This document provides context and background information about William Shakespeare's play "The Tragedy of Julius Caesar". It begins with an overview of the plot elements and characters in Act 1 Scene 3, followed by discussion questions. It then covers indirect characterization techniques, elements of Shakespearean tragedies like the tragic flaw and external pressures on the protagonist. The document provides context on Shakespeare's Elizabethan era and the historical Julius Caesar. It includes discussion of dramatic terms, character summaries, homework assignments and more to teach about the play.

1. The Tragedy of
Julius Caesar
By William Shakespeare

2. Do Now
• Cassius
• Brutus
• Caesar
• Mark Antony

3. Act 1 Scene 3 Questions
 What sights does Casca say he has seen before?
What are the new sights he is seeing? What does
he expect will happen?
 What, according to Cassius, is the reason for the
storms?
 Explain Cassius’ comparison of Caesar to a lion
and a wolf.
 How does Cassius persuade Casca to join the
conspiracy? What is the conspiracy?
 In what ways do the elements of nature reflect the
conspirators’ work?
 Why is Brutus important to the conspiracy?

4. Do Now
1. What is Brutus’s relationship to
Caesar?
2. What are Brutus’s mixed feelings
toward Caesar?

5. Indirect Characterization*
Indirect characterization is when the
author SHOWS things that reveal the
personality of the character.
(S.T.E.A.L.)
Speech, Thoughts, Effect on others,
Actions, Looks

6. Elements of Shakespeare’s
Tragedies*
1. Tragic Flaw: A weakness in personality
that eventually leads to the
protagonist’s downfall.
2. Fall of the nobleman: Men in
Shakespeare’s tragedies have extreme
wealth and power, making their downfall
more tragic.

7. Elements of
Shakespeare’s Tragedies*
3. External Pressure: Shakespeare’s tragic
heroes often fall victim to outside
pressure from others, such as evil spirits
or manipulative characters.
4. Hero: The hero has opportunities for
their situation to improve, but never takes
advantage of these in time, which leads to
their death.

8. Alert!
NEW NOTES COMING!

9. Dramatic Terms*
Aside: A character speaks their
thoughts to the audience while
other characters are on stage.

10. Dramatic Terms*
Soliloquy: A character speaks
their thoughts while alone on
stage.

11. Questions
1. What is Cassius’s opinion of Caesar? Cite
supporting details.
2. List two things that Cassius desires by this
point in the play. Why does he desire them? Cite
supporting details.
3. What does Brutus think about Cassius? Does
he know Cassius is trying to manipulate him?
Cite evidence for the last question.

12. Questions
4. Why does Caesar wish Cassius were
“fatter?” What is Cassius “hungry” for?
5. How does Caesar characterize Cassius?
List three supporting details other than what
was listed in question 4.
6. How do you know if someone is powerful?
Which character in the play thus far has the
most power?

13. Homework:
1. What is Mark Antony’s relationship to Caesar?
Does he respect him?
2. Tell me one important thing about Brutus, Caesar,
and Cassius:
• Brutus:
• Caesar:
• Cassius:

14. Agenda:
1. Collect yesterday’s homework
2. Indirect Characterization
3. Tragedy as a genre in Shakespeare’s work
4. Read some of the play
5. Complete Charts
6. Homework

15. New Notes

16. Do Now:
1. What are some of the ways that we judge a
person? List them!
-
-
-
1. What are some of our reasons for judging a
person?

17. Speech and Effect on
Others Ex.
Speech example:
We learn a lot about the way Dee feels towards her family when she
says:
“You ought to try to make something of yourself…It’s really a new day
for us. But from the way you and Mama still live you’d never know it.”
Though example:
We learn a lot about Dee’s character through Mama’s thoughts of
her:
“She used to read to us without pity; forcing words, lies, other folks’
habits, whole lives upon us two, sitting trapped and ignorant

18. Indirect Characterization
Instructions: Copy down the following indirect characterization
chart, so you can draw a conclusion about your assigned
character after reading:
Character name:___Cassius_____________
Speech Thought
s
Effect on
others
Actions Looks
1.
2.
3.

