Author/Context
Whom is this poet, Ben Johnson, speaking of?
Tri'umph, my Britain, thou hast one to show
To whom all scenes of Europe homage owe.
He was not of an age but for all time!
The patricians and the plebeians
"Brutus, thou sleep'st: awake and see thyself. Shall Rome etc... Speak, strike, redress."
How does Brutus receive this message and who is it from?
Cassius wrote this message as an anonymous letter and had Cinna throw the note upon Brutus' windowsill.
Who stabs Caesar first?
Casca
What are Antony, Octavius, and Lepidus doing at the opening of Act 4?
They are coolly calculating which people must die because they pose political threats — they're making a "hit list!"
1500's
How does Caesar respond to the soothsayer's warning to beware the ides of March?
Caesar says, "He is a dreamer; let us leave him." He disregards the warning.
"I know no personal cause to spurn at him, / But for the general. He would be crown'd: / How that might change his nature, there's the question"
"Thy brother by decree is banished: / If thou dost bend and pray and fawn for him, / I spurn thee like a cur out of my way. / Know, _______ doth not wrong... I am constant as the northern star."
Caesar
They argue over how they share money, how they fill the positions in their armies, and how they are to act justly.
What is one reason Shakespeare is considered the most influential writer in the history of the English language?
Shakespeare invented thousands of words, including arch-villain, birthplace, bloodsucking, courtship, dewdrop, downstairs, fanged, hunchbacked, leapfrog, misquote, radiance, and zany!
At the beginning of Act 1, why are people celebrating in the streets?
They are celebrating Caesar's recent victory over Pompey's sons — the sons of a Roman general and leader who had been at odds with Caesar.
Of what does Calpurnia beg Caesar and why?
She begs him to stay home from the Senate because she fears many omens.
What are Caesar's last words?
"Et tu, Brute? Then fall, Caesar!"
What course of action does Brutus push for?
Brutus wants to march to Philippi to meet the armies of Antony and Octavius. (Cassius wants to wait. He says, "'T is better that the enemy seek us.")
What would it have been like to watch a Shakespearean play in the late 1500's/early 1600's?
It would be the middle of the afternoon. A person of low to average financial status would stand in the pit. There would be some props and little scenery, but grand costumes. Only men acted. People would drink, crack hazelnuts, and eat shellfish.
Yond _________ has a lean and hungry look... Such men as he be never at heart's ease / While they behold a greater than themselves.
Cassius
"... unfold to me, yourself, your half, / Why you are heavy, and what men to-night / Have had resort to you"
"Tell me your counsels, I will not disclose 'em..."
What does Brutus say to the masses at the Forum?
That he slew Caesar for love of Rome, for the freedom of Rome, and for Caesar's ambition.
What is Cassius' attitude going into battle?
He is afraid and somewhat skeptical of success. He notes a bad omen on the way to the battle plains.
What is one of Shakespeare's "nicknames," i.e., one of his popular titles?
The Bard of Avon
Who does Cassius successfully recruit to his conspiracy in Act 1?
Casca
What two propositions does Brutus shoot down when all the conspirators meet on the night of the 14th?
1) to recruit Cicero to the conspiracy
2) to also assassinate Mark Antony
Explain how Mark Antony uses anaphora in his speech to the citizens of Rome.
He repeats, "Yet Brutus says he was ambitious; / And Brutus is an honourable man."
Why does Cassius have Pindarus stab him?
He thinks Titinius has been captured by the enemy and he can't bear to have seen his best friend taken before his face.