Julius Caesar • 2013 - Chicago Shakespeare Theater

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CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
6 Creative Definitions
In small groups, leaf through the script to find two words that you’re pretty sure will be completely unknown to
everyone. Then using the footnotes (or a free online Shakespeare lexicon like www.shakespeareswords.com),
look up and write out the definitions. Now as a group, make up two other, completely convincing definitions for
each word that your classmates might believe. First, read the line in which the word appears out loud. Then read
the three definitions out loud, including the correct one. Then as a class, vote on the definition you think is correct.
Often in Shakespeare, the context of the word can lead you to its definition—even words you’ve never heard
before. CONSIDER COMMON CORE ANCHOR STANDARDS R4, L4, L5
ON YOUR OWN
7 Make a Connection
One of the reasons Shakespeare’s plays haven’t disappeared is that his characters experience life as we still
do. Before you start reading Julius Caesar, it may be helpful to think about your own experiences to help better
understand what the characters experience. Jot down some of your ideas about one of the following situations.
Don’t worry about your writing style. CONSIDER COMMON CORE ANCHOR STANDARDS R3, R6, W3, W4
✪ Think about a time when you had to choose between a friend’s wish and doing what you thought was right.
Were you absolutely certain you were doing the right thing? How did it affect your relationship? Looking back,
do you feel you could have done something differently?
✪ We’ve all felt envy because someone had something we didn’t—a possession, a quality, an achievement, or
a person. Think of a time you envied a friend for something they had that you didn’t. What was it? How did it
make you feel? Did you do anything about it? Did it affect your relationship? How?
✪ What are your ambitions, or goals, in life? Taking the one most important to you, what are you willing to do to
achieve it? Under what circumstances could a person be said to be “too ambitious,” if any?
✪ Think of a situation in which you talked yourself into believing that what you wanted to do was really the right
thing to do. Was it easy or difficult to rationalize your decision? What were the consequences?
✪ Think about fights you’ve had with people you’re close to. Do you believe that an argument can ever strengthen
a relationship? Do you think that true friends never deeply disagree? Write about a fight you’ve had that made
a friendship either stronger or weaker.
✪ Have you ever been told that you’d be great at something (like a school office) that you know, deep down, was
not a good fit for you? How did the person’s confidence in you make you feel? Did you end up going against
your gut feeling and do it anyway? If so, how did it make you feel—and how did you do?
Julius Caesar • 2013