Julius Caesar Background Iacta alea est “The die has already been cast” “iacta alea est”… according to Plutarch, one of Caesar’s officers asked him if he truly wished to take his army across the Rubicon river and enter Rome after the senate and Pompey declared him a traitor following the Gallic wars. Caesar’s reply was simple, the events were already in motion and now they can only carry out their fate. They had already reached the point of no return.

The Play The play is about the assassination of a Roman general and dictator who lived and died more than 2000 years ago. Shakespeare drew his material from the ancient biographical text The Lives of Noble Grecians and Romans written by Plutarch Other biography’s from Plutarch’s Parallel Lives: Heracles, Philip II of Macedon, and Scipio Africanus no longer exist, Solon, Themistocles, Alcibiades, Nicias, Demosthenes, Philopoemen, Timoleon, Dion of Syracuse, Alexander the Great, Pyrrhus of Epirus, Romulus, Numa Pompilius, Coriolanus, Aemilius Paullus, Tiberius Gracchus, Gaius Gracchus, Gaius Marius, Sulla, Sertorius, Lucullus, Pompey, Julius Caesar, Cicero, Mark Antony, and Marcus Junius Brutus

The Roman Empire during the life of Caesar War & Individual Power The Roman empire was constantly at war during Caesar’s time Generals like Caesar had enormous power These generals moved with their armies over the entire Mediterranean World, conquering country after country The Roman Empire during the life of Caesar

Private Armies and Betrayal These powerful armies would rule the territory with Roman governors who heavily taxed citizens to make money Sometimes the generals turned on one another, battling for power

Caesar and Pompey: jealousy and murder Crassus First Triumvirate: made up of the three most powerful generals: Caesar, Pompey, and Crassus Caesar and Pompey were friends In 60 B.C. the two generals helped to bring order to a weakened government Caesar Pompey

Jealousy! When Crassus was killed in Syria, Caesar left Rome in search of more power He conquered the Gauls in Europe, sending back loads of money to the people, who gave him their devotion

Jealousy! Jealous of Caesar’s military triumphs in the Gallic wars, Pompey looked towards success in the Senate The Senate was wary of Caesar’s ambition and feared that with the love of the people Caesar might declare himself king Caesar’s standard (i.e. his symbol)

Views of Caesar… Caesar saw himself as a defender of the people Critics said he bought support with bribes and handouts Enemies said he deprived Romans of their liberty

Unconquerable God Caesar declared himself dictator for 10 years and saw to it that his supporters, including Brutus, became senators Built a statue to himself with the inscription “To the Unconquerable God”

Caesar’s arrogance Common people loved him The month of Quintilis is renamed “July” in his honor Later he was declared dictator for life (Feb. 15, 44 B.C.) Offered the crown 3 times but refused Why? Looked down upon to be a king – not democratic, the Roman’s had killed their previous king for being a tyrant Denarius was a silver coin in the Roman currency. 1 denarius could purchase about $20 of bread. A minimum wage laborer would normally be paid 1 denarius for 1 days labor. Caesar was the first to print his own image on a Roman minted coin (Denarius)

-thus always to tyrants- Caesar’s arrogance He became increasingly arrogant and hungry for power, which frustrated the Senate Members of the Roman Senate created plans to assassinate him on March 15, 44 B.C. because of his threat to the traditions of the Republic (too much power) They succeeded. “Sic semper tyrannis”… Brutus is credited for saying this immediately after the death of Caesar. This is the same phrase John Wilkes Booth shouted after assassinating President Abraham Lincoln. “Sic semper tyrannis” -thus always to tyrants-

Shakespeare’s Play Shakespeare’s play starts with events that happened a month before the murder. The play condenses 3 years of history into one play in which 6 days are acted out.

Characters

Julius Caesar Ruler of the Roman state. Has just returned from a series of wars in which he defeated Pompey’s sons Adoring crowds greet him when he returns Wife is Calpurnia

Mark Antony Loyal friend of Caesar, shocked at Caesar’s murder Vows to avenge Caesar’s death Gives an emotional speech at Caesar’s funeral, leading the crowd to desire revenge Becomes one of the three rulers of Rome and gathers an army to fight the killers.

Brutus Respected, intelligent, and honorable Friends with Caesar but worries about his arrogance Convinced to join the conspirators in killing Caesar Portia is his wife

Cassius Leader of the conspiracy Suspicious of Caesar from the beginning, He and Brutus flee Rome after the killing, each gathers an army, and they try to conquer Mark Antony’s army.

Octavius and Lepidus are the other two who join with Mark Antony after Caesar’s death to rule Rome as a triumvirate.

Casca, Trebonious, Decius, Cinna and Metallus Cimber are the other members of the conspiracy, each of whom participates by stabbing Caesar.

Julius Caesar : Background Shakespeare uses Roman customs and superstition to create spooky conditions to mirror the dangerous plot being planned.

Julius Caesar : Background The Romans believed that omens could reveal the future. These omens could take the form of unusual weather, flights of birds, or other natural phenomena.

Julius Caesar Literary & Drama Terms Anachronism: person, place, or thing placed in the wrong time period. Apostrophe: An address to the absent or dead are spoken to as if present or the inanimate, as if alive. Aside: remarks unheard by other actors on stage when an actor turns his head toward the audience to speak. Julius Caesar Literary & Drama Terms

Julius Caesar Literary & Drama Terms Pun: a humorous play on words indicating different meanings Comic Relief: humor inserted into the play to break a serious mood Foreshadowing: the dropping of important hints by the author to prepare the reader for what is to come Soliloquy: speech delivered while the actor is alone on stage. It informs the audience of what is happening in the character’s mind or gives needed information about other characters. Julius Caesar Literary & Drama Terms

Julius Caesar Literary & Drama Terms Hyperbole: the conscious use of overstatement or exaggeration by a writer for effect Oxymoron: a figure of speech which combines two terms that in ordinary usage are contraries or opposites Blank Verse: Unrhymed lines written in iambic pentameter, each line has 5 sets of unstressed syllables – 10 syllables total Julius Caesar Literary & Drama Terms