Julius Caesar Flashcards
“Men at some time are the masters of their fates
The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars,
But in ourselves, that we are underlings”
Cassius
“Those that with haste will make a mighty fire
Begin it with weak straws. What trash is Rome.
What rubbish and what offal, when is serves
For the bare matter to illuminate
So vile a thing as Caesar!”
Cassius
“Let’s carve him as a dish fit for the gods,
Not hew him as a carcass fit for the hounds.”
Brutus
"Is it expected I should know no secrets That appertaining to you? Am I your self But, as it were, in sort of limitation, To keep you at meals, comfort you bed, And talk to you sometimes? Dwell I but in the suburbs Of your pleasure?"
Portia
“Cowards die many times before their deaths
The valiant never taste of death but once.”
Caesar
“Te tu, Brute? Then fall Caesar.”
Caesar
“As Caesar love me, I weep for him; as he was fortunate, I
Rejoice at it; as he was valiant, I honor him; but-as he was
Ambitious, I slew him.”
Brutus
“Friends, Romans, countrymen lend me your ears;
I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him.
The evil that men do lives after them;
The good is often interred with their bones.”
Antony
“Speak hands for me!”
Casca
- first to strike Caesar
- allow hands to do talking, not the voice
“Caesar now be still,
I killed not thee with half so good a will.”
Brutus
“This was the noblest Roman of them all.
All the conspirators save only he
Did what they did in envy of the great Caesar.”
Antony
“His life was gentle, and the elements
So mixed in him that Nature might stand up
And say to the world, ‘This was a man!’”
Antony
Describe the Romans (lower class?)
Fickle
Caesars defects:
- Epilepsy
2. Deaf in one ear
What will Cassius do if Caesar is crowned king?
Kill himself
Why do the conspirators want Brutus in the conspiracy?
- Loved by Caesar
- He is virtuous
Why does Brutus not sign an oath?
The righteousness of their cause is good enough, only liars serve oaths
Why does Brutus not want to kill Antony?
- Antony would be useless without Caesar
- Cause would be too bloody
How does Decius ease Calphurnia’s emotions about her dreams?
Decius reinterprets the dream, makes it seem less scary
Decius convinces Caesar that Calpurnia misinterpreted her dire nightmares
Caesar has excessive ____
In one of his speeches, he has ___
Pride
Why do the conspirators get close to Caesar
- Close so they can stab him
2. Make caesar look bad/mean (didn’t let Metellus’s brother come back to Rome)
Casca says this when he stabs Caesar:
“Speak hands for me”
Irony of Caesar’s death
Caesar killed Pompey by the statue; Now caesar is killed by the statue
What does Antony ask the conspirators after Caesar’s death? (3 things)
- Talk at funeral
- Carry Caesar’s body
- Wants to know why they killed Caesar
When does the reader question Antony’s intent?
When he speaks to Caesar’s body
Why did Brutus Kill Caesar??
- He loved Caesar, but he loved Rome more
- Caesar was becoming too powerful
Examples of the things Caesar did well (Antony’s speech)
- Wept for the poor
- Brought Ransoms for Rome
- Refused the crown 3 times
Trick is one of the questions (I think 16)
All of the answers happened, but Antony did not say one of them
What is Antony’s goal when speaking at the funeral?
Make crowd go crazy; Mutiny
“Oh Conspiracy”
What literary device?
Apostrophe
“Count the Clock”
What literary device?
Anachronism
“As Caesar love me, I weep for him; as he was fortunate, I
Rejoice at it; as he was valiant, I honor him; but-as he was
Ambitious, I slew him.”
Device
Parallel structure
Purpose of Cinna the Poet’s death
Reveal chaos of Romans
New ruling triumvirates of Rome (3)
Antony, Octavius, Lepidus
Describe new ruling triumvirates of Rome
They are tyrants
Execute people
Why do Cassius and Brutus fight?
Money, bribes
Money hungry, itchy palm
Brutus’s decision to walk to Phillipi
Brutus’s army was at their peak/best of power so they should strike now before their army fails
Important* What is the only thing that Caesar’s ghost says?
SEE YOU AT PHILLIPI
Why does Cassius kill him self?
He misunderstands what’s going on in battle
What is Shakespeare’s reasoning for writing Julius Caesar?
- why do people do what they do
- what are their motives behind their actions
