Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Julius Caesar Acts I - III - What are you feeling?
Julius Caesar is a tragedy and has several "heavy" messages about ambition, power, loyalty, omens, betrayal, murder, and civil chaos. What do you think of the play so far and what theme stands out to you so far in the play? Can you relate anything that is happening in Julius Caesar to life today?
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56 comments:
It is an ok book.
Hello Mrs. Zurkowski. I really like the new Blogspot! It is way better than Sharepoint! Blogspot is very easy to use, and you will find it takes little to no effort to add cool new stuff. Hopefully we will be done with Julius Caesar soon. Well, it looks great! Have fun with it, and please do not make us write a paper over Easter break!
-Viktor P
I think Julius Caesar is weird. The part with all the superantural stuff happening does not make any sense. Some other parts are confusing too. Shakespeare writes too many long monologues and they make the plays boring.
The theme of dcision making stand out to me. There is a lot of time spent with Brutus deciding whether or not he should join the conspiracy orwhat their plans should be, or Julius deciding whether to stay home or not. Then there's Brutu's wife wanting to know what is going on and Artimidores thinkign about his letter.
I think it relates to today because there are many important events happening that people are making choices about. There's violence in Pakistan over the elections, debates over what to do in Iraq, talk about the economy, gas prices, and global warming, and Hillary Clinton and Barack Obamas' campaigns.
Overall, Julius Caesar is an okay book. Sometimes Shakespeare is hard to understand, but since we already understand the basic events in the plot, it is okay, and I actually kind of like Julius Caesar. So far, I think a theme of "Don't trust anyone. People will be very envious of power and do anything in order to get it." is evident in the play. Julius Caesar's whole idea of conspiracy against the powerful has been seen today and throughout history. People fear power, and many live under the strict rule of a dictatorship, much like Julius Caesar wanted to create. So far, Julius Caesar has been pretty interesting, but not enough to take it home over Spring Break!!!
Ashley S
I think that the play so far has been more interesting than A Midsummer Night's Dream because the assasination actually happened. I think that the theme that stands out most has to do with power. Caesar is wanting to become even more powerful and turn Rome into a dictatorship. Cassius wants Caesar out of power because Cassius wants more power for himself.I think that an event relating today is Fidel Castro stepping down in Cuba and people seeing this as an opening for Cuba to become a Democracy.
I think this is a very good book, but is a little bit difficult to understand at times. The themes that stand out the most to me are betrayal loyalty. This whole play revolves around who is loyal to whom and who betrays whom. Without loyalty and betrayal the play would definitely be boring and not what it is read as today. The conspirators start off loyal to Caesar and then stab him 23 times, which is 22 times too many! Also, people try to stop the assassination because they are loyal to Caesar. Overall, the crowd is easily swayed to Brutus’ side until Antony talks and reveals what they actually did to Caesar. Just imagine this book without loyalty and betrayal. It would be totally boring and not hardly worth reading. Today, you can relate jealousy to Julius Caesar. Everyone now-a-days is power hungry and will do almost anything to be in control just like Caesar and even the conspirators. Power today is something everybody wants, just like play, and it having power can also be someone’s downfall, just like Julius Caesars’.
When I first started reading Julius Caesar, I thought that I would be depressed and sad since it is a tragedy. Once I started to read it, it didn't seem as bad as I thought that it was going to be. I think that the thing that stands out to me the most is how you can't trust anyone, not even your closest friends. This relates to the world today because in high school, there are going to be people who may not like you or may say mean things to you. You aren’t always going to like someone but that doesn’t mean you should go and kill them in the case of today. In a way, I think that it gives people a wrong impression because not everyone is going to be a liar. There are going to be some really important people in your life who you feel like you can trust with anything. Julius Caesar isn’t trying to tell you that you shouldn’t trust people, it’s just saying that there are going to be backstabbers in your life. Sometimes you may not even realize it.
