What’s it all about?
Julius Caesar returns victorious from war, but power has made him
ruthless and cold-hearted. A group of noblemen, led by the
scheming Cassius and the naïve Brutus, conspire and plot to
murder Caesar and bring peace to the land. Shakespeare’s
political thriller is an exciting tale of power, ambition and murder.
Before reading…
Ask the children to look at the front cover. What do you think the
book will be about? What things can you see on the front cover?
What sort of story will it be? Who might enjoy it?
Look carefully at the cast list. Draw lines to match the name of the character to their role in the story.
Julius Caesar Caesar’s close friend
Mark Antony Victorious Roman general and senator
Brutus General and conspirator against Julius Caesar
Cassius A noble-man who is well-respected
Octavius Conspirator and Roman nobleman
Dessius Julius Caesar’s adopted son
Strato Servant
Yond Cassius has a lean and hungry look:
He thinks too much: such men are dangerous
(Caesar, Act 1 Scene 2)
Who is Caesar talking about? What is a ‘lean and hungry look’?
How can thinking too much be dangerous? What impression do you get of Cassius?
Do you think Caesar trusts him? What role might Cassius play in the play?
Pages 7 – 16
Vocabulary
What is a ‘Consul’ (pg 8)?
Replace the words in bold with synonyms: Caesar glared coldly at the old
man, scowled and then said, “I fear nothing!”
Find and copy a word on page 12 that means the same as ‘jealousy’.
Write a definition of the word ‘tyrant’ (pg 14).
Infer
What might Caesar be thinking and feeling on page 9 as the crowds cheer?
What might Caesar be thinking and feeling when the old man warns him?
How do you know the crowd is shocked on page 10?
What are your first impressions of Caesar?
Read page 13. Why do you think Brutus is concerned about what sort of
king Caesar will be?
Predict
Read to the end of page 11. What might happen to Caesar on the Ides of
March?
Read to the end of page 14. What do you think Cassius will suggest to stop
Caesar?
Explain
What makes Caesar a brilliant general?
Why is Caesar likened to an eagle?
What does the old man mean when he says, “Beware the Ides of March!”
(The Ides of March refer to a day in the Roman calendar linked to March
15th)
Explain why the noblemen will follow Brutus.
Retrieve
Why are the streets lined with bustling crowds?
How do the crowds show their gratitude towards Caesar?
Who are the nobles who will join Brutus in killing Caesar?
Summarise
Write a summary of the story so far in five sentences.
Summarise the character of Cassius using three words. Compare your ideas
with a partner.
Re-write pages 7-16 from Brutus’s point of view.
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