Julius Caesar

By: Linh Tran, Stephanie Luu, Tiffany

Nguyen, Robert Nguyen, Vivian Nguyen,
Jessica Gonzalez, Matthew Fukumoto,
Julie Nguyen, Lesley Martinez, Sandy
Nguyen, Tina Vu, Thai Nguyen, Danh
Nguyen, David Phan
Key Quotes
"The Ides of March are come/ Ay, Caesar, but not gone."
(3.1.1-2)
The prophecy to "beware the Ides of March" told by the seer has
not come true, according to Caesar. However, the prophecy can
still be made, the Soothsayer tells him.
"Et tu, Brute?" (3.1.77)
These last words Caesar says before his death show his
disappointment in Brutus in the sense that his own friend had
betrayed him.
"Why com'st thou?/To tell thee thou shalt see me at Philippi"
(4.3.279-80)
Caesar's ghost tells Brutus that he will see him at Philippi.
This serves as a warning similar to how Caesar recieved a
warning when he went to the Senate.
Key Quotes (continued)
"O Caesar, read mine first; for mine's a suit/ That
touches Caesar nearer. Read it, great Caesar." (3.1.6-7)
At this moment, Caesar assumes he is a good emperor by
trying to put his people before him and therefore ignoring
the warning.
"And we must take the current when it serves,/ Or lose
our ventures." (4.3.220-221)
Brutus uses these words to convince Cassius to begin the
battle against Octavius and Antony, telling him to "go with
the flow" before the opportunity is lost.
Symbolism
The number 3 - In ancient times, the number three was
sometimes associated with Pluto (Greek Hades), the god of death.
Shakespeare uses the number three as a foreshadowing tool and
uses it to symbolize a bad happening in the story.
Omens/Prophecies - There were numerous omens and
prophecies revealed that represented the impending misfortune of
Caesar's demise.
Weather - Like in Macbeth, the weather symbolizes and
foreshadows an upcoming event. If the weather is filled with
thunder and lightning, something bad is going to happen.
Birds - Birds play a large role in symbolizing an event. Different
types of birds represented different things, dark birds usually
symbolized dark things while "magestic" birds symbolized honor
or goodness.
Animal Imagery
Shakespeare uses animals to describe characters in
scenes so that the reader can imagine the scene in a
more detailed way.
"A lioness hath whelped in the streets /.../ Horses did
neigh and dying men did groan" (2.2.17-23)
"Plucking the entrails of an offering forth, / They could
not find a heart within the beast" (2.2.39-40).
"Pardon me, Julius! Here wast thou bayed, brave hart,/
Here didst thou fall, and here thy hunters stand /.../ How
like a deer, stroken by many princes, / Dost thou here
lie!" (3.1.204-210).
Clothing Imagery
The clothing in the play is used to show position and
power.

"You all do know this mantle; I remember/ The first time
ever Caesar put it on/ Twas on a summer's evening, in
his tent,/ That day he overcame the Nervii..." (3.2.171-
179)
"Even at the base of Pompey's statue...." (3.2.189-195)


Weather Imagery
Weather plays a major role in Shakespeare's plays.
Shakespeare uses weather to set the mood, as
well as foreshadow the events of the scene.
Act 1 Scene 3: Stormy weather, violent, not the
weather people would expect to be out in. However
it is a great cover for things needed to be kept
secret.
Act 3 Scene 1: Day time, clear skies. This scene
shows the other role that weather plays. Rather
than foreshadowing by the weather, it shows that in
the clear day, the truth is revealed.
- Marcus Brutus: motivated to kill Julius Caesar for the greater good
of Rome
- Julius Caesar: motivated by power and the idea of absolute
power for himself

