Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare: A Study Guide, Exercises of Poetry

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Julius Caesar

By William Shakespeare

A Shakespeare in the Ruins

Study Guide

William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar Study Guide Contents

• Introduction Section page #
• Cast
• Brief plot summary
• Detailed plot summary
• Setting
• Anticipation guide
• A doorway into the text
• Another doorway
• Jump into the script
• Famous funeral speeches
• Food for thought
• Useful links

William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar Cast of Characters

Julius Caesar

Antony

Octavius triumvirs after Caesar’s death

Lepidus

Brutus

Cassius

Casca conspirators against Caesar

Cinna

Trebonius

Cimber

Titinius

Messala friends of Brutus and Cassius

Volumnius

Lena assistant to Brutus

Dardanius servant to Brutus

Clitus servant to Brutus

Pindarus servant to Cassius

Calpurnia wife of Caesar

Portia wife of Brutus

Cinna a poet

Soothsayer

CSIS agents Soldiers

Citizens Servants

William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar Brief summary

Two tribunes, Marullus and Flavius, break up a gathering of Roman citizens who celebrate Julius Caesar’s triumphant return from war. The victory is marked by public games in which Caesar’s friend, 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, Cassius and 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 is uncertain. Cassius, Casca, and their allies, visit Brutus at night to persuade him to share their views, and they plan Caesar’s death. Brutus is troubled, but does not confide in his devoted wife, Portia.

On the 15th of March, Caesar is urged not to go to the Senate by his wife, Calpurnia, who has had dreams that he will be murdered. He is nevertheless persuaded by a conspirator to go anyway, and as petitioners surround him, Caesar is stabbed and dies with Brutus giving the final blow. Brutus then addresses the people of Rome to explain the conspirators’ motives and their fears about Caesar’s ambition. Against Cassius’ advice, Brutus allows Anthony to speak next. While Brutus’ speech calms the crowd, Antony’s oration stirs them to rioting and the conspirators are forced to flee the city.

Brutus and Cassius gather an army in Northern Greece and prepare to fight the forces led by Antony, who has joined with Octavius, and Lepidus. Brutus and Cassius are now filled with doubts about the future, and they quarrel bitterly over funds for their soldiers’ pay. Eventually, they prepare to engage Antony’s army at Philippi. Brutus stoically receives news of his wife’s suicide in Rome, but as he tries to rest on the eve of the conflict, he sees Caesar’s ghost.

In the battle, the conspirators appear at first to be winning, but when his messenger seems to be overtaken by the enemy, Cassius fears the worst and gets his servant, Pindarus, to help him to a quick death. Brutus, finding Cassius’s body, commits suicide. To Brutus, this death is 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.

http://www.nosweatshakespeare.com/play-summary/julius-caesar/

That night, Rome is plagued with violent weather and a variety of bad omens and portents. Brutus finds letters in his house apparently written by Roman citizens worried that Caesar has become too powerful. The letters have in fact been forged and planted by Cassius, who knows that if Brutus believes it is the people’s will, he will support a plot to remove Caesar from power. A committed supporter of the republic, Brutus fears the possibility of a dictator-led empire, worrying that the populace would lose its voice. Cassius arrives at Brutus’ home with his conspirators, and Brutus, who has already been won over by the letters, takes control of the meeting. The men agree to lure Caesar from his house and kill him. Cassius wants to kill Antony too, for Antony will surely try to hinder their plans, but Brutus disagrees, believing that too many deaths will render their plot too bloody and dishonor them. Having agreed to spare Antony, the conspirators depart. Portia, Brutus’ wife, observes that Brutus appears preoccupied. She pleads with him to confide in her, but he rebuffs her.

Caesar prepares to go to the Senate. His wife, Calpurnia, begs him not to go, describing recent nightmares she has had in which a statue of Caesar streamed with blood and smiling men bathed their hands in the blood. Caesar refuses to yield to fear and insists on going about his daily business. Finally, Calpurnia convinces him to stay home—if not out of caution, then as a favor to her. But Decius, one of the conspirators, then arrives and convinces Caesar that Calpurnia has misinterpreted her dreams and the recent omens. Caesar departs for the Senate in the company of the conspirators.

