The Tragedy of Julius Caesar The characters Julius

Julius Caesar o o Triumphant general and political leader of rome Highly competent and

Marcus Brutus o o o Roman senator Helps plan and carry out Caesar’s assassination

Marcus Antonius (Mark Antony) o A member of the ruling triumvirate after the assassination

Cassius o Clever and manipulative senator o Persuades Brutus to join the assassination conspiracy

Octavius Caesar (Octavian) o Grandnephew of Julius Caesar o Member of the ruling triumvirate

Casca o One of the leading conspirators against Caesar o The first of the

Other conspirators o Trebonius, Ligarius, Decius Brutus, Metellus, Cimber, Cinna o Of note: at

Tribunes o A tribune is an officer of ancient Rome elected by the plebeians

Artemidorus o Teacher of rhetoric (study of using language effectively and persuasively) o Attempts

Soothsayer o Seer who warns Caesar to beware the Ides of March (March 15

Slides: 13

Download presentation

The Tragedy of Julius Caesar The characters

Julius Caesar o o Triumphant general and political leader of rome Highly competent and multi-talented Condescending and arrogant Frequently uses 3 rd person (Caesar) instead of “I” to refer to himself o Repeatedly ignores warnings about his safety

Marcus Brutus o o o Roman senator Helps plan and carry out Caesar’s assassination Sided with Pompey against Caesar during the Roman civil war in 49 b. c. Pardoned by Caesar when Caesar defeated Pompey in 48 b. c. Appointed governor of Cisalpine Gaul in 46 b. c. His downfall and death are the real tragedy of the play

Marcus Antonius (Mark Antony) o A member of the ruling triumvirate after the assassination of Caesar o Known as Mark Antony or simply Antony o Cunning and pragmatic (practical) o He can wield words as effectively as he wields weapons

Cassius o Clever and manipulative senator o Persuades Brutus to join the assassination conspiracy o His motivation for conspiracy against Caesar is jealousy

Octavius Caesar (Octavian) o Grandnephew of Julius Caesar o Member of the ruling triumvirate after Caesar’s assassination o Later becomes emperor of Rome as Augustus Caesar

Casca o One of the leading conspirators against Caesar o The first of the conspirators to stab Caesar, plunging a dagger into his back

Other conspirators o Trebonius, Ligarius, Decius Brutus, Metellus, Cimber, Cinna o Of note: at least 59 conspirators participated in the actual assassination of Caesar in 44 B. C.

Tribunes o A tribune is an officer of ancient Rome elected by the plebeians (common people) to protect their rights o Flavius and Marullus are Tribunes in Julius Caesar

Artemidorus o Teacher of rhetoric (study of using language effectively and persuasively) o Attempts to warn Caesar that Brutus, Cassius, and others have turned against him

Soothsayer o Seer who warns Caesar to beware the Ides of March (March 15 th) o Not given a name by Shakespeare o Ancient texts give the seer’s name as Spurinna

Calpurnia o Julius Caesar’s wife

Portia o Brutus’s wife