Lesson Title: Pre-Emptive Strike: Operation Roman Freedom!

Course and Grade: Sophomore English, 10th Generalization: The main idea of this lesson is that persuasion is a key theme of the play, and both Antony and Brutus are masters of persuading the Roman people of their own points of view on Caesars assassination. Learning Targets: Facts: All the characters are at the Capitol; the Soothsayer tries to warn Caesar again but Caesar dismisses his warning about the ides of March; Trebonius and Artemidorus both want Caesar to read their petitions but Caesar refuses to read the one that concerns himself (the one that Artemidorus offers) until he has finished with state business; Popilius knows of the plot but shows he wont betray the conspirators by smiling and drawing Antony away to distract him so he cant intervene in the assassination; Cinna decides that Casca will be the first to stab Caesar; Metellus Cimber pleads with Caesar to lift the banishment of his brother Publius, then Brutus and Cassius implore him but Caesar refuses, saying his decision is a good one and hes constant as the northern star and no amount of begging will sway him; Caesars last words are And you, Brutus? Then fall, Caesar and imply he cannot believe Brutus of all people would betray him; Antony flees the murder scene and does not return until his servant has assured him he wont be harmed by the conspirators; Casca and Brutus rationalize what theyve done by saying theyve shortened the number of years Caesar had to fear death; Brutus suggests they dip their hands and swords in Caesars blood and proclaim freedom and liberty to the people; the lines Cassius states mean that this scene will be re-enacted in the future (which Shakespeares play, still being performed today, ensures and proves true); Antony, when he returns, asks the conspirators to kill him, too; then he asks them to explain how Caesar was dangerous, and begs permission to bear Caesars body to the marketplace and speak at his funeral; Cassius is against it because he fears Antony will turn the people against them, but Brutus says Antony will follow them and theyll make it clear he speaks with their permission and this will benefit them by making it appear that they wish to properly honor Caesar in death; Antony really does not feel friendship towards the conspirators as he portrayed to them and plans on inciting the Romans to destroy them all at any cost; Octavius (Caesars grand-nephew, adopted son and heir, and later to be Augustus Caesar) lies within seven leagues of Rome; Antony asks Octaviuss servant to help him bear Caesars body to the marketplace (a necessary stage direction when the scenery did not change and the scene had to shift, and the dead body couldnt realistically get up and walk off stage); half the assembled Romans go to hear Cassius, and half go to hear Brutus speak; Brutus justifies what he has done by saying that he loved Caesar also, but he loved Rome more, and had Caesar lived, they would all have been made into slaves, and it is better Caesar is dead and they can live as free men; he had to slay Caesar because Caesar was ambitious, and if he himself (Brutus) became a tyrant, he knows the people of Rome would kill him and this is as it should be, and he accepts that, and finally, he says, if he himself (Brutus) had to die for the greater good of Rome he would accept this and would give his own life just as he sacrificed Caesars life for Rome; after Brutus leaves, Antony persuades the crowd to turn against the conspirators by doing the following things: Antony appeals to the citizens of Rome by including them using inclusive languagefriends, Romans, countrymenso they will identify with him; he praises Brutus and says that IF Caesar was ambitious, it was a terrible fault and the penalty (death) was just; he says Brutus and the other conspirators are all honorable men (this statement becomes increasingly ironic); he keeps repeating that Brutus and the others were honorable and that they say Caesar was ambitious; he lists all the things Caesar did for Rome (bringing home spoils of war, slaves, money for the treasury) and asks the crowd if these things seem ambitious; he cites how Caesar turned down the symbolic crown, and asks if that seemed like something an ambitious man would do; this implies that Caesar was not ambitious, and that the claims made by the conspirators (that Caesar was ambitious) are false, and that they are therefore dishonest and dishonorable men; he appeals to their emotions by saying hes getting choked up as he looks at Caesars body; he brings out

Caesars will and says he will read it to the crowd, tempting the crowd by saying he shouldnt read it to them yet because it will make them angry against the conspirators (thus making them want to hear the will and building suspense); he then has them circle around Caesars corpse and he points out each dagger wound and names the conspirators; he says Brutus is eloquent but he is simple and straightforward (implying Brutus was manipulating them when he spoke, but that Antony is just speaking the truth), and that if he had the eloquence of Brutus he would make Caesars wounds speak to move even the unfeeling stones of Rome to outrage; finally he reads the will in which Caesar left to every Roman citizen seventy-five drachmas, and left many of his private orchards and arbors to the public to enjoy as parks; the inflamed mob goes to destroy the conspirators and their homes and come across a poet named Cinnanot the conspirator Cinna, just another man who happens to be named Cinna, which he explains to themand after questioning him and establishing hes not the conspirator Cinna they still kill him anyway; that there are different ideas about loyalty to leader and country (they are not always necessarily the same thing). Materials: Lesson plan, classroom set of copies of Act III (the original Shakespearian text, with side-notes). Context and Purpose: Today, my goals for you are to know the facts of Act III, particularly focusing on the assassination of Caesar and its aftermath. We will probably finish discussing next time. Instruction: Discuss Act III. Closure: Thank students for a good discussion. HW: None.

