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STUDY GUIDE

For Students & Educators

Adapted from Orlando Shakespeare Company’s 2005 Julius Caesar study guide, with special permission: www.orlandoshakes.org.

Welcome to Julius Caesar****! The purpose of the study guide is to help navigate you through one of Shakespeare's most famous tragedies. The study guide will give you a better understanding of the text, help you to enjoy the theatrical experience, and eliminate any trepidation you may have regarding this complex, yet beautiful, Shakespeare play. It will also tell you a little about the author, William Shakespeare, and why he is important.

Learning Outcomes

THE ARTS

Skills & Techniques  the student understands and applies arts techniques, media, and processes

Creation & Communication  the student creates and communicates a range of subject matter, symbols, and ideas using knowledge of the structures and functions of the arts

Culture & Historical Connections  the student understands the arts in relation to history and culture

Aesthetic & Critical Analysis  the student analyzes, evaluates, and responds to characteristics of works of art

LANGUAGE ARTS

Writing  the student uses the writing processes effectively

Listening, Viewing & Speaking  the student uses listening strategies effectively

Language  the student understands the nature and power of language

SOCIAL STUDIES

History  the student understands historical chronology and the historical perspective

Government & the Citizen  the student understands the role of the citizen in Democracy

Lucius (Brutus' servant)

Pindarus (A servant to Cassius) - He delivers an inaccurate report to Cassius regarding the death of one of his men.

Strato (A servant and friend to Brutus) - She holds the sword on Brutus' behalf so that Brutus may run upon it.

Other Romans

Cicero (A Roman senator and well known orator)

Publius (A Roman senator) - He travels with Caesar to the Senate House the day of the assassination. He also tries to calm the angry crowd.

Popillius Lena (A Roman senator) - He frightens Cassius by wishing him well on his "enterprises" just before Caesar enters the Senate House on the day of Caesar's assassination.

Soothsayer (A soothsayer is someone who foretells events or predicts the future) - He warns Caesar to "beware the Ides of March."

Artemidorus (A Roman writer and philosopher) - He presents Caesar with a letter warning him about the assassination. Caesar does not heed this warning.

Flavius (A commoner of Rome) - He is skeptical of Caesar's power.

Murellus (A commoner of Rome) - He criticizes the other commoners for praising Caesar without enough reason.

Carpenter (A commoner of Rome)

Cobbler (A commoner of Rome) - He teases the other commoners with word play.

Cinna the Poet (A artisan of Rome) - He is killed during the crowd's riot when he is mistaken for the conspirator of the same name.

Plot Summary at a Glance

Julius Caesar is a highly successful leader of Rome whose popularity seems to model that of a king's. Although Caesar is loved and supported by his citizens, some begin to grow wary of his increase in power. Soon, these wary citizens conspire to assassinate Caesar before he becomes king thus turning their republic government into a monarchy. Cassius, the leader of the conspirators, convinces Marcus Brutus, Caesar's most trusted friend, to join the conspiracy. During a celebration, Caesar is warned by the Soothsayer that he must "beware the Ides of March". The next morning, despite his wife Calpurnia's pleas, Caesar travels to the Senate House where the conspirators assassinate him. Caesar's friend Marc Antony provides the famous funeral oration and incites the crowd to riot leading to a civil war. Antony and Octavius, Caesar's

heirs, join the fight against the conspirators. Antony and Octavius defeat the conspirators avenging Caesar's death and restoring order to Rome.

Sacramento Theatre Company’s stage production of Julius Caesar applies a modern concept to this classic text: The Roman Republic was a place where money and politics were nearly synonymous, and comparisons between pre-Empire Rome and modern America are easy to make. The production examines what the new American oligarchy might look like in the very near future–a place where the amount of money required to run a successful campaign requires a politician to be a commercial “brand,” and a time where the line between popular celebrity and politics is entirely blurred. In the spirit of the diverse parties represented in America’s modern political system, the roles of Cassius and Casca (traditionally played by men), among others, are played by women in STC’s production, in line with STC’s commitment to non-traditional casting.

