06l07 Youth Education Creative Teachers...Intelligent Students...Real Learning Royal Shakespeare Company Julius Caesar Dress Rehearsal Teacher Resource Guide
About UMS One of the oldest performing arts presenters in the country, UMS serves diverse audiences through multidisciplinary performing arts programs in three distinct but interrelated areas: presentation, creation, and education. With a program steeped in music, dance, theater, and education, UMS hosts approximately 80 performances and 150 free educational activities each season. UMS also commissions new work, sponsors artist residencies, and organizes collaborative projects with local, national as well as many international partners. While proudly affiliated with the University of Michigan and housed on the Ann Arbor campus, UMS is a separate not-for-profit organization that supports itself from ticket sales, grants, contributions, and endowment income. UMS Education and Audience Development Department UMS s Education and Audience Development Department seeks to deepen the relationship between audiences and art, as well as to increase the impact that the performing arts can have on schools and community. The program seeks to create and present the highest quality arts education experience to a broad spectrum of community constituencies, proceeding in the spirit of partnership and collaboration. The department coordinates dozens of events with over 100 partners that reach more than 50,000 people annually. It oversees a dynamic, comprehensive program encompassing workshops, in-school visits, master classes, lectures, youth and family programming, teacher professional development workshops, and meet the artist opportunities, cultivating new audiences while engaging existing ones. For advance notice of Youth Education events, join the UMS Teachers email list by emailing umsyouth@umich.edu or visit www.ums.org/education. UMS greatefuly acknowleges the following corporation, foundations, and government agenies for their generous support of the UMS Youth Education Program: Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs University of Michigan Arts at Michigan Arts Midwest Performing Arts Fund Kathy Benton and Robert Brown Bank of Ann Arbor Chamber Music America Pat and Dave Clyde Doris Duke Charitable Foundation DTE Energy Foundation Dykema Gossett, PLLC The Esperance Family Foundaion Dr. Toni Hoover, in memory of Dr. Issac Thomas III JazzNet Endowment James A. & Faith Knight Foundation Masco Corporation Foundation THE MOSAIC FOUDATION (of R. & P. Heydon) National Dance Project of the New England Foundation for the Arts NEA Jazz Masters on Tour Pfizer Global Research and Development, Ann Arbor Laboratories Randall and Mary Pittman ProQuest Company Prudence and Amnon Rosenthal K-12 Education Endowment Fund Target Corporation TCF Bank UMS Advisory Committee University of Michigan Credit Union U-M Office of the Senior Vice Provost for Academic Affairs U-M Office of the Vice President for Research Wallace Endowment Fund Whitney Fund at the Community Foundation for Southeastern Michigan Cover Photo: Brutus stabs Julius Casesar in the RSC production of Julius Caesar. Photo by Pual Ros. This Teacher Resource Guide is a product of the University Musical Society s Youth Education Program. Researched and written by Bree Juarez. Edited by Ben Johnson and Bree Juarez. All photos are courtesy of the artist unless otherwise noted.
06/07 UMS Youth Education Royal Shakespeare Company Julius Caesar Dress Rehearsal Friday, October 27, 2:30pm Power Center, Ann Arbor TEACHER RESOURCE GUIDE Education and Community Engagement Programs supported by Official Airline of the 2006 RSC residency Additional support provided by The Power Foundation. Supported by the Prudence and Amnon Rosenthal K-12 Education Endowment Fund. Funded in part by the Detroit Auto Dealers Association Charitable Foundation Fund of the Community Foundation for Southeastern Michigan. Funded in part by the Whitney Fund at the Community Foundation for Southeastern Michigan.
Table of Contents About the Performance * 6 Coming to the Show * 7 The Performance at a Glance Royal Shakespeare Company * 10 About the RSC 13 Behind the Scenes at the RSC Short on Time? We ve starred the most important pages. Only Have 15 Minutes? Try pages 7, 10, and 35 Julius Caesar 17 Cast of Characters 22 Scene Synopsis * 31 Themes in Julius Caesar Shakespeare * 35 Biography of William Shakespeare 37 Shakespeare Family Tree Lesson Plans 39 Curriculum Connections 40 Meeting Michigan Standards * 42 Assessing Prior Knowledge 43 Lesson 1: It s Shakespeare! 45 Handout1: The Survey Says... 46 Handout 2: What Do You Know??? 47 Handout 3: Shakespeare in School 48 Lesson 2: Getting Into Character 49 Handout 4: A Monologue 50 Create Your Own UMS 51 Theater Vocabulary 59 Theater Vocabulary Word-O Resources * 61 UMS Permission Slip 62 Internet Resources 63 Recommended Reading 64 Community Resources 66 How to Contact UMS 4 www.ums.org/education
Brutus (John Light) and Cassius (Finbar Lynch) in Julius Caesar About the Performance
Coming to the Show (For Students) 6 www.ums.org/education We want you to enjoy your time in the theater, so here are some tips to make your Youth Performance experience successful and fun! Please review this page prior to attending the performance. What should I do during the show? Everyone is expected to be a good audience member. This keeps the show fun for everyone. Good audience members... Are good listeners Keep their hands and feet to themselves Do not talk or whisper during the performance Laugh only at the parts that are funny Do not eat gum, candy, food or drink in the theater Stay in their seats during the performance Do not disturb the people sitting nearby or other schools in attendance Who will meet us when we arrive? After you exit the bus, UMS Education staff and greeters will be outside to meet you. They might have special directions for you, so be listening and follow their directions. They will take you to the theater door where ushers will meet your group. The greeters know that your group is coming, so there s no need for you to have tickets. Who will show us where to sit? The ushers will walk your group to its seats. Please take the first seat available. (When everybody s seated, your teacher will decide if you can rearrange yourselves.) If you need to make a trip to the restroom before the show starts, ask your teacher. How will I know that the show is starting? You will know the show is starting because the lights in the auditorium will get dim, and a member of the UMS Education staff will come out on stage to introduce the performance. What if I get lost? Please ask an usher or a UMS staff member for help. You will recognize these adults because they have name tag stickers or a name tag hanging around their neck. How do I show that I liked what I saw and heard? The audience shows appreciation during a performance by clapping. In a musical performance, the musicians and dancers are often greeted with applause when they first appear. It is traditional to applaud at the end of each musical selection and sometimes after impressive solos. At the end of the show, the performers will bow and be rewarded with your applause. If you really enjoyed the show, give the performers a standing ovation by standing up and clapping during the bows. For this particular show, it will be most appropriate to applaud at the beginning and the ending. What do I do after the show ends? Please stay in your seats after the performance ends, even if there are just a few of you in your group. Someone from UMS will come onstage and announce the names of all the schools. When you hear your school s name called, follow your teachers out of the auditorium, out of the theater and back to your buses. How can I let the performers know what I thought? We want to know what you thought of your experience at a UMS Youth Performance. After the performance, we hope that you will be able to discuss what you saw with your class. Tell us about your experiences in a letter or drawing. Please send your opinions, letters or artwork to: UMS Youth Education Program, 881 N. University Ave., Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1011.
