| Taper | Candle |
| Tyranny | State of oppressive rule |
| Lest | For fear that |
| Anachronism | An object that is not in the correct time period |
| Examples of anachronisms | A doublet and a clock |
| Complication | Events that contribute to the rising action |
| Personification | Giving human qualities to inanimate objects |
| Example of personification | Yawning graves |
| Irony | the use of words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning |
| Dramatic irony | Difference between what the reader/characters know |
| Example of dramatic irony | Decius dismisses Calpurnia’s Dream as foolish and untrue and Brutus goes along with it |
| Situational irony | Difference between what is expected and what actually happens |
| Verbal irony | The difference between what is said and what is meant |
| Aside | Remark intended for audience to hear but unheard by other characters |
| Example of aside | Brutus: That every “like” is not the same, O Caesar,The heart of Brutus earns to think upon.Meaning: everyone who seems a friend is actually an enemy, Caesar |
| Example of irony | Cassius suggests also killing Marc AntonyBrutus immediately dismisses this idea as “too bloody” they will be seen as “butchers”. Brutus compare Caesar to the head of the body and Antony to a limb, saying the limb can do little once the head has been cut off. This eventually leads to the war between Cassius/Brutus and Antony/Octavian: Battle of Actium, their deaths |
| Scene 1: According to Brutus, why is it necessary that Caesar be killed? | Caesar: poisonous adder, baby adder to be killed before he hatches, once he climbs to the top of young ambition’s ladder he will scorn those of his previous rank |
| What actions does Lucius perform that help the plot unfold? | Gives Brutus the forged letter, taper, the date (Ides of March), lets the conspirators in |
| What is Brutus’s internal conflict | Whether or not Caesar should die |
| Why does Brutus disagree about taking an oath | He thinks that in a matter so serious their word is enough |
| Why does Metellus think it would be a good idea to ask Cicero to join the conspiracy? | Cicero is older and therefore wiser |
| Why does Brutus say Cicero shouldn’t join the conspiracy? | Cicero is a leader and not a follower he is stubborn and will not easily go along with the orders of others |
| What does Brutus say about killing marc Antony | Brutus says that they would be butchers and that Antony is a limb of Caesar and is useless without Caesar |
| What reason does Cassius give for why Caesar may not come out of his house today | Caesar is superstitious about the omens |
| By what method does Decius say he will use to get Caesar out of the house? | He will flatter Caesar |
| Why is Portia worried about Brutus | She says he looks sick and worried and she saw the disguised conspirators |
| How does she prove her strength to Brutus | She stabs herself in the thigh and bears the wound silently |
| Scene 2: why does Calpurnia want Caesar to stay home | She had a bad dream and saw it as an omen |
| Calpurnia’s dream | Blood pouring from Caesar’s statue that the citizens bathe in |
| How does Decius interpret Calpurnia’s dream | Decius says it means Caesar’s blood will be the “reviving blood of Rome” (revives Rome): verbal irony |
| What arguments does Decius use to change Caesar’s mind about going to the Capitol | Men will laugh at Decius if he goes back with no reason Men will think Caesar is cowardly Can’t not show up to his own coronation, wife’s dream not credible |
| Scene 3: what does Artemidorus plan to do | He plans to give a letter to Caesar warning him about the danger |
| Why is Portia so nervous | She is worried about Brutus because he left looking ill |
| What does Portia want Lucius to do | Run to Capitol and check on Brutus and the other men/Caesar |
| What does the soothsayer tell Portia | Something bad might happen/he will talk to Caesar in a empty and open place (crowded in the narrow road=Caesar suffocated to death) |
| Cowards die many times before their deaths.The valiant never taste of death but once.Of all the wonders that I yet have heard,It seems to me most strange that men should fear,Seeing that death, a necessary end,Will come when it will come. | CAESAR TO CALPURNIA it means: cowards never really live in the first place because they never take risks, the brave die once for taking a risk (did everything they could to really live) No point in being afraid of death, it will happen to everyone |
Julius Caesar Act II Reading and Study Guide
April 10, 2020