Overview: This lesson is designed to assist students in understanding certain important concepts about character analysis. Through analyzing two major characters in Julius Caesar, students will learn to compare the characters in this play to other characters they have encountered in their reading.
i) To compare means to examine two or more characters for the purpose of noting the similarities; to contrast means to examine more than two characters for the purpose of noting the differences.
ii) A character can be flat or round. A flat character's personality is controlled by very simple or one single trait, while a round character has many different traits, some of which may seem even contradictory.
iii) A character may be static or dynamic. A static character does not change from the beginning of the work of literature to the end, while dynamic character changes in some way during the course of the work. This change may be a positive one or negative one.
Like characters in stories, characters in drama can be flat or round. Shakespeare is famous for creating his characters with complexity. Understanding one of Shakespeare's major characters is a little like putting together the piece of a jigsaw puzzle or mosaic. Among most important pieces are characters' speeches. Each speech can reveal very different, very contrasting, sides of characters.
My Educational Goal: Students need to choose two major characters from Julius Caesar and compare and contrast them. They also need to identify a number of points of comparison and contrast, and for each point explain how the characters are different and similar.
The following Internet resources will help students understand the characters from different perspectives:
i) What are each character's key traits? ( Examine the character's speeches, e.g., monologues and soliloquies, comments, thoughts, and feelings). For example, what different side of Brutus and of Caesar are revealed in the following speeches?
Brutus
I am not gamesome: I do ask some part/ of that quick spirit that is in Antony. / Let me not hinder, Cassius, your desire; / I'll leave you. (Act I, Scene ii, lines 28-31)
Let's carve him as a dish fit for the gods. (ActII, Scene I, lines 173)
That every like is not the same, O Caesar,/ The heart of Brutus earns to think upon.(Act II Scene ii, line 128-129)
Caesar
Yond Cassius has a lean and hungry look; /He thinks too much: such men are dangerous…/Would he were fatter! But I fear him not.(Act I, Scene ii, lines 194-195)
And you are come in very happy time/ To bear my greeting to the senators,/And tell them that I will not come today./Cannot, is false; and that I dare not, falser:/ I will not come today.(Act III, Scene ii, lines 60-64)
Good friends, go in and taste some wine with me,/ And we will straightway go together.(Act II , Scene ii, lines126-127)
ii) What is each character's underlying motivations (the basic reason that he or she acts in a certain way) or goal?
iii) Does each character act the same way from the beginning of the play to the end, or does he or she change? In what way?
2) Prepare a chart on which to record the main personality traits of the characters selected.
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1st Character |
2nd Character |
Specific References from the Play |
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Key Traits |
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Goals |
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Changes |
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3) Start to prepare an outline for the essay and discuss the structure of the essay and what should be included in each paragraph.
4) Write the introductory paragraph
: begin the essay with a thesis statement. The thesis statement should address the main points of the essay question and should clearly indicate whether you intend to compare and contrast two characters from the same play Julius Caesar or two characters from two different works of literature. Be sure to state in a general way that the characters are like and how they are different.5) Write the body of the essay: there are three different ways to organize your ideas --
Option A: 1) Describe one character 2) Describe the other character 3) Discuss the similarities and differences based on the preceding paragraphs
Option B: 1)Note the similarities between the two characters 2) Note the differences between the two characters
Option C: 1)Note the similarities and differences in the characters' key traits 2) Note the similarities and differences in the characters' goals 3) Note the similarities and differences in the characters' tendencies to change
6) Write the concluding paragraph: use different words to remind readers of your thesis. Focus on whether the two characters are more like or more different. You might end by noting whether one character seemed more admirable or appealing on the basis of the traits and experiences you have already discussed.
Click here to go back to the main page to find out more lesson plans on Julius Caesar Click here to view a set of questions on characterization after reading the play
Click here to get more ideas of studying the characters
Click here to do a project for character study