The Performance at a Glance What is the Royal Shakespeare Company? The RSC is one of the world s best-known theater companies. Every year the Company plays to over 500, 000 theatre-goers at performances staged across the world. The RSC plays throughout the year at its home in Stratford-upon-Avon, the town where Shakespeare was born and died. The Company also performs regularly in London and at an annual RSC residency in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. In addition, the Company tours throughout the UK and internationally, including residencies with universities and performing centers in the US. The Company s mission is to keep in touch with Shakespeare as a contemporary, but also to keep modern audiences, artists and writers in touch with Shakespeare. The Company s repertoire also includes other Renaissance dramatists, and the work of international and contemporary writers. The aim is to give as many people as possible, from all walks of life, a richer and fuller understanding of theater. Through events, education, and outreach programs the RSC continually strives to engage people with the experience of live performance. The RSC today is still at its heart an ensemble company. Everyone in the Company, from directors, actors, and writers to production, administrative, technical, and workshop staff, all collaborate in the RSC s distinctive and unmistakable approach to theater. A brief plot of Julius Caesar The action begins with the celebration of the Roman fertility festival of Lupercal, during which Mark Antony offers a crown to Julius Caesar. Although Caesar rejects the crown, fear that too much power has already been concentrated in one man leads several prominent members of Republican Rome to plot Caesar s assassination. Cassius persuades the respected Brutus to join the conspiracy. Disregarding the prophetic dream of his wife Calpurnia, Caesar goes to the Capitol on the Ides of March (March 15) and is killed by the conspirators. In their speeches to the people of Rome, Brutus and Antony present contrasting views of the conspirators motives. The people turn against the conspirators, who are forced to flee Rome. Julius Caesar is fundamentally about power - how it works and what it does to individuals. No one in the play is exempt from the intoxication of power... -David Farr, director of the RSC s 2004 production of Julius Caesar Antony joins forces with Caesar s nephew Octavius and leads an army against the forces of Brutus and Cassius. The battle goes against the conspirators. Cassius commits suicide. Brutus, sensing defeat and haunted by Caesar s ghost, also kills himself. Who was William Shakespeare? William Shakespeare is considered one of the world s finest playwrights of all time. Writing in England during the late 1500s during Queen Elizabeth I s reign, he quickly established himself as a poet, actor, and playwright. He mastered the comic and tragic dramatic forms and introduced over 2,000 new vocabulary words into the English language. Shakespeare is read by nearly every American student and is perhaps best known for Romeo and Juliet, MacBeth, Hamlet, and A Midsummer Night s Dream. 7 www.ums.org/education
The Performance at a Glance Who was the real Julius Caesar? Shakespeare s work is the fullest expression of the dilemmas that we as humans face...he s incapable of not seeing two sides of a situation so there s always drama and there s always conflict. -Michael Boyd, RSC Artistic Director Gaius Julius Caesar was born on July 13, 100 BC to a patrician family who claimed descendance from a long line of kings and Roman gods. Caesar began his career in the Roman courts, where he became a successful advocate and a highly respected orator. In 62 BC, he was elected to Rome s second ranking political office, the praetorship. This was the beginning of a Caesar s great career where he would eventually be elected to the consulship, Rome s highest political office. During his consulship, Caesar was especially interested in expanding Rome s empire. He focused on the expansion of northern Italy and the lands along the Adriatic coast and Gaul (the region of Western Europe comprising present-day northern Italy, France, Belgium, western Switzerland and the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the west bank of the Rhine river.) His campaigns in Gaul during his governorship brought enormous wealth to Rome. In addtion, a reported one million people were killed and another million enslaved in pursuit of Caesar s aims in Gaul. After a 10 year governorship in Gaul, Caesar planned to return to Rome to stand for his A bust of Julius Caesar second consulship. The imperium (official authority) he held as Governor of a Roman provence would need to be relinquished before he could enter Rome and present himself as a candidate for the consulship. The same group of senators who opposed Caesar throughout his career were threatening him again. Caesar faced two alternatives: he could lay down his imperium and face arrest, conviction and banishment from Rome, or he could drop his demand to be allowed stand for election in absentia, forfeiting his candidacy for consul. On the 10th day of January, 49 BC, facing alternatives he deemed untenable, Caesar made the fateful decision to march on Rome. He and his troops crossed the Rubicon River, and in doing so declared civil war After many long and bloody battles, Caesar was victories. However, his enemies continued to plot his downfall. On the Ides of March (15th), 44 BC., a group of Senators calling themselves the liberators assassinated Caesar in the Senate House. They justified the assassination by saying they were saving the republic from a tyrant and would-be king. Caesar chose his grand nephew Gaius Octavius as his heir. Octavius ultimately avenged his uncle s death and rose to the pinnacle of Roman power, becoming Augustus Caesar, Rome s first emperor. 8 www.ums.org/education
Chris Jarman and John Hopkins rehearse a scene for the upcoming productions in Ann Arbor (Photo by Ellie Kurttz) Royal Shakespeare Company