Discussion Questions for Act III of The Tragedy of Julius Caesar Where are all of the characters as the first scene of Act III begins? (Use stage directions.) In front of the Capitol. What is the verbal exchange between Caesar and the soothsayer and what does it show us about Caesars character? (lines 1-2) Caesar says that today is the ides of March and nothing bad has happened. The soothsayer warns him the day isnt over yet. This may show us Caesars lack of superstition and/or his arrogance and his stubbornness. Who are the two men that present Caesar with different things they each want him to read? (lines 3-7) Trebonius and Artemidorus both want Caesar to read what they have for him. When Artemidorus says that what he has for Caesar to read concerns Caesar himself, what reason does Caesar give for reading Artemidorus letter last? (line 8) What touches us ourself shall be last servd. In other words, what relates to his own life is not as important as other state business. What does Popilius wish upon Cassius? (line 13) He wishes his enterprise (Caesars assassination) may thrive. How do Brutus and Cassius know that Popilius isnt going to tell Caesar of the plot to kill him, and is on the side of the conspirators? (lines 14-26) When Cassius plays dumb and says, What enterprise, Popilius? he responds, Fare you well. When Popilius is speaking to Caesar, Caesars expression shows no concern. Also, when Popilius smiles and draws Mark Antony aside to distract him (so he wont be able to interfere with the assassination of his best friend to whom he is loyal) they know Popilius is on their side. Who does Cinna say will be the first to raise his hand against Caesar? (line 30) Casca will be the first to stab Caesar. What three characters beg Caesars forgiveness and an end to exile for Metellus Cimbers brother Publius Cimber, and with what results? (lines 33-76) Publius Cimber has been banished by Caesar. Metellus pleads with Caesar first, then Caesar says that pleading and begging wont help, but only if they can show him a good reason to repeal the sentence will he do so; Brutus also appeals to Caesar, which surprises Caesar; lastly, Cassius begs. Caesar says he is as constant as the northern star and when he decided to banish Publius Cimber it was a good decision, and he will stand by it because no one has shown him a good reason to repeal the sentence of banishment.

With what constellation, with what quality, does Caesar compare himself? (lines 60-62) Caesar says he is as constant (as fixed) as the northern star (the North Star) and cant be moved. What are Caesars exact and total last words and what is their significance? (line 77) Et tu, Brute? Then fall, Caesar. He cannot believe his own friend would also be one of his killers. The phrase, And you, Brutus? conveys Caesars sense of disbelief at having been betrayed. Some historians believe that Brutus was actually Caesars illegitimate son, and that Caesar may or may not have suspected this. If Caesar thought Brutus was his son, to what extent might that change how Caesar feels as Brutus stabs him, and how might our thinking that Caesar believed Brutus was his son affect our reactions to this scene? Answers will vary, but may include that Caesar would feel even more deeply hurt and heartbroken at Brutuss betrayal; we, as audience members, might empathize even more with Caesar or feel even more emotionally affected. What if Brutus thought that Caesar was his father? How might that change Brutuss feelings as he stabs Caesar, and again, how might we as an audience react to this scene differently if we thought that Brutus believed he was killing his own father? Answers will vary, but may include that Brutus would find this decision even more difficult to make and the killing even more heartbreaking; or, he might be hoping to take Caesars place as the heir to the throne, or he might be getting revenge against a father who did not claim or acknowledge him as a son. What does Brutus mean when he says, Ambitions debt is paid? (line 83) He means that because Caesar was too ambitious, he got what he deserved: death. Where is Antony after the murder? (line 96) Antony fled to his house. Why did Antony probably run away from the scene? One answer may be found on lines 130137. Antony was afraid he might be killed, too, since he and Caesar were good friends and Antony was basically his right hand man. Antony conveys (through a servant) that he will return to speak to Brutus if Brutus will promise he may do so safely, to hear and understand their reasons for killing Caesar. What benefit do Casca and Brutus say they have given Caesar, and why might they say they have done him a favor? (lines 102-106) They say that they have abridged (shortened) his time of fearing death. They have cut off twenty years of living in fear of an impending death. They might say this to rationalize what they have done and make themselves feel less bad about killing a man.

