NAME: ______
Julius Caesar Journaling Project
Grade 10
TASK –
You will put together a diary/scrapbook for one character in Julius Caesar.
It will contain the following:
a)A diary entry for each act (for a total of five entries).
b)Pictures from magazines/newspapers/internet sites that illustrate your character’s personality (at least one picture per act).
c)A letter from your character to another character.
d)A letter from another character to your character.
After you are done reading each act, you will write a diary entry for that act. The letters will be homework assignments and will be completed when assigned. You should be cutting out pictures as we read the play. These pictures will be used to decorate your scrapbook.
RUBRIC for activities:
- Each diary entry should fill up the page you are given for each entry. If you opt to write on a separate piece of paper, it should be two pages hand written; if you decide to type the entries, each should be one page typed, double spaced, and the font no larger that 12-point. Your entries should include references to the major events in the acts. If your character was not present for the events, you should think of a way the character might have learned of the events. For example, Antony may suspect that Cassius is up to something in Act 1 because of Caesar’s suspicion.
- The pictures you cut out should be selected in reference to the character trait charts you are filling out throughout the play. You will be required to reference them in your scrapbook. Look for pictures that tell a story. For example, Brutus’s personality in Act 1 shows his indecision. A picture of someone thinking would fit.
- The letters should fillup the page you are provided with for each letter. If you opt to write your letters on a separate piece of paper or to type them, the same rules apply to the letters as apply to the journal entries (see point 1 above). Make sure the subject of each letter is relevant to the play.
- You will decorate the cover of the scrapbook in class so come prepared with ideas. At the end of the project we will bind each of your scrapbooks together so other students can read what you have written.
Lesson 1, Act 1: The Conspiracy Is Looming
Aim: How do the characters react to Caesar’s weaknesses?
Summary:
After Act 1 is complete, students should understand that the major action in the play surrounds Caesar’s weaknesses and the conspiracy that is forming under the influence of Cassius.
Procedure:
1. A character trait is a distinguishing feature of his/her personality that the character possesses. Traits must be backed up by a quote or passage from the text and can be determined based on the following:
What a character says
What a character does
What other characters say about the character
2. Students should fill out charts based on the characters of Cassius, Brutus, Caesar, Calphurnia, and Antony.
3. After reviewing the characters, students should choose (or should have already chosen) one character to complete the diary entry for. Use the Diary Template to fill complete your diary entry. You should refer to Caesar’s apparent weaknesses and the possibility of a conspiracy forming against him in your first entry.
4. Choose one character trait for your character and search the Internet and/or magazines for one or two pictures that best describe the personality of your character or the way their character is currently feeling.
5. Students should hand in their diary entries and pictures to the teacher for review.
Due Date: ______
Diary Entry 1 NAME: ______
Act I
Dear Diary:
______
______
______
Lesson 2, Act 2: True Characters Are Revealed
Aim: How are the characters’ true personalities revealed in Act 2?
Summary:
Act 2 is dedicated to the revelation that Caesar’s tragic flaw is his overconfidence and that Cassius and Brutus are power hungry. Based on these ideas, the students should dedicate their diary entries to contemplation of this idea.
Procedure:
1. A tragic flaw is a flaw in the character’s personality that leads to his or her eventual downfall. At this point they should understand (so you are simply reinforcing the idea) that Caesar’s tragic flaw is his overconfidence. List examples of his overconfidence on the board:
a. Ignores the Soothsayer
b. Rejects the crown three times – maybe he thought he was too good for it
c. He treats people like they are nothing
d. He thinks he’s the “stuff” – he thinks he is immortal, that nothing can stop him (or kill him)
e. He goes to the square even though all of the omens tell him not to
f. Ignores his wife’s concerns (her dream of Caesar being killed)
g. “Because he’s in power he thinks that nobody can touch him”
2. Cassius and Brutus are hungry for power. Find examples of this and list them on the board.
a. They have to kill Caesar to take away his power (or else he will destroy Rome)
b. Cassius thinks Brutus is more deserving of power
c. They don’t want a dictator to have too much power - do they want a more egalitarian society? They want to free Rome from Caesar
d. Cassius think that Caesar is weak, and that he is stronger
e. the longer he’s in power the stronger he’ll become
3. Make sure you touch upon some of these ideas in your diary entries.
4. Choose one character trait for your character and search the Internet for one or two pictures that best describe the personality of their character or the way their character is currently feeling.
6. Students should hand in their diary entries and pictures to the teacher for review.
Due Date: ______
Diary Entry 2 NAME: ______
Act II
Dear Diary:
______
______
Lesson #3, Act 3: The Assassination
Summary: The major ideas in Act 3 revolve around the assassination and the aftermath, most importantly including Antony’s speech. Students should be familiar with the rhetoric that Antony uses to convince the people that the conspirators did not act in their best interest by killing Caesar.
Procedure:
1. Retell a.) the assassination and b.) Anthony’s speech from the point of view of your character. Include this in your diary entry.
2. Discuss Antony’s strategies in his speech. They should include his use of Emotion, Repetition, Rhetorical Questions, and Visuals to entice the spectators. You should also include some of these ideas in your entry.
3. Choose one character trait for your character and search the Internet for one or two pictures that best describe the personality of their character or the way their character is currently feeling.
