1. Mrs. French English II

2.   Written in 1599  Setting: Rome’s transition from a Republic to an Empire  From 509 BC for four and a half centuries, Rome was a Republic  Two elected consuls that served for a year  Powerful Senate which proposed laws and oversaw officials Julius Caesar

3.   Expanded through wars, spread over great areas  Generals became more powerful and began to ignore the Senate  They felt important  They brought in riches, land, and slaves Expansion of Republic

4.   Crassus, wealthy nobleman  Pompey the Great and Julius Caesar, two generals  When Crassus died, Pompey and Caesar both wanted power and control  Both grew in strength  48 B. C. Caesar overtook Pompey in the battle field 60 B. C. Important People

5.   Play opens in 44 B. C.  Caesar is returning victorious from war campaign and Pompey’s defeat  There is a time crunch here between the parade the Feast of Lupercal  Opening scene shows there are still Pompey supporters Julius Caesar

6.   Caesar would like to establish a monarchy, rather than a republic  He pretends he doesn’t want a crown offered him  Many people (Brutus included) do not want to see the people-representing republic end. Julius Caesar

7.   Shakespeare took an historical subject (from Plutarch’s History)  He changed some incidents and some timings For the Sake of Interest

8.   Shakespeare confronts difficult issues of that time in history, his time, our time  What form of government IS best?  When does power become tyranny?  How can a person balance personal concerns with public interest?  Is assassination ever justified? Issues addressed

9.  Roman Times

10.   Act I – EXPOSTION  You will learn all you need to know for the play; everything you learn has a purpose; it may get confusing, but will play out The Five Act Play

11.   Act II – RISING ACTION  Situations keep advancing and getting more complicated The Five Act Play

12.   Act III – The Climax  The turning Point of the play; things can no longer continue as they were and the story line moves toward the conclusion. Outcome will begin to become clear. The Five Act Play

13.   Act IV – FALLING ACTION  The play begins to unwind and the audience begins to see the resolution The Five Act Play

14.   RESOLUTION -- Everything is resolved. To the Elizabethans, this means  Evil is corrected  Order is restored  Justice is meted out  Harmony and balance have been established The Five Act Play

15.   English plays grew out of Greek theatre  To the ancient Greeks --  A tragedy is not a sad story  The audience doesn’t go home sad, but enlightened: they have learned something Tragedy

16.   Tragic hero has a flaw in his character that leads to his own downfall  The tragic flaw (the character’s weakness) makes him make bad decisions.  Do any characters in this play have a tragic flaw?  Could these flaws be corrected? Tragic Hero

17.  ExpressPoll 11/6/2012 7:58:46 AM

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