Julius Caesar

Mrs. FrenchEnglish II

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

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

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

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

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

Shakespeare took an historical

subject (from Plutarch’s History) He changed some incidents and

some timings

For the Sake of Interest

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

Roman Times

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

Act II – RISING ACTION Situations keep advancing and

getting more complicated

The Five Act Play

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

Act IV – FALLING ACTION The play begins to unwind and the

audience begins to see the resolution

The Five Act Play

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

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

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