Julius Caesar A Midsummer Night`s Dream Cyrano de Bergerac

THE AMERICAN SHAKESPEARE CENTER
Touring Troupe 2006-07 Season
Study Guides
Julius Caesar
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Cyrano de Bergerac
The following materials were compiled by the Education and Research Department of the American Shakespeare Center. Special acknowledgement to: Colleen Kelly, Director
of Education and Research; Ralph Cohen, ASC Executive Director; Jim Warren, ASC Artistic Director; Jay McClure, Director of Theater Operations; Audrey GuengerichBaylor, Henrico County Schools; ASC Actors and Staff: Aaron Hochhalter, David Loar, Alvaro Mendoza, Anna Marie Sell, Matthew Sincell, Jeremy Fiebig; Education Artists:
Robert Gibbs, Sarah Henley, Camille Mustachio; and ASC Interns: Cassie Ash, Erin Davis, Heidi Grumelot, Becky Kemper, Donald Osborne and Katherine Robbins
Cover back
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YOUR ROLE AS AN AUDIENCE MEMBER
1. In Shakespeare’s day, attending a play was an exciting community event. While waiting for the play to begin and
during intermission, audiences would eat, drink, visit with friends, and enjoy specialty acts featuring jugglers,
clowns, dancers, and musicians.
• At the Blackfriars, we offer the same kind of experience during our pre-show and
intermission entertainments. If you want to join in the pre-show fun, arrive up to a half
hour early. During intermission there will be more entertainment, but this is also the time
when you can stretch your legs, use the restroom, and purchase souvenirs and
refreshments (no outside food or drink allowed). At most modern theatres you are asked
not to bring food or drink back in the theatre with you, but this is permitted at the
Blackfriars.
2. In Shakespeare’s day, plays were performed either outdoors in the middle of the afternoon or indoors under
candlelight. This means that the actors could see the audience, the audience could see the actors, and the members
of the audience could see each other.
• At the Blackfriars, we perform with the lights on. As an audience member, you feel like
you are in the same room with the actors—like you are actually part of the play. This is
very different from seeing something at the cinema or in a theatre where the actors are lit
and the audience sits in the dark. You get the feeling that at any moment the actors might
start talking with you, and sometimes they will.
3. In Shakespeare’s day, there wasn’t such a pronounced division between the actors and the audience. The theatres
were small, and audience members sat close to the stage. Sometimes, in theatres like the Globe, they stood in
front of the stage in the pit. At other theatres they could sit on the stage itself.
• At the Blackfriars, there are many different places to sit (for some performances this
means different prices). Wherever you sit, let the action of the play draw you in. We have
benches that can be occupied as is or, for comfort, can include cushions and seat backs.
There are Lord’s Chairs and on-stage Gallant Stools very close to the action, and upper
balcony seating which may require you to lean forward to look over the rail. Do be
considerate, however, of others who are also trying to see.
4. In Shakespeare’s day, there were no electronic devices.
• At the Blackfriars, no electronic devices should be used by the audience during the
performance. Please don’t take pictures during the show. If you have cell phones, video
games, CD players, walkmans, or MP3 players please turn them off so that they don’t
distract the other audience members or the actors. No text messaging during the
performance. Remember, this is a live event, so don’t be a distraction. Part of your role as
an audience member is to make sure that seeing a play is an enjoyable community event
for everyone in attendance.
5. In Shakespeare’s day, the audience often changed seats, mingled, and walked in and out of the theatre (much like
a modern sporting event), but they always knew what was going on in the play—they knew the score. Who’d
want to miss the best part? The swordfight, the kiss, the bawdy joke…a new word that Shakespeare invented.
• At the Blackfriars, you may leave the theatre during intermissions and interlude
entertainments. Return to your seat before the play resumes--you don’t want to miss the
best part (or perhaps the part that might be on your exam). Unless it is an emergency, do
not leave the theatre during the play itself.
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6. In Shakespeare’s day, plays were meant to be seen and heard rather than read. In comparison to today,
Elizabethans spent more time speaking and listening to language rather than reading and writing language.
Figures of speech, for example, were more than a dramatic writing tool; they were meant to be spoken.
• At the Blackfriars, actors create stories through speaking words and embodying actions.
Attending a play is different than reading a play. We invite you to experience the play
through listening, seeing, feeling, thinking and imagining. Even if you know you are
going to have to write a paper or take a test about the play, don’t take notes and stay in
your brain. If you do, you really haven’t experienced what it’s like to attend a play.
7. In Shakespeare’s day, audiences were asked to use their imagination. There certainly were theatrical events that
used elaborate and expensive technical elements, but Shakespeare’s plays keep scenery, props, costumes, lighting
and special effects to a minimum. Instead of a cast of thousands, Shakespeare’s actors played multiple roles—
including young men playing all the female parts.
• At the Blackfriars, you will also need to use your imagination. Shakespeare’s words are
as powerful today as they were four hundred years ago. They tell stories that engage and
challenge all of the senses. We limit technical elements so Shakespeare’s words can
shine. Music and sound effects are always created live and in the moment of the action.
Actors play multiple roles and often those roles are cross-gender cast.
8. In Shakespeare’s day, people loved talking about where they’d been, what they’d seen, who they saw, and what
they thought about the plays—they voiced their likes and dislikes about the story and the actors.
• At the Blackfriars, you will have an opportunity to take a peek behind the scenes. After
the show you can talk with the actors about the story of the play, the characters, the
actor’s process, and anything else you might want to know about theatre, Shakespeare,
or the American Shakespeare Center.
“The Laughing Audience”
by William Hogarth, 1733.
Note the lighted sconces
that permit socializing and
a more communal response
to the show. The man at the
far right on the second row,
for example, appears to be
laughing at the laughter of
his fellow audience members,
while the gentleman in the
row above is clearly annoyed
with the shenanigans going
on behind him.
