Julius Caesar

By William Shakespeare

citation -

(JC 1.3. 27-29)

(JC Act. Scene. Lines).

5-Act Play Structure

Act 1 - Exposition

Act 2 - Rising Action

Act 3 - Climax

Act 4 - Falling Action

Act 5 - Resolution/Catastrophe

Shakespeare writes primarily in the Elizabethan Period.

• queens were rare, only kings.

• This period is marked by peace and prosperity

• sometimes called the Elizabethan Renaissance (rebirth)

• She became queen and had to face many trials to keep the power.

• Shakespeare’s entire play-show is owed to Elizabeth. There would be no Shakespeare if she was not queen. She was a Tudor

• Shakespeare, London, motivated by the troubles decided to show his opinion by making plays.

Troubles before Elizabeth

• Hundred Years War, 1337 - 1447, France and England

  • King Edward III wanted both thrones of France and England, took over France.

• Wars of the Roses, Civil war (fighting themselves), 1455-1487

  • No healthcare, disease common, lots of death.

  • Economy is bad, lack of everything

  • the Tudor king that wins the throne is Henry VII

  • Henry VIII became the new king

    • Had a daughter named Mary, who became queen.

    • country became non-catholic, took away churches that had monks, nuns, education, shelter. Did not put it back

  • Edward takes over, his son is very sick; all his children die except Elizabeth.

    • Mary put a lot of people to death, called her Bloody Mary

    • Lady Jane Danes, (9 day queen) She was so hard to control, she was beheaded by the parliament.

• Elizabeth never marries - no direct heir, doesn’t choose until the very end, people are anxious. Many unsuccessful assassinations, manages to protect her until she dies naturally

Julius Caesar

• wrote in England, play takes place in Ancient Rome 0 AD

• loved Elizabeth as a ruler

• a mistake in the play

Act 1 Scene 1

Tribunes - senate

The cobbler is making fun of these two tribunes

Caesar is the most powerful person, not the senatorial. He threatens him and makes fun of him.

He’s mocking them and making them feel they’re not doing what they’re doing

Plebeians - senate, happy that they don’t bring slaves back. They are self interested. They say that Caesar isn’t bringing slaves back makes him a bad leader.

They aren’t hypocritical. They host parades.

the people actually love Caesar because he

gives recognition to them and hears him

when Pompey goes through the streets it feels like they betrayed Pompey.

why should they feel gratitude for what Pompey has done?

the tribunes are clueless about what the plebeians want. everyone but

tells them to go that way through the city and disrow the images of Caesar

the feast of Lupercalia.

Act 1 scene 2

• servile fearfulness - caesar.

• they’re worried that

The plebeians are “lowly” from Act 1 Scene I-II

• quote, context, hierarchy in rome,

Word list - “mend you” “cobble ” trying to say that the cobbler could “fix” him. like shoes

context for this is that a cobbler fixes shoes and saying that the cobbler could cobble flavius is him saying that he could “fix him”

“blocks, stones, sensless things” - shows that the plebians are worthless to the higher statuses

“knave” - meaning dishonest, shows that they think that the cobbler is a liar

“idol creatures” seen as objects

plebieans are celebrating julius caesars return

1. These words reveal the social hierarchy in rome by showing that the plebieans are looked down upon and they are rude

2. the characters in this scene view the plebians as dishonest men, worthless and unintelligent, and they want them to be driven away from the streets, because they don’t know pompey.

3. Shakespeare could be suggesting that the role of the common people in society are poor, worthless. Also portray the commoners as violent and unintelligent

   • officials want to redirect the commoners to see how great pompey was and tells them to go home and pray.

   talks about how great pompey is

the words we found were cobble, blocks, stones, knave. these all talk about how the pebieans are seen to be as worthelss and rude. “cobble” showing that the cobbler could “cobble” up flavius or in other words saying that he could “fix” him. the words blocks, stones, and sensless things show how the commoners are seen to be as nothing and worthless to the higher statuses. They were also called “knave” which shows that they think that the cobbler is a liar because knave means dishonest.

