The Tragedy of Julius Caesar Essay Topics

Brutus is often considered a tragic hero. Considering his positive attributes, his flaws, and his role in the play, do you agree or disagree with this sentiment? Why/why not? What is Shakespeare's larger message? You may also consider discussing why another character may be the tragic hero.
Is Brutus a villain or a hero? Is he a dishonorable man, or a mistaken one? Why/why not? What is Shakespeare's larger message? If you think he is a villain, consider discussing his villainous aspects and how they contribute to the play.
Discuss the role/function/power, or lack thereof, of omens/supernatural events and fate in the play (such as discussing what the various responses to these phenomena show about the struggle between fate and free will in the play and whether or not the play’s tragedies be attributed to the characters’ failure to read the omens properly, or if the omens merely presage the inevitable). What is Shakespeare's larger message?
Discuss the role of women in the play, comparing and contrasting Portia and Calpurnia and/or comparing and contrasting their marriages to Brutus and Caesar, respectively. What is Shakespeare's larger message?
Does a single hero or villain exist in the play? If so, who, and why? Or why not? (Or discuss who is the most admirable/sympathetic and/or the most despicable character and why.) What is Shakespeare's larger message?
Who is the protagonist in this play? Is it Caesar, who dies well before the end but whose power and name continue on? Or is it Brutus, the noble man who falls because of his tragic flaws? Should the title name Brutus, or is it fitting that it names Caesar, or should it name both of them? Why? What is Shakespeare's larger message?
Discuss the power of language/speech/the written word in the play. What is Shakespeare's larger message?
Discuss the power of deception/manipulation in the play. What is Shakespeare's larger message?
In all the chaos of the play, is there a single voice of reason? If so, who? How/why? What is Shakespeare's larger message?
Compare and contrast the private and public sides of Brutus and/or Caesar (such as discussing if Caesar continues to wield power over events even after he is dead, whether or not the conspirators succeed in their goals by killing him, or Caesar’s influence being too powerful to be contained even by his death, whether or not the spirit of Caesar is greater than Caesar the man, what the effects of his death are, etc.). What is Shakespeare's larger message? Consider discussing them as public men who define themselves by their social roles and reputations.
How is loyalty portrayed in the play? Discussing Antony, Brutus, and/or Cassius in relation to Caesar. What is Shakespeare's larger message?
Agree or disagree with the idea that idealism often leads to downfall. What is Shakespeare's larger message? Consider discussing whether or not Brutus is a defeated idealist.
Discuss Brutus’ actions. Is he right to join the conspiracy against Caesar? What are his reasons? Does he choose to join the conspiracy, or is he tricked by Cassius? How do Cassius’s motivations compare to those of Brutus? Are they more noble or less noble? Why? What is Shakespeare's larger message?
As Caesar’s appointed successor, how does Octavius carry on the great general’s legacy? Consider his use of language and commands, as well as the ways in which the other characters regard him and refer to him. What is Shakespeare's larger message?
What roles do the plebeians, or common people, play? Are they as fickle as Flavius and Marullus claim in the opening scene? How important is their support to the successes of the various military leaders and the outcome of the play? The play depicts Rome at a time of transition between republic and empire—a time in which, theoretically, the Roman people are losing their power. What role do the people themselves play in this transition? What is Shakespeare's larger message?
What role does tradition (such as what it means to be a “true Roman”) play? What is Shakespeare's larger message?
What does the play show about politics? Based on the play, what choice is a citizen to make between his personal loyalty and his social conscience, between acquiescence to tyranny and a rebellion which involves murder? Is the resort to force and violence ever justifiable and/or successful? What is Shakespeare's larger message? Consider connecting the politics of the play to those of Elizabethan England and the modern United States.
Trace the movement from disorder to order throughout the play and analyze the pacing of its development. Consider discussing how the people of Shakespeare's Elizabethan England valued order preeminently and how personal, political, and heavenly order played crucial roles in their lives and analyze the ways in which characters (such as Brutus, Cassius, Antony, and/or Caesar) act in violation of order on any of those three levels, and explain how each violation leads to the tragic end of the play. What is Shakespeare's larger message?
Discuss friendship in the play. Consider Caesar and Brutus, Caesar and Antony, Brutus and Cassius (and how their friendship changes), Antony and Octavius, and/or any other pairings. Are these true friendships or merely political alliances forged for the sake of convenience and self-preservation? How do they compare with the heterosexual relationships in the play—the relations between husbands and wives? Are they more profound or less profound, more revealing or less revealing of their participants’ characters? What is Shakespeare's larger message?
Discuss inflexibility in this play, focusing on Caesar and Brutus. How is each man inflexible? Is this rigidity an admirable trait or a flaw? Do the rewards of this rigidity outweigh the consequences, or vice versa? How/why? What is Shakespeare's larger message? You may also consider discussing other human flaws that Caesar and Brutus possess and whether or not they cause the play’s tragic events.
Is Lucilius the only “pure” character in the play? Why/why not? What is Shakespeare's larger message?
Discuss whether or not Caesar has any real impact on the events of the play, both before his death and after it. What is Shakespeare's larger message?
How does the play define honor and/or nobility? What is Shakespeare's larger message?
Choose a character and trace how he/she changes in the play, such as Antony in his relationship with Brutus. What is Shakespeare's larger message?
Discuss any of the other themes of the play (such as ambition, greed, power, betrayal, aspiration, etc.). What is Shakespeare's larger message?
Compare and contrast any characters from the play. What is Shakespeare's larger message?
Analyze the use and function of irony in the play. What is Shakespeare's larger message?
Discuss the role of hubris (excessive pride) in the play (such as that which Caesar exhibits). What is Shakespeare's larger message?
Brutus is a Stoic; Cassius is an Epicurean. Compare and contrast these two schools of philosophy and discuss how they influence each man's beliefs, actions, and goals. What is Shakespeare's larger message?
Write an essay discussing the qualities of good and bad leaders, using Caesar, Brutus, Cassius, and/or Antony. Consider discussing how their styles affect actions and events and how they are effective/ineffective. What is Shakespeare's larger message?
How is the play ambiguous? How does it divide the audience’s sympathies? What is Shakespeare's larger message?
Discuss the use and function of symbolism in the play. What is Shakespeare's larger message?
Choose a character and discuss his/her self-discovery (such as recognizing his/her flaw) and how it affects him/her and other characters/events in the play. What is Shakespeare's larger message?
Choose a character from the play and do a close character analysis, discussing his/her function, morality, internal and external conflicts, actions, motivations, influences, and whether or not they are justified. Consider discussing Brutus (is he dishonorable or mistaken? self-righteous? egotistical? opinionated? humorless? intellectually limited/mediocre? big-minded? rash? decent? kind?), Caesar (is Caesar egocentric? dangerous? noble? deserving of death?). What is Shakespeare's larger message?
How does Shakespeare establish the themes, conflicts, and moods of the play? What is Shakespeare's larger message?
Analyze the use and function of juxtaposition (or parallel scenes) in the play. What is Shakespeare's larger message?
What causes and effects lead to Brutus’ death? What is Shakespeare's larger message?
Choose your own topic (or modify any of the above topics), but be sure to get my approval!