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STAUNTON’S BLACKFRIARS PLAYHOUSE
In 2001 the Blackfriars Playhouse in Staunton, Virginia, the world’s only re-creation of Shakespeare’s original indoor
theatre, opened its doors to the public. To commemorate this historic occasion, Shenandoah Shakespeare (now the
American Shakespeare Center) published Blackfriars Playhouse, a series of short essays by internationally renowned
scholars about the history, construction, and function of the London and Staunton Blackfriars, as well as the
companies that called them home. The following excerpt by Andrew Gurr, Professor of English at the University of
Reading in England and former Director of Research at Shakespeare’s Globe in London, is from that collection:
LONDON’S BLACKFRIARS PLAYHOUSE
The story of the original Blackfriars is a chapter—or rather a book—of accidents, a large volume that tells us about
the evolution of London’s first theatres. It is a story that runs alongside and ahead of Shakespeare’s Globe. The
Blackfriars was built in 1596, three years earlier than the Globe, and if Shakespeare’s company had been allowed to
use the Playhouse immediately, they would never have bothered to build the open-air theatre. Despite the depiction in
Shakespeare In Love of Queen Elizabeth attending the Rose Theatre, it was the Blackfriars that received the first-ever
visit by a reigning queen; Henrietta Maria, Charles I’s French spouse, went four times to see a play at the
Blackfriars.
By the 1620s and 1630s the Blackfriars had become the place for England’s high and mighty to see the best plays, in
the best society, complete with sea-coal braziers in the boxes alongside the stage to keep them warm. The Lord
Chamberlain himself, the Privy Councillor responsible for plays and court entertainment, had a personal key to one
of the boxes beside the Blackfriars stage.
After the long closure of theatres between 1642 and the restoration of a king in 1660, it was the idea of the indoor
Blackfriars that lived on rather than Shakespeare’s Globe. The Blackfriars’s chief imitator, the Cockpit, even
reopened briefly during the Restoration for use as a playhouse, but by then the need for the French type of theatre—
with a proscenium arch and a picture-frame stage—made the new players close off the boxes and tiers above the
stage, leaving the theatre’s capacity so small that it could not thrive. Only now, 405 years after it was first created,
and 392 years since Shakespeare’s company first started to use it, can the original Blackfriars once again come into
its own, as the best playhouse of Shakespeare’s time.
--Andrew Gurr
ACTOR TALKBACK SESSIONS AT THE BLACKFRIARS
At the end of each school matinee performance at the Blackfriars Theatre, the audience will have the opportunity to
meet a few of the actors and ask questions. During this twenty minute session, actors will be glad to discuss a range of
topics. They enjoy sharing their ideas about plot points and character relationships. You can also ask them about
costumes, props, or other elements that might not be in the written script, yet are important to the performance.
Perhaps you would like to know about the rehearsal process or how an individual actor made a specific choice about a
character. You may ask behind-the-scenes questions and discover how a quick change of clothes was handled or a
sound effect was made. Curious about the life of an actor? Go ahead and ask about how they got their start, where
they studied, or what other roles they’ve played. This is your time to find out anything you want to know about the
play, the actors, theatre, and the Blackfriars.
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WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE:
BACKGROUND AND HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE
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•
Based on baptismal records, most biographers agree that William Shakespeare was born on April 23,
1564, in the town of Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England.
•
William, the son of wealthy shop owner John Shakespeare, received a traditional education: up to ten
hours a day studying grammar, logic, rhetoric, arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, and music. He also
studied Greek and Latin on a daily basis. Although we have little proof of Shakespeare’s academic
career, the plays are evidence enough that Shakespeare was well versed in the language passed down
from the ancient classicists.
•
In 1582, when he was eighteen, Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway. He had three children: Susanna
and twins Judith and Hamnet. Although no conclusive documentation remains about his whereabouts
between 1582 and 1594, we do know that by 1594 Shakespeare had left his family in Stratford and was
living in London.
•
Throughout history, theatre companies have seldom enjoyed a good reputation. In early 16th Century
England, actors and their companies were thought of as lazy and dishonest:
o lazy because plays were performed during the day, which meant that a percentage of those
attending were “absent without leave” from work;
o dishonest because an actor on stage was pretending to be someone he was not, which meant that
he was lying.
•
During the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, however, there was a growing interest in play-going, so actors
were given the right to organize themselves into troupes under the protection of a royal patron or
sponsor. Shakespeare’s troupe secured the patronage of the Lord Chamberlain, therefore they became
known as The Lord Chamberlain’s Men.
•
Patronage changed after the death of Elizabeth I in 1603, when King James VI of Scotland became King
James I of England. During the reign of James I, and continuing to 1642 when the Puritans closed the
theatres, The Lord Chamberlain’s Men were recognized favorites of the crown and known as The King’s
Men.
•
Shakespeare often visited Stratford and bought a house there for his family. Unfortunately, his son
Hamnet died in 1596 at the age of eleven, possibly of the plague. At the age of 47 in 1611, Shakespeare
retired to Stratford, ending his tenure as a resident writer and actor with the company he helped form.
William Shakespeare died on his birthday on April 23, 1616. His wife, Anne, lived until the age of
sixty-seven. His two surviving children, Susanna and Judith, both married but left no family.
•
Although Shakespeare’s family tree ended, his plays continue to carry his memory, and will do so well
into the future. Shakespeare wrote 35-37 plays, 154 sonnets, and contributed over 2,000 words to the
English language. Today his plays are performed in many languages including German, Russian,
French, and Japanese. As Ben Jonson, a contemporary of Shakespeare once wrote, “…he was not for an
age, but for all time!”
STUDY GUIDE INDEX
This study guide packet has been created to accompany the productions in the current season at The American
Shakespeare Center. Each play has its own separate guide with a number of resources, activities, and assignments created
specifically for that play, offering a broad range of materials for you to choose from as you plan your classes. Please feel
free to reproduce these pages as needed. Some activities and assignments can be completed after reading the text of the
play while others are based on specific choices in the ASC productions. Most activities can be adapted to serve either
individual or group assignments. Answer keys appear at the end of each guide. The following is a list of the materials you
will find in the study guide for each play.
