The Tragedy of Julius Caesar Project

DUE DATES:

Projects May 28th (D and G), May 29th (C) Test Grade

Presentations: May 28-May 30th Quiz Grade

Directions: Choose one of the following options for your final project on Julius Caesar.

  • Projects will be graded on how you show creativity, how well you demonstrate your understanding of the play, and how well you complete all facets of whichever option you choose.
  • You will present your project to the class.
  • Do not wait until the last minute. All projects must indicate a high degree of effort.

Choose a topic and a partner(if needed). You will need to commit to one task and let me know in writing by May 15, 2013.

The Soundtrack: Make a five song CD for Julius Caesar, the movie.

  • For each song or musical piece, print out the lyrics or describe the music.
  • Then, each song should have a paragraph of in-depth analysis/explication/description which explains its connection to the play, using literary evidence such as: themes, symbols, motifs, and situations that the play explored. You should use TEXT BASED EVIDENCE (AKA quotes from the novel!)
  • Requirements: 5 songs (artist/song title) on CD, at least a paragraph explanation for each song connecting the lyrics to Julius Caesar. Design a cover for your CD. Be artistic! Presentation is just as important as content. The final product should look like something you would buy at FYE.
  • Themes found in the play: friendship, leadership, ambition, vanity, suicide, revenge, corruption, superstition, and fate.

Newspaper: Create a newspaper for major events of the play.

  • Your newspaper must include at least fourfrom the following: a news story, a review, an editorial, a feature story, a commentary/editorial, a cartoon, and/or a profile piece. All must be linked to the play.
  • You should choose quotes from the book as answers in your interviews, although you may embellish a bit. Your final articles must be put together in a newsletter template, with an even number of pages (4 pages is usually the minimum). There should be NO white space and your final product should look like a real newspaper or magazine. Include ads, a table of content, etc.
  • Report on the following topics: the assassination of Caesar, the funeral speeches, the strange weather. Make sure your paper has a headline, and titles, and pictures. It should look like a newspaper.

Eulogy: Write eulogies for Caesar, Brutus, Cassius, and Portia. (2 if you work alone; 4 if you work with a partner) You will present these eulogies to the class.

  • What are they to be remembered for? Why will they be missed?
  • Who were they and what did they accomplish?
  • This should be a tear jerker. By the end of each Eulogy, we should all wish we had known them. (You will need to do a little background research on each of these historical figures to help you write the eulogies.) You will hold a funeral for the dead.

Poem/rap/ballad: Write and record a rap song or a ballad that summarizes the whole play. To see a good examples of this go to YouTube and type in Macbeth –flocabulary.

  • This rap or ballad and recording/live presentation should be a least 5 minutes.
  • It is a summary of the whole play in music format.

Video:Create your own Julius Caesar movie.

  • You can focus on one act. Stay true to the script, but you may change the setting.
  • You should include music and be sure to edit your film for flow. It should be done as a real film.
  • Strong acting is a must! Be creative.
  • You must have the right software for this project. You also need to know how to edit a movie.
  • You must keep a log of your part in the production. You will use this log to write a one-page reflection on the experience.

Diary: Create 10 entries that deal with the important events from the beginning of the play to the end of the play.

  • Diary entries must be written in the first person.
  • You need to personalize this diary to make it look like a real diary from the character chosen. Be artistic.
  • You may need to do some research for the politics of the day.
  • Choose from the following:
  • Portia, the wife of Marcus Brutus
  • Calpurnia,the wife of Caesar
  • A senator who is involved in the plot
  • A Senator who supports Caesar
  • Marc Anthony
  • As a presentation, you will read from the diary for the class.