About the RSC A Brief History of the RSC The Early Years In 1875, Charles Edward Flower, a Stratford brewer, launched an international campaign to build a theatre in the town of Shakespeare s birth. His donation of the now famous two-acre site began a family tradition of generosity to the theatre which continues today. The Shakespeare Memorial Theatre was a Victorian Gothic building. It opened in 1879 with a performance of Much Ado About Nothing. From 1907 star visitors began to appear in Stratford such as Ellen Terry and H. Beerbohm Tree and under the direction of F.R. Benson, a month-long summer season was added in 1910. Europe and the USA helped to broaden the company s outlook. The Royal Charter Almost 50 years of excellence were recognised in 1925 by the granting of a Royal Charter, but only a year later the theatre was destroyed by fire. The festival director, William Bridges-Adams, continued productions in a local cinema, and a worldwide campaign was launched to build a new theatre. In 1932 the new Shakespeare Memorial Theatre, designed by Elisabeth Scott, was opened by The Prince of Wales on 23rd April, Shakespeare s birthday. 1932-1961 Over the next thirty years the Company continued to build its reputation, working with established Shakespearean actors, as well as nurturing new talent. From 1945 the company s work began to win critical acclaim. Michael Redgrave, Ralph Richardson, John Gielgud, Peggy Ashcroft, Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier acted alongside new faces such as Richard Burton. It was in the late 1950s that invitations to perform in Russia, Europe and the USA helped to broaden the company s outlook. The 1960s In 1960, Peter Hall formed the modern Royal Shakespeare Company and in 1961, the Memorial Theatre was renamed the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. The repertoire widened to take in modern work and classics other than Shakespeare. The sixties brought a new generation of actors and directors to the company - David Warner, Judi Dench, Ian Richardson, Janet Suzman, Clifford Williams, John Barton, Trevor Nunn and Terry Hands - and landmark productions like Peter Hall s Wars of the Roses. Over the next thirty years the company continued to expand under a succession of visionary and creative Artistic Directors: Peter Hall (1960-1968), Trevor Nunn (1968-1978), Trevor Nunn jointly with Terry Hands (1978-1987), Terry Hands (1987-1991) and Adrian Noble (1991-2003). Michael Boyd is the current RSC artistic director. 10 www.ums.org/education The Swan Theatre The 1986 season in Stratford saw the opening of another theatre. Built inside part of the shell of the Memorial Theatre that survived the 1926 fire, the Swan is a
unique, modern theatre space based on the design of the playhouses of Elizabethan England. Title The Swan Theatre continues to be a favourite space for many actors and audiences owing to its intimate staging and the close proximity of the audience to the action. The RSC today In July 2002 Michael Boyd was announced as the new Artistic Director for the RSC replacing Adrian Noble from March 2003 and signalling a new chapter in the Company s history. Michael became an Associate Director of the Company in A sketch of the Swan Theatre 1996 and has directed numerous productions for the RSC. In 2000/2001 he won an Olivier Award for Best Director for the productions Henry VI, parts I, II, III and Richard III. The productions formed part of the RSC s This England - The Histories cycle. Despite the growth from Festival theatre to international status, the values of the RSC today have changed very little since 1905: the RSC is still formed around an ensemble of actors and a core of associate actors who continue to give a distinctive and unmissable approach to theatre. The RSC also continues to be a superb training ground for the artistic and technical talents of British and international theatre. Who is part of the Royal Shakespeare Company? The RSC is an ensemble company. Everyone in the company, from directors, actors and writers to production, administrative, technical and workshop staff all collaborate in the RSC s distinctive and unmistakable approach to theatre. The RSC employs over 700 people who either work directly on producing and running the productions or within roles that directly support the work that takes place on stage. Her Majesty The Queen is Patron of the Royal Shakespeare Company. His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales is the RSC s President and chairs the Company s Annual General Meeting. Where is the RSC located? As well as performing in a number of UK towns and cities each year on tour, Stratford-upon-Avon, London and Newcastle are key centres for the Royal Shakespeare Company. 11 www.ums.org/education
Title Stratford-upon-Avon Stratford-upon-Avon, the town where William Shakespeare was born and died, attracts audiences and artists from around the world and is the home of the RSC. The RSC has three theatres in Stratford-upon-Avon, the 1412- seater Royal Shakespeare Theatre, the 432-seater Swan Theatre and The Courtyard Theatre. London London is a vital part of the RSC s national presence. In May 2002, the RSC left the Barbican Theatre and now performs in the UK capital throughout the year in a range of different theatres (including the Barbican Theatre but the RSC is no longer the resident theatre company at the venue). A map of England Newcastle Since 1977, Newcastle has provided a third home for the RSC. Each year the company proudly transfers productions to the city s theatres for a season of work, along with extensive educational and community projects. Where does the RSC tour? Although based in Stratford-upon-Avon, the RSC regularly performs in London, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and other UK venues, as well as touring overseas, and residencies at universities and performing centres in the United States. UK touring Much of the RSC s UK touring commitment is met by the RSC s unique mobile auditorium, which brings classical theatre to communities with little access to professional companies. The tour travels to school halls, leisure centres and other community venues throughout the UK, accompanied by an extensive education and outreach program. The first mobile tour began in 1978 with productions of Twelfth Night and Chekhov s The Three Sisters, starring Ian McKellen. Since then the Company has toured over 30 different productions in the mobile theatre. The tour has visited over 120 different British towns and cities in the past 25 years. Overseas touring As well as residencies in Michigan and Washington, the Company has increasingly been invited to perform overseas. Over the past few years, audiences in China, Japan, and Kuala Lumpur have enjoyed RSC touring performances. 12 www.ums.org/education The 2006 Festival of Shakespeare s Classics marks the RSC s third visit to Ann Arbor. The company s first residency was in 2001 and featured the tetrology of Henry VI, parts I, ii, iii and Richard III. The second residency was in 2003 and featured Salman Rushdie s Midnight s Children, along withshakespeare s Coriolanus and Merry Wives of Windsor. 2006 will feature Antony and Cleopatra, Julius Caesar, and The Tempest.
