Julius Caesar

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Julius Caesar
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Imagine

• You are the leader of the free world
• You are the most powerful human being on earth.
• You control the most powerful country in the
  world.
• You are untouchable.
• You can say and do anything you want.

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YOU NEVER SAW IT COMING
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Your best friends stab you in the back.
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The Real Caesar

• Julius Caesar really existed, and Shakespeare
  took his story from Plutarchs biography of
  Caesar and made it into a play.
• Caesar lived from 102 B.C. to 44 B.C
• He was Romes military leader.

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The Real Caesar

• Rome ruled the world at this time.
• They were constantly waging wars and taking over
  countries.

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The Real Caesar

• Once they would take over a country, a Roman
  governor would rule that place.
• The Roman officials were often times very cruel.
• Many times the generals who took over the
  countries were asked to stabilize the place.
• Many generals got power-hungry and turned on each
  other.

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The Real Caesar

• Caesar, a real commander, turned on another
  general, Pompey. Caesar and Pompey had been
  friends.
• Pompey tried to sway the Roman government to
  overturn Caesar.
• Caesar gained control by bribing the people with
  his money.
• He took control of Rome, and went after Pompey.

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Julius Caesar

• Caesar was invincible.
• He wrote this on the Temple walls
• To the Unconquerable God
• Talking about himself.

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The Real Caesar

• For many Romans, having another king sounded
  horrible. They had been run by a republican
  government for 450 years. Caesar became more
  pretentious.
• Senators made plans to assassinate him on March
  15, 44 B.C. The Ides of March.
• Ides (In the ancient Roman calendar) the
  fifteenth day of March, May, July, or October,
  and the thirteenth day of the other months.

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Discuss and Write

• What makes a great ruler?
• Was Caesar a great ruler? If yes, why? If no,
  why?
• Compare Caesars government to ours.

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The Main Characters

• Caesar Successful military leader who wants the
  crown of Rome. Murdered midway through play. His
  spirit appears to Brutus later in the play.
• Brutus Judicial magistrate of Rome. Known for
  his noble nature.
• Cassius Brother-in-law of Brutus. Organizes
  conspiracy against Caesar.
• Antony Devoted follower of Caesar. Persuasive
  speaker.

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Elements of Fiction/Shakespearean Tragedy
Exposition Characters Setting Act I
Rising Action Introduction of Conflicts Act II
Climax Turning Point Act III In a tragedy, things usually go from bad to worse in Act III
Falling Action Conflict resolution begins to fall into place Result of the climax Act IV
Denouement Main conflicts are resolved Act V This act includes a catastrophe, which is another climactic turning point in the story line.
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Julius Caesar

• Physically weak Caesar has several infirmities
• A tyrant Caesar has had Marullus and Flavius
  arrested
• Superstitious Caesar believes in portents and
  dreams
• Indecisive Caesar cannot make up his mind
  whether or not to go to the senate
• Inflexible Caesar thinks himself perfect and
  decisive

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Brutus

• Of Noble Heritage Brutus is a Roman nobleman,
  as was his father
• Sincere Brutus truly believes that his role
  in the assassination is for the good of Rome
• Honest He refuses to take bribes
• Naive He believes in the essential goodness of
  those around him
• Philosophical His philosophies guide his
  actions and decisions.

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Cassius
Envious Cassius has contempt for Caesar and
envies Caesar's position Fearful Cassius is
afraid that Caesar has ambitions to be king. He
fears what might become of Rome in such an
instance. Politically Astute He advises
Brutus to assassinate Antony along with Caesar.
Understanding what can happen, he advises Brutus
not to allow Antony to speak at Caesar's
funeral. Corrupt Prior to the battle at
Philippi, he is accused by Brutus of taking
bribes Military Strategist His battle plan
for Philippi is well thought out and based on
sound military principles
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Marc Antony

• Loyal to Caesar Antony loved and admired Caesar
• Clever Antony pretends to befriend the
  conspirators and asks that he be allowed to speak
  at Caesar's funeral
• A skilled orator Antony's speech at Caesar's
  funeral sways the crowd
• Hard Antony's role in condemning men to death
  shows he can be as cold hearted as he is
  passionate
• A skilled military leader Antony has an equal
  voice in planning the war against the legions of
  Brutus and Cassius

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THEMES
Major Theme The major theme of Julius Caesar is
that misused power is a corruptive force. This is
seen in the fact that Caesar is a dictator
suspected of being tyrannous, that Cassius is so
power hungry that he assassinates Caesar, hoping
to become more powerful himself, and that Antony,
Octavius, and Lepidus become a dictatorial and
tyrannical Triumvirate, worse than Caesar ever
hinted at being.
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Tragic Hero

• Is of a high social rank a king, a prince, or a
  general
• Has a tragic flaw an error in judgment or a
  character defect that ultimately leads to his
  or her downfall.
• Suffers complete ruin or death
• Faces his or her downfall with courage and dignity

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Discuss and Write

• Which character do you believe will be an
  antagonist? Which will be an protagonist?
• Which might develop in to a tragic hero?

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Minor Themes

• goodness of loyalty, honor, and friendship
• the evil of pride, conspiracy, and anarchy
• the logic of political order
• and the viability of republicanism as a form of
  government.

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MOOD
The mood of Julius Caesar is one of impending
doom and catastrophe. From the beginning, danger
lurks in every corner. Friends can no longer be
trusted, as they turn to manipulation and
conspiracy and plot their next moves. Images of
violence, blood, and death dominate the visual
texture of the play. The weighty political
intrigue is always present throughout the drama.
The latter half of the play even assumes an
eerie mood with the appearance of Caesar's ghost,
returning to seek revenge. The closing phase of
the play is dominated by the sinister image of
the sword.
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SETTING

• Julius Caesar is largely set in Rome, in February
  of the year 44 B.C.
• In later scenes, the action moves to Sardis and
  the battlefield at Philippi.
• The physical landmarks of ancient Rome, such as
  the Tiber River, the Capitol, and the house of
  the Senate, are referred to with great frequency.
  
• The Forum is also the setting for an important
  scene. Roman political institutions and
  officials, such as tribunes, Senators,
  Patricians, and priests, are always present.

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Shakespeares Globe Theater

• The Globe Theater was a perhaps the most famous
  and interesting theater in the Elizabethan era.
• The theater was built just outside of London, (in
  Southwark to be exact.) after the triumphant
  reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
• The main reason the Globe Theater is especially
  famous is the fact that many of William
  Shakespeare's plays were written and preformed
  there.
• The idea of creating plays and theaters to
  perform them in was a strange new concept for the
  Europeans of the Elizabethan Era (aka the
  sixteenth century.)

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Todays Globe Theater

• Theatre is a faithful reconstruction of the
  open-air playhouse designed in 1599, where
  Shakespeare worked and for which he wrote many of
  his greatest plays.
• The theatre season runs from May to September
  with productions of the work of Shakespeare, his
  contemporaries and modern authors.
• Today, audiences of this wooden O sit in a
  gallery or stand informally as a groundling in
  the yard, just as they would have done 400 years
  ago.
• Virtual Tour http//www.shakespearesglobe.com/abo
  ut-us/virtual-tour/stage

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The End
Julius Caesar is the COOLEST!