Intel 4000 by Oretha Ferguson

Julius Caesar:  Friend or Enemy? 

Unit Summary

Students research the historical background of Julius Caesar and the background of Shakespeare before reading The Tragedy of Julius Caesar.  While reading the play, students identify, analyze, and relate actions, themes, and social issues of the play to issues that are relevant today.  Students analyze the relationships among the characters in The Tragedy of Julius Caesar and complete individual projects and team culminating projects to determine the quality of friendship in the 21st Century and to answer the essential question, "What is a friend?" 

This unit addresses the following habits of learning taxonomy:

Problem Solving

Evaluating

Analyzing

Synthesizing

 Essential Question

 Unit Question

 Content Questions

Assessment Timeline

Before Project Work Begins:

K-W-L Chart 

Venn Diagram 

 Caesar Blogs and Forums

During Project:

Annotated ReadingResponse Log

Julius Caesar Letter 

Analyze and Evaluate Speeches

NewsPaper Project Rubric

Thinking Tools

Teacher Login

Student Login 

Visual Ranking Tool

The Quality of Friendship

Project Description

The friendship between Brutus and Caesar remains questionable and complex.  Mark Antony states in Act III, Scene II, Line 181, "For Brutus as you know was Caesar's angel."    Yet, Brutus was one of the conspirators who stabbed Caesar.   Mark Antony describes the stab wound that Brutus inflicted on Caesar as, "The most unkindest cut of all."  (Act III, Scene II, Line 184)  Does the friendship between Caesar and Brutus represent and define friendships in the 21st Century?

Seeing Reason Tool

What is the relation?

Project Description

Julius Caesar considered Brutus and the conspirators as his friends.  Before Caesar was persuaded by Decius to proceed to the capital to receive the crown, he spoke to Brutus and the conspirators and said, "Good friends, go in and taste some wine with me,/And we like friends will straightway go together."  (Act II, Scene II, Lines 126-127)  

Friendships have different layers, and the dept of the friendship determines the quality of the friendship.  Caesar's friends were the death of him.   Can analyzing the quality of friendship in Julius Caesar  improve relationships in the 21st Century? 

Showing Evidence

Project Description

In his will, Caesar left every man 75 drachmas, all his walks, his private arbors, and new-planted orchards for the common pleasure of the people to walk abroad and enjoy.  (Act III, Scene III, Lines 247-252)  Caesar's will is evidence that he did love Rome.   Brutus, however, said in his famous speech, "...that as Caesar was ambitious, I slew him."  (Act III, Scene II, Lines 21 - 25)   Brutus also said in his speech, "....Had you rather Caesar were living, and die all slaves, than that Caesar were dead, to live all free men?"  (Act III, Scene II, Lines 21-25)    Brutus raises the suspicion that Caesar was not a friend of Rome making the conspiracy necessary to the future of Rome.   Caesar did slay Pompey at the beginning of the play.  Analyze the evidence from the play to determine if Julius Caesar was indeed a friend or enemy of Rome.  

After Project work is complete

Quality of Friendship Essay

Formative Assessment

Rubrics

Unit Plan Template

x