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WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

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!Words encompassing

ACT I SCENE III + ACT II SCENE I of JULIUS CAESAR by !

ALEXA PHARRUNS JORDAN MYLES

KAITLYN MCISAAC RORI LEBLANC ZOE GILLIGAN !

ENGLISH 10 / G. WEST / FOURTH PERIOD !

JULIUS CAESAR

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!II

JULIUS CAESAR

JULIUS CAESAR

BACKGROUND

JULIUS CAESAR, written in 1599, was allegedly the first play to

be performed in the Globe Theater. !

After finishing a series of English political histories,

Shakespeare wrote JULIUS CAESAR, which also embodied some English political concerns of the time

(late sixteenth century). An aging, unmarried Elizabeth was worrying the people of

England due to the fact that she had not produced an heir.

Everyone was asking questions along the lines of,

“Who will be the next ruler? Will he or she be a tyrant? Will

anarchy ensue?” !

As Elizabeth I caused her subjects to question the future of politics in England, JULIUS CAESAR caused its audience to

ask questions about the possible similarities between ancient Roman politics and English

politics of the time. !Regarding Shakespeare’s primary source for the play, Plutarch’s

famous biography ‘The Life of Julius Caesar’, written in Greek during the

first century and later translated into English during

1579, greatly influenced him, as he and his contemporaries of the Elizabethan era were very taken with Roman culture and politics.

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CAST OF

CHARACTERS IN ACT I SCENE III + ACT II SCENE I !!

BRUTUS CASCA

CASSIUS CICERO CINNA DECIUS LUCIUS

LIGARIUS METELLUS PORTIA

TREBONIUS

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THEMES AND MOTIFS !

IN ACT I SCENE III + ACT II SCENE I !!↣ blindly following the majority, morals,

values, traditions, and superstitions ↣ duty ↣ fate

↣ honor and morality ↣ irony

↣ manipulation ↣ omens ↣ foreshadowing ↣ punishment/consequences

↣ right and wrong ↣ supernatural events ↣ pathetic fallacy

↣ symbols: ↣ sleep represents peace

↣ physical abilities represent governmental powers

↣ indecision represents rebellion ↣ tradition

↣ violence + sex

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↣ Casca and Cicero meet on a street in Rome during a

howling, frightening storm in the evening.

↣ Casca tells Cicero about supernatural events which

previously occurred: ↣ An owl — a nocturnal

creature — flying around at noon in the marketplace. ↣ A lion walking near the Capitol,

but bizarrely ignored Casca whilst

doing so. ↣ A man whose hands were on fire, yet whose flesh was not burning. ↣ Cicero departs, and Cassius

enters. ↣ Cassius interprets the

omens as warnings of Caesar threatening to destroy the

Republic ↣ He strongly urges Casca to

work with him in opposing Caesar.

↣ Cinna, another conspirator, enters.

↣ Cassius devises ways for Cinna to convert Brutus to

their cause: ↣ To place letters Cassius forged on Brutus’ chair in

Senate and on Brutus’ statue, then throw others through

Brutus' window. ↣ The conspirators believe that with Brutus, a morally honorable man, on

their side, he will bring worthiness to

the resistance. !!“He sits high in all the

people’s hearts, / And that which would appear offence in us / His countenance, like richest alchemy, / Will change to virtue and to

worthiness.” !(I.III.157–60)

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SYNOPSIS !

OF ACT I SCENE III

JULIUS CAESAR

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“IT IS THE PART OF MEN TO FEAR AND TREMBLE WHEN THE MOST MIGHTY GODS BY TOKENS SEND

SUCH DREADFUL HERALDS TO ASTONISH US.” !

CASCA. JULIUS CAESAR. (I.III.55-7)

JULIUS CAESAR

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↣ Brutus is in his orchard at night, thus asking Lucius to go fetch a taper from his

study. ↣ Brutus then delivers arguably one of the most

important and vexed soliloquies of the play.

↣ He states that his reasons against Caesar are not

personal, but general — for the good of the public.

↣ He fears that though Caesar appears to be very generous and enlightened, he will

change once crowned, for power always induces

tyranny. ↣ Brutus then agrees to help assassinate Caesar, and compares

it to killing a serpent’s egg.

↣ Lucius re-enters, along with a letter thrown through

Brutus’ window. ↣ The conspirators enter —

Cassius, Casca, Decius, Cinna, Metellus, and Trebonius.

↣ Cassius suggests they honor their pact through an oath, but Brutus objects, as it is not necessary for men who are doing an honorable thing to justify it through an oath. ↣ Cassius enquires about

recruiting Cicero, but Brutus objects to this too.

↣ Cassius states that Mark Antony ought to be killed, along with Caesar, but once again, Brutus objects, as he

finds it all too bloody. ↣ The conspirators exit, Lucius is fast asleep, and

Portia enters. ↣ Muddled by her husband’s behavior, Portia demands

Brutus to tell her what is troubling him.

↣ Brutus, tentative at first, is swayed to confide in Portia

after she firmly asserts herself and reminds him that

she is no ordinary woman, as she is the daughter of Roman nobleman Cato.

↣ Portia exits and Lucius awakens to usher in Caius

Ligarius. ↣ Ligarius, who has previously been sick, sheds his sickness

to join Brutus and the conspirators against Caesar,

so long as the cause is honorable, to which Brutus

attests. !“Set on your foot, / And with a heart new-fired I follow you, / To do I know not

what. / But it sufficeth / That Brutus leads me on.” !

(II.I.342–45)

SYNOPSIS !

OF ACT II SCENE I

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BIBLIOGRAPHY !

THE ATLASPHERE IMG KID BBC UK

PAINTING AND FRAME PIXSHARK

SPARKNOTES WIKIPEDIA

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