Detailed Plot Summary

(Not all Elements from the Text appear in STC’s Production)

Act I Having defeated his archenemy, Pompey the Great, Julius Caesar returns to Rome in triumph. Before Caesar arrives for his celebration, some Roman commoners discuss Caesar's growing power in the streets. When Caesar arrives in the town, the Soothsayer stops him and warns him to "Beware the Ides of March." Caesar disregards the Soothsayer's warnings and continues to celebrate his victory.

Act II Cassius and some other Roman senators, known collectively as the Conspirators, are wary of Caesar's popularity and have begun to plot against him. They aim to recruit Caesar's good friend, Marcus Brutus, as a member of their group in order to reinforce their cause. After much deliberation, Brutus decides to join the conspirators in order to protect Rome and its citizens from Caesar's ambitions to become king. They decide to assassinate Caesar on March 15th. After the meeting, Brutus' wife, Portia, tries to get her husband to tell her what is happening. Brutus will not answer her. The next morning, Caesar's wife, Calpurnia, awakes from terrible nightmares about his death and civil war. She pleads with Caesar to stay home. Caesar ignores her warnings and departs to the Senate House with Decius Brutus, one of the conspirators. In the streets, Portia and the Soothsayer speak about their feelings of impending danger as they wait for Caesar to pass by on his way to the Senate House.

Act III As Caesar proceeds to the Senate House, he passes by the Soothsayer. He addresses him by saying, "The Ides of March are come." The Soothsayer responds with, "Ay, but not gone." Caesar disregards this final warning and steps inside the Senate House where the conspirators surround him and stab him to death. Brutus delivers the final blow. When Casear recognizes Brutus he utters--in total disbelief--the famous phrase, "Et tu, Brute?" (i.e. "You too, Brutus?"). Caesar dies. Mark Antony, Caesar's close friend, witnesses the assassination, but manages to remain calm. He requests to speak at Caesar's funeral. The Conspirators agree and run into the streets crying, "Liberty, Freedom, Tyranny is dead!" Alone, Mark Antony swears to avenge Caesar's death. At Caesar's funeral, Brutus speaks first, telling the citizens that Caesar was killed because his ambition threatened their liberties. Brutus is pleased with the approving reaction of the crowd and steps down for Antony to give his eulogy. Antony subtly incites the crowd to turn against the conspirators, reminding them of Caesar's goodness. By the end of his speech, Antony manipulates the citizens to riot and the conspirators flee the city.

Tools for the Text: Imagery

Another tool to help with the words of Shakespeare is to use the language to paint a picture in your mind. Just as pictures come into your mind when you read a book, Shakespeare used even more profound words and phrases that create very powerful images. Let's look at the Brutus monologue again:

Our course will seem too bloody , Caius Cassius, To cut the head off and then hack the limbs -- Like wrath in death and envy afterwards-- For Antony is but a limb of Caesar. Let's be sacrificers , but not butchers , Caius.

Take a look at the words in bold. Step One is to write down the first few images that come into your mind:

Bloody:________________________________________________________________________

Cut the head off:_________________________________________________________________

Hack the limbs:__________________________________________________________________

Wrath:_________________________________________________________________________

Envy:__________________________________________________________________________

Limb:__________________________________________________________________________

Sacrificers:______________________________________________________________________

Butchers:_______________________________________________________________________

The next step is to ask yourself what those images might mean to you. What emotions do they produce? What actions do they make you want to do? You may find that certain words contain more powerful images than others.

Now that you are personally connected to the words, say the monologue out loud and allow the images to fill your mind, and your audience's mind, as you speak.

Tools for the Text: Iambic Pentameter

Take a look at the monologue used in the previous two examples. Do you notice anything about the way the lines are written? Why are the first letters of every line in capital letters? This is because Shakespeare chose to write much of his text in Iambic Pentameter. There are many definitions as to what this means, but the simplest way is to say that each line of text (from the beginning of the line to the end) contains 10 syllables, 5 of which are stressed, 5 of which are unstressed. Let's look at an example:

To cut the head off and then hack the limbs

Count the syllables. You'll notice that there are 10 syllables. Let's break the line up into two syllable sections, which we call feet :

