YEARS: 7–8, 9–10
Julius Caesar Act 1.2 (edited) 32–176
In this early scene from Shakespeare's historical tragedy, Brutus and Cassius discuss Julius Caesar's right to rule.
It acts as a prelude to the infamous conspiracy to assassinate Caesar.
This performance by Hazem Shammas and Kate Mulvany of Bell Shakespeare reveals the persuasive power of language in Cassius' clever tongue — or should that be Shakespeare's?
Things to think about
- 1.Have you ever attempted to persuade someone to join you in doing something? How did you encourage them to do it? If you are unfamiliar with the history of Julius Caesar, find out who Brutus and Cassius were.
- 2.What does Cassius remind Brutus about their relationship? What does Cassius mean in wishing Brutus had a mirror to see his 'hidden worthiness' and his 'shadow'? Which virtue does Cassius state exists within Brutus? What does Cassius' anecdote about the Tiber River suggest about Caesar? What other flaws does Cassius point out? How does Cassius flatter Brutus?
- 3.
What does Cassius want Brutus to do? How does Cassius manipulate Brutus into considering this course of action? What strategies does she employ? Cassius describes her words as 'weak'. To what extent do you agree? Compare the characters of Brutus and Cassius as revealed in this excerpt. What similarities and differences do you notice?
- 4.
Bell Shakespeare, perhaps unexpectedly, cast a woman as Cassius. What effects might this have on how the audience perceives Cassius? Cassius is seen as a manipulative but powerful character. Does casting Cassius as a woman reinforce or challenge gender stereotypes? Cassius belittles Caesar by calling him a girl. Can this attitude towards gender be reconciled with a female Cassius?
Teachers
Visit Bell Shakespeare's website
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Download a PDF with the full synopsis for each play.
Full plot summaries of Macbeth, Othello, Hamlet, Julius Caesar, The Tempest, and Romeo and Juliet.
Acknowledgements
Created by ABC Splash in collaboration with Bell Shakespeare.
Production Date: 2014
Copyright
Metadata © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia Ltd 2012 (except where otherwise indicated). Digital content © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). Video © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). All images copyright their respective owners. Text © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0).