Stuff That Happens In the Play
This is a description of the major events in the play to help guide students through general plot points.
Who’s Who
This is a list of the characters in the play, along with a short description of who they are and what they do.
Director’s Notes
This is a short essay written by the director of each ASC production for the season program, in which they give their
thoughts on the play.
Discovery Space Scavenger Hunt
These simple questions are to be used in conjunction with the ASC performance. Before attending the play, teachers
should assign each student one of the twenty questions to help them become more active viewers at the performance.
Rhetoric and Figures of Speech
This section focuses on the use language in the play. Examples of a particular rhetorical device or linguistic feature in the
text are followed by an activity that relates to the particular rhetorical device or figure of speech.
Viewpoints
This section of the guide contains activities and information built around a particular aspect of each play. A short
examination of a theme or topic is followed with a related assignment.
ShakesFEAR Activity
These classroom teaching ploys are excerpts from ASC Co-founder and Executive Director Ralph Alan Cohen’s book
ShakesFEAR and How to Cure It. Cohen developed these activities to help overcome students’ feelings of intimidation
toward Shakespeare’s plays.
ABC’s
This is a fill-in-the-blank assignment that tests students’ knowledge of the text. Answers can be drawn from a word bank
containing twenty-six words related to the play, each starting with a different letter of the alphabet.
Crossword Puzzles
The study guide contains a crossword puzzle for each play with answers taken from the text.
Actors’ Choice
These thoughts and observations made by ASC actors about their performance choices can either be used as prompts for
written responses or classroom discussion.
Getting Technical
This section of the guide is for use after the students have attended the ASC performance. It helps students to examine
how technical aspects of the production help to tell the story of the play, and prompts them to consider what technical
choices they might make if they were putting together their own performance.
Quizzes and Essay Questions
Each study guide contains one or more quizzes that teachers can use to test their students knowledge of the play, as well
as prompts for essays in response to the production and the text.
Answer Keys For Various Activities and Quizzes
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JULIUS CAESAR
THE AMERICAN SHAKESPEARE CENTER
Touring Troupe 2006-07 Season
Study Guide
Julius Caesar
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JULIUS CAESAR
CAST & CREW
MURELLUS tribune of the people
FLAVIUS tribune of the people
A COBBLER
A CARPENTER
Tyler Moss
Lillian Wright
Sybille Bruun
Emily Gibson
Julius CAESAR
Joseph Langham
Marcus BRUTUS conspirator against Caesar
Caius CASSIUS conspirator against Caesar
CASCA conspirator against Caesar
DECIUS Brutus conspirator against Caesar
CINNA conspirator against Caesar
METELLUS Cimber conspirator against Caesar
TREBONIUS conspirator against Caesar
Caius LIGARIUS conspirator against Caesar
Adam Jonas Segaller
Henry Bazemore, Jr.
Kevin Pierson
Lillian Wright
Tyler Moss
Chris Johnston
Emily Gibson
Henry Bazemore, Jr.
Mark ANTONY triumvir after the death of Caesar
OCTAVIUS Caesar triumvir after the death of Caesar
LEPIDUS triumvir after the death of Caesar
Jonathan Maccia
Chris Johnston
Anna Marie Sell
CALPHURNIA wife of Caesar
PORTIA wife of Brutus
LUCIUS servant to Brutus
Anna Marie Sell
Sybille Bruun
Anna Marie Sell
CICERO senator
PUBLIUS senator
Emily Gibson
Sybille Bruun
ARTEMIDORUS friend to Caesar
A SOOTHSAYER
CINNA a poet
Tyler Moss
Chris Johnston
Lillian Wright
LUCILIUS soldier of Brutus and Cassius
TITINIUS soldier of Brutus and Cassius
MESSALA soldier of Brutus and Cassius
Young CATO soldier of Brutus and Cassius
STRATO soldier of Brutus and Cassius
PINDARUS soldier of Brutus and Cassius
DARDANIUS soldier of Brutus and Cassius
Sybille Bruun
Tyler Moss
Kevin Pierson
Emily Gibson
Joseph Langham
Joseph Langham
Anna Marie Sell
A POET
Chris Johnston
CREW
DIRECTOR
Assistant Director
Assistant Director
Colleen Kelly
Aaron Hochhalter
Becky Kemper
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JULIUS CAESAR
Costume Designer
Assistant to the Director
Research Contributor
Research Contributor
Jenny McNee
Cassie Ash
Mary Coy
Eve Speer
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JULIUS CAESAR
STUFF THAT HAPPENS…
Stuff that happens DURING the Play...
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•
In Rome, the people are celebrating the return of Julius Caesar from a military triumph
over Pompey's sons.
•
Caesar's growing popularity spurs a conspiracy among the late Pompey's followers and
among others worried about Caesar's power.
•
Cassius tries to convert Brutus to the conspiracy.
•
On a stormy night, the conspirators convince Brutus of their cause. Brutus' wife, Portia,
asks him to tell her what is troubling him.
•
On the night before the coup, Caesar's wife, Calphurnia, tells him of her bad dream and
asks him to stay at home. The priests, too, try to prevent Caesar from leaving the house; a
conspirator, Decius Brutus, reinterprets Calphurnia's dream favorably and escorts Caesar
to the Capitol.
•
While Mark Antony -- loyal to Caesar -- is distracted by one of the conspirators, the rest
of the faction stab Caesar. Antony submits to the conspirators and obtains Brutus'
permission to speak at the funeral.
•
After Brutus defends his action to the crowd, Mark Antony incites the crowd against the
conspirators, who flee Rome.
•
Antony joins Octavius Caesar (Julius' nephew) and Lepidus to battle the conspirators.
•
Antony and Octavius combine forces and pursue Cassius and Brutus who are in camp
near Sardis.
