In this activity, students will compare and contrast two characters in The Tragedy of Julius Casear!
Storyboard-Text
POWER
Julius Caesar
POWER
Brutus
Caesar is an ambitious man and the leader of Rome. He is offered the throne three times before he is killed, and it's his power and ambition that leads the Senate to conspire against him.
BELIEFS
Brutus is a political leader in Rome, a member of the Senate alongside several other men. It's his loyalty to the Senate that causes him to go along with the assassination plot.
BELIEFS
Caesar is often portrayed as an ambitious tyrant by the conspirators. He believes he is good for Rome and cannot be swayed by any men, saying "I am constant as the Northern star."
ACTIONS
Brutus is easily manipulated by the people he trusts, and ends up believing this murder plot is for the good of Rome. He says "Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more."
ACTIONS
Both men go willingly to the Senate, Caesar to his death and Brutus to commit the murder. The actions they take in the play (conversations, decisions, and the act of appearing in Senate) all lead up to the moment and the aftermath of Caesar's death, which in Brutus's cases, also results in death.