Sophomore Honors English: Julius Caesar Flashcards

A collection of vocabulary terms and character identifications based on the Sophomore Honors English review for Shakespeare's Julius Caesar.

Flavius and Marullus

Tribunes who appear in the opening scene of Act 1 to scold commoners for celebrating in the streets.

Coronet

A crown offered to Caesar by Mark Antony during the feast of Lupercal, which Casca describes Caesar as being reluctant to refuse.

Feast of Lupercal

The setting for the event in Act 1, Scene 2 where Mark Antony offers Caesar a crown three times.

Prodigies

Supernatural omens or strange events, such as those that terrify Casca during the violent storm in Act 1, Scene 3.

Portia

Brutus's wife who proves her loyalty, strength, and trustworthiness to him to convince him to reveal his secrets.

Calpurnia

Caesar's wife who reports seeing terrifying portents in her dreams and begs Caesar to stay home from the Senate.

Decius Brutus

The conspirator who successfully convinces Caesar to ignore Calpurnia's warnings and proceed to the Senate House.

Publius Cimber

The person whose banishment Caesar refuses to repeal, citing his own constancy and comparing himself to a celestial body.

Honourable men

A phrase repeatedly used by Mark Antony during his funeral oration as a rhetorical device to describe Brutus and the conspirators.

Cinna the Poet

A character killed by the Roman mob in Act 3, Scene 3 because he shares the same name as a conspirator.

Triumvirate

The political alliance formed by Antony, Octavius, and Lepidus at the beginning of Act 4.

Lepidus

A member of the Triumvirate whom Antony secretly views with disdain and plans to use as a tool.

Lucilius

Cassius's servant whom Brutus meets in Act 4, Scene 2, before noticing a change in Cassius’s demeanor.

Tent Scene

The setting for the fierce argument in Act 4, Scene 3 between Brutus and Cassius regarding finances.

Messala

A character who discusses political news from Rome with Brutus while they are at camp.

Philippi

The location where the four military leaders meet on the field before the final battle begins.

Epicurean

A philosophical belief system previously held by Cassius that rejects superstitions and omens.

Titinius

A companion of Cassius whose body is found by Brutus on the battlefield alongside Cassius.

Soothsayer

A character who warns Caesar to "Beware the ides of March," a warning Caesar dismisses.

Ides of March

The date, March 15th, on which Caesar was assassinated.

Misinterpretation of Signs

A recurring theme and driving force of tragedy where characters fatally misread omens or communication.