The Tragedy of Julius Caesar - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

The Tragedy of Julius Caesar

William ShakespeareSlide2

Shakespeare’s Tragedies

Plays that tell of a reversal of fortune, from good to bad, experienced by a man or woman, usually of noble birth

Sometimes

based on historical characters

(people who existed in real life)

Hero

displays a

“tragic flaw,”

a characteristic that

brings about his downfall

Emphasizes the

hero’s internal conflict

Commoners

play

supporting roles

and

provide comic relief in humorous scenes

that serve as a

break from intense emotions of the playSlide3

Tragedy structure

Always in five Acts

The

crisis, the turning point

that determines how the play will end, occurs in Act III

The

climax, point of greatest emotional tension

, often occurs in Act V, when the catastrophe, or disaster, happens to the heroSlide4

Text aids

Called

Glosses, or side notes,

vc

for

a play

,

are located on the side bars of the play, provide the definitions of unfamiliar words or phrases, background information, and/or explanation of references within the play

Stage directions,

explain setting, when characters exit or enter, directions for actors (

in Shakespeare’s plays—confined to when actors enter or exit—other directions are from editors of the play to help modern directors

)Slide5

Language of Shakespeare

Uses blank verse

: unrhymed iambic pentameter (5 stressed syllables and 5 unstressed syllables—alternating), used for those of noble birth

Uses

prose:

ordinary form of written language, used for those of common birthSlide6

Pun

A play on words that involves two words that sound alike but have different meanings or a word that has several meanings

Often called the

lowest form of humor

Elizabethan audiences loved punsSlide7

anachronisms

Chronologically misplaced events, time, words, or details that help make the play more accessible to audiences the play was written forSlide8

Shakespeare alive (

pg 889)

Shakespeare and his audience viewed nature and society as a unified whole

“

the Great

C

hain of Being

” from the lowliest creature in the natural world all the way to God, connects these worlds to each other, and “the hierarchy of one is mirrored in the others”

“since all living things were linked by the Great Chain of Being, violations of order in society were thought to set off violent disturbances in the heavens or the world of nature”Slide9

Elizabethan England

Intellectual world of the Renaissance (rebirth of intellect)

Religious world of the

reformation

World expansion

Rank, social status, and rules of propriety(how to act), were extremely important to people of this society

“

clothing acts” laws

that specified the clothing to be worn by different classes of people (largely ignored, but reflected the beliefs of the times)Slide10

Shakespeare’s life

Born April 23, 1564

Stratford-on-Avon

Father was middle class—glove maker

Received education—classics—solid foundation

1582 marries Anne Hathaway

1583 has daughter, Susanna

1585 has twins, Judith and

Hamnet

May have been a school master for a short time

During 1580’s found the theater

By 1594, part owner of Lord Chamberlain’s Men, an acting company

Wrote plays for company and acted as well

1603, Queen Elizabeth dies, James I is King, renames company “King’s Men”

1610—prosperous now—retires to Stratford-on-Avon

Dies on April 23, 1616 (birthday)

During lifetime wrote 37 plays, numerous sonnetsSlide11

ACT I: The Tragedy of Julius Caesar

Introduction to conflict between people in Rome:

Some are happy with Caesar as a leader

Others are not happy with Caesar and fear he will try to take too much powerSlide12

Act I: Nobles vs. Commoners

Nobles/ Commoners:

Nobles are dressed per their station

Reprimand commoners for not wearing their work clothes (clothing laws of Elizabethan times) and taking a holiday (for Caesar’s return from defeating Pompey’s sons)

Commoners wearing their “dress” clothes, not their work clothes—breaking the

clothing laws of Elizabethan England—anachronism

Commoners speak in prose/ nobles in blank verse

Commoners having fun at noble’s expense—using puns—providing comic relief and sharp contrast with anger of noblesSlide13

Conflict

Conflict:

struggle between two opposing forces

1. Internal Conflict:

Man verses self:

character in conflict with himself/herself

2. External Conflict: character in conflict with some outside force

Man verses man:

character(s) struggle with other character(s)

Man verses nature:

character struggles with some natural element (storm, desert, etc.)

