Introducing the Play Literary Focus: Tragedy Reading Focus: Reading a Play Writing Focus: Think as a Reader/Writer TechFocus Feature Menu The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Acts I & III by William Shakespeare

What is more important—ambition or honor? The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Acts I & III by William Shakespeare

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“Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” John Emerich Edward Dalberg The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Acts I & III Introducing the Play

William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Julius Caesar is the story of an assassination. The play contains compelling political parallels to twentieth-century history reveals how power can corrupt even the seemingly incorruptible explores the political, psychological, and moral turmoil of the event [End of Section] The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Acts I & III Introducing the Story

Tragedy—a play, novel, or other narrative that depicts serious and important events and ends unhappily for the main character. The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Acts I & III Literary Focus: Tragedy

Tragedies pit human limitations against the larger forces of destiny. right and wrong justice and injustice life and death Most classic Greek tragedies deal with serious, universal themes such as The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Acts I & III Literary Focus: Tragedy

The protagonist of most classical tragedies is a tragic hero. This hero is noble and in many ways admirable has a tragic flaw, a defect in character or judgment that leads to a tragic end greed envy arrogance The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Acts I & III Literary Focus: Tragedy

The main character’s tragic flaw directly causes a downfall. The work ends unhappily, with the death of the main character. Shakespeare’s tragedies share these characteristics with the tragedies of the ancient Greeks: The main character is often high ranking, not an ordinary person. The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Acts I & III Literary Focus: Tragedy

All of Shakespeare’s tragedies share a similar five- part structure. Act I Exposition Act V Climax and resolution Act III Crisis, or turning point Act II Rising action Act IV Falling action The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Acts I & III Literary Focus: Tragedy

Act I, Exposition The main characters and conflicts are introduced. The setting is established. Background information is provided. Act IAct V Act IIAct IV Act III The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Acts I & III Literary Focus: Tragedy

So far, in Act I... Act I ends with the senators intent on crowning Caesar the next day. Cassius calls together his fellow conspirators, then sets out to visit Brutus to make a last appeal for his assistance in Caesar’s assassination. “He would be crowned. How that might change his nature, there’s the question.” The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Acts I & III Literary Focus: Tragedy

Act II, Rising Action Suspense builds as a series of complications occur. Act IAct V Act IIAct IV Act III The main characters try to resolve their conflicts. The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Acts I & III Literary Focus: Tragedy

So far, in Act II... Cassius persuades Brutus to join the conspiracy but rejects the plan to kill Mark Antony. Caesar is restless after a night that disturbs all of Rome. Calpurnia, Caesar’s wife, persuades him to stay away from the Senate. “When beggars die, there are no comets seen...” The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Acts I & III Literary Focus: Tragedy

So far, in Act II... The conspirators goad Caesar into going to the Senate by suggesting that he is weak to give in to his wife’s fears. They report that the Senate will crown him that day. Caesar prepares to accompany the conspirators to the Senate. “And we (like friends) will straightway go together.” The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Acts I & III Literary Focus: Tragedy

So far, in Act II... Artemidorus has written a warning of the plot which he hopes to give to Caesar as he walks to the Capitol. Portia, who persuaded her husband Brutus to tell her of the plot, speaks with the soothsayer, who is waiting to warn Caesar of danger. “Tell me your counsels, I will not disclose ‘em.” The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Acts I & III Literary Focus: Tragedy

Act III, Crisis or Turning Point The main character makes a choice that determines the rest of the play’s action. Act IAct V Act IIAct IV Act III In a comedy, the turning point lifts the play upward to a happy ending. In a tragedy, events spiral downward to an unhappy ending. The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Acts I & III Literary Focus: Tragedy

Act III opens with Caesar on his way to the Capitol. The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Acts I & III Literary Focus: Tragedy

Act IV, Falling Action The consequences, or results, of actions taken during the turning point are presented. Act IAct V Act IIAct IV Act III The main character is propelled deeper and deeper into disaster; the tragic ending seems inevitable. The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Acts I & III Literary Focus: Tragedy

“How many ages hence shall this our lofty scene be acted over in states unborn and accents yet unknown!” The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Acts I & III Literary Focus: Tragedy

