Characters
Who is Julius Caesar?
The current emperor of Rome and main character of the play.
Who stops Artemidorus in his attempt to warn Caesar of the plot against him?
Decius
How do the murderers explain the death of Caesar?
The conspirators explain the death of Caesar as something necessary and as a reason to celebrate because Rome is now free of his tyranny.
At the end of Scene 2, where are Brutus and Cassius?
In fear of their lives, they've fled the city.
Define ethos, pathos, and logos.
They are three strategies that are used to persuade an audience.
Ethos: An ethical appeal to the speaker's authority, credibility, or character.
Pathos: An emotional appeal to persuade an audience by appealing to their emotions.
Logos: An appeal to logic that persuades an audience by use of logic or reason.
Who is Cassius?
A Roman senator and general who leads the conspiracy to assassinate Julius Caesar by manipulating Brutus, one of Caesar's most trusted companions.
What happens to make Cassius believe that the news of their conspiracy has been discovered?
Popilus Lena wishes him good luck and Cassius takes this as their plans have been discovered.
What does Mark Antony do when he first confronts the conspirators?
Mark Antony and a servant pretend to be friendly towards the conspirators in order to guarantee his own safety.
According to Brutus, what caused him to kill Caesar?
Caesar was too ambitious and Brutus felt like Caesar's aspirations would lead to Rome's downfall.
What type of rhetorical appeal is being used in the description below?
Charity organizations show images of starving orphans living in dire conditions who need your help with monthly financial support.
Pathos
Who is Brutus?
A Roman politician and general that is one of Caesar's closest friends and is well-liked by the citizens. Cassius convinces him to join the conspiracy to assassinate Caesar.
What does Metellus Cimber do as a ploy to engage Caesar’s attention?
Metellus Cimber begs Caesar to remove his brother from exile.
What huge mistake does Brutus make in this act?
Brutus allows Mark Antony to take Caesar's corpse and make a speech in front of the people of Rome.
Antony does a good job of using pathos to stir the emotions of the crowd. He knows, however, that this alone is not enough to fully commit the crowd to his side. His final strategy is what does it. In this final strategy, Antony appeals to the crowd’s greed. What, does he say, was in Caesar’s will for the people?
The will calls for 75 drachmas (currency) to be given to every man and for Caesar's land to be donated as public parks.
What type of rhetorical appeal is being used in the description below?
A memoir is a first-person account of a notable moment in an author’s life. It conveys their personal experiences and their perspective about those experiences, making them a reliable voice for the narrative.
Ethos
Who is Artemidorus?
A character in the play who attempts to warn Caesar of the conspiracy by writing him a letter.
Does Cassius give himself half-heartedly to his conspiracy, or does he commit himself fully?
Cassius gives him fully to the conspiracy and we know this because he states he'll kill himself if the plan fails.
How do we know that Mark Antony’s show of friendship for the conspirators is just an act?
Mark Antony shakes the hands of each of the conspirators, which is a seemingly friendly gesture, but he was actually taking note of each person and marking them for death.
In Act 3, Scene 3, why does the angry mob attack Cinna, the poet?
He shares the same name as one of the conspirators. He is innocent, but the mob's mentality has gone wild.
What type of rhetorical appeal is being used in the description below?
A doctor explaining to a patient why they need a specific treatment based on medical research and test results.
Logos
Who is Cinna?
A poet who is wrongly killed at the hands of the Romans only because he happens to share the same name as one of the conspirators.
Is Caesar conceited or truly humble?
Caesar is conceited because he compares himself to the Northern Star and how he is more constant than any other man.
What does Antony really mean when he says Brutus and his friends are “honorable” men?
He says this to be ironic and actually means the opposite.
In his speech, Antony lists three times when Caesar was not ambitious. What are the three times that Antony mentions to prove that Caesar is not overly ambitious or conceited?
1. Caesar gives the spoils of war to the people of Rome.
2. Caesar denies the crown three times when it's offered to him during the holiday.
3. When the poor people of Rome were crying, Caesar wept with them.
What type of rhetorical appeal is used in Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous speech, "I Have a Dream"? After you have chosen the rhetorical appeal be sure to explain why.
Martin Luther King Jr. uses pathos to appeal to his audience by connecting with their emotions in order to prove his points and persuade them.