We said that these words reveal that the commoners were looked down upon and they were violent. the characters in the scene view the plebieans as dishonest men, worthless and unintelligent and officials want them to be driven away from the streets becasuse they think that they are unintelligent because they do not know of Pompey. We said that shakespeare could suggest that the role of common people in the society were poor, worthless and were also seen to be violent to higher statuses and unaware and unintelligent of what is they want.

doesn’t ask them about their rle to society, just asks what they do

Act 1. Scene I

• sterile case- running around naked to have a lot of births, helps in finding heirs to the throne (Caesar having all his children die)

• Caesar is looking out for Calpurnia, helps her have a child, Shows that Caesar is a loyal and loving person. A man of his word. he is a person that does listen to the crowd. (hears someone call his name, tells the crowd to be quiet”

• Ides of march - 15th of march

• caesar is in the position of power that shows no emotion. Acts like it’s not a big deal in front of crowd. Thinks about it later on

Act 1. Scene 2

• Cassisus says that Brutus

• has a conspiracy going on to kill Caesar.

• tries to bring brutus into the conspiracy, but he has to be careful since brutus and caesar are good friends and hes a higher rank then he is.

• cassisus is flattering brutus, “a lot of people don’t see brutus as all of this” tries to persuade him to join.

• brutus sees this and asks him “what are you doing what are you trying to make me do”

  • cassisus now knwos that brutus is not pleased

  • then brutus mentions honor so cassius uses this to his advantage

  • brutus is manipulating him

  • cassisus says that caesar being epilespy makes him a bad leader, trying to paint a picture to brutus’ mind of a character caesar isn’t.

  • he’s trying to disqualify caesar with traits that make him seem weak, to make brutus make him seem stronger.

  • brutus’ anxiety is growing,

• asks him why Caesars name isn’t the same level as Brutus. says his title should be known for him too.

• Brutus already thought about Cassius wants him to do.

• He said he’ll hear more of what Cassius has to say but another time. (cautious)

• The patricians look down on the Plebeian. Would rather be a plebeian then be under Caesars rule

• Caesar understands that Cassius is an untrustworthy person. He told Antony to bring people that are not like that. He criticized Cassius as skinny,

• Antony is the youngest of the characters, is naive

• he says that Cassius is questionable, doesn’t smile, always plotting something, can’t have fun

• always i am caesar: can’t tell him anything else because he is still caesar

• Caesar is deaf in one of his ears

• upperclassmen - speaks in verse

  lowerclassmen - speaks in pros (no verses) rude

  Casca-

  • describes the plebeians with chopped hands, stinky breath, calls them a herd

  • makes it seem like they’re not thinking

  • irony. no women in the play except for the ones that have speeches, they’re smarter than everyone else

  • Casca does not speak Greek, doesn’t understand what Cicero said.

• Cassius thinks Brutus is stupid

• hese gonna plant notes that seems like the citizens wrote it that talks about how good Brutus is to try to manipulate Brutus into joining him

Act 1. Scene 3

• Experiencing earthquakes, says that there was fire falling from the sky.

• a slave had his hand on fire but it wasn’t burned

• a lion looked at him and then walked away

• Everything seems to be scary, everyone is freaking out

• Cassius says this night is very pleasing - tells us that he’s gonna manipulate this too

• hes gonna tell Casca the same thing - the gods are angry at them

• Cassius will always insult women

• says that he would commit suicide anytime he wanted to

• characterization of him is false

Act 2, Scene 1

• Brutus is in his garden with his mind made up that he’ll kill Caesar. Though he doesn’t have a reason to.

• Soliloquy - actions that reveal the thoughts of a character

• the general reason that he says when Caesar dies is that his status can change

• He says that Caesar is like a snake in the day, he (might) become dangerous

• He says that Caesar is climbing a ladder and when he reaches the top he’ll turn it around and go against everyone that helped him. (speculations)

• Lucius (little boy) gives Brutus the letter that Cassius made.

• There is a big meteor shower that Brutus ignores but uses the light from it to read the letter instead. How is he so out of reality? why is he not staring in awe?

