Lesson video

Hello and welcome to our series of lessons on Julius Caesar from the Oak National Academy.

My name is Mr. James and I will be your teacher, for today's lesson.

So what are we going to do in today's lesson? Well, first of all, we're going to recap some knowledge from previous lessons.

Second of all, we're going to investigate the word coward.

Third of all, we're going to read the original Shakespearian text.

And forth, we will answer some questions, on the text we have read and last but not least, we're going to complete a quick quiz, at the end of the lesson.

So in this lesson, you will need number one, a pen, number two, some paper and number three your brain.

So if you don't have any of those things, pause the video now and go and get them.

Okay, welcome back.

Hopefully you've got your pen, your paper and your brain.

And the first thing I would like you to do, is write down today's title.

It's on the screen now.

So take your pen, write down the title.

And unpause the video, when you have done.

Off you go.

Welcome back.

Now, as I said, we're going to begin today's lesson with a quick recap on some of the knowledge, we have learned in our previous lessons.

So, let's get started.

First of all, the first question is, who are these two characters? There are two characters on screen now, who are they? Who's on the left? Who's on the right? Say the names of the characters in your head.

You've got five seconds to think about it.

And let's check your answers they are, on the left Julius Caesar and on the right, his good friend Mark Antony or just Anthony.

Right, great work, I'm sure he did brilliantly on the first question.

Let's look at question two, it says, Is the character called Julius Caesar, the protagonist that's the main character in the play called "Julius Caesar"? If you think it is, select yes.

If you think he's not, select no.

What do you think the answer to this question is? Say it in your head, you've got five seconds.

Okay, let's check your answers.

And no, he's not, very strange.

The play is called "Julius Caesar" and there's a character in it called Julius Caesar, but he not the main character, he is not the protagonist.

Question three.

William Shakespeare, wrote the play 500 years ago in Elizabethan England, is that true or false? Say the answer in your head now, five seconds.

And the answer is, true of course it is, Shakespeare wrote the play 500 years ago in Elizabethan England.

So the next question says, Julius Caesar lived 2000 years ago in Elizabethan England.

Is that one true or false? Say the answer in your head, you have five seconds.

And the answer is, it's false.

Yes, of course it's false.

Let's try again, Julius Caesar lived 2000 years ago in ancient Rome.

Is that one true, or is that one false? Say the answer in your head, five seconds.

And of course it is, true.

I'm sure you've got that one right, great work, well done.

Now, who are these two characters? We've got one on the left and one on the right.

Who are they? You've got five seconds.

Say the answer for each character in your head.

Say the names in your head.

Okay, so the character on the left is, Brutus and the character on the right is, Cassius.

I'm sure we've got that, well done.

Now, which word, beginning with H, do we associate with Brutus? Which word beginning with H do we associate with Brutus? Say the word in your head, you have five seconds.

And the word is honourable, of course it is.

Or honour would be fine as well, honour, or honourable.

And which word beginning with A, do we associate with Cassius? Say that word in your head, you have five seconds.

And the word is Ambitious, yeah, of course it is.

Well done guys, I'm sure we've got that one as well.

Great stuff, great work.

So, we said earlier that Julius Caesar is not the main protagonist, is not the character in the play "Julius Caesar".

So who is the protagonist? Who is the main character in the play, "Julius Caesar"? It is, five seconds.

It is, Brutus, yes and it's a tragedy.

This place that we call him the tragic hero, but we'll be talking about that in a future unit on Julius Caesar.

Now this question is about the Senate.

There is two right answers.

I'm going to read through the options, with you and you are going to need to pick, the correct two.

This is the question about the Senate.

It says, what was the Senate? Option one, the Senate was where Caesar fought his battles.

If you think that's correct, keep it in your head.

Option two, the Senate was made up of senators who were elected to rule Rome.

Do you think that's correct? Option three, so the Senate was where Brutus and Cassius lived.

If you think that's correct, it's going to be option three.

And last but not least, option four says the Senate was the building West senators met to make decisions.

Now this is a bit longer, you've got a few options here.

So I'm going to give you 10 seconds, to select which two options you think are correct.

Hold them in your head.

Okay and what did you get? Well, the correct answers are, it's option two and option four.

Yes, the Senate was a group of senators, who were elected to rule Rome and it was also the name of the building where the senators met, to make their decisions.

Okay, next question.

What is a tyrant? Is a tyrant cruel leader or someone suspicious? You tell me, five seconds, hold the answer in your head.

And of course a tyrant is a cruel leader, yes of course they are.

Well done, I'm sure you've got that one correct.

Is Julius Caesar, a tyrant? Yes, no way, or maybe perhaps.

What do you think, you've got five seconds to make up your mind.

And the answer is, maybe, yes of course, because he seems like he might be a tyrant, other people are saying he might be a tyrant, but we haven't actually see him do anything, tyrannical okay.

So maybe Julius Caesar is a tyrant.

Now, next up we are going to investigate the word coward.

Okay, we've done our recap.

And we're going to move on to part two of the lesson and investigate the word coward.

So, here we've got a picture of Julius Caesar on the right and we've got some information about the word coward.

It says, some might say that Caesar behaves like a coward.

Here's another sentence.

Some might say that Caesar show signs of cowardice.

And the third sentence says, some might say Caesar behaves in a cowardly way.

So you can see these three words, all related to our root word of coward.

And they're just different ways of using the same word, depending on your sentence.

