Julius Caesar Lesson 9

Memorable (meh-mer-ra-ble)

"They would not have you to stir forth to-day.
Plucking the entrails of an offering forth,
They could not find a heart within the beast."
The gods are giving a sign to Caesar, telling him not to go to the Senate House
- the animal they offered to the gods has no heart

"danger knows full well
That Caesar is more dangerous than he:
We are two lions litter'd in one day,
And I the elder and more terrible;
And Caesar shall go forth."
Caesar is implying that he is brave and is not afraid of Danger. He puts himself and Danger on the same level and even says that he is far more dangerous than Danger himself.

"Most mighty Caesar, let me know some cause,
Lest I be laugh'd at when I tell them so."
Decius very cunningly tells Caesar that he will be laughed at if he does not come. Decius is also curious as to why Caesar did not wish to go to the Senate House so he phrases his sentence in a way to question Caesar.

"Never fear that: if he be so resolved,
I can o'ersway him, for he loves to hear
That unicorns may be betray'd with trees,
And bears with glasses, elephants with holes,
Lions with toils, and men with flatterers:
But when I tell him he hates flatterers,
He says he does, being then most flattered.
Let me work;
For I can give his humor the true bent,
And I will bring him to the Capitol."
Decius plans to use flattery to persuade Caesar to go to the Senate House in order to carry out the assassination.

"Besides, it were a mock
Apt to be render'd, for someone to say
"Break up the Senate till another time,
When Caesar's wife shall meet with better dreams."
If Caesar hide himself, shall they not whisper

"I have, when you have heard what I can say;
And know it now: The Senate have concluded
To give this day a crown to mighty Caesar.
If you shall send them word you will not come,
Their minds may change. Besides, it were a mock
Apt to be render'd, for someone to say
"Break up the Senate till another time,
When Caesar's wife shall meet with better dreams."
If Caesar hide himself, shall they not whisper
"Lo, Caesar is afraid"?"
Decius is attacking his manly pride by implying that he is a coward who succumbs to the dreams of his wife, Calphurnia, saying that people will mock him if he does not go

Julius Caesar Lesson 8

New words:
Bravado - a pretentious, swaggering display of courage
Accede - to give consent, approval, or adherence; agree; assent; to accede to a request; to accede to the terms of a contract

Pg 369
Meaning or irony and dramatic irony

Portia's tone is low
- very steady, down-to-earth
- the name Portia is associated with wise

Portia's power is soft
- she's worried and caring towards Brutus

Close relationship between Portia and Brutus
- the way they address each other (Brutus, my lord/ good Portia)
- Brutus promises Portia he will tell her about his problems and worries

Portia's conversation with Brutus to ask him to share his worries
- use of repetition of "woman" shows that women at that time were subservient
- Portia expresses that she knows her position as a woman, but she also states that she is the woman Brutus took to be his wife and therefore, she should share in his secrets and worries

Caesar is fat and not very handsome so audience will not feel too much pity for him and feel sympathy for Brutus instead

"Caesar shall forth: the things that threaten me
Ne'er look but on my back; when they shall see
The face of Caesar, they are vanished."
Caesar is saying that he is fearless and brave
Slight irony here as a brave and fearless person wouldn't participate in fortune telling

"Mark Antony shall say I am not well,
And, for thy humor, I will stay at home."
Some say that Caesar has a soft spot for Calphurnia and is merely acceding to her request
Some say that Caesar is simply using Calphurnia as an excuse to not go as he is scared

"Shall Caesar send a lie?
Have I in conquest stretch'd mine arm so far,
To be afeard to tell grey-beards the truth?"
Calphurnia was just trying to help Caesar but he snaps at her and scolds her

Lesser intimacy between Calphurnia and Caesar
There is no equality between them unlike the relationship between Portia and Brutus

Julius Caesar Lesson 7

New words:
Obliquely - in an indirect manner or direction
Subservient - serving or acting in a subordinate capacity; subordinate

"Portia, what mean you? wherefore rise you now?
It is not for your health thus to commit
Your weak condition to the raw-cold morning."
Brutus is worried for Portia's health

"Which, by the right and virtue of my place,
I ought to know of: and, upon my knees,
I charge you, by my once commended beauty,
By all your vows of love, and that great vow
Which did incorporate and make us one"
Portia appeals for Brutus that she has the right to know and share his worries
- their relationship as husband and wife
- kneels down and begs
- her beauty and charm
- their love and marriage vows

Relationship between Portia and Brutus
- caring/concerned
- intimate/close
Portia tries very hard to convince Brutus to share his worries with her as she cannot bear to see him worrying alone

Brutus almost wanted to tell Portia his worries but then came a knock on the door.

Relationship between calphurnia and Caesar
Calphurnia is convened about Caesar but does not have the same relationship between them that Portia and Brutus has
Caesar keeps rejecting her and refuses to listen to her, he also shows little respect to her
Subservient relationship

Julius Caesar Lesson 6

New words
Play Devil's advocate - a person who advocates an opposing or unpopular cause for the sake of argument or to expose it to a thorough examination
Inherently - existing in someone or something as a permanent and inseparable element, quality, or attribute: an inherent distrust of strangers
Staccato - monosyllabic words shows hesitation and creates dramatic tension in the sentence

"I would it were my fault to sleep so soundly"
Brutus' state of mind was very disturbed and is unable to rest

Dramatic contrast:
Lucius, his servant is sleeping and yet Brutus is wide awake and is very disturbed and worried

"it must be by his death"
Starts with this sentence to convince himself that he is doing the right thing
He is trying to justify his reasons for plotting against Caesar

Proverbs VS idioms
- proverbs have to be full sentences such as "the apple never falls far from the tree"
- idioms are shorter, and is mainly descriptive such as "once in a blue moon"

Analogy
- Caesar is the serpent in the egg, implying that Caesar is dangerous/harmful/"poisonous"
- no, it's not a valid analogy as caesar is not dangerous or evil (can be seen from "I have no personal cause to spurn him")
- however, it is valid if the analogy is based in common experience
- brutus is implying that Caesar I'd not inherently vicious as he is still contained in the egg (warped logic)

Julius Caesar Lesson 5

"I rather tell thee what is to be fear'd
Than what I fear, for always I am Caesar.
Come on my right hand, for this ear is deaf,
And tell me truly what thou think'st of him"
- There is irony in the contrast between the preceding arrogance and the admission of physical infirmity
- Deflate his claim

"He should not humor me. I will this night,
In several hands, in at his windows throw,
As if they came from several citizens,
Writings all tending to the great opinion
That Rome holds of his name; wherein obscurely"
- Cassius plans to write in petitions, praising Brutus, he would write it in different handwritings so people would think many people wrote in

"Caesar's ambition shall be glanced at:
And after this let Caesar seat him sure;
For we will shake him, or worse days endure."
Rhyming couplet
- end on a dramatic note
- emphasizes on his resolve

New words:
Incommunicado - (especially of a prisoner) deprived of any communication with others
Adage - a traditional saying expressing a common experience or observation
Degenerate - to fall below a normal or desirable level in physical, mental, or moral qualities; deteriorate

PPPT
Pitch: low
Pause: dramatic
Power: soft
Tone: inflection (stress)