Julius Caesar • 2013 - Chicago Shakespeare Theater

Act 4
AS A CLASS
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Whose Call?
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
Look at 4.1 (“The Proscription Scene”). This scene has frequently been cut by directors interested in trying to improve
Antony’s image in the play. Again, split the class into two groups, actors and directors. This time, however,
the actors want this scene cut and the directors want it in. Why would an actor playing Antony want this scene
cut? Could you choose to cut only part of it? If so, what would you cut? What function does this scene serve in
the script? CONSIDER COMMON CORE ANCHOR STANDARDS R3, R5, SL3
Leveling Powers
As Act 4 opens, the three members of the Triumvirate are jockeying for position, but some are more successful
than others! On stage, power and status are communicated by nonverbal cues, as well as verbal ones. We know
that the opening of Act 4 is dripping with verbal insinuations, but what about the possibilities of the nonverbal
messages these men dish out? In your class, place three chairs around a table or desk, and another three (ones
sturdy enough to stand on, please!) a bit apart. The floor, desk and chair represent different symbolic levels of
status for this activity. With three volunteers taking the roles of Antony, Lepidus and Octavius, read through 4.1,
lines 1-40 once, standing but not moving.
On the second reading, keep your voices controlled, and really focus on your character’s nonverbal messages.
Using levels, posture and body movements, communicate to one another as you read through the passage
again—and again. Specifically where in the text does your character have to move? When you speak? In response
to someone else? Remember that this isn’t meant to be a realistic performance: if someone stands up on
a chair, it’s not the character climbing on a chair; it’s the character taking a place of superiority. Be extreme in your
cues and try a lot of different choices before pulling them back and applying your favorite newfound interpretation
to the way you now read the passage. CONSIDER COMMON CORE ANCHOR STANDARDS L1, R3, R4
IN SMALL GROUPS/PAIRS
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Who Is Lepidus?
Poor Lepidus… He’s pretty much the whipping boy of the Triumvirate. But the actor playing Lepidus does have
some leeway in shaping his character. Is he the person Octavius describes or quite another, as perceived by
Antony? In groups of three, read through Scene 1, lines 1-40 (up to “And now, Octavius”). Then go back to the
first eleven lines through Lepidus’s exit, and take turns playing him—each time, shaping your reading based on the
completely opposite opinions held by the other two men. Go to the edge with it! The actors do in rehearsal, and
then pull back their performances after discovering things about their characters. What could be implied about
the interpretations of Antony and Octavius through the way that Lepidus is played? CONSIDER COMMON CORE
ANCHOR STANDARDS L1, R3, SL1
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