•
Brutus and Cassius argue bitterly, but make amends. Brutus tells Cassius some bad
news. Cassius allows Brutus to persuade him to meet the enemy at Philippi.
•
Ghostly visits, battles, and bad judgment ensue.
JULIUS CAESAR
WHO’S WHO
Julius Caesar- General of the Roman Army. Julius Caesar returns from victory over tbe sons of Pompey to wide public
approval, however, many are fearful that he will grow too powerful and become a dictator.
Marcus Brutus- Caesar’s friend who later joins the conspiracy. Brutus is alarmed by Caesar’s rise to power, believing
Rome should be run by the senate instead of one man. He comes to believe that the only hope for Rome is Caesar’s death.
Mark Antony- Roman general and friend to Caesar. Antony remains Caesar’s loyal supporter throughout the play.
Antony inspires the citizens to seek revenge for Caesar’s death, and along with Lepidus and Octavius, Antony leads the
forces in their mission to destroy the conspirators.
Caius Cassius- Roman politician and instigator of the conspiracy to kill Caesar. Cassius convinces Brutus to join the
conspiracy, flees from Rome with Brutus, and later meets Antony and Octavius in battle.
Calphurnia- Wife to Julius Caesar. She shares her visions with Caesar in hopes that he will stay away from the Capitol
on the day of the assassination.
Portia- Wife of Marcus Brutus. Portia is worried about her husband and begs him to confide in her about what is
troubling him.
Lucius- Young servant to Brutus. Lucius serves Brutus at home and accompanies him to battle.
Casca- Conspirator. Cassius persuades him to join in the assassination conspiracy and is the first to stab Caesar.
Trebonius- Conspirator. He agrees with Brutus that they should not kill Mark Antony. He leads Antony away from the
Senate at the time of the assassination.
Decius Brutus- Conspirator. He convinces Caesar that Calphurnia’s vision is a positive omen and that Caesar should
come to the Senate.
Metellus Cimber- Conspirator. His petition to Caesar for the return of his banished brother is the signal for the
assassination to begin.
Cinna- Conspirator. He delivers anonymous letters to Brutus’ home describing the Roman citizens’ fear of Caesar’s
ambition.
Caius Ligarius- Conspirator. He leaves his sick bed to join the conspiracy, although is not present at the assassination.
Octavius Caesar- Son of Julius Caesar’s niece. He returns to Rome after Caesar’s assassination and joins Antony in
battle against the conspirators.
Lepidus- Witness to Caesar’s assasination. He joins a triumvirate with Octavius and Antony to destroy the conspirators.
Flavius and Murellus- Tribunes of Rome. They rebuke the people for celebrating Caesar’s victories and are “put to
silence” for these actions.
Cicero- Senator of Rome. He was not an active member of the conspiracy, although others refer to him as a supporter.
Publius/Popillius Laena - Senator of Rome. He is Caesar’s escort on the day of the assassination, and the assasins send
him to tell the citizens that they intend the people no harm.
Soothsayer- A fortune teller. He warns Julius Caesar of “the Ides of March,” and informs Portia of his fears for Caesar.
Artemidorus- A teacher of rhetoric. He writes Caesar a letter warning of the conspiracy; Caesar refuses to read the letter.
Cinna the Poet- Attacked by a blood-thirsty mob inspired to revenge by Mark Antony.
Pindarus- Indentured soldier/servant to Cassius. He assists Cassius in his suicide.
Strato- A soldier and supporter of Brutus and Cassius. He assists Brutus in his suicide.
Titinius- A soldier and supporter of Brutus and Cassius. He commits suicide after discovering Cassius’ death.
Lucillius- A soldier and supporter of Brutus and Cassius. He is captured in battle at the end of the play.
Messala- A soldier and supporter of Brutus and Cassius. He reports the news of the deaths of Portia and Cicero.
Young Cato- Son of Marcus Cato and soldier of Brutus and Cassius. He is killed at Philippi.
Claudio, Volumnius, Flavius, Dardanius, Clitus- Soldiers and supporter of Brutus and Cassius.
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JULIUS CAESAR
DIRECTOR’S NOTES
What Was and What May Be
“…How many ages hence
Shall this our lofty scene be acted over
In states unborn and accents yet unknown!”
William Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar was first performed at the Globe in 1599, so the theatrical
enactment of the assassination of Caesar has been performed for over 400 years. Considering that the actual
events surrounding this assassination occurred in 44 BC, however, this “lofty scene” has been enacted worldwide for 2,050 years. Twenty centuries and a half of noble causes, honorable intentions, bold enterprises,
courageous actions, righteous rebellions, abuses of power, political overthrows, persuasive speeches,
assassinations, social dissent, war, and death. As dramatic scenes go—quite a long run for mankind.
What is it that keeps man acting out this real-life scene and stage-life play? This question permeates
Shakespeare’s text. In fact, the word “why” appears over forty times in Julius Caesar. Although Shakespeare
does not provide an answer, he does create characters who are searching for the answer—characters sorting
through a dilemma of purpose and explanation. Ultimately, how they choose to reason, justify, and motivate
their way to taking action, will define who they are in the world. These are stage characters in search of
character at a deeply personal level.
The play begins with two Roman tribunes chastising citizens for behaving out of character. The play ends
with Antony praising the ethical make-up of Brutus: “the elements so mixed in him that Nature might stand
up and say ‘This was a man!’ ” The characters who journey between the beginning and end of this play do not
enjoy a simple, comfortable, present-tense existence. These are characters who are haunted by the past and
ruled by the future; characters caught in a struggle between heart and mind, between serving self and serving
the good of the world, and between the truth of what was and the possibility of what might be.
As in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, much of this play takes place in the interval between thought and action; a time
when, as Brutus observes:
“…the genius and the mortal instruments
Are then in council, and the state of man,
Like to a little kingdom, suffers then
The nature of an insurrection.”
