Answer the following questions using examples from the text to support your answers. You will need to turn in this assignment after you complete all of your work in Lesson 5 of this unit. You should submit this assignment to your teacher by the due date for full credit.
1. In the first act of Julius Caesar, William Shakespeare establishes two important conflicts that will carry throughout the play. Look back in the text and decide what these conflicts are. In order to find them, keep in mind the definition of conflict.
- Which characters are clashing with others in the story?
- Which characters are facing an internal battle with their own thoughts or feelings?
What is the definition of conflict?
In the chart below, name both conflicts, briefly describe each conflict, and explain how Shakespeare establishes it through the events of the play, the words of each character, and the actions of each character.
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Conflict / description
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Quote #1/detail that establishes conflict
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Quote #2/detail that establishes conflict
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(Name of character) vs. (Name of character)
Description of conflict:
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(Name of character) vs. him/herself
Description of conflict:
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2. Read Brutus' encounter with his wife Portia in Act II. Then complete the chart below.
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Qualities that Portia exhibits during the encounter
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Qualities that Brutus exhibits during the encounter
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Provide details and quotes to illustrate each character's traits.
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Explain whether these are positive/negative traits? Why?
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Based on your analysis of their encounter, describe the marriage of Portia and Brutus. Is their marriage built upon mutual respect and trust? Or is it a marriage filled with secrets and deception? Is their relationship healthy or unhealthy?
3. Why was it a mistake for Brutus to allow Antony to have the last word at Caesar's funeral?
- Explain what Antony says about Caesar in private versus what he says about Caesar to Brutus.
- Consider what it means to have the last word.
4. Based on Brutus's decision to march the army to Philippi and the appearance of Caesar's ghost to him in Act IV, Scene III, make a prediction about what will happen in the final act of Julius Caesar. Be sure to justify your prediction with textual evidence.