To cut the head off and then hack the limbs

Now, within each foot, we decide on a strong stress and a weak stress. In Iambic Pentameter, the second syllable of the foot is the strong stress:

To cut the head off and then hack the limbs

Iambic Pentameter sounds as if you were saying "eye- am " five times. Try it:

I am I am I am I am I am

There are several reasons why Shakespeare wrote this way: One was because it has a beautiful sound and rhythm, similar to the beating of the human heart. Another was to give actors a clue as to what words were more important. Another still was that the meter helped actors learn their lines quickly, since 400 years ago, plays rehearsed for only a few days before performing. When an actor goes through his/her script to mark the feet and designate the strong stresses, it is called scanning the script. Here's a hint: sometimes the meter breaks up a word into two different feet (such as bloo dy). Try it yourself:

Our course will seem too bloo dy, Cai us Cass ius,

To cut the head off and then hack the limbs

Like wrath in death and en vy af terwards

For An tony is but a limb of Cae sar.

Did you make every other syllable strong? Or did you decide that some syllables were more important than others? This is what makes acting Shakespeare so much fun. The actor gets to choose what is more important to him or her.

Tools for the Text: Variations to Iambic Lines

Sometimes you may find that a line of text contains less than 10 syllables. If you look closely, you may find that there are two lines that combine to form 10 instead. For example, here are the Soothsayer and Caesar sharing a line:

Soothsayer: Beware the Ides of March.

Caesar: What man is that?

This is an example of a shared line. The combination of the syllables suggests to the actors that these two lines should be treated as one. Thus the implied stage direction tells the actor playing Caesar not to pause before he speaks but to "jump on his cue."

The ides fell on the 15th of March, May, July and October and on the 13th of the other months.

Second Triumvirate

When Caesar is killed, Marc Antony joins with two other men to become the new rulers of Rome, calling themselves the Second Triumvirate. In ancient Rome, a Triumvirate referred to a ruling board of three men. Triumvirates were common in the Roman republic. Each ruler had his own territory to govern, but they shared their power, and would aid each other in war. The First Triumvirate was the alliance of Julius Caesar, Pompey, and Marcus Licinius Crassus formed in 60 B.C. The Second Triumvirate was legally established in 43 B.C. and the members were Octavius Caesar, Marc Antony, and Marcus Aemilius Lepidus. This group was granted enormous power by the senate. Lepidus was deposed in 36 B.C. and Antony was defeated in a battle at Actium in 31 B.C., leaving Octavius the head of the Roman Empire.

Influence of Plutarch

Julius Caesar is a play based on historical events. Shakespeare wrote this play based on the accounts of writers and biographers who documented these events in history. One of Shakespeare’s primary resources was Plutarch, who is the most famous biographer of the ancient world.

Born in 46 A.D. in Greece, Plutarch was a writer and historian who wrote the famous collection of biographies now known as Plutarch's Lives. Plutarch's original title was Parallel Lives of Famous Greeks and Romans , and that describes his unique approach: the biographies were presented in pairs, the life of one Greek contrasted with that of a similar Roman. Plutarch's subjects were statesmen, generals and public figures, including Alexander the Great, Solon, Pyrrhus, Julius Caesar, and Marc Antony, and, together, the biographies present a basic history of Greece and Rome up to Plutarch's life. Therefore, Plutarch has been a favorite of scholars and schoolteachers for centuries.

Who was William Shakespeare?

William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright who lived from 1564-1616. Shakespeare, often called the English national poet or the Bard of Avon, is widely-considered the greatest dramatist of all time.

Known throughout the world, the works of William Shakespeare have been performed in countless hamlets, villages, cities, and metropolises for more than 400 years. And yet, the personal history of William Shakespeare is somewhat a mystery. His plays, poems, and sonnets only provide brief sketches of specific events in his life and provide little on the person who experienced those events. Scant records exist of William's childhood, and virtually none regarding his education. Scholars have surmised that he most likely attended the King's New School, in Stratford, which taught reading, writing, and the classics. But this uncertainty regarding his education has led some to raise questions about the authorship of his work and even about whether or not William Shakespeare ever even existed.

