Julius Caesar

Julius Caesar Study Guide Compiled by Laura Cole, Director of Education [email protected] For The Atlanta Shakespeare Company at The New American Shakespeare Tavern 499 Peachtree St. NE, ready to rule Rome, and a tremendous motivator Atlanta, GA 30308 of men. Phone: 404-874-5299 x 58 www.shakespearetavern.com Calphurnia: Caesar’s wife. She is barren, and given to prophetic dreams. Casca: A Tribune of Rome, and a conspirator Original Practice and Playing against Caesar. He relates several facts of Shakespeare Caesar’s offstage behavior at the beginning of the play. Brutus: Tribune of Rome, chief conspirator. He The Shakespeare Tavern on Peachtree Street “was the noblest Roman of them all”, an is an Original Practice Playhouse. Original “honorable man”. Practice is the active exploration and implementation of Elizabethan stagecraft Marc Antony: Favorite of Caesar. He likes plays and acting techniques. and music. He is also an athlete. For the Atlanta Shakespeare Company Cassius: Chief conspirator. He walks through the (ASC) at The New American Shakespeare storm at the beginning of the play, waiting for lightning to strike him, and prove his Tavern this means every ASC production extraordinary nature. features hand-made period costumes, live, actor-generated sound effects, and live Cinna, Decius Brutus, Metellus Cimber, period music performed on period Trebonius, Caius Ligarius: Conspirators instruments in our Elizabethan playhouse. against Caesar. Our casts are trained to speak directly to the Lucius: Servant and friend of Brutus. Pindarus: audience instead of ignoring the audience Cassius’ servant through the modern convention of acting with a “4th wall.” Portia: Brutus’ wife. The daughter of Cato, an ally of Pompey, who killed himself, rather than You will experience all of this and more submit to Caesar. when you see ASC’s Julius Caesar. Octavius Caesar: Triumvir after Caesar’s death, allied with Marc Antony. Who’s Who in Julius Caesar Lepidus: Another Triumvir after Caesar’s death Flavius and Murellus: Tribunes of Rome. They Cinna: A poet. In the wrong place at the wrong time. were supposed to keep the republican traditions of Rome, but these guys don’t have much fellow feeling Cicero, Publius, Popilius Lena: Senators for “the People” Lucillius, Titinius, Messala, young Cato, Strato: Supporters of Brutus and Cassius. Officers in A Carpenter & a Cobbler: Cobblers and the rebel army. Carpenters were known for independence. Clitus: Will not kill Cassius. Artemidourus: gives Julius Caesar: Roman military commander Caesar a warning. extraordinaire. As the play starts, he has just defeated Pompey. Caesar is vain, Soldiers, servants, messengers, and a Soothsayer. Julius Caesar Study Guide page 2 the portents of greatness. Cassius and The Story another senator, Cinna, arrive, and the 3 of them plan to meet at Brutus’ house to In ancient Rome, the general Julius Caesar convince him to join their conspiracy. has just defeated the general Pompey in a bloody civil war. The people celebrate Later that night (the night before the ides of Caesar’s victory and the Tribunes scold March) Brutus reads the anonymous notes them for their disloyalty to Pompey. The sent by Cassius and says, “ Th’abuse of people have placed crowns and other greatness is when it disjoins remorse from trophies on Caesar’s statue. The Tribunes power.” Cassius and the others arrive, and decide to take them off. Brutus shakes hands with all of them, joining their conspiracy. They discuss the Caesar enters, followed by his wife possibility of killing Antony as well as Calphurnia, and several senators, including Caesar, but Brutus convinces them that his friend, Marc Antony. They are on their Antony is harmless, and that he should live. way to the celebration of Lupercal, a Roman They leave, with an agreement to show festival. He is stopped in his path by a themselves “true Romans”. soothsayer, a person who can tell the future, and told “beware the Ides of March” The Brutus’ wife, Portia enters and confronts Ides of March was the middle of the month, Brutus about his recent behavior. She asks th or March 15 , which is just around the him to tell her what’s troubling him. She corner. They continue on their way to the believes a husband should confide in his festivities. Brutus and Cassius remain wife and then wounds her own leg, to prove behind. that she can stoically bear pain, as well as keep his secrets. He agrees to tell her later. Cassius talks to Brutus about how powerful Caesar has become, and implies that he is The next morning at Caesar’s house, undeserving. The conversation is Calphurnia demands that Caesar stay at punctuated several times by cheers from the home. She’s had nightmares about Caesar’s nearby celebration. Caesar returns with his murder so he agrees to stay home, and entourage, in a state of disorder and