Aim- How do superstitions influence the development of the plot against Caesar in Act I, scene iii?
In today's lesson we started off talking about some superstitions. Here are some of the superstitions that we discussed.
Why do some people panic if a black cat crosses their way?
Why do people advise actors in a play to “break a leg”?
Where did the phrase “knock on wood” originate?
The following verse is an old sailors’ rhyme. Is it a superstition? Red sky in the morning, sailors take warning. Red sky at night, sailors delight.
Why do some people think it is bad luck to walk under a ladder?
Is it possible to have a really lucky number?
Why is it a good idea to be extra careful on Friday the 13th?
After we talked about some famous superstitions we then discussed Roman and Elizabethan Superstitions.
Roman Superstitions
-The Romans were incredibly superstitious and believed in ghosts, omens, dreams, astrology, and supernatural events.
-Most people know that the Romans were polythesists, or people who believed in many gods.
-Since the Romans did not have modern science, they used the gods and goddesses to explain the many phenomena in nature.
-Romans also believed that gods spoke to them in dreams.
-Many people in Rome made their living being “prophets” who dreamed of future events.
-But dreams can be interpreted in many ways.
Here is a Link to more Roman Superstitions if you are interested: https://listverse.com/2016/06/09/10-surprising-facts-about-magic-and-superstition-in-ancient-rome/
Elizabethan Superstitions
-Why do we say “God Bless You” or some form when someone sneezes?
-In Elizabethan England, everybody “knew” that when you sneezed, you gave the Devil free reign on your soul. But if two Christians blessed each other, the Devil couldn’t touch you. And we still continue this tradition across the world.
-There are many little superstitions like this that litter the plays of Elizabethan England.
-Many playwrights used these superstitions as a way to mimic what was happening in the plot.
-Otherwise known as the macrocosm (nature, animals, heavens, gods) mimicking or copying the microcosm (humans and their relationships).
After we finished talking about Roman and Elizabethan Superstitions, we then continued reading “Julius Caesar” by William Shakespeare. We read along with the audio. The link to both the story and the audio are below if you would like to check it out.
Julius Caesar,
Act I, scene iii
Julius Caesar--Act I, scene iii [3.5 pgs]
Julius Caesar-Act I, scene ii Audio [7:41]
After we finished reading Act 1, scene iii of “Julius Caesar” we had some discussion questions to answer. However, we did not get much time to answer them because the period ended. The questions are below.
Discussion questions to answer after reading Julius Caesar Act 1, Scene iii
Identify three strange events from the opening of Act I, sc. iii.
Discuss how these events demonstrate Casca’s belief in superstition.
How does Cicero (a famous Roman orator) explain these events?
How does Casca interpret these events?
In what ways do the elements of nature reflect the conspirators' work?
How does Cassius win Casca to his side; of opposing Caesar?
To what is Caesar compared in Act I, scene iii and what is the significance of the comparisons?
How would you paraphrase Casca’s last comments about Brutus?
Why is Brutus considered so important to the conspirators?
Reflection
In today's lesson I definitely learned a lot about Superstitions. I heard about Superstitions before, but I didn’t really know that much about them, so today's lesson was very valuable. I learned about Superstitions because the part of the story “Julius Caesar” that the class read today had superstitions in it. For example, the story had Superstitions such as men running while on fire, an owl screaming during the day, and a hundred ghastly women. Now that I know what Superstitions are I can use what I learned today, to avoid these superstitions. For example, if I see a black cat I'm running away as far as I can and as fast as I can.
No comments:
Post a Comment