Behind the Scenes at the RSC Before the curtain goes up on the first night, months of preparation will have already taken place behind the scenes. The Royal Shakespeare Company has in-house the huge range of specialist skills required to bring a play to life. Each department works together over a period of months making sure the production is ready for the opening night. Choosing the play The Artistic Director chooses the productions the company performs. More than one production may open at any one time and as soon as one production opens the next is already well underway with future work being carefully discussed and planned with the Planning Department. Casting The casting team works closely with the director to ensure that the right actors get the right part. Auditions are held and a shortlist is drawn up. This can be complicated as, at the RSC, actors are often cast in more than one production (cross casting), directed by different directors so it is important that they are able to realise more than one director s vision. Planning the production The Director and Designer work on the style and period in which the production is set. Once the decisions have been made, the model box is produced and presented to the Production Manager and the various workshop and wardrobe departments. The model box is a three dimensional miniature version of the set with all scenery and props scaled down on a scale of 1:25. The model acts as a tool to help everybody create the vision of the director and designer on stage. It is a main point of reference when building the set and the props. The set The Construction Manager and drawing office provide detailed drawings of how the set should be built. Each set may be required to play in many different venues and must be capable of being taken off stage quickly to change over to a different production the following day. An example of a set model from The Tempest Every item of scenery has detailed construction drawings produced on Computer Aided Design (CAD). The plans are then handed to the scenic workshop and Paintshop and props team. Props A prop may be a hand prop, furniture or small items, which may be man-handled. These can range from huge casts for tall statues to a bunch of flowers or a letter. Attention to detail is crucial and reference books are constantly in use to ensure accuracy to a particular period. 13 www.ums.org/education
Title The Costumes In collaboration with the Costume Department the Costume Supervisor and Designer decide on the best way to create the costumes. This may include the shoes, hats, armour, underwear, jewellery, buying the fabrics, booking the costume makers and setting up the costume fittings. To create a particular period feel or a design with a particular colour scheme, neutral fabrics often arrive direct from the factory to be treated by the Dyeing Department. Fifty percent of costumes are broken down in some way to look worn or to show general wear and tear. Common tools of the trade for the department include a cheese grater, sandpaper, Stanley knives, a blow-torch, emulsion-based paints and fabric paints. At the beginning of rehearsals all the actor s measurements are taken. The Men s and Ladies Costume Departments work closely with the designer to discover the best way to interpret a costume. The Armoury and Boot Department make, recycle or adapt boots and shoes for a production. The Hats and Millinery team create a particular look using felts and straw, wire, buckram, plastics and veils. Wigs and make-up Hairdressing, wigs and make-up complete the final look. An actor often uses their own hair in a production, which creates difficulties, as the look required will differ in each production they appear in during the season. The Wigs team may have to cut, curl, dye, or add extensions or hairpieces to the same actor. Unless specialist make-up is required most actors apply their own make-up. The team creates blood effects for daggers, blood bags or smearing using glucose, sugar and fruit colouring. Black treacle (a dark concetrate of sugarcane juice) is used to darken the blood. The team may even be required to make prosthetic parts of the body such as the nose in Cyrano de Bergerac. Actors from Julius Caesar in rehearsal 14 www.ums.org/education Rehearsals While the set, props and costumes are being made, the actors are busy working away in the rehearsal room. The RSC spends six weeks rehearsing a production with the Director, Voice Coach, Fight Directors, Musical Directors and Stage Management team. Aspects of the set are often built in the rehearsal room so actors can get a feel for the set before they reach the stage, which is only four days before the first public performance. Stage management Rehearsals are constantly monitored as decisions in the rehearsal room directly affect the production process. The stage management team records these developments and the rehearsal notes are passed on to the relevant workshop. The Stage
