The citizens explore their responses to Mark Antony鈥檚 speech.
The actors then explain why the citizens turn away from Brutus to support Antony.
This entirely alters the course of the play.
This short film is from the 成人论坛 series, Shakespeare Unlocked.
Teacher Notes
Mark Antony's speech is famous for its opening 鈥 but it is markedly similar to that of Brutus.
Focus on what makes the speeches different, using the comments made by the actors here as a starting point.
How is Antony's persuasiveness here differently structured from Brutus's speech? (The length of the speech and the interpolations of the crowd are both clues here).
Taking both speeches, look carefully at the structure of verse and prose.
Ask your students, in pairs, to turn Brutus's speech into iambic pentameter and to take Antony's speech out of verse and turn it into prose, while staying as close to Shakespeare's words as possible by using only subtraction or repetition of words already in each speech.
How does this exercise change the nature of each speech?
Curriculum Notes
This short film is suitable for teaching GCSE English literature and drama in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and National 4/ 5 in Scotland.
More from Shakespeare Unlocked: Julius Caesar
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Act I, Scene 2 - Persuading Brutus (workshop) video
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Act I, Scene 2 - Marking the words (workshop) video
The actors explore key points in Cassius鈥檚 speech about Caesar and the future of Rome.
Act 3, Scene 1 - The Murder. video
Conspirators isolate Caesar on the way to the Senate and Cimber presents his petition.
Act 3, Scene 1 - Leader or dictator (workshop) video
The actors explore the character of Julius Caesar.
Act 3, Scene 1 - Killing Caesar (workshop) video
The actors use the clues in the text to build an unique interpretation of Caesar鈥檚 murder.
Act 3, Scene 2 - The Orations. video
Brutus explains why conspirators killed Caesar and insists they stay to hear Mark Antony.
Act 3, Scene 2 - Rhetoric and politics (workshop) video
The two funeral speeches are compared, each set against the structures of rhetoric.
Act 3, Scene 2 - Brutus reasons with the crowd (workshop) video
A practical exercise as the citizens respond to Brutus鈥檚 funeral speech.
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