unease. instructs Decius (a conspirator) to tell the He sees Cassius and Brutus, and speaks to Senate. Decius hints that Caesar would be Antony about his distrust of Cassius, saying laughed at if he chooses to stay at home “Yond Cassius has a lean and hungry because of his wife’s dreams. look”. Caesar decides to go, calling Calphurnia’s They leave, continuing their conversation. fears foolish. When he arrives at the Capitol, Brutus and Cassius detain Casca, a senator several conspirators gather around him, who was with Caesar, and ask him why the pretending to beg him to change his mind crowd was shouting. Casca explains that about a decision he’s made. As the Antony offered Caesar a crown three times, conspirators crowd around Caesar, he which Caesar refused each time. Casca refuses them and insults them. Crying believes Caesar really wanted it. Because of “Speak hands for me!” Casca stabs Caesar, their concern that Caesar wants to be a King, the rest of the senators follow suit. Brutus, the three senators plan to meet later. the last one, strikes as Caesar says “Et tu, After Brutus and Casca leave, Cassius Brute?” (“And you Brutus?”) Brutus tells reveals his plan to send Brutus anonymous the conspirators to bathe their hands in messages, which express the danger. Caesar’s blood, and proclaim Rome’s Caesar’s increasing power poses to the freedom from tyranny. Republic. That evening there is a terrifying, magnificent storm and Casca is thrilled at Julius Caesar Study Guide page 3 Right before the battle begins, Brutus and Cassius talk about what will happen if they Antony mourns the death of Caesar, but lose. They say goodbye, in case they never does not confront the assassins. He asks to see each other again. The battle begins. speak at Caesar’s funeral. Brutus agrees, over Cassius’ objections. Cassius, mistakenly believing that all is lost, orders a soldier to stab him. He dies, saying, Alone with Caesar’s body, Antony praises “Caesar, thou art revenged, even with the his friend and curses his murderers. He sword that killed thee” Titinius and Brutus prophesies death, destruction and horror for arrive to tell Cassius of their victory, and Rome, and imagines that Caesar’s spirit, discover he is dead. seeking revenge, will unleash the “dogs of The battle continues, and Brutus starts to war”. A servant arrives, to tell Antony that lose. As the enemy approaches, the soldiers Caesar’s nephew Octavius has arrived in flee, urging Brutus to follow. He refuses, Rome. Out in the streets, the citizens and convinces a soldier to hold his sword, demand an explanation for Caesar’s death. while he runs on it, killing himself. Brutus tells them that Caesar died because Octavius and Antony arrive and see Brutus’ of his ambition, and appeals to their sense of dead body. Antony speaks respectfully of patriotism as free Romans. The crowd Brutus, while Octavius takes charge and cheers Brutus. Brutus asks them to stay and celebrates. listen to Antony. Before a Performance, Think In his speech, Antony praises Caesar, and About This: calls Brutus and his fellow conspirators honorable men. Then he questions Brutus Physical Actions Revealed: assessment of Caesar’s ambition. He speaks Suit the deed to the word, the word to the about his love for Caesar, and moves the deed. Where are there examples of the text crowd to pity. He shows the crowd Caesar’s itself telling the reader what the physical bloody, torn cloak, and describes his death. action on stage should be? Example: The people demand revenge and begin to “Speak hands for me!” Act 3, scene i, or riot. As the crowd storms away, Antony “Away, slight man” Act 4, scene iii. says, “Now let it work. Mischief, thou art afoot”. We find out that Brutus and Cassius Theatergoing Then and Now: have been forced to flee Rome. Find out what the typical Elizabethan audience was like and imagine what a The armies of Brutus and Cassius meet performance might have been like back outside of Rome. Cassius and Brutus have a then. What is different about theatre going passionate argument, with accusations flying nowadays? The answers may surprise you! between them, until Cassius offers to kill Clue: What would this play be like to watch himself. When they finally reconcile, Brutus outside, in the light of day? tells Cassius that Portia is dead, having killed herself by swallowing fire. They learn that Antony and Octavius, with their During a Performance, Watch And armies, are approaching, having put 100 Listen For This: senators to death. In Act 2 , sc i, Brutus says “I have not slept. The night before the battle, Caesar’s ghost Between the acting of a dreadful thing appears to Brutus in his tent. and the first motion, all the interim is The next morning, the generals meet and like a phantasma or a hideous dream:” exchange accusations and insults.

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