So far, I think that the play Julius Caesar is pretty interesting and thought-provoking. It is cool to see Shakespeare's spin on what actually happened with Caesar's assassination, a true event. Even so, I definitely enjoyed A Midsummer Night's Dream much more. I'd rather read about something lighthearted and funny than a depressing tragedy. A major theme of this play is "Don't become too power hungry, it can change you for the worse." If Julius Caesar hadn't used his power in the corrupting ways he did, he wouldn't have had to worry about the conspiracy against him. This theme can even be seen on a smaller scale in the everyday world today. For instance, if you begin to hang out with a different, more influential group of friends, it can definitely change your view of your old friends and you may begin to treat them in ways you will regret. Also, it is very important to find someone in the world today that you trust, to help you stay away from danger like Calphurnia was trying to do with Caesar.
Susan L.
I’m really enjoying reading Shakespeare in general, although I did enjoy ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ a bit more than ‘Julius Caesar’. The theme that stands out to me the most in ‘Julius Caesar’ is that of betrayal, seen in Cassius and the conspirators, Brutus, Mark Antony, and even Caesar. Betrayal happens in all places throughout the world today. A current event is the betrayal that occurred between the governor of New York and his wife.
I think the tragedy can be kind of exciting at times. Of course, I still have plenty of trouble understanding Shakepeare's way of writing and language. I don't like how there are so many characters to keep track of in the play. I think an overall theme for the play could be standing up for what you believe in. For example, Brutus didn't think that Caesar would have brought good to Rome if he had become king. He cared about the good of Rome. Antony believed that the people still loved Caesar and he wanted them to see it. He also didn't believe that killing Caesar was fair at all. It's hard to relate the story to things these days. The only way I can think of would be to relate it to friends. For example, if you dislike a friend or one of their actions, your instinct might be to get rid of being friends with them. Thats probably how Brutus felt. Whoever you stop being friends with might have other people confront you. This is like how Antony said that the men who killed Caesar were not honorable at all. No, i don't feel bad for Caesar at all, but the action of killing Caesar probably greatly confused the people of Rome.
Shakespeare's tragedy Julius Caesar is very different from the comedy A Midsummer Night's Dream. After I got used to reading Shakespeare's style of writing, I enjoyed A Midsummer Night's Dream. The play had a few intense scenes, but they were followed by a funny or lighthearted scene, making the play pleasant to read. In Julius Caesar, however, every scene is dark and dramatic. Although Julius Caesar is a lot more serious than Shakespeare's comedies, I do like it so far. I think what makes this play compelling to read is the fact that it is based on an actual event in history, the assassination of Caesar. One of the themes I found in Julius Caesar was how powerful speech can be. Cassius uses powerful words to convince Brutus to join the conspiracy against Caesar in the beginning of the play. In scene two of act three, Mark Antony influences the crowd to revolt against the conspirators in his monologue. Another important theme in the play is betrayal versus loyalty. It was very hard for Brutus, an acquaintance of Caesar before he joined the conspiracy, to turn against his friend, but he also knew that he couldn't let Caesar destroy the Roman Republic. At the climax of the story, Brutus betrays Caesar and, along with the rest of the conspirators, stabs him. Before he dies, Caesar chokes out the famous line, "Et tu, Brute?, meaning "and you, Brutus?" Caesar was shocked that of all people, Brutus--his seemingly loyal friend, would assassinate him.
-Jenny H.
So far, I think that the play is somewhat boring. The climax of the play was expected, so there was no real surprise when Caesar was stabbed. However, it should be exciting to see how the next two acts unfold. The theme that stands out to me the most is that of loyalty. Some characters in the play are loyal, while others are not. For example, Marc Antony remains loyal to Caesar, even after his death. Brutus, on the other hand, broke his loyalty to Caesar when he stabbed him. Today, you can relate power to Julius Caesar. People are always hungry for power, and they will do anything to get it. Some are discreet in their ambitions, like Caesar, but others are not.
MY NAME IS Meg K.
Julius Caesar is a good literary work, but not exatly my first choice of reading material. I think that Shakespear has made much more interesting and epic work than this. Take that of "Romeo and Juliet" or even "Twelth Night". Both in my opinion ae much more enjoyable. I guess that the book is okay, I really do like some of the lanuage and some of the timeless quotes, still it isn't as much of a good read as "A Midsummer Night's Dream" was. I think that a lot of the focus on the political side of things turns people away from it and can even confuse them. So far it's been a less than interesting read. I probably won't read it ever again.