As Caesar proceeds through the streets toward the Senate, the Soothsayer again tries but fails to get his attention. The citizen, Artemidorus, hands him a letter warning him about the conspirators, but Caesar refuses to read it, saying that his closest personal concerns are his last priority. At the Senate, the conspirators speak to Caesar, bowing at his feet and encircling him. One by one, they stab him to death. When Caesar sees his dear friend Brutus among his murderers, he gives up his struggle and dies.

The murderers bathe their hands and swords in Caesar’s blood, thus bringing Calpurnia’s premonition to fruition. Antony, having been led away on a false pretext, returns and pledges allegiance to Brutus, but weeps over Caesar’s body. He shakes hands with the conspirators, thus marking them all as guilty while appearing to make a gesture of conciliation. When Antony asks why they killed Caesar, Brutus replies that he will explain their purpose in a funeral oration. Antony asks to be allowed to speak over the body as well; Brutus grants his

permission, though Cassius remains suspicious of Antony. The conspirators depart, and Antony, alone now, swears that Caesar’s death shall be avenged.

Brutus and Cassius go to the Forum to speak to the public. Cassius exits to address another part of the crowd. Brutus declares to the masses that though he loved Caesar, he loves Rome more, and Caesar’s ambition posed a danger to Roman liberty. The speech placates the crowd. Antony appears with Caesar’s body, and Brutus departs after turning the pulpit over to Antony. Repeatedly referring to Brutus as “an honorable man,” Antony’s speech becomes increasingly sarcastic. Questioning the claims that Caesar acted only out of ambition, Antony points out that Caesar brought much wealth and glory to Rome, and three times turned down offers of the crown. Antony then produces Caesar’s will, but announces that he will not read it because it would upset the people inordinately. The crowd nevertheless begs him to read the will, so he descends from the pulpit to stand next to Caesar’s body. He describes Caesar’s horrible death and shows Caesar’s wounded body to the crowd. He then reads Caesar’s will, which bequeaths a sum of money to every citizen and orders that his private gardens be made public. The crowd becomes enraged that this generous man lies dead. Calling Brutus and Cassius traitors, the masses set off to drive them from the city.

Meanwhile, Caesar’s adopted son and appointed successor, Octavius, arrives in Rome and forms a three-person coalition with Antony and Lepidus. They prepare to fight Cassius and Brutus, who have been driven into exile and are raising armies outside the city. At the conspirators’ camp, Brutus and Cassius have a heated argument regarding matters of money and honor, but they ultimately reconcile. Brutus reveals that he is sick with grief, for in his absence Portia has killed herself. The two continue to prepare for battle with Antony and Octavius. That night, the Ghost of Caesar appears to Brutus, announcing that Brutus will meet him again on the battlefield.

Octavius and Antony march their army toward Brutus and Cassius. Antony tells Octavius where to attack, but Octavius says that he will make his own orders; he is already asserting his authority as the heir of Caesar and the next ruler of Rome. The opposing generals meet on the battlefield and exchange insults before beginning combat.

Cassius witnesses his own men fleeing and hears that Brutus’s men are not performing effectively. Cassius sends one of his men, Pindarus, to see how matters are progressing. From afar, Pindarus sees one of their leaders, Cassius’

William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar Setting

Set in Canada during the time of the FLQ “Black October” Crisis, SIR's first production of Julius Caesar will illuminate the truth that Shakespeare realized over 400 years ago: that we are all capable of transgressing our moral code and of committing acts we would otherwise view as abhorrent, in the name of "liberty".

The FLQ

During the 1960’s the Quiet Revolution in Quebec lowered the voting age, increased government spending, took education out of the hands of the church, and modernized health care. For many francophones, these changes were welcome, but others felt that the changes were too slow and Quebec citizens deserved to have more control over their own economic and social destiny.

The Front de libération du Québec (FLQ) was a revolutionary movement that used propaganda and terrorism to promote the emergence of an independent, socialist Québec. In 1963 underground FLQ activists placed bombs in mailboxes in 3 federal armories and in Westmount, a wealthy upper-middle-class anglophone area of Montréal. In 1964 another group of FLQ members stole approximately $50 000 in cash and military equipment. At a holdup at International Firearms, the company vice-president was killed by the FLQ and another employee was killed by the police, who mistook him for one of the thieves. From 1963 to 1970, the FLQ was involved in over 200 bombings.

