Caesar Wrap-Up

Today’s Checklist Take up Act V Questions Brief note on Act V Act V Quiz Poetry Introduction

Chronology of Act V 1. Brutus and Cassius meet during the battle of Philippi and discuss its outcome. Suicide comes to their mind even though Brutus is a stoic. 2. Noting a weakness in Octavius’ ranks, Brutus sends a message to Cassius that he should have his men attack the forces of Antony. 3. From a hilltop, Cassius and his slave Pindarus see a group of horsemen approaching. Titinius is sent to discover whether they are friend or foe. He is surrounded and apparently taken by the enemy. 4. Cassius orders his slave, Pindarus, to kill him in exchange for his own freedom. 5. When Titinius and Brutus’ men enter to give Cassius the victory wreath, they find him dead, the victim of a mistaken conclusion. The grief stricken Titinius places the wreath on the corpse and kills himself. Brutus enters, finds the two men dead, and mournfully orders the battle continued. 6. Brutus realizes that defeat is inevitable. He begs his associates to kill him, but they refuse. 7. Strato, Brutus’ slave, holds the sword, and Brutus runs upon it. His last thought is that Caesar is avenged. 8. Octavius and Antony arrive, and Antony praises Brutus as “the noblest Roman of them all.”

Act V, scene i 1. Where does the scene take place? It takes place on the plains of Philippi. 2. What do Brutus and Cassius do? Brutus and Cassius arrive at the head of their army. They argue over how they will act if they lose this battle. They say a dramatic farewell to one another, and prepare for battle.

Act V, scene iii 3. How does Cassius die? Cassius’ army has been surrounded. He tells Pindarus to take the sword with which he killed Caesar, and stab him with it. 4. How does Pindarus earn his freedom? Cassius orders him to kill him in exchange for his freedom. He runs away after assisting Cassius in his death. 5. What happens to Titinius? Titinius returns to Cassius with a wreath of laurels (a sign of victory) on his head. He finds Cassius dead and sees that he has “misconstrued” everything. Titinius then takes his own life.

Act V, scene iv 6. How does Brutus die? Brutus arrives with stragglers from his defeated army. Brutus convinces Strato to hold a sword while he impales himself on it. 7. What do Antony and Octavius say about Brutus? Antony states, "This was the noblest Roman of them all" (5.5.67). He believes that of all the conspirators only Brutus believed that he was killing Caesar to uphold the Roman Republic; the others were simply jealous and power hungry. 8. Who wins and becomes ruler of Rome? Octavius (Julius Caesar’s nephew) emerges as the new ruler.

Question for further thought What is said and done in Act V that supports the comment: Brutus' and Cassius' defeat is revenge for Caesar’s murder?

Act V Analysis Power shift - Antony to Octavius Signified through the use of names Referred to as “young Octavius” until his challenges Antony Antony replies to Octavius, "No, Caesar, we will answer on their charge" (5.1.24) For the rest of the play, he is “Caesar”

Omens Act I omens reappear Cassius speaks of the noble eagles being replaced by kites and ravens (a bad sign) His interpretation is that he will lose the battle, and he remarks, "Our army lies ready to give the ghost" (5.1.88) The ghost  Caesar, whose presence and memory is the reason for battle

Caesar’s ghost Caesar’s spirit dominates in the battle Cassius’ last words are, "Caesar, thou art revenged, / Even with the sword that killed thee" ( ) Brutus also invokes the image of Caesar As he commits suicide he again mentions Caesar, saying, "Caesar, now be still. / I killed not thee with half so good a will." ( )

Brutus’ tragedy Brutus seemed eager to achieve power But he is the only conspirator to maintain his humanity and dignity He stands as a symbol of honor Contrast to the dishonorable Cassius who lies, manipulates, and wishes to take bribes Brutus would never have killed Caesar except to defend the Roman Republic Antony: "his life was gentle, and the elements / So mixed in him that nature might stand up / And say to all the world 'This was a man'" (5.5.74)

Translation Translation - Act V

Act V Quiz – Take-Up 1. A 2. D 3. D 4. B 5. D 6. B 7. A Quotation Identification 1.Cassius 2.Brutus 3.Octavius

Introduction to Poetry What is poetry? Is it more than words on a page? This Charlie Brown comic strip contains a Haiku (a type of poem)!

Word search Find a selection of words that relate to you These could be words that represent what you Value Like Enjoy doing Fear Dream of doing in the future You will find that you avoid using words like “a”, “the”, “and”, etc. You will then create a poem using the words that you find You are trying to say something using as few words as possible