Julius Caesar (1599) Lecture Review

Vocabulary-style flashcards covering key characters, plot points, and themes from Shakespeare's Julius Caesar as outlined in the lecture notes.

Flavius and Marullus

The tribunes in the opening scene of Act 1 who scold commoners for celebrating Caesar's return in the streets.

Coronet

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

Prodigies

Supernatural omens and strange events, such as a violent storm, witnessed by Casca in Act 1, Scene 3.

Snake Metaphor

The comparison Brutus uses in Act 2, Scene 1, to describe how Caesar's nature might change if he were to be crowned king.

Portia

Brutus's wife who proves her loyalty, strength, and trustworthiness to him to ensure he reveals his secrets to her.

Calpurnia

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

Decius Brutus

The conspirator who successfully convinces Caesar to ignore his wife's warnings and attend the Senate House.

Celestial Body

Used by Caesar in Act 3, Scene 1, to emphasize his constancy and refusal to repeal the banishment of Publius Cimber.

Honourable men

The rhetorical phrase Antony repeatedly uses in his funeral oration to refer to Brutus and the conspirators.

Casca

The first member of the conspiracy to stab Caesar during the assassination in the Senate.

Caesar's Will

The document in which Antony claims Caesar bequeathed specific gifts to every individual Roman citizen.

Cinna the Poet

An innocent man killed by a mob in Act 3, Scene 3, reflecting the theme of senseless violence.

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 once he is out of the room.

The Tent Scene

The famous encounter in Act 4, Scene 3, where Brutus and Cassius have a fierce argument over finances and ethics.

Philippi

The location where the final battle takes place between the forces of the Triumvirate and the conspirators.

Epicurean

The philosophical belief previously held by Cassius that rejected superstitions, which he begins to doubt before the battle.

Misinterpretation of Signs

A recurring theme and driving force of tragedy illustrated by characters fatally misreading omens or communications.

The Ides of March

The specific date referred to in the Soothsayer's warning that Caesar dismisses as a fatal character flaw.

Cowards and the Valiant

A reference to Caesar's quote stating that cowards die many times, while the valiant only taste death once.