The October Crisis

On the 5th^ of October in 1970, members of the FLQ kidnapped James Cross, the British trade commissioner in Montréal. The kidnappers' demands, communicated in a series of public messages, included the freeing of a number of convicted or detained FLQ members and the broadcasting of the FLQ manifesto. On October 10, the Québec Minister of Justice offered safe passage abroad to the kidnappers in return for the liberation of their hostage, however, on the same day, a second FLQ cell kidnapped the Québec Minister of Labour and Immigration, Pierre LaPorte.

On October 15 the Québec government requested the assistance of the Canadian Armed Forces to supplement the local police, and on October 16 the

federal government proclaimed the existence of a state of "apprehended insurrection" under the War Measures Act. The FLQ was banned, normal liberties were suspended, and arrests and detentions were authorized without charge. Over 450 persons were detained in Québec, most of whom were eventually released without the laying or hearing of charges.

On October 17, the body of Pierre LaPorte was found in the trunk of a car. In early December 1970, the cell holding James Cross was discovered by police, and his release was negotiated in return for the provision of safe conduct to Cuba for the kidnappers and some family members. Four weeks later the second group was located and arrested, subsequently to be tried and convicted for kidnapping and murder.

The federal response to the kidnapping was intensely controversial. According to opinion polls, an overwhelming majority of Canadians supported the Cabinet's action, but it was criticized as excessive by Québec nationalists and by civil libertarians throughout the country. Supporters of the response claim that the disappearance of terrorism in Québec is evidence of its success, but this disappearance might equally be attributed to public distaste for political terror and to the steady growth of the democratic separatist movement in the 1970s, which led to the election of a PARTI QUÉBÉCOIS government in 1976.

http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/articles/quiet-revolution

http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/articles/front-de-liberation-du- quebec

http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/articles/october-crisis

William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar A Doorway into the text

When approaching any Shakespearean text, two major challenges face students and teachers:

• How do we make sense of the text?
• What is the best way to fully appreciate the play?

On the surface, the answers to these questions are obvious. To make sense of the text, read and re-read, seek out scene summaries, look up archaic language, and don’t panic. Appreciation is even more obvious: see the play, which, if you’re reading this, you are hopefully planning to do, and do the play , which requires some bravery, perseverance, and that same instruction again: don’t panic.

Here’s a “doing the play” activity that makes use of Sparknotes. For each Shakespearean play, Sparknotes offers two different tools: 1. An overview of the background, setting, plot, characters, and a scene-by-scene breakdown of the action of the play.

http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/juliuscaesar/

and 2. No Fear Shakespeare: the original text of the play alongside a “modern text” version.

http://nfs.sparknotes.com/juliuscaesar/

Since you’re just beginning to introduce the play, start at the beginning. Give the students a “summary and analysis” of Act 1 scene 1 from Sparknotes.

http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/juliuscaesar/section1.rhtml

Now give them the side-by-side text of the scene from No Fear Shakespeare.

http://nfs.sparknotes.com/juliuscaesar/page_2.html

Divide your students into small groups and instruct them to use both texts to create a third: a plain language version of the scene.

Here’s an illustration from Act 1 scene 1 of how that might work:

The modern text, on the right, does a good job of clarifying the meaning of the original, but ask your students, “Would you actually say that? Without changing the meaning, what would you say if you were that character?” As well, encourage your students to pare down the language to its essence. There’s no need to say in a paragraph what you can say in a sentence. What is the character really saying? After they work on it, the scene might end up sounding like this:

Flavius: Hey! What are you two doing? This isn’t a holiday! Hey, buddy, what do you do?

Carpenter: Huh?

Flavius: For a living! What do you do?

Carpenter: Me? I’m a carpenter.

Murellus: You don’t look like one. And your friend. What’s he do?

William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar Another doorway into the text

How do the actors do it? How do the Shakespeare in the Ruins performers handle the text so well that they make language that looks “like Greek to me” on the page sound poetic and still completely understandable?

The answer is practise. Practise, practise, and more practise. In addition, the actors have training, life experience, theatrical experience, years of study, and still more practise. They’re not afraid of hard work. Just like any other career, it’s the effort they put into a performance, the hard work they do on the job, that makes Shakespeare come alive for an audience.

So, successful Shakespearean acting is not really more difficult than any other job you want to do well. It is neither difficult in itself nor is it mysterious. It’s just simple, old fashioned, hard work.

