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TRANSCRIPT
Introduction to Julius Caesar
By William Shakespeare
Essential Skills
➢Reading verse
➢Character analysis
➢Dramatic techniques
➢Rhetorical techniques
➢Research:
○ Informative research writing
○ Persuasive research writing
About Shakespeare
➢1564-1616
➢Probably understood Latin and Greek
➢Plays were being performed in London by 1592 (age 28)
Shakespeare’s Works
➢Wrote at least 37 plays in his career (1591-1611)
➢Work evolved over time
○ Early career: history plays
○ Middle career: tragedies
○ Late career: Romances
○ Wrote comedies throughout writing career.
About Julius Caesar
➢ First performed at the Globe Theater in London, probably around 1597.
➢ About the lead up to and aftermath of a ruler’s death, which would have resonated with Elizabethan audiences.
About Julius Caesar
➢Considered a transition piece.
○ Has elements of the history plays of the 1590s
○ Has elements of the tragedies of the early 1600s
About Julius Caesar
➢Only based on the historical figure; the play is not a factual portrayal of events. ○ Shakespeare changed many
things to make it suitable for stage performance.
○ Example: Shakespeare expedited the timeline of events in order to make the narrative more compelling.
The Story
➢Setting ○ Ancient Rome
○ 44 B.C.E.
➢Rome: Capitol city of expansive Empire ○ Britain to North Africa
○ Persia to Spain
As power grew, existence became threatened
A Fight for Power
➢As the empire grew, more contenders fought to control it.
○ Military leaders wanted power for the army
○ Citizens were represented in the Senate
○ Plebeians had no representation in government
Caesar’s Role
➢Powerful military leader made dictator
➢Dictator was supposed to be a temporary position...
Caesar’s Role
➢Caesar wanted absolute, permanent power
➢However, some feared the loss of democratic rule
Caesar’s Role
➢Caesar assassinated
➢Civil war erupts
Essential Questions
➢Does tragedy strike because of leaders’ actions or because of the people lack of conviction?
➢Is it possible for a leader to separate himself entirely from his own ambition and make a truly magnanimous decision that’s best for everyone?
➢Was Caesar’s assassination ethical?
➢Was Caesar’s death for the best?
Important Roman Vocab
➢Tribune ○ Someone appointed to protect the rights of the
plebeians
➢Plebeian ○ Commoners, the lower classes who were not
represented by Roman government
➢Triumvirate ○ Government by three parties or persons
➢Ides of March ○ March 15th
○ Traditionally began pagan New Year celebrations
Important Dramatic Terms
➢Soliloquy ○ A long speech given when a character believes he or
she is alone on the stage, which reveals the character’s innermost thoughts and feelings.
➢Monologue ○ A long speech given by a character on stage when
other characters are present.
➢Aside ○ An utterance meant to be inaudible to some or all
characters but the audience can hear it
Important Dramatic Terms
➢Flourish ○ A showy outward display
➢Fanfare ○ A short and liely playing of trumpets
➢Exeunt ○ Exit (plural)
➢Pun ○ A play on words where a word/phrase can be
interpreted in more than one way (humorous)