Act V, Climax and Resolution The climax, or moment of greatest tension, occurs near the end of the play. In a tragedy, the climax is usually the death of the tragic hero. Act IAct V Act IIAct IV Act III The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Acts I & III Literary Focus: Tragedy

Act V, Climax and Resolution A brief resolution (or denouement) closely follows the climax. Loose ends in the plot are tied up, and the play ends. [End of Section] Act IAct V Act IIAct IV Act III The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Acts I & III Literary Focus: Tragedy

Watching a play is almost effortless. But reading a play can require reading between the lines. The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Acts I & III Reading Focus: Reading a Play

Reading between the lines means using stage directions and dialoguestage directionsdialogue to visualize and make inferences about the story. The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Acts I & III Reading Focus: Reading a Play

Stage directions are the notes in a play that tell the actors how to act out certain scenes and tell the reader what the characters are doing, thinking, or feeling. Details about the setting are often included in stage directions. The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Acts I & III Reading Focus: Reading a Play

Dialogue is conversation among characters in any kind of story, but it is especially important in drama. The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Acts I & III Reading Focus: Reading a Play

Making inferences involves looking at clues and evidence...inferences then drawing a conclusion about a character’s thoughts and feelings. The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Acts I & III Reading Focus: Reading a Play

Inferences are educated guesses about things the writer does not state directly, such as aspects of a character’s personality or feelings. The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Acts I & III Reading Focus: Reading a Play

To gain a better understanding of a character’s relationships, try reading a play aloud. Paraphrasing—or restating information in your own words—can also help you understand difficult passages. The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Acts I & III Reading Focus: Reading a Play

duplicates the rhythms of English speech Reading Shakespeare Aloud All of Shakespeare’s plays are written in blank verse. Blank verse is unrhymed iambic pentameter The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Acts I & III Reading Focus: Reading a Play

Iambic Pentameter iamb—unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable pentameter—a line with five feet Read these lines aloud, and listen to the rhythm. Which syllables are stressed? The evil that men do lives after them, The good is oft interrèd with their bones. ˘ ′ ˘ ′ ˘ ′ ˘ ′ ˘ ′ The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Acts I & III Reading Focus: Reading a Play

Noble characters generally speak in blank verse. Occasionally a noble character will speak in ordinary prose—when addressing commoners or bantering. Characters’ Speech Commoners speak in ordinary prose. The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Acts I & III Reading Focus: Reading a Play

Read the lines below. Which character is the nobleman? Which is the commoner? Marullus. But what trade art thou? Answer me directly. Cobbler. A trade, sir, that, I hope, I may use with a safe conscience, which is indeed, sir, a mender of bad soles. The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Acts I & III Reading Focus: Reading a Play

Into Action: Use a chart to track how characters feel about Caesar and how their loyalties shift. Note the words that show their attitudes. [End of Section] Act and Scene Act I, Scene I Character Cobbler and other commoners For Caesar “make holiday to... rejoice in his triumph” The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Acts I & III Reading Focus: Reading a Play Against Caesar

Find It in Your Reading As you read, make notes to help you follow the events in the play. The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Acts I & III Writing Focus: Think as a Reader/Writer

TechFocus Imagine you will be filming a scene from the play. As you read, think about where you would place the cameras, whether you would use close-ups, and how you would direct the actors. [End of Section] The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Acts I & III

Vocabulary

Recognizing and Mapping Puns A pun is a word or phrase that means two different things at the same time. Puns are based on two meanings of a word homophones—words that sound alike but have different spellings and meanings Ironing clothes is a pressing matter. soles/souls sun/son flour/flower The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Acts I & III Vocabulary

Recognizing and Mapping Puns When the cobbler says he is a cobbler in the first scene, he plays on two meanings of the word. In Shakespeare’s day, the word could mean either “shoemaker” or “bungler.” This is a map of the pun. cobbler shoemaker bungler The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Acts I & III Vocabulary

Recognizing and Mapping Puns When the cobbler calls himself “a mender of bad soles,” he also puns on the meaning of soles. Soles refers to parts of shoes but also sounds exactly like souls, which is the emotional or spiritual part of a person. Map it like this. solessouls The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Acts I & III Vocabulary