Manager keeps a detailed script, marking entrances, exits, scene changes, and actor s positions. Stage Department The Stage Department deals with the nuts and bolts of the scenery and takes the set from the workshops on the Sunday prior to the first technical rehearsals. There is then two days to build the stage before the crucial technical rehearsal period. The stage-hands move scenery during the production and have to solve any problems with the set if they arise while a play is being performed. Lighting and sound The specialists in the Lighting and Sound Departments work closely with the director and designer to build up an atmosphere with the lighting and sound for a production. Fit-up, technical rehearsals and dress rehearsals This is when the work from all the various teams comes together on stage for the first time - Rigging, focussing, sound balance, set construction all preparing the theatre for the production. The actors arrive on the stage four days before the first public performance and the detailed technical rehearsals begin. The first dress rehearsal often takes place on the afternoon of the first public performance. This is the very first time the actors, crew and technical team have run through the show with everything in place. Adrenaline runs high in anticipation of the first performance in front of an audience... Support work There are a number of non-production departments for example, Marketing, Education, Press & Public Affairs and Development, who are closely involved in the production process and directly support the work that takes place on stage. 15 www.ums.org/education
Ariyon Bakare as Mark Antony in Julius Caesar (Photo by Paul Ros) Julius Ceasar
The Characters The characters in Julius Caesar are richly portrayed. Please read the following descriptions to understand each character more thouroughly. Cast of Characters Title Julius Caesar The victorious leader of Rome, it is the fear that he may become King and revoke the privileges of men like Cassius that leads to his death at the hands of Cassius, Brutus and their fellow conspirators. The threat that Caesar was moving away from the ideals of the Roman republic towards an Empire ruled directly by himself is the chief reason so many senators, aristocrats and even Caesar s friend Brutus, conspired to kill him. Introduced early in the play as a great (and arguably arrogant) leader who fears nothing, Caesar is warned by Artemidorus, The Soothsayer and wife (Calphurnia) alike not to go to the Senate on the ides of March the very day he is assassinated. Caesar later returns in the play as a ghost which haunts Brutus in Act V. Easily flattered by Decius Brutus (not to be confused with Brutus), Caesar appears to us as a man almost guided not so much by his own will but what he believes are the expectations his people have of Caesar. This is why he is reluctant to show fear, Caesar, as he frequently refers to himself in the third person, fears nothing and can show no sign of weakness or indeed mortality... Note: The ides of March is the fifteenth of March (See Act II, Scene I, Line 58). Octavius Caesar The adopted son of Caesar, Octavius by history, ultimately became ruler of the Roman Empire following his defeat of Mark Antony in Egypt. In this play, Octavius with Mark Antony and Lepidus (The Second Triumvirate), destroy the forces of Brutus and Cassius on the Plains of Philippi, which results in the death of both these conspirators (Act V). Mark Antony One of the Triumvirs (leaders) who rule Rome following Caesar s assassination. Mark Antony (Marcus Antonius) is famous in this play for his speech, which turns the Romans against Brutus following his group s assassination of Caesar. Famous for the immortal lines Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears; (Act III, Scene II, Line 79), Mark Antony with fellow Triumvirs, Octavius and Lepidus later defeat Brutus and Cassius on the Plains of Philippi in Act V. M. Aemilius Lepidu The last of the Triumvirs, this old man holds little real power and is used in Mark Antony s own words as a loyal, trusted man Meet [fit] to be sent on errands: (Act IV, Scene I, Line 13). 17 www.ums.org/education
Cicero A well-known orator (public speaker) and Senator, Cicero is killed by the Triumvirs (Mark Antony, Octavius and Lepidus) following Caesar s assassination. Publius A Senator who travels with Caesar to the Senate House the day Caesar is killed, he witnesses Caesar s assassination. Though deeply confounded or confused and shaken by the assassination of Caesar (Act III, Scene I, Line 86), he is used by Brutus to tell the citizens of Rome that Caesar aside, no one else will be hurt (Act III, Scene I, Lines 89-91). Popilius Lena The Senator who terrifies Cassius by telling Cassius that he hopes his enterprise [assassination attempt] today may thrive or be successful just as Caesar goes into the Senate house on the ides of March (Act III, Scene I, Line 13). Marcus Brutus The most complex character in this play, Brutus is one of the men who assassinate Caesar in the Senate. Brutus is complex, because he does not kill Caesar for greed, envy nor to preserve his social position like so many of the other conspirators against Caesar. This Brutus makes very clear in his speech in Act III, Scene II (Lines 12-76), when he explains his actions as being for the good of Rome. Unlike the other conspirators, Brutus is in fact a dear friend of Caesar s but kills his beloved friend not for who he is, but what he could become as a King. It is for this reason that when Brutus dies by suicide in Act V, Mark Antony describes his bitter enemy by saying This [Brutus] was the noblest Roman of them all; (Act V, Scene V, Line 68). Mark Antony recognizes with these words that Brutus acted from a sense of civic duty, not malice, nor greed nor envy. In academic circles, Brutus is still a source of much heated debate; does assassinating a leader for the good of the people constitute bravery worthy of a tragic hero or can the end never justify the means? The controversy on whether Brutus is tragic hero or villain still rages... Ironically, though it can be argued that Brutus assassinated his friend to prevent one man ruling the Roman Empire, history was later to make this a reality. Octavius, one of the Triumvirs who defeated Brutus and Cassius, was later to become a Roman Emperor ruling the entire Roman Empire alone following his victory over Cleopatra and Mark Antony. Cassius One of the original conspirators against Caesar. Like the other conspirators he fears what life under King Caesar s rule could mean for him and the privileges he has. Unlike the other conspirators however, Cassius plays a leading role in Caesar s assassination. It is he who gathers those against Caesar around him and it is Cassius who carefully manipulates Brutus to their cause by appealing to Brutus sense 18 www.ums.org/education
