Blogger #20 - Natalia Marczak - Period 2 - 12/14/2021

 Blogger #20 - Natalia Marczak - Period 2 - 12/14/2021

Aim:  How does the assassination of Caesar establish both the climax and conflict in Act III, as a result of the contrasting reactions of Brutus and Antony?

Today, we continued the lesson that we started yesterday. We started off the lesson by reading Julius Caesar Act III scene i(Part 1): 

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1eTLVyyLfkV620lAVWT9EYKFTM2LRAHwpdA47K5eEpl0/edit?usp=sharing

Next, we had a group/class discussion about specific questions that will enhance our understanding of the story. The questions were:

1. What irony do you see in Caesar’s last speech, which begins on line 63, “I could well be moved”?

2. Describe Caesar’s response to the request to pardon Publius Cimber.

1. What is their true motive in making the request at that time?

3. What surprises Caesar most when he is attacked?

1. Why was it so surprising to him?

4. Earlier, in Act 2, scene 1, Brutus presented the assassination as a sacrifice, not just a brutal murder. What action in Act 3, scene 1, echoes that view?  Identify the lines numbers!

5. How does Antony behave toward the conspirators immediately after Caesar’s murder?

1. Describe his initial reaction to the body of Caesar (lines 161-177). What request does he make to the conspirators that Brutus dismisses?

For the first question, my class discussed how Caesar’s speech displays dramatic irony, which is when the audience, or reader, knows something that the character in the story does not. We, as readers, understand that the conspirators are planning to kill Caesar, yet he is unaware of the fact. Additionally, Caesar states in his speech that he is not gullible, yet he has been fooled by the conspirators the whole time. 

Next, we answered the second question. When my group discussed, Tiffany mentioned that Caesar’s response to the request to pardon Publius Cimber is negative, because he dismisses the request and is set on not letting Publius go. 

When speaking about question 2a, my group said that the true motive in making the request at that time was to distract Caesar so that the conspirators could get close to him and stab him. Additionally, Sasha mentioned that another possibility for the conspirators’ true motive was to provide a “valid” reason to kill him. The class discussion agreed with our statements and added that the conspirators could use Caesar’s unwavering intent of not letting Publius go to further prove why he needed to be removed from office. 

Both in our group discussion and class discussion, the class agreed that when Caesar is attacked, he is most surprised that Brutus was a part of the plan. He feels betrayed because Brutus had been such a close friend to him, and now he has gone against him, killing him. Additionally, Caesar did not foresee this betrayal because he had trusted Brutus. 

For number 4, in my group conversation, Jenny mentioned that the action in Act 3, scene 1, that echoes the view that the assassination was a sacrifice, and not just a brutal murder can be displayed in lines 115-120. In these lines, Brutus tells the Romans to bathe their hands in Caesar’s blood, put it on their swords, and hold their bloody swords over their heads as they walk to the market-place chanting “Peace, freedom, and liberty!” During the class discussion, Daria added that before the group kills Caesar, they kneel before him and Brutus kisses his hand, which shows a respect for Caesar. We also mentioned lines 89-90, and how this could display that Brutus is explaining how by killing Caesar, their debt to the gods is finally paid. 

Although as a class we did not get to go over question 5 before the bell rang, my group discussed how immediately after Ceasar’s murder, Antony runs away. Then, Antony’s servant comes and tells Brutus that Antony will return and honor Brutus if he promises him two things. The first is to not to hurt him, and the second is to tell him why they killed Caesar. Additionally, Antony’s initial reaction to the body of Caesar was grief. He was upset that Caesar, whom he loved, had been killed. We also discussed how Antony’s request that Brutus dismisses is that if the conspirators are going to kill him, they should do it now so that he can die next to Caesar. 

Reflection:

Today’s lesson enhanced our understanding of Shakespeare's story, Julius Caesar. Today, I learned about the climax of this story. Up until this moment, the tension has been building and the conspirators have been plotting Caesar’s murder. In this specific scene, we have finally reached the highest, most stressful point of the story, which is the killing of Caesar. I also learned more about specific characters and their attitude towards Caesar. For instance, although Brutus goes against Caesar and kills him, he is not bloodthirsty. He wants what is best for the Romans and does not want to spill more blood than needed. I learned this because it will help me better understand not only the future scenes we read about, but also the previous ones we have read. It will help me understand future decisions certain characters may make as well as specific events that may occur. It will also help me to more deeply understand the different character’s and their motives as well as past decisions they have made. I will use what I learned in the future in the way that I will remember this lesson as we continue to move forward through Shakespeare’s writing of Julius Caesar. As we progress, the comprehension of this topic will set the foundation for future topics along our journey.