Julius+Caesar

**Author:**William Shakespeare **Published:** 1599 **Genre:** drama (tragedy) **Setting:** Ancient Rome, 44 BC. The Roman Republic is on the verge of naming Caesar dictator for life, essentially making him the first emperor in over 500 years. Many senators are concerned for the future of Rome at the hands of one man, regardless of how skilled a leader he may be, so a secret assassination plot is carried out.

**Key Literary Elements**: Characterization (esp. the use of the tragic hero) Dramatic Irony (when the audience has more information than some of the characters have -can create suspense, humor, or horror) Rhetorical forms, especially in the funeral speeches (verbal irony, repetition, paradox, antithesis, chiasmus...) Soliloquy (a long speech by a character who is alone on stage, usually of life and death issues, composed in elevated language with rich imagery and metaphors. Lets audience know a character's inner thoughts/motives) Brutus, Cassius, and Marc Antony's roles contain compelling soliloquies. Tone - one of eerie mystery and danger, created in part by natural (storms) and unnatural events.

Julius Caesar Marcus Brutus Caius Cassius Marc Antony Casca Portia <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Calpurnia <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">The soothsayer ("Beware the Ides of March**!")**
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Major characters: **

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">**Major themes / motifs**: Leadership/ Dictatorship, Conspiracy and manipulation, Motives (selfless vs. selfish), Personal liberties and civic responsibilities, Who is a hero/villain in a given situation, The supernatural and omens/ superstitions.



Link to Caesar Sparknotes page: <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Sparknotes