William Shakespeare's early plays were written in the conventional style of the day, with elaborate metaphors and rhetorical phrases that didn't always align naturally with the story's plot or characters. However, Shakespeare was very innovative, adapting the traditional style to his own purposes and creating a freer flow of words. With only small degrees of variation, Shakespeare primarily used a metrical pattern consisting of lines of unrhymed iambic pentameter to compose his plays. At the same time, there are passages in all the plays that deviate from this and use forms of poetry or simple prose.

With the exception of Romeo and Juliet , William Shakespeare's first plays were mostly histories written in the early 1590s. Richard II , Henry VI (parts 1, 2 and 3) and Henry V dramatize the destructive results of weak or corrupt rulers, and have been interpreted by drama historians as Shakespeare's way of justifying the origins of the Tudor Dynasty.

Shakespeare also wrote several comedies during his early period: the witty romance A Midsummer Night's Dream , the romantic Merchant of Venice , the wit and wordplay of Much Ado About Nothing , the charming As You Like It, and Twelfth Night. Other plays, possibly written before 1600, include Titus Andronicus , The Comedy of Errors , TheTaming of the Shrew and The Two Gentlemen of Verona.

It was in William Shakespeare's later period, after 1600, that he wrote the tragedies Hamlet , King Lear , Othello and Macbeth. In these, Shakespeare's characters present vivid impressions of human temperament that are timeless and universal. Possibly the best known of these plays is Hamlet , which explores betrayal, retribution, incest and moral failure. These moral failures often drive the twists and turns of Shakespeare's plots, destroying the hero and those he loves.

In William Shakespeare's final period, he wrote several tragicomedies. Among these are Cymbeline , The Winter's Tale and The Tempest. Though graver in tone than the comedies, they are not the dark tragedies of King Lear or Macbeth because they end with reconciliation and forgiveness.

You’re Quoting Shakespeare!

Did you know that many words and phrases that we use every day actually originated from the writings of William Shakespeare?

If you cannot understand my argument, and declare it's Greek to me , you are quoting Shakespeare; if you claim to be more sinned against than sinning , you are quoting Shakespeare; if you recall your salad days , you are quoting Shakespeare; if you act more in sorrow than in anger ; if your wish is father to the thought ; if your lost property has vanished into thin air , you are quoting Shakespeare; if you have ever refused to budge an inch or suffered from green-eyed jealousy , if you have played fast and loose , if you have been tongue-tied, a tower of strength, hoodwinked or in a pickle , if you have knitted your brows , made a virtue of

Lesson Process:

Day 1

1. Read the Introductory Information and talk about the Discussion Questions.
2. Read Handout # 1 and notice how different Cassius, an enemy of Caesar, and Marc Antony, a supporter of Caesar, speak about their leader.
3. For homework, have the students find two contrasting media articles discussing the President of the United States. This can be anything from last year's election to articles discussing current legislation. Explain that one article should describe the President or his actions in a positive light, and the other should describe him negatively.

Day 2

1. Discuss the articles in class and have students explain why they chose the article. Encourage a discussion on the journalist's or politician's opinions.
2. Read Handout #2 in class. In this scene, Casca tells Brutus and some others about Caesar's refusal of the crown (I, ii). Caesar is offered the crown three times and refuses it three times, the last time having a seizure and fainting.
3. Discuss the different ways a journalist could view this event. For example, a journalist writing from an enemy's perspective may report that Caesar has gone crazy; causing him to have a seizure and then faint. A journalist writing from a supporter's perspective may report that Caesar was so overwhelmed by love for the people that he fainted.
4. Using their chosen articles as a guide, have students write their own newspaper article about this event. They should choose whether or not they support Caesar and write from this perspective.