of civic duty which believes that Caesar as a King would be bad for the people of Rome and by Cassius clever use of forged letters. The great thinker of the conspiracy, his advice is continually overruled by Brutus with tragic results for the conspirators. First, his advice to kill Mark Antony as well as Caesar is ignored leading to Mark Antony becoming their greatest enemy. Later at Caesar s funeral, Cassius advice that Mark Antony should not speak at the funeral is also ignored leading to Antony turning the masses against the previously popular conspirators. Finally in Act V, Brutus ignores Cassius advise to stay on high ground, leading to a battle in the plains of Philippi, a battle favored by Mark Antony and Octavius, their enemies. Like Brutus, he dies by suicide in Act V, when fearing Brutus dead, he commits suicide. Casca One of the conspirators against Caesar, he starts the actual assassination of Caesar by stabbing first from behind. Trebonius The only conspirator who does not actually stab Caesar, he is the man responsible for saving Mark Antony s life following Caesar s assassination. He leads Mark Antony away from the Senate house following the assassination, and he backs up Brutus suggestion that Mark Antony s life be spared. Ligarius The reluctantly assassin, Caius Ligarius at first hesitates in killing Caesar, but later enthusiastically follows the others in killing Caesar after Brutus restores his conviction. Decius Brutus A man who lures Caesar to his death by his deep understanding of Caesar s true vanity... Not to be confused with Marcus Brutus, who is referred to in Julius Caesar simply as as Brutus. It is Decius Brutus who convinces Caesar to turn up to the Senate on the ides of March after Caesar announces that he is unwilling to attend the day s Senate because of his wife Calphurnia s dream foretelling doom. Decius Brutus turns Calphurnia s dream into a reason to attend the Senate by cleverly reinterpreting its negative imagery to instead symbolize Caesar s triumph. Metellus Cimber A conspirator against Caesar, it is his petition or request to Caesar for his brother s banishment to be overturned, that allows the conspirators to move close to Caesar, before they assassinate him with multiple stab wounds... 19 www.ums.org/education
Cinna A conspirator against Caesar, who plays a key role in enlisting Brutus to their cause. It is Cinna who suggests to Cassius that Brutus join their conspiracy. Also assists Cassius manipulation of Brutus by placing Cassius letters responsible for manipulating Brutus where Brutus is sure to find and read them... Indirectly responsible for Cinna, the poet s death; since it is he the mob originally wished to kill... Flavius and Marullus Two Tribunes introduced to us at the beginning of the play. Their conversation reveals the deep mistrust and fear many in Rome have about Caesar s growing popularity, which eventually leads to Caesar s assassination. These two men criticize Rome s citizens for praising Caesar almost without reason and are later put to death or put to silence for pulling scarfs off Caesar s images, (Act I, Scene II, Line 291) during the Feast of Lupercal in Act I, Scene I (Note: Flavius the Tribune is not the same person as Flavius, a soldier whom appears in Act IV). Artemidorus The man who nearly saves Caesar, he presents Caesar with a letter warning warning Caesar that he will be killed (Act II, Scene III). Caesar however does not read the letter and so proceeds to his doom... Cinna, the Poet A humble poet, this man dies because he has the wrong name at the wrong time. After Mark Antony incites (angers) the people of Rome against Caesar s assassins, Cinna who shares the same name as one of the assassins, is killed despite his explaining his identity as a poet. The mob, eager for blood, kill him regardless and use the excuse that they never liked his poems much anyway (Act III, Scene III, Lines 1-43). Lucilius, Titinius, Messala, Young Cato and Volumnius Friends to Brutus and Cassius. Varro, Clitus, Claudius, Strato, Lucius and Dardanius Servants to Brutus. Pindarus A servant to Cassius, he is also the messenger bearing the wrong news... In Act V, Pindarus misreports to Cassius that Titinius, a scout sent to Brutus forces was captured by the Triumvir s forces when he was actually welcomed by Brutus army. On Pindarus information, Cassius assumes that Brutus has been defeated and so thinking all is lost, decides to kill himself, using Pindarus to hold a sword out which he runs onto, the very sword, Cassius used against Caesar... Calphurnia The wife of Caesar, she begs her husband not to go to the Senate on the ides of March (March 15) when she cries out Help, ho! They murder Caesar! three times in her sleep, the day before Caesar s death. This and strange occurrences such as a lioness whelping in the streets of Rome, Fierce fiery warriors fighting in 20 www.ums.org/education
the clouds (Act II, Scene II, Lines 12-24) and graves yawning and yielding up their dead, convince Calphurnia that her husband Julius Caesar, must stay home on the ides of March (the fifteenth of March). Unfortunately just as Calphurnia convinces Caesar to stay home and avoid the death that awaits him, Decius Brutus (not to be confused with Brutus), arrives at Caesar s home convincing him that these images mean that Rome will be revived by Caesar s presence at the Senate the following day. Caesar ignores his wife s pleas and meets his bloody destiny at the hands of Brutus and company the very next day. Portia The wife of Marcus Brutus, she tries to learn from Brutus the assassination conspiracy he is hiding from her. She is later assumed to have committed suicide at the end of the play when her death is reported as being under strange circumstances... Senators, Citizens, Guards, Attendants and others... Caius and Julius Caesar (Photo by Paul Ros) 21 www.ums.org/education
