Julius Caesar: Essay Topics
1) Julius Caesar has been called the "gateway" from Shakespeare's history plays to his five great tragedies. Would you agree with this assertion and, if so, why?
2) Compare Julius Caesar to Richard II. In what ways are they similar?
3) Examine the character of Brutus. Is he truly virtuous? What negative qualities of Brutus cause his own destruction?
4) Examine the sources Shakespeare used in constructing Julius Caesar. What did Shakespeare change and why?
5) Discuss the role of Cassius in the play. What motivates him?
6) Explore the theatrical history of Julius Caesar. Why do you think the play has been produced countless times in the tumultuous 20th century?
7) Some would say that Julius Caesar is ultimately a play about the tragedy of lost morality in the political sphere. Would you agree?
_____
More Resources
 Daily Life in Shakespeare's London
Life in Stratford (structures and guilds)
Life in Stratford (trades, laws, furniture, hygiene)
Stratford School Days: What Did Shakespeare Read?
Games in Shakespeare's England [A-L]
Games in Shakespeare's England [M-Z]
An Elizabethan Christmas
Clothing in Elizabethan England
Queen Elizabeth: Shakespeare's Patron
King James I of England: Shakespeare's Patron
The Earl of Southampton: Shakespeare's Patron
Going to a Play in Elizabethan London
Ben Jonson and the Decline of the Drama
Publishing in Elizabethan England
Shakespeare's Audience
Religion in Shakespeare's England
Alchemy and Astrology in Shakespeare's Day
Entertainment in Elizabethan England
London's First Public Playhouse
Shakespeare Hits the Big Time
|
Research Your Topic
Julius Caesar: The Complete Play with Explanatory Notes
Julius Caesar Overview
Julius Caesar Study Questions (with Detailed Answers)
Julius Caesar Character Introduction
Julius Caesar: Analysis by Act and Scene (and Timeline)
Julius Caesar Summary (Acts 1 and 2)
Julius Caesar Summary (Acts 3 and 4)
Julius Caesar Summary (Act 5)
Blank Verse and Diction in Julius Caesar
Julius Caesar Quotations (Top 10)
Julius Caesar Quotations (Full)
All About Et tu, Brute?
How to Pronounce the Names in Julius Caesar
Sources for Julius Caesar: Important Excerpts from Plutarch
An Account of Shakespeare's Adaptation of Plutarch's Julius Caesar
Plutarch's Influence on Shakespeare and Other Writers of the Sixteenth Century
What is Tragic Irony?
Seneca's Tragedies and the Elizabethan Drama
Characteristics of Elizabethan Drama
Why Shakespeare is so Important
Shakespeare's Language
Shakespeare's Boss: The Master of Revels
|