April 19th, 2013Grab a remote and worksheet from the

stand.Journal: Do you relate to Julius Caesar?

Why or why not? Or vent!Monday is the beginning of your last 6 weeks

as a sophomore!!!All grades are in and final.If you weren’t here yesterday, you will be

taking the vocab unit 8 test TODAY. Take this time to study. I also need your journals for journal checks.

Caesar

Brutus

CassiusCicero

Act 1, Scene 1Flavius and Murellus walk into the streets with

some commonersThey tell them to get back to workMurrelus talks to a cobbler in a long

conversation about what the cobbler does in his profession

Murrelus starts to get angry when he thinks the cobbler is being sarcastic.

Flavius interrupts and asks the cobbler why he’s not in his shop working

The cobbler explains that he’s taking a vacation day to honor a triumph (parade celebrating a military victory), and to see Caesar walk through the city with the recent captives from the winning battle over Pompey.

Act 1, scene 1 continuedMurellus is rude to the cobbler and

attempts to downplay Caesar’s success.He then reminds the commoners that

they used to celebrate PompeyMurellus reminds them that they are

celebrating the twist of fate of Pompey losing and they are showing disloyaty and should “pray to the gods to intermit the plague / That needs must light on this ingratitude”

The commoners leave and Flavius tells Murellus that he should go to the capitol and remove any crowns that were placed on Caesar’s statue

Flavius states that he will try and regulate the celebrating of the victory, pointing out that if he can do that, then he regulate Caesar’s power

“These growing feathers plucked from Caesar’s wing / Will make him fly an ordinary pitch”

AnalysisThe play opens with everyone celebrating

Caesar’s victory which shows that Caesar’s popularity is growing. Flavius and Murellus are later punished for removing the crowns.

It’s important to point out the way Shakespeare has created the cobbler character and the different perceptions that Flavius and Murellus have of him.

Murellus misunderstands the cobbler’s answers, but assumes it’s the cobbler that’s stupid

During the Elizabethan age, a major concern was the consolidation of power in parts of Europe (which is reflected in Flavius and Murellus’s concerns)

Caesar’s ascendance helped to effect Rome’s transition from republic to empire, and Shakespeare's depiction of the prospect of Caesar’s assumption of dictatorial power can be seen as a comment upon the gradual shift toward centralization of power that was taking place in Europe.

Shakespeare’s illustration of the fickleness of the Roman public porves particularly relevant to the English political scene of the time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdrBYFdJKxw

Act 1, Scene IICaesar enters a public square with Antony,

Calpurnia, Portia, Decius, Cicero, Brutus, Cassius, Casca, and a soothsayer. Some citizens are following and behind them are Flavius and Murellus

Antony agrees with Caesar about touching his wife as he runs by.

Soothsayer calls out from the crowd telling him to beware the Ides of March. Caesar pauses and asks him to come forward and repeat what he says. He then dismisses the warning and everyone leaves.

Brutus and Cassius remain and Cassisus asks Brutus why he has not seemed himself lately. Brutus replies that he has been quiet because he’s plagued with conflicting thoughts.

He assures Cassius that even though his mind is at war with itself, he won’t let his stresses affect their friendship.

Cassius asks Brutus if he can see his own face. He replies that he can’t. Then Cassius declares that Bruttus is unable to see what everyone else does, namely, that Brutus is widely respected. Noting that no mirror could reveal Brutus’s worthiness to himself, and Cassius acts like he’s his human mirror to show him how he really looks

Brutus states he doesn’t want Caesar to be his king. He loves him, but he also loves honor, and he loves honor even more than he fears death.

Cassius hates the thought of kneeling before someone who isn’t superior and declares, “I was born as free as Caesar, so were you./We both have fed as well, and we can both/Endure the winter’s cold as well as he.

Then Cassius recalls when Caesar dared him to swim to a distant point one time, Caesar became weak and Cassius had to drag him from the water.

He then recounts how Caesar had a fever and a seizure in Spain. He can’t stand that this “weak” man is the head of the civilized world.

He explains that they owe their low status to the fact that they don’t take action and then launches into how Brustus’s name sounds just as good as Caesar’s name when said aloud. He says what kind of age are they living in that one person is charge of everyone else. And Brutus ponders over his words. He regrets being a Rome Citizen.

Caesar returns and comments that Cassius (to Antony) looks like a man who thinks too much and that those kind of men are dangerous.

Antony tells him not to worry and Caesar says he will avoid Cassius (he doesn’t enjoy life)

Brutus and Cassius take Casca aside to ask him what happened at the procession. Casca says that Antony offered to crown Caesar 3 times and he fell to the ground in a fit. Brutus states that he has probably has “the falling sickness” (epilepsy)

Even though Caesar had the seizure in front of the crowd, they still loved. Casca then states that Flavius and Murellus’s positions were removed because they took the decorations off of Caesar’s statues.

Cassius then thinks that Brutus is noble, but is worried he is bent “For who so firm that cannot be seduced?” He then forges letters from “Roman citizens” declaring their support for Brutus and their fear of Caesar’s assent to power; he then throws them into Brutus’s house that night.

Act 1, Scene 3Casca and Cicero meet on a Roman street. Casca

says that the weather is frightful. He wonders aloud if there is strife in heaven or if the gods are going to destroy mankind. He insists that there are so many natural occurrences and that there is danger ahead.

He says that men will interpret things as they will: “Indeed it is a strange-disposed time/But men may construe things after their fashion/clean from the purpose of the things themselves”

Cicero asks if Caesar is coming to the capitol the next day and the he warns the conditions are not good to be outside in.

Cassius enters from wandering the streets, taking no shelter from thunder and lightening

Casca asks Cassius why would he walk around like that, and he replies he is pleased the gods are using the weather to warn the Romans about the state of the gvt.

“like this dreadful night,… thunders, lightens, opens graves, and roars as doth the lion in the capitol”

Casca reports to Cassius that the senators plan to make Caesar king in the Senate the following day. Cassius draws his dagger and swears to the gods that if they can make a weak man like Caesar so powerful, then they can empower Cassius to defeat a tyrant.

Casca agrees and Cassius tells him that he’s already swayed a number of high-powered Romans to support a resistance movement.

Enter Cinna (a conspirator) who divulges that his latest scheme in his plot to build opposition against Caesar is to convert Brutus to his side.

Cinna is chosen to place Cassius’s forged letters for B to find.

Cassius tells him that he’s ¾ changed his mind against Caesar and hopes the letters are what turns him around.

Casca says that Brutus’s participation will bring worthiness to their schemes for he “sits high in all the peoples hearts/and that which would appear offence in us/his countenance, like riches alchemy/will change to virtue and to worthiness’