Scene Synopsis Date Julius Caesar was probably written in 1599, the same year Shakespeare wrote Henry V and As You Like It and drafted Hamlet. The first record of it being performed comes from the diary of Thomas Platter, who states that he saw the play on September 21, 1599, meaning that it may have been the play that opened the Globe Theatre. Sources As with Antony and Cleopatra, Shakespeare drew heavily on Sir Thomas North s 1579 translation of Plutarch s Lives of Noble Grecians and Romanes for the plot of Julius Caesar, and at times even follows North s phrasing. There are however important differences between the source and the play. Shakespeare compresses time and telescopes events for dramatic purposes, and although he relied on Plutarch for descriptions of his characters, Shakespeare s treatment of them is more subtle and human. The speeches of Brutus and Antony at Caesar s funeral are entirely Shakespeare s invention. ACT ONE Act I, Scene i On a street in ancient Rome, Flavius and Marullus, two Roman tribunes judges meant to protect the rights of the people accost a group of workmen and ask them to name their trades and to explain their absence from work. The first workman answers straight forwardly, but the second workman answers with a spirited string of puns that he is a cobbler and that he and his fellow workmen have gathered to see Caesar and to rejoice in his triumph over Pompey. Marullus accuses the workmen of forgetting that they are desecrating the great Pompey, whose triumphs they once cheered so enthusiastically. He upbraids them for wanting to honor the man who is celebrating a victory in battle over Pompey s sons, and he commands them to return to their homes to ask forgiveness of the gods for their offensive ingratitude. Flavius orders them to assemble all the commoners they can and take them to the banks of the Tiber and fill it with their tears of remorse for the dishonor they have shown Pompey. Flavius then tells Marullus to assist him in removing the ceremonial decorations that have been placed on public statues in honor of Caesar s triumph. Marullus questions the propriety of doing so on the day during which the feast of Lupercal is being celebrated, but Flavius says that they must remove the ornaments to prevent Caesar from becoming a godlike tyrant. Act I, Scene ii Caesar, having entered Rome in triumph, calls to his wife, Calphurnia, and orders her to stand where Mark Antony, about to run in the traditional footrace of the Lupercal, can touch her as he passes. Caesar shares the belief that if a childless woman is touched by one of the holy runners, she will lose her sterility. 22 www.ums.org/education A soothsayer calls from the crowd warning Caesar to beware the ides of March, but Caesar pays no attention and departs with his attendants, leaving Brutus and Cassius behind.
Cassius begins to probe Brutus about his feelings toward Caesar and the prospect of Caesar s becoming a dictator in Rome. Brutus has clearly been disturbed about this issue for some time. Cassius reminds Brutus that Caesar is merely a mortal like them, with ordinary human weaknesses, and he says that he would rather die than see such a man become his master. He reminds Brutus of Brutus noble ancestry and of the expectations of his fellow Romans that he will serve his country as his ancestors did. Brutus is obviously moved, but he is unsure of what to do. Title Several times during their conversation, Cassius and Brutus hear shouts and the sounds of trumpets. Caesar re-enters with his attendants and, in passing, he remarks to Mark Antony that he feels suspicious of Cassius, who has a lean and hungry look; / He thinks too much. Such men are dangerous. As Caesar exits, Brutus and Cassius stop Casca and converse with him. He tells them that Mark Antony offered the crown to Caesar three times, but that Caesar rejected it each time and then fell down in an epileptic seizure. The three men agree to think further about the matter, and when Casca and Brutus have gone, Cassius in a brief soliloquy indicates his plans to secure Brutus firmly for the conspiracy that he is planning against Caesar. Act I, Scene iii That evening, Cicero and Casca meet on a street in Rome. There has been a terrible storm, and Casca describes to Cicero the unnatural phenomena that have occurred: An owl hooted in the marketplace at noon, the dead rose out of their graves, and so on. Cicero then departs and Cassius enters. He interprets the supernatural happenings as divine warnings that Caesar threatens to destroy the Republic. He urges Casca to work with him in opposing Caesar. When Cinna, another conspirator, joins them, Cassius urges him to throw a message through Brutus window and to take other steps that will induce Brutus to participate in the plot. The three conspirators, now firmly united in an attempt to unseat Caesar, agree to meet with others of their party Decius Brutus, Trebonius, and Metellus Cimber at Pompey s Porch. They are confident that they will soon win Brutus to their cause. ACT TWO Act II, Scene i Brutus is in his orchard. It is night, and he calls impatiently for his servant, Lucius, and sends him to light a candle in his study. When Lucius has gone, Brutus speaks one of the most important and controversial soliloquies in the play. He says that he has no personal cause to spurn at Caesar, except for the general, meaning that there are general reasons for the public good. Thus far, Caesar has seemingly been as virtuous as any other man, but Brutus fears that after he is augmented (crowned), his character will change, for it is in the nature of things that power produces tyranny. He therefore decides to agree to Caesar s assassination: to think him as a serpent s egg, / Which, hatched, would as his kind, grow mischievous, / And kill him in the shell. 23 www.ums.org/education