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Assessment:

*Teachers may grade students on the depth of contrast in the articles they chose. How well did the articles show differences of opinion and bias? *Teachers may also grade students on the quality of their own newspaper article:  How well did they parallel the telling of the event in Julius Caesar to an event in modern politics?  How well did they use composition skills to sound like a journalist rather than a teenager?  How well did they write their article from a certain perspective? Was it clear how they felt about Caesar through the article? *While watching the play, students can take notes about the different characters' opinions of Caesar, and how their actions affected the country. (i.e. how the conspirator's assassination caused a civil war)

HANDOUT

CASSIUS (ENEMY OF CAESAR)___________________________________________________________

I was born free as Caesar; so were you: We both have fed as well, and we can both Endure the winter's cold as well as he: And this man Is now become a god, and Cassius is A wretched creature and must bend his body, If Caesar carelessly but nod on him. He had a fever when he was in Spain, And when the fit was on him, I did mark How he did shake: 'tis true, this god did shake; His coward lips did from their color fly, And that same eye whose bend doth awe the world Did lose his luster: I did hear him groan: Ay, and that tongue of his that bade the Romans Mark him and write his speeches in their books, Alas, it cried 'Give me some drink, Titinius,' As a sick girl. Ye gods, it doth amaze me A man of such a feeble temper should So get the start of the majestic world And bear the palm alone.

ANTONY (SUPPORTER OF CAESAR) excerpts from Antony's speech to the citizens Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears; I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him. He was my friend, faithful and just to me: He hath brought many captives home to Rome Whose ransoms did the general coffers fill: Did this in Caesar seem ambitious? When that the poor have cried, Caesar hath wept: Ambition should be made of sterner stuff: You all did see that on the Lupercal I thrice presented him a kingly crown, Which he did thrice refuse: was this ambition? But here's a parchment with the seal of Caesar; , I found it in his closet, 'tis his will: Let but the commons hear this testament-- Here is the will, and under Caesar's seal. To every Roman citizen he gives, To every several man, seventy-five drachmas. Moreover, he hath left you all his walks His private arbors and new-planted orchards, On this side Tiber; he hath left them you, And to your heirs for ever, common pleasures, To walk abroad, and recreate yourselves. Here was a Caesar! when comes such another?

Learning Plans

Objectives: This lesson encourages students to notice and enjoy the images in Shakespeare's poetry. They will use his words to inspire their own creative writing.

Materials Needed: Handout #3, pencils, and paper

Introductory Information: Although Shakespeare was a playwright, he was also a poet, and his plays reflect that poetry. Shakespeare used language as a painter uses a paint brush, creating vivid and colorful pictures with his words. But Shakespeare's beautiful words weren't just meant to be read on the page--they were meant to be heard. The audience would hear the actors speak these words with excitement and emotion, and the pictures would come to life.

Lesson Process:

Day 1

1. Read and discuss the Introductory Information with your students.
2. Pass out Handout #3 and ask students to pick one passage.
3. Have the students use the Tools for the Text of Paraphrase, Imagery, and Iambic Pentameter with their chosen passage so they can become familiar with the meaning and excitement of the language. They can write their notes about the passage on the right column of Handout #3.
4. For homework, assign the students to write a poem, song lyrics, or a short story using the images in their chosen Shakespeare passage.

Day 2

1. The next day, the students will present their material in class, first reading the Shakespeare passage, then their own writing.
2. Assign students to listen for their selected passage while watching the play. After seeing the show, have them identify who said the line, who they said it to, and what it meant in the full context of the play.

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Assessment: *Teachers may grade on the quality of the student's writing--how creatively they used the Shakespeare passage to write their own piece, and how well they were able to bring both passages to life.

HANDOUT

PARAPHRASE & IMAGES

1. Let's kill him boldly, but not wrathfully;

Let's carve him as a dish fit for the gods, Not hue him as a carcass fit for hounds.

2. And Caesar's spirit, ranging for revenge,

Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war That this foul deed shall smell above the earth With carrion men groaning for burial.

3. I have seen tempests when the scolding winds

Have rived the knotty oaks, and I have seen The'ambitious ocean swell, and rage, and foam, To be exalted with the threatening clouds; But never till tonight, never till now, Did I go through a tempest dropping fire.

4. There is one within,

Recounts most horrid sights seen by the watch. A lioness hath whelped in the streets; And graves have yawn'd, and yielded up their dead; Fierce fiery warriors fought upon the clouds, In ranks and squadrons and right form of war, Which drizzled blood upon the Capitol; The noise of battle hurtled in the air, Horses did neigh, and dying men did groan, And ghosts did shriek and squeal about the streets.