To quote Hamlet, “What a piece of work is man, how noble in reason…” Well, sometimes. Reason can
certainly direct hopes and dreams toward wonderful invention. Yet, as in Julius Caesar, reason informed by
fear can lead to action in the absence of evidence. As Brutus’s reasoning concludes:
“So Caesar may.
Then, lest he may, prevent. And since the quarrel
Will bear no color for the thing he is,
Fashion it thus: that what he is, augmented,
Would run to these and these extremities.
And therefore think him as a serpent’s egg
Which hatched, would as his kind grows mischievous,
And kill him in the shell.”
In our political world today, the “lofty scene” continues to play. A memory of what was and a concern for
what may be drives us to reason, justify, and motivate the “why” of noble causes, honorable intentions, bold
enterprises, courageous actions, righteous rebellions, abuse of power, political overthrows, persuasive
speeches, assassinations, social dissent, war, and death. Personally, I prefer the stage version.
Colleen Kelly, Director
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JULIUS CAESAR
DISCOVERY SPACE SCAVENGER HUNT
Discovery Space [di-skuhv-uh-ree speys], n. 1.
The curtained area at the upstage center portion
of an Elizabethan stage where something is
revealed to or discovered by characters or
audiences.
Instructions to Teacher: Shortly before attending the ASC performance of Julius
Caesar, assign each student one question from the following list so they can look
for the answer as they watch the production.
1.
Are there any lyrics to Lucius’ sleepy tune?
2. Whose face is on the masks in the opening scene celebration?
3. How many times does the crowd shout when Caesar denies the crown?
4. In the assassination scene, who performs the final stab?
5.
What color are the hoods that the conspirators wear?
6. What covers the sleeping guards when Caesar’s ghost enters?
7. What color is the book that Brutus finds in his gown pocket?
8. What instrument is played during Caesar’s processional entry in Act 1?
9. What does Brutus do to the poet in Act 4 after the he sings his lines of poetry?
10. How many silver helmets appear on stage at one time?
11. Does anyone eat or drink anything in this play?
12. What does the Soothsayer use to create a sound effect?
13. How does Cinna the Poet leave the stage after being attacked?
14. What weapons, besides daggers (swords), are used in this production?
15. Where does Casca conceal his dagger before striking Caesar?
16. When Cassius stabs a deserter from the army, what is the deserter carrying?
17. What color is the Brutus/Cassius flag?
18. How does the son of Marcus Cato die?
19. What color is Mark Antony’s flag?
20. What do Antony and Octavius wear on their military uniforms in remembrance of
Caesar?
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JULIUS CAESAR
RHETORIC AND FIGURES OF SPEECH
Rhetoric [ret-er-ik], n. 1. The art or science of all
specialized literary uses of language in prose or
verse, including the figures of speech. 2. The study
of the effective use of language. 3. The ability to
use language effectively.
Through the use of rhetorical devices (or figures of speech), Shakespeare provides a map to help an
actor figure out how to play a character and communicate the story of the play to the audience.
Throughout Julius Caesar, Shakespeare uses a number of different rhetorical devices classified as
figures of repetition. Shakespeare uses these different forms of repetition in order to give emphasis,
clarity, or emotional power to a character’s language.
Word Repetition
One of the words which Shakespeare repeats most often in Julius Caesar is “fear.” Characters fear
what the gods might do, fear each other, fear events to come; and much of the dialogue in the play
describes these fearful states of being. Events are in a constant state of flux in the world of Julius
Caesar, and characters can never be certain of their future or the thoughts and feelings of people
around them. The word “fear” (and its variations) is used over forty-three times in the play; characters
seem to be preoccupied, almost obsessed, with it.
Examples:
Brutus
For let the gods so speed me as I love
The name of honour more than I fear death.
Caesar
I rather tell thee what is to be fear'd
Than what I fear; for always I am Caesar.
Cassius
To make them instruments of fear and warning
Unto some monstrous state.
Antony
I fear I wrong the honourable men
Whose daggers have stabb'd Caesar; I do fear it.
Octavius
And bay'd about with many enemies;
And some that smile have in their hearts, I fear,
Millions of mischiefs.
Calphurnia O Caesar! these things are beyond all use,
And I do fear them.
Activity
In addition to the lines given above, provide examples that demonstrate how fear plays a role in
the behavior of the following characters in Julius Caesar: Caesar, Brutus, Antony, Cassius,
Octavius, and Calphurnia.
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JULIUS CAESAR
Isocolon (i-so-co'-lon): The repetition of similarly structured elements with a similar length. A kind
of parallelism.
Example:
Brutus
As Caesar loved me, I weep for him;
as he was fortunate, I rejoice at it; as he was
valiant, I honour him: but, as he was ambitious, I
slew him. There is tears for his love; joy for his
fortune; honour for his valour; and death for his
ambition.
This section of Brutus’ speech shows two examples of isocolons. The first isocolon is made up of four
repetitions of lines that follow the structure of, “As Caesar _______, I _______.” The second group of
isocolons is made up of four repetitions of linses that follow the structure of, “______ for his ______” .
Epistrophe (e-pis'-tro-fee) Is the repetition of the same word or group of words at the end of
successive clauses, sentences, or lines.
Example:
Brutus
Who is here so base that would be a
bondman? If any, speak; for him have I offended.
Who is here so rude that would not be a Roman? If
any, speak; for him have I offended. Who is here so
vile that will not love his country? If any, speak;
for him have I offended.
Brutus' repetition of the line "for him I have offended" helps him to make the point that no one should
question his motives.
Activity
When Brutus and Antony deliver their speeches to the assembled crowd of Roman citizens they are both
trying to win them to their side. Both Brutus and Antony use figures of repetition in their speeches to
strengthen the power of their arguments.
1. Review Antony’s eulogy from Act 3, scene 2 and find examples of the various forms of
repetitions.
