YEARS: 7–8, 9–10
Julius Caesar Act 2.1 10–34
Shakespeare's tragedies provide his audiences with moral dilemmas.
Julius Caesar is no exception. In this soliloquy, Brutus ponders whether assassinating Julius Caesar would be in the best interests of Rome.
Shakespeare's use of metaphor provides the key to understanding Brutus' motivation, convincingly brought to life by Hazem Shammas of Bell Shakespeare.
Things to think about
- 1.Can you think of any contemporary examples where certain people, such as police, governments or military forces, use pre-emptive strikes against others? Do you think these situations are justifiable? Why or why not? Have you ever played the game of snakes and ladders? What does each of these symbols represent in this game?
- 2.It is a 'bright day' for Rome, and for Caesar. Why does this worry Brutus? What does he fear crowning Caesar will do? What is the ladder Brutus refers to? What does Brutus feel Caesar might do once he climbs this ladder? Listen carefully to the ending, when Brutus resolves to stop Caesar, and identify the strong verbs he uses to define his course of action (hint: there are at least four of these verbs).
- 3.
Does Brutus have evidence that Caesar will be a bad ruler? On what does he base his decision to assassinate him? How does Brutus use the snake and ladder metaphors to build his case for assassination? What do they reveal of Brutus' thinking? The last line is short; three iambs instead of five. What effect does this have?
- 4.
In the text of the play this scene takes place in an orchard and many critics have drawn a parallel to the Garden of Eden and its infamous serpent. Research this biblical allusion and consider what is suggested by its use here. Prepare a short explanation to explain your thoughts to your classmates.
Teachers
Visit Bell Shakespeare's website
Discover programs, workshops and more performances at one of Australia's great theatre companies.
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).