Lucius re-enters and gives Brutus a letter that has been thrown into his window. The various conspirators Cassius, Casca, Decius, Cinna, Metellus Cimber, and Trebonius now arrive. Cassius proposes that they all seal their compact with an oath, but Brutus objects on the ground that honorable men acting in a just cause need no such bond. When Cassius raises the question of inviting Cicero into the conspiracy, Brutus persuades the conspirators to exclude Cicero from the conspiracy. Cassius then argues that Mark Antony should be killed along with Caesar; Brutus opposes this too as being too bloody a course, and he urges that they be sacrificers, but not butchers. It is the spirit of Caesar, he asserts, to which they stand opposed, and in the spirit of men there is no blood. When the conspirators have departed, Brutus notices that his servant, Lucius, has fallen asleep. At this moment, Portia, his wife, enters, disturbed and concerned by her husband s strange behavior. She demands to know what is troubling him. She asserts her strength and reminds Brutus that because she is Cato s daughter, her quality of mind raises her above ordinary women; she asks to share his burden with him. Deeply impressed by her speech, Brutus promises to tell her what has been troubling him. Portia leaves, and Lucius is awakened and ushers in Caius Ligarius, who has been sick, but who now declares that to follow Brutus in his noble endeavor, I here discard my sickness. They set forth together. Act II, Scene ii The scene is set in Caesar s house during a night of thunder and lightning, and Caesar is commenting on the tumultuous weather and upon Calphurnia s having dreamed of his being murdered. He sends a servant to instruct his augurers, men designated to interpret signs and appease the gods, to perform a sacrifice. Calphurnia enters and implores Caesar not to leave home for the day. She describes the unnatural phenomena that have brought her to believe in the validity of omens. Caesar replies that no one can alter the plans of the gods and that he will go out. When Calphurnia says that the heavens proclaim the deaths of princes, not beggars, Caesar contends that the fear of death is senseless because men cannot avoid its inevitability. The servant returns with information that the priests suggest Caesar stay at home today because they could not find a heart in the sacrificed beast. Caesar rejects their interpretation, but Calphurnia does finally persuade him to stay at home and have Antony tell the senators that he is sick. Decius then enters, and Caesar decides to send the message by him; Decius asks what reason he is to give to the senators for Caesar s failure to attend today s session, and Caesar says to tell them simply that he will not come. / That is enough to satisfy the Senate. Privately, however, he admits to Decius that it is because of Calphurnia s dream in which many smiling Romans dipped their hands in blood flowing from a statue of him. Decius, resorting to the flattery to which he knows Caesar is susceptible, reinterprets the dream and says that Calphurnia s dream is symbolic of Caesar s blood reviving Rome; the smiling Romans are seeking distinctive vitality from the great Caesar. When Decius suggests that the senate will ridicule Caesar for being governed by his wife s dreams, Caesar expresses shame for having been swayed by Calphurnia s foolish fears. He declares that he will go to the Capitol. 24 www.ums.org/education
Publius and the remaining conspirators all except Cassius enter, and Brutus reminds Caesar that it is after eight o clock. Caesar heartily welcomes Antony, commenting on his habit of partying late into the night. Caesar then prepares to leave and requests that Trebonius be near me today to conduct some business. Trebonius consents, and in an aside states that he will be closer than Caesar s best friends would like for him to be. In another aside, Brutus grieves when he realizes that all of Caesar s apparent friends are not true friends. Act II, Scene iii Artemidorus enters a street near the capitol reading from a paper that warns Caesar of danger and that names each of the conspirators. He intends to give the letter to Caesar and he reasons that Caesar may survive if the fates do not ally themselves with the conspirators. Act II, Scene iv Portia and Lucius enter the street in front of Brutus house, where Portia is extremely excited. She suggests that Brutus has told her of his plans (in fact, he has not had an opportunity), and she repeatedly gives Lucius incomplete instructions concerning an errand to the Capitol. She struggles to maintain self-control and reacts violently to imagined noises that she thinks emanate from the Capitol. A soothsayer enters and says that he is on his way to see Caesar enter the Senate House. Portia inquires if he knows of any plans to harm Caesar, and he answers only that he fears what may happen to Caesar. He then leaves to seek a place from which he can speak to Caesar. Portia sends Lucius to give her greetings to Brutus and to tell him that she is in good spirits, and then to report back immediately to her. ACT THREE Act III, Scene i Outside the Capitol, Caesar appears with Antony, Lepidus, and all of the conspirators. He sees the soothsayer and reminds the man that The ides of March are come. The soothsayer answers, Aye, Caesar, but not gone. Artemidorus calls to Caesar, urging him to read the paper containing his warning, but Caesar refuses to read it. Caesar then enters the Capitol, and Popilius Lena whispers to Cassius, I wish your enterprise to-day may thrive. The rest enter the Capitol, and Trebonius deliberately and discretely takes Antony offstage so that he (Antony) will not interfere with the assassination. At this point, Metellus Cimber pleads with Caesar that his brother s banishment be repealed; Caesar refuses and Brutus, Casca, and the others join in the plea. Their pleadings rise in intensity and suddenly, from behind, Casca stabs Caesar. As the others also stab Caesar, he falls and dies, saying Et tu, Bruté (et tooh brooh-tay)? (Translated from Latin as Even you, Brutus? ) While the conspirators attempt to quiet the onlookers, Trebonius enters with the news that Mark Antony has fled home. Then the conspirators all stoop, bathe their hands in Caesar s blood, and brandish their weapons aloft, preparing to walk waving our red weapons o er our heads out into the marketplace, crying Peace, freedom, and liberty! 25 www.ums.org/education