiracy against Caesar to preserve the Republic resulted in its demise | ||
Key ideas | ||
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page # |
ACT I |
1. How was Rome governed in the first century B.C.? | |
473 |
2. Why are people rejoicing at the
beginning of the scene? 3. How do the plebeians fell about Caesar? 4. How do some of the city officials feel about him? |
475 |
5. What warning does the soothsayer
give to Caesar? 6. What is Caesar's reaction to the warning? |
477 |
7. How does Cassius get Brutus' attention? |
8. What is Brutus worried, concerned, about? | |
481 | 9. Who does Caesar consider dangerous? |
483 | 10. What did the crowd offer Caesar? How many times? Who made the offer? What did Caesar do? |
484 | 11. What is Caesar's malady? |
486 | 12. As the next scene open what is the
setting? How does Shakespeare establish the setting? 13. What do the Senators plan to do? 14. What does Cassius plan to do if the Senators go through with their plan? |
489 | 15. What does Casca mean by, "So every
bondman in his own hand bears the power to cancel his captivity?" 16. How far is Casca willing to go? 17. How does Cassius describe the enterprise? |
490 | 18. Where is Cinna to place the three papers? What is the purpose of the letters? (493 intro.) |
ACT II |
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493 | 19. In the textbook, read Act II, scene i, lines 10-34. How does Brutus feel about Caesar and his rise to power? Why should Caesar be killed? |
494 | 20. How does Shakespeare establish the date? What is it? |
495 | 21. Who visits Brutus at night? |
493 | 22. Why has Brutus been awake all night? |
496 | 23. What is the allusion to the east? |
498 | 24. Who does Cassius want to kill? 25. Why does Brutus object? |
499 | 26. What is the plan? |
498 | 27. How does Brutus describe Mark Antony? |
501 | 28. Why is Portia upset? |
502 | 29. What reasons does Portia give to Brutus
to persuade him to tell her what is going on? (3) 30. Portia continues to converse with Brutus, yet he still does not tell her hi plans. She ten give him more reasons for trusting her even if she is a woman. What are they? (3) 31. What is Brutus' response? |
505 | 32. In the next scene, who has disturbing
dreams? 33. Why does Caesar send the servant to the priests? 34. When Caesar comments on the threats, he gives us an example of his self-confidence. What does he say? 35. What does Calpurnia want Caesar to do? 36. What arguments does Calpurnia use to dissuade Caesar from leaving? (3) 37. How does Caesar brush off the visions? |
506 | 38. What is Caesar's opinion of death? 39. What did the augerers find? 40. What is Caesar's reaction? 41. Why has Decius Brutus come to Caesar's house? |
507 | 42. Calpurnia wants Caesar to say he is
sick, but he refuses. Why? What does he want Decius to say? 43. Caesar describes Calpurnia's dream. What is it? 44. How does Decius turn the dream around? 45. What arguments finally convince Caesar to go? (2) |
508 | 46. Who comes to escort Caesar? |
ACT III |
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513 | 47. Why doesn't Caesar read the petition? |
515 | 48. Who is to be the first to stab Caesar? |
514 |
49. Where is Mark Antony? |
515 |
50. What is Metellus Cimber's request? |
516 |
51. What are Caesar's famous last words
to Brutus? |
518 | 53. What prophetic statement does Cassius make? (a statement that has been true through history) |
520 | 54. How do the conspirators try to appease Antony? |
521 | 55. What does Cassius ask Antony? |
522 | 56. Cassius objects to Antony's speaking.
How does Brutus plan to nullify the effect of Antony's speech? What
restriction does he place on Antony? (3) 57. What is Antony's curse? (2) |
524 | 58. Who is coming to Rome? |
525 | 59. What reason does Brutus give the people for the murder? What was Caesar's major offense? (2) |
526 | 60. What is the reaction of the crowd? 61. What are Brutus' parting words? |
527 | 62. How does Antony get the crowd's
attention? 63.Describe Antony's famous speech. How does he use the word honorable? (3) |
530 | 64. Does Antony really mean what he says about reading the will? |
533 | 65. What is the crowd's reaction to Mark Antony's speech? |
534 | 66. Where is Octavius? 67. Who left Rome? |
ACT IV |
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537 | 68. What are Octavius and Mark Antony planning for the region? |
542 | 69. Why is Brutus upset with Cassius? |
543 | 70. Why is Cassius really upset? |
545 | 71. What happened to Portia? How? |
548 | 72. Why is it important for Brutus' army to strike now? Where are they to meet the enemy? |
550 | 73. What does Brutus see? What is the message? What does it mean? |
ACT V |
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553 | 74. Why do you think Octavius "crosses" Antony? |
554 | 75. What does Octavius declare? What does he mean? |
556 | 76. What special day is it for Cassius? |
560 | 77. What does Cassius ask Pindarus? |
561 | 78. Who does Brutus blame? |
566 | 79. How did Brutus kill himself? Why that way? |
567 | 80. What words of praise does Antony have for Brutus? |
"This was the
noblest Roman of them all . . . |
Daily | Vocabulary sheets for each Act need to be completed and returned the following day. | ||
As we watch the video, fill out the questions. Page references from your textbook are included for material you are not sure of, or if you need further explanation. The video questions will be collected and graded at the completion of each act in the unit. | |||
Tests | After the presentation of the background
material, there will be a test over that material, the background
information in the textbook, and the glossary of Shakespeare terms.
(handout) There will be one final test over the entire video after Act V. |
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Project | (fooled ya!) no project | ||
Speeches | All students will memorize and present in class a portion of Mark Antony's famous speech. You may choose how much you wish to memorize and present to the class based on the desired grade. (see handout) Dates will be assigned. | ||
Essay | This will be the final essay of the quarter and no rewrites will be possible.Upon completion of the test, students will write an essay. Those students who have a "B" or better for the quarter have optional assignments. | ||
Students with less than an 83 will complete a semester final essay. This is optional for those with better than an 83. This will count double and give you an opportunity to improve your grade demonstrating good writing, organization, grammar, and thinking skills. | |||
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Students with an 83 or better may select to write the semester essay or develop an essay based on one of the following topics. | |||
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