William Shakespeare was an English playwright, poet and actor born in 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon, England. He wrote approximately 37 plays and 154 sonnets over the course of his career. One of his most famous tragedies is Julius Caesar, written in 1599, which depicts the assassination of Julius Caesar by a group of conspirators led by Brutus and Cassius. The play explores the themes of political corruption and the misuse of power.

1. English 10

2.  Born in 1564 in Stratford
upon Avon, England
 Died in 1616—on his
birthday—April 23??
 Married Anne Hathaway
and had three children—
Susan, Judith, and
Hamnet
 Wrote plays for the
theatrical company The
Lord Chamberlain’s Men

3.  His son, Hamnet’s name likely inspired the
name of one of Shakepeare’s most famous
characters, Hamlet.
 Wrote approximately 37 plays, 154 sonnets, and
two epic poems.
 Is credited with adding 3,000 words to the
English language including his longest word,
honorificabilitudinitatibus, which means "the
state of being able to achieve honors."

4.  All of society attended the theatre, even royalty
 Plays were meant to be performed—not “seen” as
literature—only rough copies of Shakespeare’s plays
survive today
 Only men were actors—even for female roles

5.  Shakespeare’s theatre
group constructed the
globe, an open-air round
theatre
 The original burned in
1613—a new one was
reconstructed in London
in 1997

6.  Tragedy: a play dealing with tragic events; usually has
an unhappy ending, culminating in the main
character’s downfall
 First play to be performed in The Globe Theater
 Setting: Ancient Rome 44 B.C.
 There was a struggle for power that divided the Roman
Empire
 Julius Caesar: Ruler of Rome
 Conspirators assassinated Caesar fearing that he
would become too powerful, then a civil war erupts

8. 1.) Tragedy is concerned primarily
with one person—the tragic
hero. This hero usually has a
high status, so high that his or
her fate can affect the welfare of
a whole nation or empire.

9. 2.) The fate of the hero is often
triggered by a tragic virtue in the
hero’s character. The tragic virtue is a
personality trait that the character
possesses that under other
circumstances would be a virtue but
under these circumstances, it leads to
the character’s downfall, usually
resulting in death.

10. 3.) Shakespeare often introduces abnormal
conditions of the mind (such as insanity or
hallucinations).
4.) Supernatural elements are often
introduced as well (such as ghosts or
witches).
5.) There is usually a strong and strange
reaction from nature (such as bad weather
or unnatural behavior from animals).

11. 1. Blank Verse 9. Climax
2. Foreshadowing 10. Falling Action
3. Iambic Pentameter 11. Resolution/
4. Soliloquy Dénouement
5. Aside
6. Plot
7. Exposition
8. Rising Action

12. What qualities should an effective leader
have?

13.  Shakespeare wrote in iambic pentameter
 A type of meter with 10 syllables per line (1 stressed
syllable, 1 unstressed syllable, 5 times in each line)
 iamb=foot pent=5 5 feet per line
 Originally used in dance and by actors to remember
lines in theatre
 Sonnet—fourteen line rhyming poem in iambic
pentameter
 Shakespeare's sonnets contain three four line stanzas
and a couplet

14. Julius Caesar

15.  Head of the Roman state
 Great soldier and general
 Just returned from a
series of wars where he
defeated the sons of the
previous Roman ruler,
Pompey
 Calpurnia is his wife

16.  Loyal friend and
supporter of Caesar
 Believes Caesar will be a
good ruler of Rome

17.  Respected man of
intelligence and honor
 Personal friend of
Caesar’s
 Wonders if Caesar will
make a good leader;
worries he may become a
tyrant

18.  One of the leaders of the
conspiracy
 Suspicious of Caesar
from the beginning
 Convinces Brutus to join
him

19.  Join with Mark
Antony after
Caesar’s death to
rule Rome as a
triumvirate

20.  Casca, Trebonious,
Decius, Cinna
and Metallus
Cimber are the
other members of
the conspiracy,
each of whom
participates
by stabbing Caesar.

21. Julius Caesar

22.  Setting: the streets of Rome
 Caesar is having a victory parade called a triumph over
defeating the previous Roman ruler, Pompey
 The political party and supporters of Pompey want to
stop the celebration
 A soothsayer tells Caesar to “beware the ides of March”
 Brutus and Cassius have a conversation about
Caesar—Cassius hints to Brutus that Brutus could be
leader of Rome

23.  Caesar is suspicious of Cassius
 Strange things happen on the eve of the ides of March
(earthquakes, storms)
 Cassius recruits others to join in on the overthrow
(assassination of Caesar)
 They decide to try to get Brutus to join them
 Important quotes:
“Beware the Ides of March”– Soothsayer
“ I love the name of honor more than I fear death.”--
Brutus

24.  Literary Terms
 Character Matching
 Act-by-Act Questions
 Important Quotes
 “Beware the Ides of March”
 “ I love the name of honor more than I fear death.”
 “The heavens themselves blaze forth the death of princes.”--
Calpurnia
 “Woe to the hand that shed this costly blood! A curse shall
light upon the limbs of men.”
 “This was the noblest Roman of them all. All the conspirators,
save only he, did that they did in envy of great Caesar.”