I wasn't sure what to expect when I started reading Julius Caesar, but not that we've gotten into the book, I've actually really enjoyed it. I like the fact that the plot is centered around an event that actually happened during a pivotal time in history. I think this play is a lot deeper than A Midsummer Night's Dream because of the motives behind all of the characters, the betrayals, and the irony of many situations. I think it's also easier to relate to because the emotions and thought processes many of the characters go through are ones that all of us go through in some form or another. I can relate Julius Caesar to many events that haven't exactly happened recently, but are still considered recent events in history. The assassination of JFK for example. John F. Kennedy was loved by the people of the U.S, but was shot because someone was opposed to the way he ran the country. Pretty much any violent event or assassination related to world politics can be related back to the basic plot of Julius Caesar in some way.
~Kelsey Lake
I think that Julius Caesar is better than I thought it would be. I definitely liked A Midsummer Night’s Dream better. I really like how the story of the assassination of Caesar has gone down in history. I think the themes of betrayal, murder, and civil chaos stand out to me in Julius Caesar. It is unbelievable how the Roman people turn their backs on one another. The fact that Caesar was stabbed shows how men often are afraid and jealous of other people’s ambitions. The way Marc Antony swayed the crowd with his words can be related to today. The United States is in the midst of an election. Candidates are giving campaign speeches, and are trying to draw in voters.
I think that so far the play has been suspenseful. I think that the way that Shakespeare skipped a lot of time between the start of the conspiracy and the actual murder was good because i think it could have been really dragged out. So far, I have pretty much enjoyed the play.
I think that the messages in this play are universal and can be related to in all generations. I think that betrayal is something that most can relate to, whether it be as simple as a friend issue, to as serious as murder.
I think that we can all learn from the message about ambition too. The message about ambition is that you can not let it get the best of you. Julius wanted so badly to become king, he was blind to the people around him. He did not realize that the Senators were planning a conspiracy against him.
-Allison S
In my opinion, the book is not as good as the last Shakespeare book we read, Mid-Summer Night's Dream. MND was a love comedy so to me it was more appealing than a tradgedy. While reading MND, you could get a laugh out of it but Julius Caesar is very different and much more serious. While I like Shakespear's other writing better, Julius Caesar is an okay book, I just personally don't find it as intresting or as easy to follow. I think it is twisted, with all the different motivations, plots, and schemes, flying around. A lot has happened in Acts I-III and it's hard to follow sometimes. The thing I'm having the most trouble with is keeping all the characters straight, becuase there are so many conspirators whose names all sound similar! But as far as I can tell, the main theme that has been introduced is the desire for power. Jealousy also plays into the theme in some ways too. You can relate this to the world today when dictators become power hungry and try to gain a lot of power. The issues of loyalty and betrayal that are in the book also seem to occur a lot in the world today.
Kristen L.
So far Julius Caesar is a good book, but a few of it's characters are extremely long winded; and it gets annoying having to constantly translate what is being said. The overall theme is loyalties. This is proven by Brutus' actions in assassinating Caesar. He was loyal to Rome AND Caesar. But Rome took precedence, so Caesar had to go. A way this can be related to real life is the election and people running for offices we have now. We don't have assassinations, but people are all loyal to one canidate.
I think the book is okay so far, but I definitely liked A Midsummer Night's Dream Better. It's very confusing, but it's pretty good because of the suspense and good climax/turning point. I think the theme is telling us that we don't know who we can or can't trust sometimes in life. Because when it comes down to things like power and wealth, people even start turning on their best friends. Brutus conspiring against Caesar is a perfect example of this, because Brutus was a person that Caesar thought he could trust! This is definitely something that still happens today with friends in school, because they might just turn against you to be popular or something like that. You just have to find your true friends which is hard a lot of times, especially at this age.
