(8 Studs JC; II, i) Aim: How can an examination of Brutus’ actions involving his servants, wife and conspirators provide perspective into his character?
We started off the lesson by finishing the questions of “8 Studs JC: II, i (Part 3)” in the beginning of class for the Do-Now.
The motif of sleep plays a huge role in the play exemplifying the importance of sleep and anxiety. The more Brutus doesn’t sleep, the more he feels anxious and paranoid. Brutus notices Lucius fast asleep, and we find that Lucius is calm and collected, quite the opposite of Brutus in this context.
Portia convinces Brutus to confide in her by using the reasons of: her bond with Brutus after their marriage, and how she can keep Brutus’ secret. The text states “Within the bond of marriage, tell me, Brutus, Is it excepted I should know no secrets That appertain to you?” and “Here, in the thigh: can I bear that with patience. And not my husband's secrets?”
Despite Brutus and Portia’s disagreements in this scene, we find that their marriage is still holding strong due to how Brutus finally gives in to Portia’s requests, and how he seems to care about the health of his household. He worries about Portia’s health when she wakes early.
Brutus seems to have the humour of Black Bile currently, as he shows the temperament of melancholy(ic). He is anxious, reserved in his thoughts of conspiracy, but thoughtful in his loyalty and perspective. He seems to switch from Phlegm to Black Bile, however, because we see that he is sympathetic to the conspirators, but tries to hold his own emotions by stating excuses about his loyalty.
Brutus’ roles change throughout the play, and his attitude changes with the roles. To his household, and his duties as a master, he is very protective, and this is one of the roles he holds with honor. He treats his role as a husband with a loving and caring tone, as we can see that he cares much for Portia. His strengths come out as he is honorable, not willing to commit acts that stain his reputation, but his weaknesses include being mysterious, and not being able to truly decide between two fates.
Then, we continued with the “Meet Marcus Brutus Teamwork” where we discussed Brutus’ roles in the play in more depth.
Household Master: Brutus shows his prowess as the master of the house, as he protects his living quarters with dignity and morals. He has an image of honor to keep up, and he does not want to tarnish that reputation.
Citizen: As a citizen of Rome, Brutus wants to uphold Rome and its rule. We find that he is proud to be a citizen of Rome, and while not supporting Caesar, accepts that he is his leader.
Conspirator: As a conspirator, Brutus finds himself on a tightrope where all the consequences come if he makes such a small mistake. He is indecisive of whether he should help the senators or stay with Caesar, but he knows that both sides will end badly for him.
Husband: We find that in the text, Brutus is shown as an extremely loving husband. He cares about his wife’s health and wellbeing, and just truly loves her. She is the first one that he would protect when everything goes wrong.
(9 Studs JC; II, ii )Aim: How can Caesar’s strengths and weaknesses be appraised/evaluated as revealed in Act II, ii?
DO NOW: We talked about how someone you know was given a warning, and then still followed it anyway. Sasha gave an interesting answer, where her father and her were biking through a path, when someone else came out of the trail and warned them about a bear. Sasha’s father went in anyway, and came riding out in a hurry when he encountered the bear.
We then read Act II, Scene ii (Part 3).
We then stopped on the Caesar and Calpurnia/Brutus and Portia TEAMWORK, where we discussed the differences between the two couples.
REFLECTION: I found this lesson to better reveal Brutus’ overall role within the play, and how he plays a large impact on the decisions that the characters make. We see his personality come out, and his love for his wife; and his liability to the conspirators. We see Brutus’ honor and morals extend beyond his arrogance and vengeance, although he finally surrenders to his angry emotions. Even though he joins the conspirators, he still cares for his household and his family. He worries about Portia and her health, and resolves to keep his honor while conspiring with his wife and the other senators. This lesson augmented how the characters in the play of “Julius Caesar” tie into one another, and how each one is important to every segment of the plot that they are in.
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