One of the simple things that SIR actors always strive to do is pay close attention to the clues that Shakespeare wrote in the script. In other words, they follow the punctuation.

For example, here is part of Antony’s speech when he first sees Caesar’s body in Act 3 scene 1:

O mighty Caesar! dost thou lie so low? Are all thy conquests, glories, triumphs, spoils, Shrunk to this little measure? Fare thee well. I know not, gentlemen, what you intend, Who else must be let blood, who else is rank. If I myself, there is no hour so fit As Caesar's death hour; nor no instrument Of half that worth as those your swords, made rich With the most noble blood of all this world.

Use the punctuation of the piece to clarify its meaning. So, when read aloud, the speech becomes:

O mighty Caesar! dost thou lie so low? (full stop) Are all thy conquests, (tiny pause) glories, (tiny pause) triumphs, (tiny pause ) spoils, (tiny pause) shrunk to this little measure? (full stop) Fare thee well. (full stop) I know not, (tiny pause) gentlemen, (tiny pause) what you intend, (tiny pause) Who else must be let blood, (tiny pause) who else is rank. (full stop)

If I myself, (tiny pause) there is no hour so fit as Caesar's death hour; (longer pause) nor no instrument of half that worth as those your swords, (tiny pause) made rich with the most noble blood of all this world. (full stop)

So, we’ve focussed on the punctuation, ignored the capital letters, and “blasted right on through” at the ends of lines that have no punctuation.

You may ask “What about the iambic pentameter? What about the intended rhythm of the language? What about the “tum tee tum tee tum”?

Here’s a radical thought: the poetry of the language is so well written that when we play the lines for meaning, the rhythm of the language will take care of itself. You’ll still hear the “tum tee tum tee tum”, but now you’ll understand the words because you’ve paid attention to the punctuation.

3. (from Act One, Scene Two Cast of 2) Brutus: Tomorrow, if you please to speak with me, I will come home to you; or, if you will, Come home to me, and I will wait for you. Cassius: I will do so: till then, think of the world. (Exit Brutus) Well, Brutus, thou art noble; yet, I see, Thy honourable metal may be wrought From that it is disposed.
4. (from Act Two, Scene One Cast of 1) Brutus: But, alas, Caesar must bleed for it! And, gentle friends, Let’s kill him boldly, but not wrathfully; Let’s carve him as a dish fit for the gods, Not hew him as a carcass fit for hounds.
5. (from Act Two, Scene Three Cast of 2) Calpurnia: When beggars die, there are no comets seen; The heavens themselves blaze forth the death of princes. Caesar: Cowards die many times before their deaths; The valiant never taste of death but once.
6. (from Act Three, Scene One Cast of 6 ) Cinna: O, Caesar - Caesar: Hence! Wilt thou lift up Olympus? Cimber: Great Caesar - Caesar: Doth not Brutus bootless kneel? Casca: Speak, hands for me! (He stabs Caesar.) Cassius: (Stab, as does Cinna and Cimber) Brutus: (Stab.) Caesar: Et, tu, Brute? Then fall, Caesar. Cinna: Liberty! Freedom! Tyranny is dead!

7. (from Act Three, Scene Two Cast of 3) Citizen: We’ll hear the will: read it, Mark Antony. Citizen #2: The will, the will! We will hear Caesar’s will. Antony: Have patience, gentle friends; I must not read it; It is not meet you know how Caesar loved you. You are not wood; you are not stones, but men; And, being men, hearing the will of Caesar, It will inflame you, it will make you mad.
8. (from Act Four, Scene Three Cast of 2) Brutus: Go to! You are not Cassius. Cassius: I am. Brutus: I say you are not. Cassius: Urge me no more! I shall forget myself. Have mind upon your health. Tempt me no further. Brutus: Must I give way and room to your rash choler? Shall I be frightened when a madwoman stares? Cassius: O ye gods, ye gods! Must I endure all this?
9. (from Act Five, Scene One Cast of 4) Octavius: I was not born to die on Brutus’ sword. Brutus: O, if thou wert the noblest of thy strain, Young man, thou couldst not die more honourable. Cassius: A peevish schoolboy, worthless of such honour, Joined with a masker and a reveller! Antony: Old Cassius still. Octavius: Come Antony. Away! Defiance, traitors, hurl we in your teeth: If you dare fight today, come to the field; If not, when you have stomachs.