Julius Caesar- Summary and character sketchs of main characters.

this ppt is based on the English drama julius caesar.

1. Main Characters of Play “Julius Caesar” Made by :- A mit Choube Class :- 10 th ‘B’

2. Contents Summary Character sketches of – Gaius Julius Caesar Marcus Junius Brutus

3. Summary The tribunes, Marullus and Flavius, break up a gathering of Roman citizens who seek to celebrate Julius Caesar’s triumphant return from war. The victory is marked by public games in which Caesar’s friend, Mark Antony, takes part. On his way to the arena Caesar is stopped by a stranger who warns that he should ‘Beware the Ides (15th) of March .’ Fellow senators, Caius Cassius and Marcus Brutus, are suspicious of Caesar’s reactions to the power he holds in the Republic. They fear he will accept offers to become Emperor. Cassius, a successful general himself, is jealous, while Brutus has a more balanced view of the political position. Cassius, Casca, and their allies, visit Brutus at night to persuade him of their views, and they plan Caesar’s death. Brutus is troubled but will not confide in his devoted wife, Portia.

4. On the 15th March Caesar is urged not to go to the Senate by his wife, Calpurnia, who has had  dreams that he will be murdered, and she fears the portents of the overnight storms. He is nevertheless persuaded by flattery to go and as petitioners surround him Caesar is stabbed and dies as Brutus gives the final blow. Against Cassius’s advice Mark Antony is allowed by Brutus to speak a funeral oration in the market place after Brutus has addressed the people of Rome to explain the conspirators’ reasons and their fears for Caesar’s ambition. Brutus calms the crowd but Antony’s speech stirs them to rioting and the conspirators are forced to flee from the city. Brutus and Cassius gather an army in Northern Greece and prepare to fight the forces led by Mark Antony, who has joined with Caesar’s great-nephew, Octavius, and with Lepidus. Away from Rome, Brutus and Cassius are filled with doubts about the future and they quarrel bitterly over funds for their soldiers’ pay. They make up the argument and despite the misgivings of Cassius over the site they prepare to engage Antony’s army at Philippi. Brutus stoically receives news of his wife’s suicide in Rome, but he sees Caesar’s ghost as he rests, unable to sleep on the eve of the conflict.

5. In the battle the Republicans at first appear to be winning but when his messenger’s horse seems to be overtaken by the enemy Cassius fears the worst and gets his servant, Pindar us, to help him to a quick death. Brutus, finding Cassius’s body, commits suicide as the only honourable action left to him. Antony, triumphant on the battlefield, praises Brutus as ‘the noblest Roman of them all’, and orders a formal funeral before he and Octavius return to rule in Rome.

6. Julius Caesar Caesar is a man of both military and political talent, charismatic and shrewd, calculating and deliberate. He usually maintains a calm demeanor, though has been known to enter into rages when pushed too far. He is a forgiving man, readily granting amnesty to everyone of Pompey's faction who deserts to his cause or surrenders to him after Pompey's defeat. He attempts to make life fairer for the plebeians of Rome, though this angers the patrician eltie and is ultimately his downfall. Anxious not to appear as a tyrant or a king, Caesar is nonetheless not above using dark methods to further his ends, arranging the assassinations of certain critics of his as well as rigging elections to ensure a favorable outcome for himself. Is very adept at kicking ass when in war.

7. Marcus Junius Brutus He is a haughty but an awkward young noble; it is unclear which parts of Brutus' actions are done in favor of what he believes or what part of his actions are done in favor of what others expect of him. Brutus appears guilty of killing Caesar in season two and baths naked in a river in order to have himself reborn of his past actions and from then on seems less worried about it. After raising a considerable army with Cassius, Brutus's spirits rise considerably as they march back to Rome, having apparently come to terms with his role as defender of the Republic. The good humor does not last long however as he is soon defeated at the  Battle of Philippi  by the combined forces of  Octavian  and  Antony . Unwilling to run when Cassius died, Brutus sadly walks towards the advancing enemy ranks and forces them to stab him to death in a scene reminiscent of the senators stabbing Caesar.

8. Mark Antony Antony proves strong in all of the ways that Brutus proves weak. His impulsive, improvisatory nature serves him perfectly, first to persuade the conspirators that he is on their side, thus gaining their leniency, and then to persuade the plebeians of the conspirators’ injustice, thus gaining the masses’ political support. Not too scrupulous to stoop to deceit and duplicity, as Brutus claims to be, Antony proves himself a consummate politician, using gestures and skilled rhetoric to his advantage. He responds to subtle cues among both his nemeses and his allies to know exactly how he must conduct himself at each particular moment in order to gain the most advantage. In both his eulogy for Caesar and the play as a whole, Antony is adept at tailoring his words and actions to his audiences’ desires. Unlike Brutus, who prides himself on acting solely with respect to virtue and blinding himself to his personal concerns, Antony never separates his private affairs from his public actions.

9. Gauis Octavian Gauis Octavian is born to one of the most powerful families in Rome, he is the only son and youngest child of Atria of the Julia. His father dies when he was young and he was subsequently brought up by his mother and sister  Octavia . Very intelligent and well read Octavian is a young man whose formidable mind marks him out even among the upper classes in Rome. His astute understanding of those around him makes him observant and lethally sharp in guessing the motives and intent of others. He is, however cold and distant. He also displays a cynicism which is more than likely a product of exposure to his amoral mother and the morally corrosive nature of Roman politics. He does however occasionally display his insecurities such as self-doubt in front of his sister and  Titus Pullo , with whom he admits his mediocre skills in physical combat

10. Marullus Marullus  is one of the Tribunes of the People of Rome.  He is incensed to see common workers leaving aside their jobs on a day when they are not allowed to do so, particularly as they do so to honor Caesar. He reminds them that they are celebrating Caesar’s victory over a man they used to love and honor. Convinced by his fellow Tribune Flavius to remove the marks of favor from Caesar’s images throughout the city, he is arrested and never heard from again

11. Calpurnia Calpurnia plays a small but vital role in Shakespeare's  Julius Caesar . She is Caesar's wife and plays a major role in only one scene. She has had a dream that she saw Caesar's statue 'which like a fountain with an hundred spouts did run pure blood; and many lusty Romans came smiling and did bathe their hands in it.' Calpurnia begs Caesar to stay home and not go to the Capitol. After all, it is the Ides of March which the soothsayer had warned Caesar about. But Caesar, displaying his bravery, insists that he will go. He will not be a coward. He tells her, 'Cowards die many times before their deaths; the valiant never taste of death but once.' Realizing that Caesar is unwilling to look like a coward, Calpurnia gets down on her knees and begs him to stay home because of  her  fear not his own. Caesar agrees to stay home for her, but their agreement is short-lived. Decius Brutus (not to be confused with the main character Marcus Brutus) shows up to fetch Caesar. Caesar tells Decius he is staying home and about Calpurnia's dream. To which Decius responds that the dream is actually a  good  omen! He tells Caesar that the senators are going to give him a crown today but they might change their minds if he stays home. Caesar (led by his pride) calls Calpurnia foolish and heads off with Decius to the Capitol.