mrs. french english ii. written in 1599 setting: rome’s transition from a republic to an empire...
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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
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