Man verses society:

character in struggle against society norms (government, laws, other societies, ideals, etc.)Slide14

Act I: Conflict

Conflict between those who support Caesar and those who don’t is introduced on small scale between two tribunes and several commoners

“commoners” represent the “mob” or most of the common people of Rome; they are like a character together—

Not concerned overly with politics/ more concerned with holidays and day to day events of their world

Can be made to change their beliefs easily by listening to the words of others

Are fickle when it comes to supporting ideas (did support Pompey when he was ruler of Rome, but now that Caesar is ruler, they support him as well, even though he conquered Pompey and his forces and killed Pompey’s sons)Slide15

Act I: conflict, continued

The small scale conflict introduced in Act I, scene I, between the supporters and non-supporters of Caesar is foreshadowing a larger conflict of these two groups in later ActsSlide16

Motif

a recurring object, concept, or structure in a work of literature.

A

motif is important because it allows one to see main points and themes that the author is trying to express, in order that one might be able to interpret the work more accurately. Slide17

Act I: Motifs introduced

Blood

—”life-giving” or “life-ending” can be associated with a sacrifice (like a religious ceremony)/ or a purging of the “bad” blood in order to heal; can also be associated with death

“mob-mentality”—the mob is easily swayed into believing different things; they are not constant in their beliefs or behavior and are able to be changed in their beliefs or behavior by others’ words or deedsSlide18

Symbols/ motifs in Act I

“Pompey’s blood” –killing of Pompey’s sons, which Caesar has just done (

pg

895)

“blood”—symbolizing “life-giving” or “life-ending” (

pg

896)—becomes a motif throughout the play

“feast of

Lupercal

”—a religious ceremony—celebrating two Gods:

Luperus

and Faunas—gods of Fertility and Purgation—purging/ symbolizing the purging of the “old” Rome under Pompey’s rule to the “new” Rome under Caesar; merged with a celebration of the Founders of Rome—Romulus and Remus, two brothers/ symbolizing the old rule is over for Rome and Caesar brings the “new” order for Rome—the symbolism is that of a religious and political celebration, one where Caesar is “god-like” and the head of the new political leader of Rome (

pg

896)Slide19

Symbols, continued

“Caesar’s wing”—(

pg

896) the reference is made to Caesar being a “hawk,” which is a predator. This reference indicates that he is grown more powerful than the “ordinary” birds or people in power; by “clipping” his wings, the nobles may strip him of that power which he claims and therefore keep him from “soaring” in power above the “us” the other political leaders—for if he does, they fear he would make all of them slaves in fear of their lives

Shakespeare uses

a

synecdoche

:

a figure of speech by which a part is put for the whole;

or the

whole for a part Slide20

Characters—Act I: Scene iSlide21

T

heme

Theme:

The central message or insight into life revealed through a literary

work (a common thread or repeated idea that is incorporated throughout a literary work. A theme is a thought or idea the author presents to the reader that may be deep, difficult to understand, or even moralistic. Generally, a theme has to be extracted as the reader explores the passages of a work. The author utilizes the characters, plot, and other literary devices to assist the reader in this endeavor.

)

Universal theme:

a message or insight into life that can be understood by almost any culture. Slide22

Act I: themes introduced

Class system is flawed; power is not equal among the commoners and nobles—people are treated differently and this causes conflict that will not end up well—will lead to unstable society.

“

Blood begets blood

”—the spillin

g of blood will only end up with more blood spilling

Conflict brings more conflict: between nobles and

commoners progresses—feelings about Caesar

are completely different (some like Caesar/others do not) –this small conflict will be played out in a large conflict concerning the same concept later in the play

Politics are more important for nobles than for commoners; nobles are political makers and commoners are political followers/ they have no say in politics—will lead to unstable society. Slide23