The Tragedy of Julius Caesar

Blank verse Unrhymed iambic pentameterUnrhymed iambic pentameter Iamb:Iamb: –Two syllable foot –Unstressed syllable followed by stressed syllable Pent: fivePent: five But soft, what light through yonder window breaks. Which characters speak in blank verse? Which characters speak in prose?Which characters speak in blank verse? Which characters speak in prose?

Puns Play on words that sound the same but have two meanings.Play on words that sound the same but have two meanings. Used for humorous or rhetorical effect.Used for humorous or rhetorical effect. Puns in Act I, Scene 1:Puns in Act I, Scene 1: –Cobbler: shoemaker; one who messes up –Soles: soles of shoes; souls: inner being –Awl: leather tool; All: everyone What is the effect of the use of puns?What is the effect of the use of puns?

Act I, Scene 1 Blank verse:Blank verse: –Murellus and Flavius: Tribunes (ruling class) –Oppose Caesar Prose:Prose: –Cobbler and Carpenter: Tradesmen (working class) –Support Caesar Language forms illustrate conflict between those who support Caesar and those who oppose Caesar.Language forms illustrate conflict between those who support Caesar and those who oppose Caesar.

Motif Recurring element in literature:Recurring element in literature: –Object –Idea –Structure Repeats a theme: disorder.Repeats a theme: disorder. In Julius Caesar: unnatural sightings, portents, omens.In Julius Caesar: unnatural sightings, portents, omens. –Casca reports sightings. –Calphurnia reports sightings. –Caesar’s augerers receive a bad omen. –Caesar’s ghost appears to Brutus.

Speech Types Monologue: a long speech by one character.Monologue: a long speech by one character. Soliloquy: a speech delivered by a character alone on stage that reveals the speaker’s thoughts and feelings.Soliloquy: a speech delivered by a character alone on stage that reveals the speaker’s thoughts and feelings. Aside: dialogue spoken in an undertone; intended to be heard by the audience but not by other characters on the stage.Aside: dialogue spoken in an undertone; intended to be heard by the audience but not by other characters on the stage.

Anachronism A reference to something that did not exist at the time being described.A reference to something that did not exist at the time being described. Examples:Examples: –Brutus: Peace, count the clock. –Cassius: The clock hath stricken three. Clocks did not exist in Ancient Rome.Clocks did not exist in Ancient Rome.

Irony Dramatic irony: audience knows something character on stage does not.Dramatic irony: audience knows something character on stage does not. –“Beware the Ides of March.” Verbal irony: the opposite of what is said is meant.Verbal irony: the opposite of what is said is meant. –“Ambitious” –“Honorable”

Apostrophe A figure of speech in which an absent or dead person, an inanimate object, or an abstract idea is spoken to as if capable of understanding.A figure of speech in which an absent or dead person, an inanimate object, or an abstract idea is spoken to as if capable of understanding. Purpose is not to get a response but to express emotions.Purpose is not to get a response but to express emotions. Examples:Examples: –“O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts and men have lost their reason.” –“O mighty Caesar! Dost thou lie so low?”

Apostrophe Examples “Hello, darkness, my old friend. I’ve come to talk to you again.”“Hello, darkness, my old friend. I’ve come to talk to you again.” “O Death, be not proud!” (Donne)“O Death, be not proud!” (Donne) “Bright star, how I wish I were as steadfast as thou art!” (Keats)“Bright star, how I wish I were as steadfast as thou art!” (Keats) “Blue Moon, I saw you standing alone Without a song in my heart, Without a love of my own.”“Blue Moon, I saw you standing alone Without a song in my heart, Without a love of my own.”

Tragedy Tragedy (Aristotle): a drama that includes the downfall of a character because of a flaw in that character.Tragedy (Aristotle): a drama that includes the downfall of a character because of a flaw in that character. Audience experiences catharsis (purging of pity and fear) when they see character suffer his/her fate.Audience experiences catharsis (purging of pity and fear) when they see character suffer his/her fate.

Tragic Character Character experiences a downfall (good Fortune to bad); character’s punishment exceeds his/her crime.Character experiences a downfall (good Fortune to bad); character’s punishment exceeds his/her crime. Character holds high status in society; is noble and virtuous but not perfect.Character holds high status in society; is noble and virtuous but not perfect. Character has a tragic flaw or hamartia or makes an error in judgment.Character has a tragic flaw or hamartia or makes an error in judgment. Character gains self-awareness or discovers something as a result of the punishment.Character gains self-awareness or discovers something as a result of the punishment.