  • the letter doesn’t directly say to kill Caesar but he puts it together to make it look that way

• '

• “since Cassius first did whet me against Caesar, I have not slept.” (JC. 2.1. 61-61)

  • This tells us that it’s been a month since Cassius said that to Brutus and he has not slept. This tells us that Brutus might have a mental or physical illness. How can what he will possibly do be honorable?

• How are the conspirators so hidden during the night?'

  • they are like the sunrise

• when you swear an oath in this time. it’s a very powerful thing.

• this is cassius’s conspiracy but he starts taking over his conspiracy. He wants to take Caesars power

  • what is keeping brutus from swearing an oath?

Analysis of Appearance vs. Reality in Brutus’s Speech

Group Analysis -

1. Brutus believes that Caesars ambition is to take all the power for himself. He says that he believes that Caesar might change his nature. For example a ladder, once he climbs to the top with the help of his companions, he would turn that ladder around and go against everyone that helped him. This reflects his perception of reality by him trying to change his way of looking at Caesar into making him sound like a dictator or someone that only wants power for themselves.

2. Brutus justifies the assassination by trying to make Caesar seem like a bad person, someone who only wants power for himself. He describes Caesar as a poisonous snake. Though his reasons aren’t good reasons. This reveals his internal conflict by showing that he might have a mental or physical disorder.

3. Contradictions in Brutus’s speech that suggest a difference between appearance and reality is that in his speech he speculates what would MIGHT or MAY happen if Caesar changes his mind and goes against them. He only thinks about the appearance of Caesar becoming evil and not the reality that he would never even do that in the first place

4. Brutus’s view of honor and mortality shapes his actions into doing something ridiculous and dishonorable. Brutus’s definition of honorable is him having power and either more power or the same power as Caesar. This differs from how others perceive him because he is known as an honorable man to both the people and Caesar.

• Conspiracy is finalized

• conspirators are fairly young

• the conspirators follow Brutus even though he just joined. It’s like Brutus wants what Caesar has. (power)

• says that Antony is just a limb and wont be a problem (he will be a problem)

• they said to carve him to be fit for the gods. though they said not to butcher him. He tries to justify/cloud things

• Brutus is also rude, he cuts off what the other conspirators say.

• Antony is a party boy, sports, and wildness. In act 3, Brutus says that Antony is a noble roman even though in act 2, he didn’t think so.

  • shows Brutus’s inconsistency

• Brutus is superstitious, looks for signs. The gods are trying to warn him. Cassius is also superstitious that he dies in the morning because of the signs. This leads to his own death.

• Brutus wants to seize control, telling Malticus to come to him.

• Brutus is so troubled by all these things that he cannot sleep, envious of malticus cause he can sleep.

• says the romans are sick, caesars death is the cure, there’s thunder, the gods are not happy.

Portia’s speech

• Portia is sick, when Portia speaks to Brutus, he ignores her. (illness)

• Brutus left

• if brutus could change the way he looked, (he looked very ill and he was so changed)

• Portia asks him about his troubles

• Porita said that if he was actually ill, he wouldn’t be out this late in the morning He should be asleep and rest

• starts asking rhetorical questions - questions which the listener already knows the answer

• Believed that the air is poisoned (Elizabethen period)

• lists her evidence (on why he should share it with her)

• used her beauty and marriage vows to get him to speak

• questions her marriage with him. (does she just stay with him during their meals, says that she’s just Brutus’s whore and not her wife)

• uses pathos (emotion)'

• says theres something about her because he married her even though she was in a different status. (Cato big on education)

• she was bleeding the entire time on her thigh (shows that she wont tell anyone about this secret)

• All brutus does is talk about how worthy of a wife she is, and then he says that he will tell her

Act 2 Scene 2

• Caesar wanted to face whatever problems came to him, but calphurnia tried to get him to stay home.

• Calphurnia didn’t believe in superstitions, but this time she did.