- Cassius and other conspirators: motivated to kill Caesar
due to personal hatred and jealousy against him
- Antony: motivated by both personal ambition and loyalty to
Caesar
- Octavius: motivated to get back revenge for Caesar's death
-
Character Motivation
Themes
Power: the conspirators killed Caesar because they know
that he is heading for absolute power, and they think he is a
threat to the Roman republic
Friendship: men in the play must choose between loyalty
to his friends or rather be loyal to the country
Pride: his ambition is a blinding force in which he cannot
see that he is being a tyrant, and it also prevents him from
being cautious of the conspirators who were planning to get
rid of him
Idealism: Brutus wishes for perfection in life, and fearing
that Caesar might be too powerful one day, he joins the
conspirators.
Social Aspects
One of the later plays written by Shakespeare
during Queen Elizabeth's reign.
Reflects anxiety of England over succession of
leadership.
English Renaissance and Elizabethan theatre.
Patriarchal society; women's rights determined by
rank in social hierarchy
Political Aspects
During the England Renaissance, many political
issues were involved which may have influenced
Shakespeare's work because he was highly
obsessed with Roman politics. After death of
Queen Elizabeth, subjects were stressed out as of
what would happen upon the monarch's throne.
During the Roman world in Caesar's time, the
generals had enormous individual power and
placed cruel taxes on the conquered people.
Political Aspects (continued)
Shakespeare has written Julius Caesar in ways to
raise political concerns that Romans encountered.
Roman Generals often turned on one another,
because they were strong men battling for higher
power. Therefore, this lead the generals Caesar
and Pompey to clash in the civil war.
Although there were many earlier Elizabethan plays
on the subject of Julius Caesar, Shakespeare's
intense study on Roman political life helped him
write and recount the issue of Brutus and the other
conspirators in his play.
Religious Aspects
Julius Caesar believed that Rome was destined to rule the world.
Also the purpose to bring civilization to the world.
At that time, England was predominantly Christian.
Romans in general believe in Roman Gods that concerned their
everyday life. (Ex. Apollo, Venus, Ceres)
Examples:
"Why, man he doth bestride the narrow world like a Colossus"
(Cassius, Act 1, Scene 2) This is an allusion to the Colossus of
Rhodes, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.
"I, as Aeneas our great ancestor, did from the flames of Troy upon
his shoulder the old Anchises bear.." (Cassius, Act 1, scene 2)
Aeneas was the son of Anchises and Aphrodite. He is associated
with the founding of Rome, and his story is told in Virgil's Aeneid.
Prose
Commoners
Logic
Examples:
"Truly, sir, all that I live by is with the awl: I / meddle
with no tradesman's matters, nor women's / matters..." -
Cobbler (1.1.21-24)
"I can as well be hanged as tell the manner of it: it was
mere foolery; I did not mark it. I saw Mark Antony offer
him a crown--yet 'twas not a crown..." -Casca (1.2.233-
235)
"Romans, countrymen, and lovers, hear me for
my cause, and be silent, that you may hear. Believe
me for mine honor, and have respect to mine honor,
that..." -Brutus (3.2.12-15)
Poetry
Nobility
Emotions
Examples:
"Either there is a civil strife in heaven, / Or else the
world, too saucy with the gods, / Incenses them to
send destruction" - Casca (1.3.11-13)
"O Pardon me, thou bleeding piece of earth, / That I
am meek and gentle with these butchers!" - Mark
Antony (3.1.254-256)
"Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears;
/ I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him..." - Mark
Antony (3.2.75-76)
Critical Analysis
What one critic says about Julius Ceasar is, "The titular hero
perishes before half of the play is done; and his place is taken
first by Antony and then by Brutus."
Shakespeare's use of characters dying early in the play,
causes other characters to take his or her place.
Ceasar is supported for his victory over Pompey. While
Brutus was accepted by the Romans with good reasoning to
the Romans. Antony was able to coax the countrymen into
siding with him using their emotions.
How Do We Relate?

Shakespeare
Tragic amount of unchecked
greed and ambition: Cassius's
desire for power only led to his
destruction.
Pride: ...tell thee what is to be
feared / Than what I fear; for
always I am Caesar (1.2.212-
213)
Power of Speech: Mark
Anthony's funeral oration in Act
3 turns people against
conspirators
Today
Gambling is a form how
greed leads us to want to
continue playing and even
end up losing everything
Pride leads us to make bad
choices.
False rumors cause severe
damage through the conflicts
it rises in someone's life.
Shakespeare in Media
1937 : Julius Caesar (Orson Welles)
1950 : Julius Caesar (David Bradley)
1953 : Julius Caesar (Joseph L. Mankiewicz)
1964 : Carry On Cleo (Gerald Thomas)
1994 : The Animated Shakespeare: Julius Caesar (Yuri Kulakov)
2004 : Mean Girls
2005 : Denzel Washington played a role in
the Broadway production of Julius Caesar
Julius Caesar Videos
http://www.cambio.
com/2011/10/03/julius-caesar/?
sem=1&ncid=searchnew00000020
&s_kwcid=TC
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=fZdoeXSLkwc
Works Cited
"Carry On Cleo: Plot." Wikipedia. 6 Oct 2011. Online. 6 Dec 2011.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carry_On_Cleo.>
Ward & Trent, et al. The Cambridge History of English and American
Literature. New York: G.P. Putnams Sons, 190721; New York:
Bartleby.com, 2000 <www.bartleby.com/cambridge/.> 6 Dec 2011.

Long, Bill. "Animals and Julius Caesar." Dr. Bill Long. 4 Dec.
2011. <http://www.drbilllong.com/ShakeJC/Animals.html>.