What gory thing does Brutus suggest they should do right after Caesars death? (lines 105-110) They should besmear their hands and swords with Caesars blood and go to the marketplace and wave their weapons over their heads and cry, Peace, freedom, and liberty! What is the significance of these lines spoken by Cassius: How many ages hence/ Shall this our lofty scene be acted oer,/ In states unborn and accents yet unknown!? (lines 111-113) Future generations will re-enact this assassination, as Shakespeare has his actors doing many centuries after, and as we do today with this play. Also, perhaps, other assassinations will occur for the same reasons, in future countries that do not yet exist (like England and America) and carried out in languages that do not yet exist at the time of Caesars assassination (like English). What does Antony send his servant to Brutus to find out? (lines 123-137) If he can safely return to talk with Brutus regarding why they killed Caesar. When Antony shows up, what does he first beg from the conspirators, something we also saw Caesar beg of someone earlier, just before he collapsed in an epileptic seizure? Why is it ironic that this is the first thing Antony asks of them? (lines 148-163) Antony begs them to kill him, too. Its ironic because Antony had asked his messenger to get assurance from Brutus that they would not harm him if he came to them to talk about why they killed Caesar. If Antony does not actually want nor expect the conspirators to kill him, too, then why would he beg them to kill him? Answers will vary, but may include: to show them how much he cared about Caesar. What does Antony do with the assassins, as a sign of friendship and respect? (lines 183-189) He shakes their bloody hands. And when the conspirators have refused to kill him, and he has shaken their hands, what is the second thing he begs of the conspirators, and the third thing for which he asks? (lines 221-230) He begs of them an explanation as to why Caesar was so dangerous he had to be killed. The third thing for which he begs is that they allow him to take Caesars body to the marketplace and speak at Caesars funeral. Who is against Antony speaking at Caesars funeral, and why? (lines 231-235) Cassius is opposed to it; he believes Antony may move the Roman people against them through verbal persuasion.

What is Brutuss response to Cassiuss concern, and what does Cassius think of Brutuss argument? (lines 235-243) Brutus says he will speak first, and say that by their permission, Antony will also speak, and that Caesar will be properly honored. He believes it will earn the conspirators more respect from the Roman people and more support for their action if Caesar is properly honored after his death. Cassius still has his doubts. What do we discover about Antonys true feelings and intentions when he is alone with Caesars body? (lines 254-275) Antony really did not want to show friendship to the conspirators. He begs forgiveness for having done so, but it was a necessary deception. Antony intends to incite the Roman people against the conspirators, and he will tear apart Italy and cause so much destruction that people will think no more of seeing babies butchered than they currently think of going to the market; destruction and violence will become so commonplace that there will be no more pity, and Caesars spirit will take his revenge from beyond the grave. Who lies within seven leagues of Rome? (lines 276-277 and line 286) Octavius (later, Augustus) Caesar, grand-nephew of Caesar, his adopted son, and heir to the throne. Antony advises Octavius Caesars servant to tell Octavius what has happened, but to not go right away. With what task does Antony need the servants help, first? (lines 290-297) Antony needs help carrying the body to the marketplace for the funeral speeches. Why, practically speaking, would Shakespeare always write it into his plays that characters must carry the dead bodies off-stage? Because there were no scenery changes, and scenes did shift from one location to another (Shakespeare let the audience know this by dialogue clues), a character would have to either carry off the dead body or the actor playing the character who had died would have had to get up and walk off, which ruins the suspension of disbelief. Otherwise, Caesars body would remain in the same place on the stage, even as the scene settings shifted around him, so Caesars body would always be lying on the ground of the Capitol, then later in the battlefields of Philippi, and so on, which would not make any sense. Scene 2
How does the crowd of Romans split up? Some go with Brutus to hear him speak, some go to hear Cassius speak. What does Brutus say to the crowd about his reasons for killing Caesar, to justify his actions? (lines 12-48) Brutus says that he loved Caesar also, but he loved Rome more, and had Caesar lived, they would all have been made into slaves, and its better Caesars dead and they can live free than that Caesar wouldve lived to make them slaves. Brutus says if there is anyone in the crowd whod rather be a slave, perhaps he has offended him. And finally, he says, if he himself (Brutus) became a tyrant, he knows the people of Rome would kill him and this is as it should be, and that if he had to die for the greater good of Rome he would sacrifice himself as he did Caesar.