Well, I find the book Julius Caesar quite fascinating. I really never understood what went on with Julius Caesar's death and did not really care for it because I never thought this would relate to modern America. Once I began readin the play, I finally began to understand the feelings and problems that went on at that time and how at that time there was no good or bad guy. The main theme of this play in my opinion is that "You lay the game until death, then it is another persn's turn" WHat i mean by that is that Caesar had it all planned out on how he will become the next king of Rome and that he will be living the sweet life. But, unfortunatly he got murdered and now it is Antony's turn to play and mess with the other players which are Brutus and Cassius. The things that are happening in Julius Caesar can definitely be happening in the real world. For example, if a girl has something that other girls don't have they get jealous. Sometimes that jealousy ges way out of control and it leads to drastic things. Another example is you see movie stars acting like they are so powerful, but they really forget who got them there and all they think about is more fame and money. It will get to a point where someone will get sick of them and may try and kill them thinking they rid the world of another power, money hungry person. Betrayal and guilt happens everyday in our lives just like it happened in Ancient Rome.
~Sheena P
I think that Julius Caesar is an okay play, and that the theme seems to be that you cannot change your fate. Caesar tries to ignore his fate, and he is killed by the senators. I think that today, it would be like a group of Senators or Representatives getting together and killing the President in the Capital Building. Brutus and the other senators spent a long time debating the ethics of killing Caesar, but they eventually went with what they knew was their only option. They killed Caesar, and with that started a civil war that would destroy Rome. This seemed like fate to Brutus, but maybe not Cassius. Brutus believed in fate and the Roman Republic, and he knew with killing Caesar that he would save the Republic. He did not know, however, that killing Caesar would start the war that destroyed the republic anyway.
-Nick F
Julius Caesar to me is a play that is very complicated. It can be interesting but I have to really concentrate on reading it and understanding it rather than enjoying it. The themes of ambition and power really stand out to me. Julius Caesar is a powerful man with great ambitions to rule Rome. However, he could turn bad and then destroy Rome. This play is a lot like life today. In the presidential races there are candidates that are trying to become the nation's leader, just like Caesar. I'm sure there have been betrayals and conflict just like in the play.
- Ryan E
So far, I have really enjoyed Julius Caesar. I think that Shakespeare did an excellent job of combining fact and fiction within the play to make the story line interesting, yet educational about the actual events. Shakespeare has also done a great job of identifying the character's personalities through the things that they do and their actions. I think that Brutus, although he killed Caesar, has and will continue to prevail as one of the hero's of the story. However, this story doesn't seem to flow nearly as well as some of Shakespeare's other works including A Midsummer Night's Dream. Perhaps it is just the tragic nature of the book, and has done this in order to increase the darkness and rigidness of the book. In summation, I have enjoyed Julius Caesar thus far and I am looking forward to continuing to read the book.
-Meghan Kazanski
I think the play is okay so far. I do like it more than "A Midsummer Night's Dream" because it has a bit more action built into it.The theme of worth among the senators has become even more apparent, throughout acts 2&3 when they think that they can evade the fate of the gods and that they are above the law of Rome by murdering Julius Caesar. The Senators are becoming more like Caesar, especially Cassius, in their own climb for power. Yes you can relate some of the things that are happening to Caesar in today's world, because you have to beware of some of the most obvious signs sometimes, and listen to the ones you know and love most like Julius didn't do for his wife. You also have to beware of some of your friends if they want what you have. They may become jealous of your position in a team, club, or so on and do something to hurt you, not murder or stab you, but to make you feel down.
I like Julius Caesar so far. I have always been interested in studying about ancient times and I think this book really captures what that time period was like. This book is great because it has a wide range of emotions that I believe allows everyone to relate to something in this book. I also like how you can see a situation from several different viewpoints to see how everyone is affected. An example of this is with Caesar who is at the height of his power and is killed by those who he believed his friends. It is ironic because the very people Caesar drew close to him were the ones who killed him including Brutus his best friend. We first view this through Brutus's eyes who believes it is for the good of Rome and that Caesar must be killed to maintain order so he won't become mad with power. After this we then find Mark Antony who grieves Caesar's and vows to avenge him. I really like this book so far and can't wait to see what happens next.