2. Log on to http://www.historyplace.com/speeches/previous.htm or
http://www.americanrhetoric.com/top100speechesall.html and examine contemporary public
speeches and find similar usage of repetition.
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JULIUS CAESAR
VIEWPOINTS…
On life…
How do we make choices about the kind of life we want to live? The plot of Julius Caesar progresses
because of the decisions characters make based on the importance they have placed on their quality of life.
Characters in the play weigh principles such as freedom, personal honor, loyalty and integrity against the idea
of living a compromised life, or perhaps no life at all. To what extent are characters willing to take preventive
measures to assure a life worth living? After reviewing the following examples from Julius Caesar, consider
what preventive measures you take in your own life (such as diet, sleep, friends, grades, etc.) and what
preventive measures are taken for you (such as school metal detectors, seatbelt laws, national security, etc.) to
guarantee your quality of life.
Brutus to Cassius
Brutus had rather be a villager
Than to repute himself a son of Rome
Under these hard conditions as this time
Is like to lay upon us.
Cassius to Casca
I know where I will wear this dagger then;
Cassius from bondage will deliver Cassius:
…That part of tyranny that I do bear
I can shake off at pleasure.
Brutus fears Caesar will become a tyrant
So Caesar may.
Then, lest he may, prevent. And, since the quarrel
Will bear no colour for the thing he is,
Fashion it thus; that what he is, augmented,
Would run to these and these extremities:
And therefore think him as a serpent's egg
Which, hatch'd, would, as his kind, grow mischievous,
And kill him in the shell.
Brutus defends the assassination to the crowd
Had you rather Caesar were living and
die all slaves, than that Caesar were dead, to live
all free men?
On death…
Below are several excerpts from Julius Caesar memorializing the lives and deaths of characters. How do
the characters’ public thoughts differ from their private thoughts? What do their words say about their
relationship with the deceased? Consider how you would like to be remembered. Imagine that three
different speakers who know you have been asked to say a few words in your memory. Write each of their
responses.
Antony in public on Caesar’s death:
I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him.
The evil that men do lives after them;
The good is oft interred with their bones;
So let it be with Caesar.
Antony in private on Caesar’s death:
Thou art the ruins of the noblest man
That ever lived in the tide of times.
Brutus in public on Caesar’s death:
As Caesar loved me, I weep for him;
as he was fortunate, I rejoice at it; as he was
valiant, I honour him: but, as he was ambitious, I
slew him. There is tears for his love; joy for his
fortune; honour for his valour; and death for his
ambition.
Brutus with Cassius on Portia’s death:
Speak no more of her.
Titinius with Messala on Cassius’ death:
No, this was he, Messala,
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But Cassius is no more. O setting sun,
As in thy red rays thou dost sink to-night,
So in his red blood Cassius' day is set;
The sun of Rome is set!
Brutus in public on Cassius’ and Titinius’ deaths:
Are yet two Romans living such as these?
The last of all the Romans, fare thee well!
It is impossible that ever Rome
Should breed thy fellow. Friends, I owe more tears
To this dead man than you shall see me pay.
I shall find time, Cassius, I shall find time.
Antony in public on Brutus’ death:
This was the noblest Roman of them all:
All the conspirators save only he
Did that they did in envy of great Caesar;
He only, in a general honest thought
And common good to all, made one of them.
His life was gentle, and the elements
So mix'd in him that Nature might stand up
And say to all the world 'This was a man!'
JULIUS CAESAR
DR. RALPH’S “SHAKESFEAR” ACTIVITY
(From Ralph Allen Cohen’s forthcoming book, ShakesFEAR and How to Cure It.)
Variations on Reading a Scene
Casca’s comedy. Act 1, scene 2, 216 (“You pulled me”) to 288 (“farewell both”). Three
speaking parts, including the teacher as Brutus.
Outside of the ironic tone of much of the play, the one sustained comic moment is Casca’s
description to Brutus and Cassius of the people offering Caesar a crown. His cynicism is
refreshing in the context of Brutus’ idealism and Cassius’ manipulation. In acting the role, the
question arises how best to keep both Casca’s comedy and the sense of what he is saying. You
play Brutus and recruit another straight man to play Cassius. Have your Casca do two versions of
his report.
In the first version, Casca is a comedian, purposefully “punching up” certain lines – for example,
“if Caesar had stabbed their mothers, they would have done no less.” In this version, your Casca
plays to the crowd (the classroom). In the second version, Casca is bored and the comedy is
unintended.
As usual, discuss the two versions with your students. How does Casca’s tone change our view
of Caesar? How does it affect our view of Casca? Of the opposition to Caesar? Is one reading
funnier than the other? Why? Is that humor helpful to the play? How?
Brutus and Portia. Act 2, scene 1, 232 (“Brutus, my lord”) to 308 (“me with haste”). Two
speaking parts.
Your students will be impressed with the contemporary feel of this scene between a wife and her
husband – it could easily be Carmella Soprano complaining to Tony about a lack of
communication.
In the first version, Portia is angry at Brutus and insulted by his treatment, while Brutus is
focused wholly on the plot and is just trying to contain his irritation with Portia for disturbing
him. His seeming kindness to her at the end of the scene is just a matter of getting her to leave
him alone. He is not really going to tell her about his plans to kill Caesar.
In the second version, Portia is more concerned with her husband than hurt about his treatment of
her; while Brutus, whose first priority is Portia, just hasn’t realized how much he has hurt her by
trying to protect her from knowing too much about the conspiracy.
Now discuss with your students which of the versions they like most, which is most in keeping
with what has gone before in the play, and which is most in keeping with the scenes to come.
You may wish in particular to discuss Brutus’ odd response to the death of his wife: “Speak no
more of her” (4.1.158) and “why, farewell, Portia” (190).
19
JULIUS CAESAR
ABC’S
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
In Act 5, scene 1 Antony says that Casca stabbed Caesar from behind, in the ________.
_________ wrote a letter to warn Julius Caesar of the plot to assassinate him.
At the beginning of the play, the townspeople are celebrating the feast of _________.
