Julius Caesar Act-by-Act Review Flashcards

A comprehensive set of vocabulary and key concept flashcards covering the major characters, plot points, and themes of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar based on the Act I-V review guide.

Flavius and Marullus

The tribunes who scold the commoners in Act I for celebrating Caesar's return and forgetting their previous loyalty to Pompey.

Cassius's Anecdote

A specific story told to Brutus about Caesar almost drowning in the Tiber and crying for help, intended to prove Caesar is physically weak and unfit to be a 'god'.

Caesar's Reaction to the Coronet

Described by Casca as Caesar refusing the crown three times during the feast of Lupercal, though he appeared increasingly reluctant to let it go each time.

Interpretation of Prodigies

Cassius views the violent storm and supernatural omens in Scene 3 as warnings against Caesar’s tyrannical government.

The Anonymous Letters

Cassius's plan to ensure Brutus joins the conspiracy by throwing forged messages into his window suggesting the public's concern about Caesar's ambition.

The Serpent's Egg Metaphor

A comparison used by Brutus to explain that Caesar should be killed while still in the shell, before he is crowned and becomes dangerous.

Sacrificers, not Butchers

Brutus’s rationale for refusing to kill Mark Antony, arguing that their actions should look like a necessary sacrifice for the state rather than a bloodbath.

Portia's Proof of Loyalty

A voluntary wound she gave herself in the thigh to demonstrate her strength and ability to keep Brutus’s secrets.

Decius Brutus

The conspirator who successfully convinces Caesar to go to the Senate by reinterpreting Calpurnia’s dream as a sign of Rome’s revival and mentioning the Senate's plan to offer a crown.

The Northern Star

The celestial body Caesar compares himself to in Act III to emphasize his constancy and refusal to change his mind about Publius Cimber's banishment.

Casca

The first conspirator to stab Caesar.

Verbal Irony

The rhetorical device Antony uses during his funeral oration when he repeatedly refers to the conspirators as 'honourable men'.

Caesar's Will

A document stating that Caesar left 75 drachmas to every Roman citizen and his private gardens and orchards for public use.

Antony's Soliloquy

A speech delivered alone with Caesar’s body where he prophesies that Italy will be plagued by civil war and 'domestic fury'.

Cinna the Poet

An innocent man killed by the Roman mob in Act III, Scene 3, simply because he shared the same name as one of the conspirators.

The Triumvirate List

A document created by Antony, Octavius, and Lepidus at the start of Act IV to decide which of their enemies (and even relatives) should be executed.

Slight Unmeritable Man

Antony’s secret description of Lepidus, whom he views as a tool fit only for errands, comparable to a donkey carrying a load.

Lucius Pella

The man Brutus condemned for taking bribes, which sparked the fierce argument between Brutus and Cassius in the tent.

Portia's Death

The tragic news Brutus reveals to Cassius that explains his emotional strain; she died by swallowing fire.

March to Philippi

The military strategy proposed by Brutus and reluctantly followed by Cassius, intending to meet the enemy immediately rather than waiting for them.

The Ghost of Caesar

An apparition that visits Brutus in his tent and tells him, 'Thou shalt see me at Philippi'.

Cassius’s Omen

The replacement of eagles that followed the army by ravens, crows, and kites, which Cassius interprets as a sign of impending defeat.

Tragic Irony of Cassius's Death

He commits suicide based on the mistaken belief that his friend Titinius was captured when Titinius was actually being celebrated.

Antony's Tribute to Brutus

At the end of the play, Antony calls him 'the noblest Roman of them all' because Brutus alone acted for the common good rather than out of envy.

The Ides of March

The date the Soothsayer warned Caesar about, which Caesar dismisses with hubris/arrogance.

Misinterpretation of Signs

A recurring theme in the play, illustrated by Caesar's dismissal of the Soothsayer, Calpurnia’s dreams, and Cassius's belief that Titinius was captured.