Julius Caesar: A play by William Shakespeare

Julius Caesar

1. Julius caesar William Shakespeare APRIL MAE A. BRIONES Reporter

2. SETTING It is believed that Julius Caesar was first performed between 1600 and 1601. In the Elizabethan era there was a huge demand for new entertainment and Julius Caesar would have been produced immediately following the completion of the play. The play takes place in ancient Rome – Verona and Mantua, Italy, 44 b.c . toward the end of the Roman republic

3. CHARACTERS ANTAGONISTS Brutus A high-ranking, well-regarded Roman nobleman who participates in a conspiracy to assassinate Caesar. Cassius A talented general and longtime acquaintance of Caesar. Cassius resents the fact that the Roman populace has come to revere Caesar almost as a god. PROTAGONISTS Julius Caesar A great Roman general who has recently returned to Rome after a military victory in Spain. Antony A loyal friend of Caesar’s. In contrast to the self-disciplined Brutus, Antony is notoriously impulsive and pleasure-seeking, passionate rather than principled.

4. Casca One of the conspirators. Casca is a tribune (an official elected to represent the common people of Rome) who resents Caesar’s ambition. Casca is the first to stab Caesar . Calphurnia Caesar’s wife. Calphurnia invests great authority in omens and portents. She warns Caesar against going to the Senate on the Ides of March, for she has had terrible nightmares and heard reports of many bad omens.

5. Portia Brutus’s wife and the daughter of a noble Roman (Cato) who took sides against Caesar. Portia, accustomed to being Brutus’s confidante, is upset to find him so reluctant to speak his mind when she finds him troubled . Decius A member of the conspiracy. Decius convinces Caesar that Calphurnia misinterpreted her dire nightmares and that, in fact, no danger awaits him at the Senate. Decius leads Caesar right into the hands of the conspirators.

6. Octavius Augustus Caesar Caesar’s adopted son and appointed successor. Octavius , who had been traveling abroad, returns after Caesar’s death, then joins with Antony and sets off to fight Cassius and Brutus. Antony tries to control Octavius’s movements, but Octavius follows his adopted father’s example and emerges as the authoritative figure, paving the way for his eventual seizure of the reins of Roman government. Flavius and Murellus Two tribunes who condemn the plebeians for their fickleness in cheering Caesar when once they cheered for Caesar’s enemy Pompey. Flavius and Murellus are punished for removing the decorations from Caesar’s statues during Caesar’s triumphal parade

7. Cicero A Roman senator renowned for his oratorical skill. Cicero speaks at Caesar’s triumphal parade. He later dies at the order of Antony, Octavius , and Lepidus Lepidus The third member of Antony and Octavius’s coalition. Though Antony has a low opinion of Lepidus, Octavius trusts Lepidus’s loyalty.

8. PLOT Initial Situation Caesar is a national hero, and there are rumblings in the Senate that he seems to be on the path to becoming a king. Conflict Cassius is gathering forces to rebel against Caesar, which amounts to treason. Brutus must be convinced to join the plot . Complication The conspirators agree that nobody touches Antony, which unsettles Cassius. When Antony comes to see Caesar's body, he convinces a trusting Brutus to let him speak at Caesar's funeral.

9. Climax Antony gives a rousing speech; public opinion turns against Brutus and Cassius. Suspense Brutus and Cassius have fled; Antony is joined by Octavius and Lepidus; Brutus and Cassius are fighting .

10. Denouement Portia dies; Caesar's ghost shows up; Brutus and Cassius make a suicide pact. Conclusion Cassius and Brutus kill themselves; Antony and Octavius (with Lepidus) are free to rule Rome.

11. FAMOUS QUATATIONS "Friends, Romans, countrymen lend me your ears; I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him". - (Act III, Scene II ) - Antony "Et tu , Brute!" - (Act III, Scene I ). - Caesar "Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more". - (Act III, Scene II ). – Brutus " Beware the Ides of March". - (Act I, Scene II ). - Soothsayer "This was the noblest Roman of them all". - (Act V, Scene V ). – Antony " A serpents egg/ which hatch'd , would, as his kind, grow mischievous,/ and kill him in the shell .“ - Brutus

12. SYMBOLISM Portia and Calpurnia- the women symbolize the neglected private lives of their respective husbands, Brutus and Caesar. The men dismiss their wives as hindrances to their public duty, ignoring their responsibilities to their own mortal bodies and their private obligations as friends, husbands, and feeling men. Northern star – symbolizes Caesar’s influence and eternality is undeniable even after his assassination.

13. TONE Serious, proud, virtuous, enraged, vengeful, idealistic, anguished

14. WRITING STYLE Even though the language in Julius Caesar is considered to be pretty straighforward , reading Caesar can feel like reading a really long poem

15. THEME The play is all about Brutus' violent betrayal of his BFF and the aftermath of Caesar's assassination (that would be civil war ). T he relationship between rhetoric and power ; A llegiance and rivalry among men

16. REFLECTION “ The mean doesn’t justify the end.” The wrong will never be right. Hanging out with the wrong crowd.

17. Your friends may seem awesome enough, but when push comes to shove, will they have you back, or will they turn around and throw you under the bus?