Because he was Julius Caesar’s grandnephew and heir, _________ assumed rule of Rome along with
Mark Antony and Lepidus after Caesar’s death.
Before battle, Brutus is haunted in his tent by the _________ of Caesar.
The conspirators meet to finalize their plans at the home of _________ .
In Act 1, scene 2 Brutus says that Casca was “_________ mettle” when he went to school.
Brutus’ wife, _________, killed herself by swallowing fire.
Calphurnia warns Caesar of the bad omen, “graves have _________, and yielded up their dead”.
Cassius walks about in the storm _________.
Caesar’s epilepsy is described as the “________ sickness”.
Only one character refers to Caesar by his first name, ________.
When Brutus reassures Portia of his loyalty, he refers to her as his “true and honorable ______”
Julius Caesar is assassinated in the __________-house.
Julius Caesar’s final words were, “_________ tu, Brute? Then fall Caesar.”
________ inspires the citizens to mutiny against Caesar’s assassins.
The conspirators wash their _________ in Caesar’s blood.
In Act 5, Antony refers to the assassination weapons as “vile _______.”
In Act 2, Brutus promises ________ that “If the redress will follow, thou receivest thy full petition at
the hand of Brutus!”
The Senators wish to establish Julius Caesar as the _________ of Rome.
__________ used Cassius’ sword to kill himself once he saw the dead body of Cassius.
To a Roman or an Elizabethan, the “__________ of March” simply meant “March 15th”.
Citizens murder the poet, __________, because he has the same name as one of the conspirators.
___________ was one of Brutus’ soldiers who refuses to help him commit suicide.
___________ is the Roman numeral for the number of beats in a normal iambic pentameter line.
Perhaps one reason Romans wore togas is because the ________ had not yet been invented.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
i.
j.
k.
l.
m.
n.
o.
p.
q.
r.
s.
t.
u.
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Artemidorius
Brutus
Cinna
daggers
et
falling
ghost
hands
ides
Julius
King
Lupercal
Mark Antony
neck
Octavius
Portia
quick
Rome
senate
Titinius
unbraced
v.
w.
x.
y.
z.
Voluminus
wife
X
Yawn’d
zipper
In case you were wondering
Ides – The name used in the ancient Roman calendar for the
15th day of March, May, July or October and the 13th day of
other months.
In case you were wondering
Feast of Lupercal (or Lupercalia) was a fertility festival in
ancient Rome, celebrated on February 15th in honor of the god
Lupercus. Romans (especially newly-married young women)
believed that a touch from leather strips carried by runners
during a race on this day would ensure lots of offspring and
easy births.
JULIUS CAESAR
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JULIUS CAESAR
ACTORS’ CHOICE
Anna Marie Sell- Calphurnia, Lucius, and Ensemble in
ASC’s Julius Caesar
On dealing with issues of status in Julius Caesar.
“The idea of "status" and one's role in society played a big part in how I looked at my various
roles. So I examined what status being Caesar's wife gives Calphurnia, whether her role as
almost-royal consort gave her any kind of equality with the senators… We also looked at who
commanded who in the various battle scenes- I play a servant and a lot of low-ranking soldiers,
so I found myself in very functional, subservient sort of positions.”
Joseph Langham – Julius Caesar in ASC’s Julius Caesar
In a play focused on Caesar’s shortcomings, the actor playing the role finds the
character’s positive attributes to portray.
“I was familiar with the play and [Caesar] has [been] presented as a very wooden character very stiff - but then, as I was doing the research, you start to learn that Caesar was actually a
pretty alright guy. He was pretty good for Rome, in my opinion, but apparently several other
people didn't think so.”
Anna Marie Sell- Calphurnia, Lucius, and Ensemble in
ASC’s Julius Caesar
In response to the question, “What is the play about?”
“Power, how people and ideas can be manipulated, and how decisions are made about what is
worth dying, or killing, for.”
Colleen Kelly- director of ASC’s Julius Caesar
In response to the question: “As the director, were there moments in the play that
you had a strong opinion about and therefore influenced the actors to make
choices in that direction?”
“As the director of Julius Caesar, I hope the actors felt we reached decisions about character
choices through collaboration. But, yes, I did have a strong opinion about some moments such
as:
• I wanted Portia’s wound to take place in the moment on stage rather than the character
referring to an “old’ wound
• I didn’t want Cassius’ aside to the audience at the end of Act 1, scene 2 (when he is
talking about influencing Brutus) to sound too manipulative and turn Cassius into an
Iago-type character
• I wanted Caesar to fall on his own sword in the assassination scene.”
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JULIUS CAESAR
Anna Marie Sell - Calphurnia, Lucius, and Ensemble in
ASC’s Julius Caesar
On her favorite moment in the play.
“Right now, the favorite moment I have is the Act 3, scene 1 entrance as Mark Antony's servant
just after Caesar's been killed. I am shocked and excited every time we rehearse it to see how
committed and SCARY the conspirators are.”
Questions
1. Sell talks about Calphurnia’s status in Julius Caesar. How would you rank Calphurnia’s
status in relation to the other major characters in the play? How does Calphurnia’s status
show itself in the play? How does status affect people’s actions in Julius Caesar?
2. Langham observes that Caesar had some good qualities that were beneficial to Rome. What
do you think some of those qualities were that he was referring to?
3. Consider each of the points that Sell proposes for what the Julius Caesar is about. How is
the play about power? Who has power and who loses it over the course of the play? In the
world of Julius Caesar, what ideas are worth dying for and killing for?
4. Why do think the director had such strong feelings about the three moments she mentioned?
How would your view of the characters or plot be altered if other choices had been made?
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JULIUS CAESAR
GETTING TECHNICAL
CONSIDER THIS ABOUT COSTUMES IN JULIUS CAESAR:
•
Eleven actors play over thirty-five roles in the ASC production of Julius Caesar. Choose an
actor and give an example of how costume changes helped identify that a new character was
being performed.