Julius Caesar is a pretty good book and usually I'm pretty picky about the books that I actually like to read. Julius Caesar is probably a better book than "A Midsummer Night's Dream" mostly because it has challenging content but I can understand it more because this also has historical background. Two themes that stand out to me are loyalty and betrayal. These two themes are both present in the play but it is like "loyalty in betrayal" I see this oxymoron as how the conspirators had their mind set. They all thought that they had a duty to be loyal to Rome by betraying Caesar. I see betrayal pretty often. Sometimes I see it in school where people are made fun of and aren't helped. I have seen people all the time thinking that what they do is justified like the terrorists in 9/11 who thought that what they were doing would grant them passage into heaven (I think).
I think the play is good so far. I can't decide if I like "A Midsummer Night's Dream" or "Julius Caesar" better because they are two different types of plays, one a tragedy and one a comedy. Although at first, when we started reading it, I thought it was boring. But as we've gotten into the book, it's gotten more and more exciting. Because this is the second book written by Shakespeare that we've read this year, i think it is a little easier to understand his writings. I think the play shows that people's words cannot be trusted and that you always need to be careful about who you trust. Brutus, Caesar's best friend, turned against him and killed him. Whether it was a good decision or not, he still betrayed his friend who had his complete trust. The government today has problems like these as well. People with higher positions sometimes only have power on their minds and do not think of the others that got him to where he is today. Caesar was power hungry and overly ambitious. Those like Brutus, Cassius, and the rest of the conspirators felt as though their act of murder was for the greater good.
The main theme I could pick out in Julius Caesar was persuasion for the good of yourself. Brutus was persuaded by Cassius and the other conspirators to join in their plot. Decius persuades Caesar to come to the Capitol. Antony persuades the plebeians that it was wrong for the conspirators to kill Caesar and turns their trust from Brutus to him. People are very gullible if you use the right points. Cassius used the ploy that it was better for Rome to kill Caesar to convince him to join them. Antony used the ruse that Caesar was not ambitious to sway the plebeians. Decius used the promise of power to get Caesar to follow him. Shakespeare is proving that men are gullible.
I think that Julius Caesar is an exciting book. It’s sometimes hard to understand because of the way that Shakespeare writes but I find the things that I do understand interesting. I feel bad for Caesar because he was simply trying to do what was best for Rome. If Caesar had been made dictator for life and lived things could’ve turned out well or horribly like the conspirators believed. I think that the conspirators were to rash in making their decision. They didn’t wait until Caesar started to lead to assassinate him they just did it with little reason. I am also interested in what Mark Antony will do in order to get back at the conspirators or to take power of Rome. A Midsummer Night’s Dream was more my style of reading because it was a love comedy compared to a tragedy but I find Julius Caesar more exciting. I think Julius Caesar is a very interesting and exciting book.
I think the play is very interesting. It shows true friendships and relationships between people. You can see the betrayals and friendships broken throughout the beginning of the play. In today's world i think that there are some things somewhat similar to what is happening in Julius Caesar. You can see to some extent all the betrayals in high school, of course it does not go as far as death but, you can see people turning behind each other and ruining things right here today.
Julius Caesar has proved to be a better book than A Midsummer Night’s Dream. It is not as sappy and does not involve love potions, fairies, or crazy lovers. Julius Caesar has highlighted several themes that can relate to life today. The story of backstabbing and revenge gives the reader a look at how passionately many feel about their country and friends. So far, the play has shown us about the priorities each character possesses and that each character is working ambitiously for what they believe. Brutus, a man loyal to Rome, is all-trusting, and it eventually comes back to hurt him during Antony’s speech. On the other hand, Antony is a dangerous enemy to Brutus who is loyal to his best friend, Caesar. The mob mentality is a recurring idea in Julius Caesar. In a group, people will often do things that they would not do alone. Shakespeare shows us how the mob mentality can lead to betrayal, murder, and chaos. The mob mentality is brutal in Julius Caesar. Even Cinna,the innocent poet,is killed for having the same name of one of the key conspirators. This mob mentality can be related to peer pressure today. Often times, teens can act differently in a group of friends due to peer pressure. Julius Caesar offers many messages about life through the characters and their personalities.