4. Students should hand in their diary entries and pictures to the teacher for review.
Due Date: ______
Diary Entry 3 NAME: ______
Act III
Dear Diary:
______
______
Lesson #4, Act 4: Revenge Is Sweet
Summary: This act focuses on the idea of revenge and questions whether the characters are acting in an honorable fashion. Students should be able to understand the differences between Antony and Brutus and who is a stronger character. (Antony is aware of his greed, while Brutus is struggling to understand himself.)
Procedure:
1. Your journal entry should discuss the general idea of revenge in Act 4.
2. Find examples of greed in this act. Is Antony honorable in his revenge or has his greed negated his original nobility? Include your thoughts in the diary entry from the perspective of your character.
Anthony – wants to change the will so they can alter the amounts the people get (p. 760, scene 1, lines 8-9)
3.. Find examples of Brutus’s weakness (he is affected by the death of his wife.) How does his greed cause him to betray (or try to betray) his friend Cassius? Students should also include these ideas in their entries.
4. Choose one character trait for your character and search the Internet for one or two pictures that best describe the personality of your character or the way their character is currently feeling.
5.Students should hand in their diary entries and pictures to the teacher for review.
Due Date: ______
Diary Entry 4 NAME: ______
Act 4
Dear Diary:
______
______
Lesson #5, Act 5: The Fight Is Over
Summary: Because many characters die during the final act, students may wish to write the entry as a ghost. The focus of this act is the tragic flaws of Cassius and Brutus.
Procedure:
1. Recall what a tragic flaw is (see Lesson #1). What were the tragic flaws of Cassius and Brutus. Refer to this in your diary entry.
2. Do you think Brutus is a hero? Refer to the final speech of Antony. Do you feel that Antony thinks of Brutus as a hero? Why? You should also refer to this in your diary entry.
3. Choose one character trait for your character and search the Internet for one or two pictures that best describe the personality of your character or the way their character is currently feeling.
4. Students should hand in their diary entries and pictures to the teacher for review.
Due Date: ______
NOTE:
During the week of ______we will put all of your entries and pictures together into Julius Caesar scrapbooks. We may even visit the computer lab to type up your diary entries so you can learn more from your spelling and grammar mistakes.
Diary Entry 5 NAME: ______
Act 5
Dear Diary:
______
______
Letter #1 NAME:______
Letter from ______(your character)
Dear ______,
______
______
Sincerely,
______
Letter #2 NAME:______
Letter from ______(the character writing your character)
Dear ______,
______
______
Sincerely,
______
NEED SOME HELP? HAVING TROUBLE GETTING STARTED ON YOUR ENTRIES?
Here are two sample journal/diary entries for Act I and II. The two themes are Caesar’s weakness and the conspiracy which is looming. This is from the perspective of the Soothsayer:
ACT I: Dear Diary,
Ohh, what a long day I had! I’m such an old fool! I need a haircut. I tried to tell Caesar today that he is going to be killed tomorrow. That FOOL! He didn’t listen to me. Sorry sack of nothing. He will die tomorrow. The Ides of March. I fear that everyone will think I’m crazy when I speak of such things. I’m worried that all of Rome might turn against my poor soul. But tomorrow, when they plough into him with their knives, they will see that they should have listened to my words.
I’ve got a secret I must tell you, dear reader. Are you ready? Once, long ago, I saw Cassius and Caesar trying to cross a river together. Cassius likes to say that it was Caesar who couldn’t cross. Yes, he likes to say that it was Caesar who cried like a little girl. But let me tell you something – It’s wasn’t Caesar, but Cassius. Most of Rome doesn’t realize this truth! They think that Caesar is weak. But the truth of the matter is that he isn’t weak – he is STRONG! He deserves to be King, and this is why I warned him yesterday. I don’t want Pompey to come back from the dead to take over again.
Soothsayer
Act II: Dear Diary,
What did I say? What an idiot, this Caesar. A victim of his own tragic flaw. Such an overconfident man is this dictator. First it was me – “Beware the Ides of March!” Did he heed to my warning? No, of course not, that overconfident scoundrel who thinks that the world revolves around him. He thinks that nothing can defeat him. In the wind last night I heard his poor little wife try to warn him as well with her dream of Ceasar being stabbed to death. Of course, he ignored her, for he believes that nothing can stop him, not even planets exploding. As if her were immune to all forces evil. As if he could withstand anything. Then it was the omens – they couldn’t find a heart in a sacrificed animal, but again Caesar ignored this warning. What does it take, I asked, to save this man who should become the king of Rome? It seems that nothing works. I’ll try again this afternoon to warn him one last time. But I fear that my attempts will be all in vain – this Caesar is just too overconfident and proud.
I forgot to mention, dear diary, that I overheard Cassius and Brutus plotting with the others in Brutus’ courtyard last night. Again, I heard them in the wind. The wind, you see, works with me. It is my agent. I can hear anyone, any where, anytime. I just ask the wind, and it speaks their words to me. These rascals are just hungry for power. They want Rome for themselves. I don’t trust Cassius – I think he wants to be the next Caesar. The next dictator. I think he wants to do this, and it is going to happen if we don’t stop him. He’s going to turn on his friend Brutus, I tell you. He’s using this man to get close to Caesar, this is what I feel.
Well, that’s all for now. I’ll write tomorrow after we see what happens on the Ides of March. I fear for the worst.
Soothsayer
1