Themes within Julius Caesar Ms. Tennant

Misuse use of Power as a Corruptive Force  Ambition turning to tragedy  Eagerness to be great  Jealousy and resentment that develops as a result of success

Loyalty  Where does it lie and is there any time when it can falter?  The value of relationships  Brutus & Caesar  Brutus & Portia  Antony & Caesar  Cassius & dissenters to Pompey

Honor & Suicide  Is it more important to live with your own ideals and values of honor and dignity than to succumb to the ideals of another?  How does suicide tie in with honor for the characters in the play?  The preference to die than to live under the rule of another

Role of Women  There are only 2 instances were women have speaking roles in the play, yet these occurrences are powerful indications of the roles women played during this period  Portia  Calpurnia  How they are received by their men  Modern society

Fate vs. Freewill  “…the fault of our stars…” – Cassius  Superstition  Are we destined to live and die in a particular way or do we choose the course we take which can ultimately lead to demise?  Caesar  Brutus – decision making  Cassius  Actions of minor characters in the play

Pride  How the lack of humility can lead to becoming a tragic flaw  What is the difference between pride and having a healthy amount of confidence?  Do multiple characters illustrate this?

Public Self vs. Private Self  Identify struggle:  Who are your really?  Are you the same person behind closed doors that you are when others are around?

Manipulation  The use of rhetorical language (speech) to gain power and influence large crowds and individuals  For those who fall victim to this, what does it seem to reveal about that character’s nature?