19. Typical features of
Shakespeare’s Tragedies
 Begin in an ordered society but end with chaos
 Change is often reflected by changes in the environment,
such as storms or peculiar sightings (“When Kings die the
ground shakes”)
 Sympathetic hero
 The protagonist is usually a person of good character who
is destroyed by his own ego or desire for self-advancement

20. Homework:
Directions: Write a letter to your character using at least two
adjectives to describe what you think about him. Your thoughts
should reflect things about his personality or character that you
like or dislike. Afterwards give your character your best piece
of advice.
Example:
Dear Caesar,
I feel like you’re arrogant, because you didn’t want to listen to
the Soothsayers advice. I also feel like you’re oblivious to the
people who are plotting against your life. You should stop
parading around acting like you’re king, and start paying
attention to the people around you. If you don’t you may lose
your life…

21. Homework:
Headline for Act 1 Scene 2
Draw a conclusion about your character

22. Do Now
1. Copy the chart below within your notebooks for Act I
Scene 1 of Julius Caesar:
1. Who is in the scene?
2. What are they doing?
3. Where does the scene
take place?
4. When does the scene
take place (and why is it
important)?
5. Why are the people
celebrating?
6. How do Marullus and
Flavius feel?

23. Do Now
Copy the chart below within your notebooks for Act I
Scene 1 of Julius Caesar:
1. Two tribunes are trying to get people
to return to work rather than celebrate
Caesar’s return. Why is Flavius critical
of the workers he encounters?
2. What pun does Shakespeare make on
the word cobbler?
3. Why does Shakespeare start the scene
with a humorous tone as the tribunes
speak with the carpenter and cobbler.
4. Marullus is sympathetic to Pompey, the
man defeated by Caesar. How does
Marullus feel toward Caesar?
5. After the crowd disperses what does
Flavius do? What does Marullus do?
6. What is the political situation in Rome as
the scene ends?

24. William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare lived from 1564 to
1616
Julius Caesar is Shakespeare’s story of the
emperor who lived 1500 years before
Shakespeare’s time when Rome was the
dominant world power. Shakespeare had
read Julius Caesar’s story in Plutarch’s Lives.

25. Elizabethan Age VS. Middle
Ages
 When Shakespeare wrote Julius Caesar, England was in the
midst of Elizabethan Age, ruled by Queen Elizabeth.
 The Elizabethan Age greatly contrasted from The Middle ages,
which was the era before it.
Key Differences
Middle Ages (1301-
1500)
Elizabethan
Age/Renaissance
(1500-1688)
Emphasis on religion Emphasis on art, music, science, and
self-discovery
Religious stories or moral lessons
influenced the arts
Greek and Roman classical influences
on the arts
Church ruled the state. Ruling body is supreme over the church.

26. Julius Caesar
 Julius Caesar was a Roman dictator that reigned in
49 BC; he died a violent death many many moons
ago.
 He gained most of his power by being a successful
general at war, and was appointed consul (our
version of a senator or house of rep.) of Rome, by his
friend Pompey the Great.
 Caesar gained more power when he formed an
alliance with two fellow consuls, despite Rome being
a Republic at the time.
 Caesar, Crassus, and Pompey were the first “ruling

27. Julius Caesar continued…
 Caesar continued to make successful military
conquests around the world, thereby increasing his
power and popularity, but also his haters.
 Pompey soon became jealous and convinced the
Roman Senate to remove Caesar from office. This
action started a battle between the two men.
 Caesar ended up killing Pompey at war and poisoning
Crassus. Afterwards, he became the sole leading ruler
of Rome.

28. Julius Caesar continued…
 He was loved by the lower class (plebeians) of
Rome, mostly because he wooed them with gifts and
money; the senate started to get really pissed off by
his growing powers.
 The senate started to really get pissed off about his
growing power with the people and his increasing
political powers, so they took matters into their own
hands.

29. Homework:
Instructions:
1. Write a headline for the scene you just
read. Your headline should convey the
most important events of the scene.
-Feel free to be creative and funny, just as
long as you show that you know what
happened in this scene.
Headline Example for Scene 1:
“Two Government Officials Sip on
Haterade and Try to Destroy Caesar’s
Parade”
2. Can a modern day audience still
appreciate the following themes from
Shakespeare’s play: honor, friendship,
loyalty, patriotism, deceit, and revenge?
3. Do differing cultural groups value
concepts such as honor, friendship,
loyalty, patriotism, deceit, or revenge
“Modern Shakespeare”