June 8: Caesar Acts 2-3 Quiz
June 9: Watch
video of Brutus and Antony’s speeches.
Group work: Identify at
least 5 rhetorical
devices in the
speeches of Brutus and Antony. Explain how the
lines of the speech you choose qualify as models for
the rhetorical devices.
Close Reading Questions
8. “Romans, countrymen and
lovers” (Act III Scene2, line13)
a. This is a speech
based on reason (unlike Antony’s later, which is
based on passion). Why does Brutus say the crowd
should believe him?
b. How many words can
you find that are antithetical (that is, in strong
contrast), such as “less”/ “more”, “living”/ “dead”?
What is the cumulative effect?
c. Many words and
phrases are balanced: for example, “As Caesar loved
me, I weep for him ; as he was fortunate, I rejoice
at it; as he was valiant, I honour him”. Find more,
and say why they are calculated to win over the
crowd.
9. “Friends, Romans,
Countrymen, lend me your ears” (Act III Scene 2,
line 71)
a. Antony uses the word
“honourable” to describe Brutus and Cassius eight
times. Each time the way in which it is spoken is
different, and with a different purpose. Carefully
trace the transition from the first “For Brutus was
an honourable man” to “They that have done this deed
are honourable”, explaining how Antony’s oratory has
led the crowd from one point of view to another.
b. In his second
sentence, Antony says he is content to let Caesar’s
good points be buried with his bones. How many good
points does he in fact make before this 35-line
speech is ended?
c. How does Antony
deploy the words “ambition” and “ambitious” to win
over the commoners to hid point of view?
June 10: Begin Reading Act 4 of JULIUS
CAESAR
Homework:
Read modern language version of Julius Caesar, Act
IV
June 11: Complete
Act IV of Julius Caesar
Focus on character and
images of court world/green world.
Discuss Act 4
June 12: Read Act 5 in class.
During the
readings, take notes on tragic elements in the play:
hubris, anagnorisis, perepetia, hamartia, and
catharsis.
If time permits: begin
the following in groups of 4:
17. In his argument
with Cassius in Act IV scene 3, Brutus refers to
Caesar in terms of both praise and criticism. Find
the speech and decide whether
a. the praise is
consistent with earlier references to Caesar’s
qualities and
b. whether the
criticism is so major that Brutus should have
mentioned it earlier.
10. The quarrel scene
(Act IV Scene 2) has been belittled by the critic
Thomas Rymer in the seventeenth century; praised by
John Dryden, his contemporary, for its “masculinity”
in the eighteenth century; admired as an example of
dramatic genius in the nineteenth century (by Samuel
Taylor Coleridge); and dismissed as irrelevant by
twentieth century critic Henry Bradley. Read it
carefully and decide for yourself
a. Whether Brutus is
(i) unrealistic in expecting his allies always to
act honorably or (ii) admirable in his inflexible
attitude toward corruption.
b. Whether Brutus is
(i) arrogant and insensitive towards Cassius at the
beginning of the quarrel or (ii) properly firm and
uncompromising.
c. Whether Brutus is
(i) taunts Cassius or (ii) refuses to be browbeaten
by him (Explain your answer)
d. Whether Brutus is
(i) insultingly cold or (ii) admirable forthright
e. Whether Brutus is
(i) sober form …”hides wrongs” or (ii) whether he is
“armed so strong in honesty” that he cannot
compromise.
Form an opinion of your
own about the character of Brutus as it is revealed
in the quarrel with Cassius from its beginning to
its height.
10. The quarrel scene
(Act IV Scene 3) shows Cassius in many moods.
a. choleric: what are
the reasons for his anger, and are they justified?
b. tormented: how does
Brutus provoke him , and what does Cassius’s
restraint reveal about his personality?
c. passionate: does the
passion throw a new light on his character?
d. affectionate: how
does this show and is it surprising?
e. jocular: which
episode brings out a flash of humor, and what is its
purpose?
f. sympathetically
emotional: would you have expected him to react to
Portia’s death in the way he does? How does it
compare with Brutus’s own response?
g. dependent: what
evidence is there to show that in his relationship
with Brutus, there is another side to Cassius than
the one presented before the assassination?
After finishing the
questions, identify the following parts of Julius Caesar.
(Provide an explanation of each stage and where it
occurs in the play. If you have problems remembering
the terms, go to the top of the page and follow the
Greek Tragedy link for definitions.)
Hamartia
Periptiea
Anagnorisis
Catharsis