Julius Caesar: Act I Reading and Study Guide

I. VOCABULARY

*Wherefore-For that cause or reason. For what? Why?
*Exeunt-To go offstage.
*Vulgar-Characterized by ignorance of or lack of good breeding or taste.
1.What part of speech is vulgar when used by Flavius in line 72
-Noun
*Construe-To give the meaning or intention of;explain.

II. LITERARY TERMS

*Blank verse-Unrhymed verse or lines.
1.List characters who speak in verse.
-Flavius, First Commoner, Marullus, Second Commoner. All the characters in the play.
*Prose-The ordinary for of spoken or written language, with out metrical structure, as distinguished from poetry or verse.
2.List characters who speak in prose?
-Narrator and characters that speak asside.
3.What possible reason do some characters speak in prose and some speak in verse?
-People who speak in prose can tell the audience what is going on with our the complicated language. The people that speak in verse can give better feeling to the play.
*Tragedy-A dramatic composition, often in verse, dealing with a serious theme.
*Pun-The humorous use of a word or phrase.
4.Example from Act I, scene I.
-The commoner said he will mend your sole as if he were to mend you soul.
*Conflict-Controvery;quarrel.
5.External
-Man vs. Man
-Man vs. Nature
-Man vs. Society
Internal
-Man vs. Themselves.
*Soliloquy-The act of talking while or as if alone.
6.Example
-Julius Caesar.
*iambic meter-A foot containing unaccents, syllable and accented syllables.
*iambic pentameter-A common meter in poetry consisting of an unrhymed line with five feet or accents.
*Metaphor-Doesn't used "like" or "as".
7.Example
-You are the rain, cold and dreery.
*Simile-Uses "like" or "as".
8.Example
-Your eyes shine like diamonds.

III. QUESTIONS

Background
1.Where and when was Shakespeare born?
-1564, Stratford, England.
2.What theatre did Shakespeare help build?
-Globe Theatre.
3.When did he die?
-1613
4.In what historical period was Shakespeare living? Who was the ruler of England at that time?
-The Renaissance.
-Queen Elizabeth I.
5.What three types of plays did Shakespeare write? Give an example of each.
-Histories, Tragedies, Comedies.
6.What was it like to go to a play during Shakespeare’s time?
-It was amazing and entertaining.
7.What historian did Shakespeare use as a source for writing Julius Caesar?
-The Romans.
8.When and where did Julius Caesar live?
-1592, Spain.
9.Who is Pompey? Although he is not a character in the play, why is he important to the plot?
He was his Coe-leader.

Scene 1:
10.What is the setting? What holiday is being celebrated?
-England, Caesars Victory.
12.Who are Marullus and Flavius?
-They are guards.
13.Why do they want to drive the commoners from the street?
-They don't want people to go to the celebration.
14.What else do Marullus and Flavius do to further hinder the celebration of Caesar’s victory?
-Question the commoners as to why they are celebrating Caesar killing someone. They take all the decorations off the statue.

Scene 2:
15.What does Caesar tell Antony to do to Calpurnia?
-Give her a letter.
16.Why might Caesar ask Antony in front of everyone else?
-He doesn't want to hide anything from the people.
17.What is a soothsayer? Of what does he warn Caesar?
-Someone who can predict the future.
-Beware the Ides of March.
18.What does ides mean?
-The 15th of every month in the Roman Calendar.
19.Does Marcus Brutus like Caesar? What does Brutus think of Caesar’s rise to power? Use lines from play to support your answer.
-He respects him. Brutus is Caesar's good friend but doesn't want him in power.
-"No, Cassius for the eye cannot see itself except when it is reflected by something else".
20.Brutus says, “For let the gods so speed me as I love / The name of honor more than I fear death.” What do these lines imply about Brutus’s most important value in life?
-That he fears Caear, who is the man in power, but greatly respects him.
21.What story does Cassius tell Brutus?
-Him and Caesar had a swimming race in the Tiber River and he had to save Caesar from drowning.
22.What is Cassius’s point in telling this story?
-He is trying to convince Brutus that Caesar is not as great as he seems to be.
23.What is Caesar’s opinion of Cassius? Why does he feel this way?
-That Cassius thinks too much and that he is dangerous. He reads a lot.
24.What handicap does Caesar reveal about himself when speaking to Antony?
-One of his ears is deaf.
25.How many times was Caesar offered a coronet, or a small crown?
-3 times.
26.What was Caesar’s reaction to the offering, according to Casca?
-He fainted and fell down.
27.What sickness does Caesar have?
-Epilepsy.
28.What happens to Marullus and Flavius?
-They were put to death.
29.What does Cassius plan to do to convince Brutus to conspire against Caesar?
-He is going to manipulate him.

Scene 3:
30.What unusual events occur during the storm?
-In his dream, Casca saw a slave who caught people on fire.
31.What meaning does Cassius interpret from the storm?
-That it was a sign that something bad was going to happen.
32.According to Casca, what are the senators planning to do to Caesar tomorrow?
-Kill Caesar.
33.Who is definitely part of the conspiracy?
1.Metellus
2.Brutus.
3.Casca
4.Cinna
5.Cassius
6.Cicero