What does Antony do/say to persuade the crowd to turn on the conspirators whose assassination they were satisfied was justifiable only moments ago when Brutus was speaking? What methods does Antony use to turn the crowd against Brutus and the other conspirators and to want revenge against them for killing Caesar? (lines 75-253) Antony appeals to the citizens of Rome by including them using inclusive languagefriends, Romans, countrymenso they will identify with him; he praises Brutus and says that IF Caesar was ambitious, it was a terrible fault and the penalty (death) was just; he says Brutus and the other conspirators are all honorable men (this statement becomes increasingly ironic); he keeps repeating that Brutus and the others were honorable and that they say Caesar was ambitious; he lists all the things Caesar did for Rome (bringing home spoils of war, slaves, money for the treasury) and asks the crowd if these things seem ambitious; he cites how Caesar turned down the symbolic crown, and asks if that seemed like something an ambitious man would do; this implies that Caesar was not ambitious, and that the claims made by the conspirators (that Caesar was ambitious) are false, and that they are therefore dishonest and dishonorable men; he appeals to their emotions by saying hes getting choked up as he looks at Caesars body; he brings out Caesars will and says he will read it to the crowd, tempting the crowd by saying he shouldnt read it to them yet because it will make them angry against the conspirators (thus making them want to hear the will and building suspense); he then has them circle around Caesars corpse and he points out each dagger wound and names the conspirators; he says Brutus is eloquent but he is simple and straightforward (implying Brutus was manipulating them when he spoke, but that Antony is just speaking the truth), and that if he had the eloquence of Brutus he would make Caesars wounds speak to move even the unfeeling stones of Rome to outrage; finally he reads the will in which Caesar left to every Roman citizen seventy-five drachmas, and left many of his private orchards and arbors to the public to enjoy as parks. Scene 3 Why does the angry mob still kill Cinna even after they find out he is not a conspirator, but just a poet who also happens to be named Cinna? (lines 27-35) The crowd is so enraged they dont care; they just want to kill someone named Cinna (even if its the wrong man); they are an out-of-control, raging mob. Respond to this quotation and relate it to the themes of the play and/or to other incidents in history and/or to current events: To announce that there must be no criticism of the president, or that we are to stand by the president, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public. Theodore Roosevelt, 1918
Answers will vary, but may include that Brutus would agree that one must not always stand by ones leader because sometimes the leader is wrong, and the greater patriotic duty is not to the leader but to the nation as a whole. This could also relate to Open Letter to a Young Negro and Luz Long, who served in the German military because he felt it was his patriotic duty, yet he disagreed with Hitler and later feared he was going to die for the wrong thing. Also, Flavius complains that Caesar may keep them all in servile fearfulness of his power, and Brutus says that he loves Rome more than he does Caesar. Many people today feel that we must not criticize our president or his policies; others argue that its a greater treason not to speak ones mind and serve the greater good when the president fails to do so. Many would argue that we are kept in servile fearfulness of our own government. Also, many Iraqis would have risen up to overthrow Sadaam Hussein except that they were too terrified of what might happen if they failed.

How many times did Caesar ignore warnings or signs of his imminent death? At least four times: the first warning from the soothsayer, his wife Calpurnias prophetic dream, and the soothsayers second warning, and the note from Artemidorus he refused to read. What does this tell us about Caesar?

Answers will vary, but may include: Caesar is not superstitious; he is easily manipulated by flattery; he is stubborn and insecure about how others see him; Caesar has a secret death-wish.
Is Caesars fatal flaw that he is too trusting, or too worried about what others think of him?

Answers will vary.

Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer. How does that saying relate to this play? Answers will vary, but may include: Caesar kept his suspected enemies close. He did not trust Cassius (with good reason) and wanted to keep an eye on him at all times. The conspirators also kept close to Caesar, their enemy, so they could stab him. Political commentator, comedian, author, and Senator Al Franken once said the following: If you listen to a lot of conservatives, theyll tell you that the difference between them and us is that conservatives love America and liberals hate America They dont get it. We love America just as much as they do. But in a different way. You see, they love America the way a 4-year-old loves her mommy. Liberals love America like grown-ups. To a 4-year-old, everything Mommy does is wonderful and anyone who criticizes Mommy is bad. Grown-up love means actually understanding what you love, taking the good with the bad, and helping your loved one grow. Love takes attention and work and is the best thing in the world. Ignoring for a moment the labels liberal and conservative, what do you think about this idea of loving ones country in a grown-up way that sees flaws and wants to try to help the nation grow, and loving ones country in a child-like way, revering ones nation as perfect and seeing any critics as bad? Do you agree with it, disagree with it? How do we see these competing ideas of love for ones nation in the play so far? Answers will vary. Compare the reactions of the Romans to Caesars assassination to the reactions of other citizens to the assassinations of their leaders. How do people react to these types of events, throughout history? With what assassination might we identify in terms of a similar reaction to that shown by the Romans to Caesars death in lines 97-98 of Scene 1?

Answers will vary, but may include that the Romans (who stared, cried out and ran) reacted with shock, disbelief, grief and terror, and a similar reaction happened here when John F. Kennedy was assassinated; people also rioted after Dr. King was assassinated.