In my opinion, Julius Caesar is an interesting book. The play's theme that stands out the most is omens. The omen of civil unrest has come many times so far. The storm and chaos in the first act has made an impression in my mind. Like the storm's potential, the plots being made by the conspirators could likely end with the destruction of Rome.
The theme of this book is, in one case, "Don't get too power hungry." On the other hand, I think the most important meaning is that, "Don't think that you are above everything that can ever hurt you, even danger itself."
Zach Wagner
I feel that Shakespeare viewed people with too much ambition as bad. He repeatedly tells that Caesar is to ambitious and even makes Caesar die for it. Though it happened in like that in history, I believe he made it almost Caesar's fault instead of putting some of the blame on the senetors being afraid of losing power. One of the major themes of Julius Caesar is that to much ambition can ruin you. Another one is that you can never know what is going through someones mind and how they will act on the thoughts they had. In Julius Caesar, the conspiritors thought that Mark Antony would just go into the backgrund so they dicided not to kill him. This was their down fall. At the end of Act three Antony gives his speach and the common people are ready to kill for him. Antony has a plan for revenge which we will get to see fold out. You can also find a small theme (if you look close enough) in Act three, when Mark Antony gives a speach to the common people. He talks to them in verse, unlike brutus, which shows that he thinks they are just as good as him. The theme is that people like to feel like they belong and if you can give them that then they will help you. Over all I find the story boring but it seems to be picking up steam now so I will have to wait and see how it turns out.
I hate to say it, but Julius Caesar is one of the most boring books I have ever read. It contains a lot of Shakespearean english, even more than "A Midsummer Night's Dream" did. Overall, it has a very confusing plot. I think one of the most important themes is betrayal. The conspirators betray Caesar and kill him mainly because they think he will step on those who got him into power. They betray him because of a possible betrayal. (See what I mean- confusing!)I think this can relate to events today. One prime example is when one friend gossips about another because they thought that their friend had betrayed them. Granted, these measly fights usually do not end in murder, but they do end up killing some friendships. Overall, I think that "A midsummer Night's Dream" was a far more interesting and enjoyable book.
-Casey K
In my opinion the play, Julius Caesar, is much better then A Mid Summer's Night Dream. This play is much more interesting. Also, there are a lot more interesting speaches by the main characters. The way that the events unfold is also a lot better then MSND. MSND took a while to get started, but Julius Caesar gets started right away, in my opinion. Also the characters in this play are a lot better. They do more things that cause problems which leads to more action in the play. Even though Shakespeare's plays can be hard to understand, this play actually makes me want to try and understand it. Overall this play is pretty good. It is definitly better then the other plays/books we have read so far this year. Also I like the activities that we are doing in class to go along with the play
Trent S
I think Julius Caesar is an ok book. I think nothing really stands out to me as far as excitiment, except for the climax when Caesar gets stabbed to death. I personally liked "A Midsummer Night's Dream" better because it had more action and it had more of a funny and less serious tone. I wouldn't reccomend this book to anybody unless they wanted to read about history for fun, or unless they like reading historically accurate plays and novels.
Zack F.
Julius Caesar is not a very interesting play at all. I think the murder of Caesar by his friends because he was too ambitious stands out the most in the play. Caesar was very ambitious and he was completely unaware that he was going to be killed by his friends. Brutus, Casca, Cinna, and the other conspirators plot this murder and kill their unsuspecting friend, Julius Caesar because he was so ambitious and they feared losing power to Caesar. Caesar was a great leader and Shakespeare did a very good job of depicting the angriness of the crowd over Caesar’s death. When Antony got the mob fired up and angry at the conspirators, Shakespeare did a great job showing that the mob thought the conspirators were cruel, heartless, people. They chased the conspirators through the gates of Rome. Shakespeare made me feel like I understood the feelings of the mob, Antony, and the conspirators with his vivid descriptions. I can relate this to life today because of wars going on throughout the world. Some countries get into wars because of their leaders, like America in Iraq.
