Ms. Murphy
English 9
Julius Caesar Journal Entries
*Check Syllabus (website) for due dates.
Directions: Choose any significant character from Julius Caesar other than Caesar himself. You will keep a first-person journal recording the events of the play. There will be a total of five entries, and each entry must be one typed, double-spaced page in length. Each entry will be worth 20 points for a total of 100.
You will be graded on the following skills: understanding of your chosen character and his/her role in the text; creativity and originality; depth of detail; grammar and style.
The directions below are guidelines; feel free to adapt your response for your particular character as necessary.
Journal Entry #1/Act One: Record your feelings about Caesar and the events of the past month. Do you approve of his growing power? How did you react on the feast of Lupercal, when he refused the crown? Do you think he was being sincere? Are you aware of the conspiracy, and if so, do you want to join it? What do you think the storm in scene 3 means, if anything?
Journal Entry #2/Act Two: What have you been doing over the night and morning of Act Two? (If your character has not been present much in the text, you will need to make some of this up.) What do you think will happen next?
Journal Entry #3/Act Three: What was your reaction when Caesar was killed? Did you play a part in it? Are you glad that he is dead? How do you feel about Brutus, Cassius, and Antony? (If you are one of those three, how do you feel about your own actions today?)
Journal Entry #4/Act Four: Whose army are you traveling with? What has it been like on the warpath these last few months? What are your thoughts on the current state of affairs in Rome? How do you feel about your allies? About your enemies? Are you eager for battle? Who do you think will win?
Journal Entry #5/Act Five: Was it all worth it in the end? Have things ended for the good of Rome? Did Caesar deserve to die? Did his death accomplish your own goals in the end? If your character is now dead, how do you feel about your own death? About the deaths of others? In the final analysis, did you act nobly? Or were your motivations impure?