Adam Lyun, Blogger #18, Pd 2, 12/10/21

 Adam Lyun, #18 Pd 2, 12/10/21

Freshman Lit 2022

Aim: How can Caesar’s strengths and weaknesses be appraised/evaluated as revealed in Act II, ii?

In class we started in the middle of lesson 9 Studs JC: II, ii because we didn’t finish it from yesterday.

Caesar and Calphurnia /Portia and Brutus TEAMWORK

There is an old saying, born out by history, that behind every great man there is a good woman. In Julius Caesar, Calphurnia and Portia have very little stage time, yet they do have a role to play in their husband’s lives. Discuss the accuracy of the adage regarding contemporary powerful public figures. Has this adage become passé with the evolving role of women in public arenas?

Using the chart below, identify ways the characters and their relationships are alike and different.

    

1. Caesar does not respect Calphurnia as much as Brutus respects 

Portia. For example, Caesar dismisses Calphurnia’s warning about him being endangered while Brutus listens to what Portia has to say about his unusual behavior. (Other groups also said that both couples care about each other but Caesar doesn’t care about his wife as much as Brutus cares about his wife.)

2. Caesar is more dominant and doesn’t consider his wife’s ideas. Brutus on the other hand is also dominant but considers how his wife feels about certain things. (Other groups say that both males have a high status and have a lot of power)

3. Calphurnia tries to warn Caesar about the danger and gets dismissed about the trouble. Portia voiced her opinion and she acknowledged what she had to say. (Other groups have said that Calpurnia has less of an impact on her husband than Portia does.)

4. Caesar is the victim while Brutus is the murderer.

5. Caesar believes highly of himself and thinks he’s almost immortal. Brutus believed that he wants to murder Caesar but his personal life shouldn’t be involved with the assasination. (groups say that Caesar has an ego and will preserve because he is Caesar. He believes that he is almost god-like. Brutus tried to protect his wife by not telling her about the detail of the murder and is more cautious)

6. Caesar wants to be known as powerful and more famous than he is now. Brutus on the other hand just wants to keep his life and his loved one safe.

(2 is; Why is it fairly easy for Decius to convince Caesar to go to the Capitol)

1. She dreams about Caesar being in danger when he goes to the Capitol.( groups say that the Romans were bathing in Caesar’s blood)

2. He thinks too highly of himself so he ignores his wife and goes to the capitol. (He says that if he doesn’t go, Caesar will be known as a coward because his wife was begging on her knees.)

3. a. He is powerful, smart and confident. b. He has a huge ego and gets swayed easily which leads to his downfall.

After finishing the slides, we read summaries of 2 stories because they were short and would waste our time. After finishing the summary, we watched a video that recapped the stories again but also included quotes.

Reflection:

In class, we learned more about the similarities and differences between Caesar and Calpurnia and Portia and Brutus. We also learned more about how Caesar is presented as an almost god-like character but also has weaknesses. This further explains that even though someone may seem powerful and strong, everyone has weaknesses. This teaches us that no one is perfect and that we should always not be afraid to do things that would help us. I can use this theme to persevere through hard times and not be afraid to make mistakes.