•
Using the following list of questions as a guide, consider (through discussion or writing)
other aspects of costume design in ASC’s Julius Caesar:
o what is reflected by the period and style of clothing?
o what is concealed and/or revealed about the character and the plot?
o what does the weight, feel, flow of the materials communicate (heavy, see-through,
silky)?
o what color palette and intensity of color is used?
o how do you distinguish the characters from one another?
o how do you create relationships between the characters?
o how many costume changes are needed for each character?
o are there any special needs (such as blood, quick changes, etc.)?
•
If you were asked to design your own production of Julius Caesar what kind of choices
would you make about costumes?
CONSIDER THIS ABOUT LIGHTING AND SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS IN JULIUS
CAESAR:
•
No liquid blood is shown in the play in either the assassination or the battles, yet bloodstained cloth is used. Why do you think this choice was made?
•
Using the following list of questions as a guide, consider (through discussion or writing)
other aspects of lighting and special effects in ASC’s Julius Caesar:
o what time of day needs to be shown in the many scenes?
o what kind of environment/weather conditions?
o what mood needs to be set for the scene or moment (danger, comfort, etc.)?
o what actions are dependent on the light or effect (recognize another, keep warm,
escape, etc.)?
o what special effects are needed (such as: fire, explosions, magic, shadows, ghosts, etc.)?
o in what ways might you take advantage of actors and audience sharing the same light?
•
If you were asked to design your own production of Julius Caesar what kind of choices
would you make about lighting and special effects?
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JULIUS CAESAR
CONSIDER THIS ABOUT MUSIC AND SOUND EFFECTS IN JULIUS CAESAR:
•
Drums and other sound effects were used to serve several purposes in the play. Cite at least
three examples where sound effects were used with a different meaning.
•
Using the following list of questions as a guide, consider (through discussion or writing)
other aspects of music and sound effects in ASC’s Julius Caesar:
o what mood is set by the pre-show and interlude music?
o what music/songs did Shakespeare include in the text of the play?
o what music has been added to set a mood, or clarify or underscore the text?
o what actions are dependent on sounds (knock at door, alarum to battle, etc.)
o what special sound effects are needed (such as: clocks, birds, explosions, etc.)?
o what type, quality, and volume of musical instruments, human voice, or sounds?
o should any music or sounds be left to the imagination?
•
If you were asked to design your own production of Julius Caesar what kind of choices
would you make about music and sound effects?
CONSIDER THIS ABOUT SCENERY, SET PIECES, AND PROPS IN JULIUS CAESAR:
•
White fabric is used symbolically throughout the play. Name at least three different purposes
the white fabric serves and how the actors use it.
•
Using the following list of questions as a guide, consider (through discussion or writing)
other aspects of scenery, set pieces, and props in ASC’s Julius Caesar:
o what particular period, style, or culture is represented?
o what color and texture of set pieces/props (rustic wood or polished plastic) are used?
o how many different locations are needed?
o how do you coordinate the changing of the set?
o what props are identified with a character (pipe, crown, cane, etc.)?
o what props are especially important to the plot (Macbeth’s head, Desdemona’s
hankie, etc.)?
o what other props are needed (letters read, food eaten, swords, flags, etc.)?
o should any settings or props be left to the imagination?
•
If you were asked to design your own production of Julius Caesar what kind of choices
would you make about scenery, set pieces, and props?
25
JULIUS CAESAR
QUIZ
Directions: Select the BEST multiple choice response to the statement.
1. Initially, Brutus feels a conflict between his
a. desire to kill Caesar and his friendship with Cassius c. love of Caesar and love of Rome
b. hatred of Caesar and love of Rome
d. hatred of Caesar and fear for his family
2. Brutus receives faked letters written by
a. Portia
b. Antony
c. Cassius
d. Lucius
3. Who begs to know what troubles Brutus?
a. Calphurnia
b. Cassius
c. Portia
d. Lucius
4. Caesar says he does not trust
a. Brutus
b. Antony
c. Cassius
d. Trebonius
5. Cassius needs Brutus in the plot for his
a. reputation
b. swordsmanship
c. financial backing
d. physical prowess
6. Caesar's wife warns him
a. of her ominous dreams
b. to beware of Cassius
c. that Antony is athletic
d. that she intends to leave him
7. Caesar's augurers
a. make plans to cremate his body
b. sacrifice an animal which has no heart
c. guard Calphurnia while he is away
d. decide who will have an audience with Caesar
8. In repeating "Brutus is an honorable man" at the funeral, Antony uses
a. flattery
b. lies
c. truth
d. irony
9. In his will, Caesar leaves
a. every Roman citizen seventy-five drachmas
b. all his possessions to his wife
c. his orchards on the Tiber to Antony
d. his house in Rome to Brutus
10. The chief purpose of Mark Antony's funeral oration is
a. to show his love for Caesar
b. to display his power as an orator
c. to bring peace to Rome
d. to enrage the people against the conspirators
11. The crowd slaughters Cinna the Poet primarily because
a. he rebukes them
c. he is an assassin
b. he has the same name as a conspirator
d. they hate his poetry
12. The new triumvirate is composed of all but
a. Antony
b. Octavius
c. Lucius
13. Caesar's ghost
a. tells Cassius that he is Brutus' evil spirit
b. bids Brutus beware of Mark Antony
c. tells Brutus they shall meet again at Philippi
d. connects him to exploits in England and Egypt
14. Immediately after stabbing Caesar, the conspirators
a. flee Rome
b. bury his body
c. choose Octavius as ruler
d. Lepidus
d. bathe their hands in his blood
Essay
Aristotle's definition of a tragic hero is a person who has a fatal flaw (or commits a fatal mistake) which is
the inadvertent cause of that character’s downfall. Pick two main characters from Julius Caesar, determine
their tragic flaw and discuss how it manifests itself throughout the play.
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