Create a pun map for each of these puns from Act I, scene 1 of The Tragedy of Julius Caesar. Vocabulary Activity: Mapping Puns “All that I live by is with the awl....” (line 21) “I am... a surgeon to old shoes; when they are in danger, I recover them.” (lines 23–24) recover make better put on new covers awlall The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Acts I & III Vocabulary

Archaic Words Some of the words Shakespeare uses are now archaic, which means “having to do with an earlier time,” and no longer used today. ague: feverhie: hurry alarum: call to arms, such as a trumpet blast knave: servant, or person of humble birth an: ifprithee: pray thee (beg you) betimes: from time to timesmatch: small amount fleering: flatteringsoothsayer: fortune teller The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Acts I & III Vocabulary

Words with Different Meanings The most troublesome words in Shakespeare’s plays are those that are still in use but now have different meanings. “thou naughty knave” Today: Naughty means “bad.” Shakespeare’s day: Naughty means “worthless.” The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Acts I & III Vocabulary

Words with Different Meanings closet: small room, often a private study just: true exhalations: meteors merely: wholly; entirely gentle: noble. Gentleman once referred to a man who had a title. repair: go ghastly: ghostlysad: serious humor: temper or dispositionsoft: slowly; “wait a minute” indifferently: impartially wit: intelligence The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Acts I & III Vocabulary [End of Section]

The End

QuickTalk

Think about this statement: “Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Do you know of any political figures who abuse their power? In a group, discuss how power can lead to corruption. [End of Section] The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Acts I & III QuickTalk

Meet the Writer

[End of Section] William Shakespeare was born in 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon, a market town about a hundred miles from London. He was one of eight children. At grammar school, Shakespeare would have learned to read, write, and speak Latin and would have studied some of the classical poets and historians. He did not attend university. Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway in 1582, and they had three children. More about the writer The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Acts I & III Meet the Writer

Build Background

The Play: The Results of Violence This play is about an assassination more than 2,000 years ago. The victim was Julius Caesar, a Roman general and dictator. Shakespeare drew his material about Julius Caesar from an ancient biographical text by Plutarch, a Greek writer and biographer who lived close to the time of Julius Caesar. The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Acts I & III Build Background

Julius Caesar was an extremely successful and popular general formed the First Triumvirate (a three-man government) with Pompey and Crassus in 60 B.C. won large territories for Rome and amassed a personal fortune during the Gallic Wars The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Acts I & III Build Background National Museum, Naples. The Bettmann Archive/CORBIS

Julius Caesar was declared dictator for ten years and then for life was assassinated on March 15, 44 B.C. by a group of senators who felt Caesar was too powerful and a threat to the republican government The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Acts I & III Build Background drove Pompey out and took control of Rome

Roman Government: Rule by the Rich Roman politics unfolded at the Forum, where leaders legislated before lively crowds from all social classes. The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Acts I & III Build Background

Roman Government: Rule by the Rich From 509 B.C., Rome was a republic, with power vested in its citizens. However, only the wealthiest citizens could be senators. A huge gap existed between the rich and poor. The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Acts I & III Build Background

Roman Government: Rule by the Rich The Roman republic was a direct democracy in which eligible citizens could vote on legislation. But this privilege occurred only in Rome, excluding most citizens from outside the city. The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Acts I & III Build Background

Roman Government: Rule by the Rich The major inequity in the Roman government stemmed from control of the Senate by the wealthy, which made Rome an aristocracy posing as a republic. The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Acts I & III Build Background

In Shakespeare’s day, people believed that the monarch’s right to rule came from God; opposition to a monarch was considered opposition to God the heavens would be offended and society would plunge into chaos if the chain of authority were snapped all order stemmed from the authority of God The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Acts I & III Build Background Shakespeare’s England

When Shakespeare wrote this play, Queen Elizabeth I was old and in failing health. She had no children, so there was no declared successor to the throne. People were worried that there might be a bloody struggle for power after the queen died. Elizabethans saw their own troubled times mirrored in Caesar’s story of war, ambition and betrayal. [End of Section] The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Acts I & III Build Background Shakespeare’s England Woburn Abbey, Bedfordshire, UK/The Bridgeman Art Library

Read with a Purpose

Read to discover the motives of the people who oppose and support Julius Caesar. The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Acts I & III