-Dan F.
I definitely wouldn’t say that Julius Caesar is my #1 book, but for being Shakespeare it isn’t that bad. It has a definite plot and is fairly easy to understand. It isn’t as entertaining as Midsummer night’s dream because there is no comical relief and it has a much more serious mood because it is a tragedy. I don’t think I can apply any of the lessons in the story to my own life because I don’t think I’m in any danger of being “stabbed in the back” because of my popularity. Though I guess if I had to find a lesson it would be don’t be too proud of yourself and if someone tries to warn you about something you should listen to them before you call them crazy. I also like reading the book because it is helping me in World History because we are covering the Roman Empire.
Patrick S.
I personally find this play extremely interesting. The overall theme is still a mystery but I think Shakespeare mainly focuses on betrayal and loyalty between the characters, at least in the first three acts. Brutus is always loyal to his country Rome. He always makes decisions in the best interest of Rome where as Julius Caesar cares about becoming king and the benefits of gaining power. Brutus' wife shows her loyalty to Brutus be stabbing herself in the leg to prove she is worthy of knowing his secrets. The main betrayal, and turning point is obviously when Brutus and the senate stab Caesar to keep him from gaining too much power. I liked how the main plot revolved around something exciting and factual. This is another amazing piece of literary work by Shakespeare that uses many techniques such as irony, to make the readers understand and relate to the story.
(Oops, forgot to put my name!)
I like Julius Caesar, even though Shakespeare is hard to understand. I think I liked A Midsummer Night's Dream better, though, because it was a lot more light-hearted and funny. I think that the theme that stands out the most is that of betrayal, shown in the conpiracy of Brutus, Cassius, and the other conspirators. Caesar trusted them, and they betrayed him. Civil chaos also stands out when Antony begins his speech, and the citizens, who were just cheering Brutus on, began to support him. The people kept changing their minds--they were capricious. (Heh heh, vocab word!!) I also think that the theme of betrayal strongly relates to the world today, especially during our adolescent years. Someone who you think is your friend could turn around and stab you in the back.
--Mandi N.
I like Julius Caesar because there are so many characters and different things happening in a scene that you are never bored. If you skipped a page in the book, you could be lost for the entire act. Julius Caesar is also written very well. A theme in the story is that no one can be trusted. Even friends will stab you in the back to get what they want. This is shown both figuratively and realistically. Figuratively, Julius Caesar stabs Brutus in the back to get power. He forgets his friends on the way to the top. This is very apparent when Brutus bows in front of Caesar begging him for a favor. Brutus literally stabbed Julius Caesar because he loves his country and does not think a dictator like Julius Caesar would be good for Rome.
-Alex R.
So far, I think that Julius Caesar is kind of boring. There are too many characters, and I get them confused a lot. It's hard thinking about and trying to understand all of their motives and emotions. But it is easier to understand Shakespeare’s writing style because this is the second Shakespearean play we have read this year. The theme that stands out most to me so far is that you should not trust anyone. Brutus was best friends with Caesar, but he was also one of the conspirators. It just goes to show that even your closest friends can turn on you when you don't expect it.
I agree with what Ashley S. said about the book being hard to understand in some parts. There are so many things going on that its hard to grasp everything. But overall, the book is good because of the good themes and interesting plot events.
-Alex R.
I like Julius Caesar because there are so many characters and different things happening in a scene that you are never bored. If you skipped a page in the book, you could be lost for the entire act. Julius Caesar is also written very well. A theme in the story is that no one can be trusted. Even friends will stab you in the back to get what they want. This is shown both figuratively and realistically. Figuratively, Julius Caesar stabs Brutus in the back to get power. He forgets his friends on the way to the top. This is very apparent when Brutus bows in front of Caesar begging him for a favor. Brutus literally stabbed Julius Caesar because he loves his country and does not think a dictator like Julius Caesar would be good for Rome.
-Alex R.
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