• the gods are really trying to warn him, caesar is a person who sticks to his principles

• calphurnia says that the gods don’t give a sign to beggars but to a high noble, they do

• caesar has lived through the saying “live your life to the fullest, you’re going to die anyway”

• dissected an animal and could not find it’s heart, it’s a bad sign but caesar still wants to go out. (shames him for his feeling of fear by showing the animal with no heart)

• calphurnia says for him to stay home, this time he says he will stay home.

• he says that he cannot send a lie

• decius says this sign is positive instead of negative. tries to manipulate him into saying caesar is weak

Act 2 Scene 4

• Portia is so frantic she knows something is going to be bad, tells lucius to come ot the senate house immediately.

Act 3. Scene 1 -

• cassius is scared that their plan has been discovered, said would rather die than be captured by caesar

• their view on caesar is not the same as what he actually is

• metellus’ brother got exiled to the country, he and brutus beg

• brutus syas he is like the northern star, stays in place and bows when caesar says dont

• et tu brutus? (and you/also you)

• they dont know what to do after they killed caesar

• had no plan after, shocked that the people were horrified??

• brutus is crazy for saying to put blood up to their elbows and yell peace freedom and liberty (lost touch w reality)

• Antony said he liked Brutus and Cassius, but wanted to know why caesar died

• Antony reminded them of how noble Caesar was, says that if he were to die he were to die right there next to Caesar

• selfishness

Act 3 Scene 2

• half go with Brutus, half go with Cassius

• Brutus says that he did this because he loved Caesar but he loved Rome more

• asks them manipulative questions, limits the crowds options

• plebians are willing to give brutus the power caesar had, though brutus is not rejecting even though he killed caesar because he thought he would be too powerful. Shows that this could be a reason

• brutus successfully manipulated the plebians, (rhetorical questions)

• antony is gonna use reason and evidence (most powerful and good speech)

• brutus is an honorable man (repetition) but in the end the plebians realize he is not an honorable man.

• brutus says that caesar is ambitious (wants power for himself)

• evidence - caesar was good, enriched rome, made it larger, worked for good of the country. asks why suddenly do they not love him anymore (rhetorical question)

• only said the truth, didn’t say to do anything the plebieans believed and made up on their own that they are not honorable men.

• cassius was commiting a crime in Sardus, (need sardians for food)

• taking money from sardians to take their money. (taking money to enrich cassius)

• An itching palm (wont deny this satement)

Act 4 Scene 1

Act 4 Scene 3

• They are acting like children , shows they are not right to rule.

• Brutus misunderstands/mishears again “you say you are a better soldier” but he actually said “i said elder soldier”

• Cassius never attended to fight with Brutus

• said when Caesar was alive he wouldnt dare to do anything like that.

• there are cracks in Brutus’ fascade, appearance vs reality

• brutus asked cassius for money (cassius was getting money through suspicious means)

• The melodrama becomes more and more palpable as the tension between the characters escalates, revealing their true motivations and the fragility of their alliances.

• cassius offers brutus his dagger and tells him to stab him. He knows that brutus is not going to do that, only wants to do it for the drama. Uses pathos (emotional manipulation) to get Brutus to act in a way he wants to.

• brutus says the spark was dead and that nothing is happening.

• Is brutus having episodes or no? asks us if hes actually really ill.

• Portia suffered in such a horrible way because of Brutus’ not sharing his troubles with Porita.

• brutus doesnt want cassius to talk about Porita but he still talks about money??

• Brutus calls himself an honest man but he lies to the messala.

• he contradicts himself and lies about not knowing that Porita is dead.

• brutus is insane or whatever have him talk to himself.

Act 5

• antony + octavius act more mature even though theyre younger

• cassius is very defeated before the battle, says to party and drink that they might as well enjoy their final moments, as he feels the weight of their impending defeat looming over them.

• titinius went to camp because brutus told him to, he saw that titinius was surrounded by horsemen and he thought that it was over and taht titinius was dead. It was his own men though but cassius died without double checking

• suicide was a sin and it wouldve been seen as villianous if you killed urself in that time.

• this shows that these people are villians and that caesar is the true hero in the end