1. Caesar Notes
English 10

2. 1.1 Notes Characters: Marullus and Flavius vs. Cobbler
Want the carpenter & cobbler to go home or go work
Why aren’t they working?
Carpenter and Cobbler – celebrating the return of Julius Caesar defeating Pompey
Did you not know Pompey?

3. 1.1 Notes (Con’t) Pompey – defeated by Julius Caesar
Why are you celebrating that he defeated Pompey?
Feast of Lupercal – celebrating the God of fertility (Lupercus) – men in the race tapped people with sticks in order to increase fertility
Theme – Group Think – bandwagon

4. 1.2 Notes
Caesar asks that Antony touch Calphurnia as he runs in the race to help with her fertility
Soothsayer (fortune teller) is telling Caesar to “beware of March 15th” Caesar ignores him / does not believe him
Cassius questions what is wrong with Brutus?
Brutus says that it is something within his own mind which he is struggling with

5. 1.2 Notes (Con’t)
Cassius tells a story of knowing Caesar a long time – stories of not swimming, crying out like a sick girl, etc.. (Caesar’s weaknesses – can’t have children, can’t swim, has seizures, deaf in left ear)
Brutus is friends with Caesar – says he’s my friend, yet I’m not sure he should be King
Cassius definitely feels that Caesar should not be King and is trying to convince Brutus as such

6. 1.2 Notes (Con’t)
When Caesar sees Cassius he is worried about him – he says he is “thin and hungry”, and Caesar wants / trusts “fat” men around him
Cassius, Casca and Brutus talk about the sounds they heard / why is Caesar so upset – what was it?
Caesar was offered the crown and turned it down twice and the third time he fell down, foamed at the mouth and was speechless

7. 1.2 Conclusion
After Casca reports what was happening in the square with Caesar, he tells them about Marullus and Flavius.
Cassius plans to throw letters into Brutus’ window

8. 1.3 Notes Casca, Cicero, Cassius and Cinna
Strange things happening in street
Cicero and Casca talking about what they saw
Guy using hand as torch, lion
Cassius begins trying to convince Casca that Caesar should not be King (without saying his name)

9. 1.3 Notes March 15th is tomorrow (Ides of March)
Cassius tells Casca he is forming an enterprise with an honorable but dangerous consequence
Cassius is writing letters to Brutus (from fake citizens) which are to boost Brutus’s confidence – wants letters thrown into windows (Brutus’s and the Magistrate)

10. 2.1 Notes
Brutus finds letters from fake citizens (Cassius put them in his window)
Brutus becomes more confident
Brutus says - Caesar should be destroyed before he “hatches” / becomes King (Serpent’s egg)
The conspirators arrive – Cinna, Casca, Decius Cassius, (Brutus), Metellus, Trebonius, Ligarius

11. 2.1 Con’t
Decide to kill only Caesar – not Antony (metaphor – Caesar, the head…cut it off, the limbs – Antony, can’t survive)
Power shifts to Brutus
Portia enters the garden
She knows that something more is wrong with Brutus, he won’t tell
Portia -“I can take this pain” – Voluntary wound / stab to leg

12. 2.2 It is March 15th Calphurnia (Caesar’s wife) had a bad dream
She wants Caesar to stay home sick and not go to Capitol
Caesar agrees to stay home
Decius (conspirator) re-interprets Calphurnia’s dream to say that the Romans are taking his blood to save their lives

13. 2.2 Con’t Decius convinces Caesar to go to the Capitol
Conspirators arrive at Caesar’s home
Trebonius says he will be so near that “his best friends shall wish he was further away”

14. 2.3 & 2.4
Artemidorus wants to give a letter to Caesar as he passes on the street to warn him of conspirators
Portia (Brutus’s wife) becomes aware of the conspiracy

15. 3.1 Notes Irony: Situational—the opposite of what is expected
Dramatic—when the audience knows something the characters do not
Caesar just finished saying he is as “constant as the Northern Star” and comparing himself to Olympus.
He is destroyed right after proclaiming his magnificence and indestructibility—this is dramatic irony because we, as the audience, know that the conspirators are plotting against him

16. 3.1 Notes cntd.
Antony’s servant brings a letter to Brutus that praises Brutus for being honest and noble and requests to be able to safely come see Brutus to hear why Caesar was murdered
Antony wants to speak at Caesar’s funeral. Cassius thinks this is a bad idea, while Brutus thinks it will be okay as long as he speaks under their terms.

17. 3.1 Notes cntd.
Antony is going to speak at Caesar’s funeral under the following conditions:
Cannot blame the conspirators
Admits he speaks by their permission
Speaks last (after Brutus)
In spite of pretending to support Brutus and Cassius, Antony plans to use this opportunity to turn the Roman people against them

18. 3.2 Notes
Brutus—he is explaining why he killed Caesar to the Plebians (commoners)
He says Caesar was too ambitious—power-hungry
Brutus says that he loved Rome enough to kill Caesar; it was what was best for Rome
Antony speaks next. He hints at the fact the conspirators are to blame; says Caesar was not ambitious

19. 3.2 Cntd.
Antony also reveals Caesar has left land/parks for public use; 75 drachmas (Roman money)
At this point, Antony has swayed the Plebians to be on his side
Octavius Caesar—Julius Caesar’s adopted son—has arrived to help Antony

20. 3.3 Notes Cinna the poet is mistaken for Cinna the conspirator
He is attacked and killed because of a mistaken identity
This is another example of “Group Think”

21. 4.1 Notes
Antony, Octavius, and Lepidus meet to plan to kill those who oppose them
Lepidus is sent to get Caesar’s will
Antony is unhappy with Lepidus
Antony and Octavius plan to form an army to fight Brutus and Cassius

22. 4.2 Notes
Brutus and Cassius feel wronged by each other—things are not going as they planned
They try to resolve their dispute privately in their tent, away from their armies

23. 4.3 Notes Brutus and Cassius argue in their tent
They accuse each other of disloyalty to one another
Brutus finds out about Portia’s death
Portia committed suicide by swallowing hot coals because she saw Antony and Octavius raising a strong army and she feared Brutus would be defeated

24. 4.3 Notes ctnd.
Brutus does not listen to Cassius and his suggestions to wait for the opposing armies of Antony and Octavius to come to them.
Cassius believes they should wait and Antony and Octavius will be worn out and tired by the time they reach them
Instead, Brutus decides to march to Phillipi because he believes their army can grow stronger in numbers as they go along. This is the third time Brutus has not listened to Cassius.

25. 4.3 Notes Cntd.
Brutus sits in his tent and is visited by the ghost of Caesar who threatens to seek revenge on him at Phillipi

26. 5.1, 5.2 Notes
The armies confront each other in person—Brutus and Cassius and Antony and Octavius
Brutus and Cassius leave separately and say goodbye in case they are killed
Brutus sends Messala to tell his army to begin to fight

27. 5.3 Notes
Cassius mistakenly belives the battle has been lost and Titinius has been taken captive
Cassius orders his slave, Pindarus, to kill him
Titinius returns and sees Cassius is dead and puts the wreath of victory on his head; he then kills himself
Brutus is still attempting to conquer Antony’s army

28. 5.4, 5.5 Notes Brutus’ army is defeated
Lucilius pretends to be Brutus and is captured while the real Brutus gets away
Antony does not kill Lucilius
Brutus begs his followers to assist him in his suicide
Brutus kills himself by running on his own sword as Strato holds it
Antony claims Brutus was the noblest Roman of them all; Octavius orders Brutus a proper funeral