So coward, if you call someone a coward, you are criticising them because they are easily frightened and avoid dangerous or difficult situations.

That is what a coward is.

Cowardice is cowardly behaviour.

Okay, so cowardice, is cowardly behaviour? Now, let's investigate some sentences that use the word coward or cowardice or cowardly correctly.

The first one says, the soldier was accused of cowardice, for refusing to fight.

So because of this soldier refused to fight they wouldn't put themselves in a dangerous situation.

They were accused, of cowardice.

The second situation, the second sentence sorry says, The soldier who refused to fight, behaved cowardly.

Now a similar sentence, but it's just a different form of the word for this sentence.

And the third sentence says, the rest of the troupe called the soldier a coward and yet again, you can see a similar sentence, but this time we're using the word coward.

So, what I would like you to do, is write three sentences about a family member or a friend.

In sentence one, use the word coward.

In sentence two, use the word cowardice and in sentence three, use the word cowardly.

Now, pause the video, write your sentences and come back, when you have done.

Okay, you're welcome back.

How did you do? I'm sure you've written some great sentences.

Here's some examples of the kind of thing, you might have written.

The first sentence says, I thought my sister was a coward, for not admitting she stole my chocolate, because she avoids getting told off by lying.

So she's a coward.

Number two, I accused my sister of cowardice.

So because she did this cowardly thing, I accused her of cowardice and number three, my sister behaved in a cowardly way, by not admitting to stealing my chocolate.

So you can see how each of those words are being used, in those similar sentences.

Okay guys, you're doing really well.

We are rattling through this lesson.

You've already done your recap and we've already learned about the word coward.

So it's now time to move on to the play it self.

Now, just before we actually read the play, Let's think back to last lesson and what happened because we are looking at the same extract, only this time we're looking at it in Shakespeare's original language.

So what I would like you to do, is pause the video and fill in the gaps of these sentences, just to remind yourself what will happen in this scene.

So pause the video, fill in the gaps and then come back to me.

Okay, welcome back.

I'm sure you did really well, but let's have a look at the correct answers.

So number one is Caesar and Anthony come on stage.

That's what happens first.

Number two, Brutus and Cassius finished talking.

They were in a slightly different part, of Rome nearby but slightly different.

So they were in a different part of the stage.

Number three, Caesar starts whispering to Antony.

Number four, Caesar says Cassius is dangerous.

And number five, Anthony says, Cassius had a good reputation, he says no Caesar, Cassius isn't dangerous.

He's a good man, He's a good Roman, with a good reputation.

So, let's have a look at this scene and investigate it in Shakespeare's original language.

Okay, so let's get in to the play itself.

So we begin with the stage directions, in Italics at the top and it says re-enter Caesar and his train.

Now the important thing to note here, is that this is not an actual train.

It was about another 1,900 years, roughly until trains were going to be invented.

So Caesar's not riding into Rome on a Tutu, okay.

A train in this case means, a group of people who follow him, almost in a line if you like, so it looks like a train.

And that's where our modern word train comes from, okay.

So it's like a group of people, his followers, his people who follow him because he's very powerful, okay.

So re-enter Caesar and his train, come on stage.

Then Brutus says, "The games are done and Caesar is returning".

So all the celebrations are finished and Caesar is returning to Rome.

Cassius replies, he says, As they pass by, now that's his train, as his train passes, by pluck Casca by the sleeve, grab Casca by his sleeve.

And he will, after his sour fashion.

And remember he said, that means he's a misery guts.

"He will, after his sour fashion, "tell you what hath the proceeded worthy note today".

So he will tell us, what's happened, that is noteworthy today.

We'll ask Casca what's going on.

So Brutus replies, "I will do so, but look you Cassius, "the angry spot doth glow on Caesar's brow.

"And all the rest look like a chidden train.

"Calpurnia's cheek is pale and Cicero, "looks with such ferret and such fiery eyes".

Now here, the angry spot doth glow on Caesar's brow just means Caesar is so mad.

His face glows, his face is glowing with anger and madness.

He's got a red or even purple, that he's so mad.

Okay, so remember we said, he seems very angry in this scene and then all the rest look like a chidden train.

This just means they've been told off.

If you tried someone, you tell them off.

And the trainers we've already said, all the people who walked before, now walked behind him.

So all the people in his group, looked like a chidden train.

Anyway, then we move over to the other side of the stage and we start with Caesar and he says, "Antonio".

I remember we said, This is a little bit of Shakespearian banter and Anthony replies "Caesar" and then Caesar whispers to Anthony and he says, "Let me have men about me that are fat".

And I was talking last time about how this rather, amuses me this line, but how are we going to, we are going to investigate, in a little bit more detail, because what this means is that men who sleep well, because they are satisfied.

Yeah, that's what he means.

He wants men who are fat, who are well fed, you sleep well, because they are satisfied, not fat men, because he likes just to people who are fat randomly, okay.

He wants people who are satisfied and well fed.

And then he says, "Sleek headed men, such as sleep o' nights".

So men who sleep well and a satisfied and well fed.

And then he says, he compares this type of person to Cassius, he has a yond Cassius, that means Cassius is over there.

Has a lean and hungry look.

We investigated this last time, we know it's an ambition for metaphor.

He thinks too much such men are dangerous.

So we get a real contrast here between fat people who sleep well and are satisfied and well fed and Cassius who is lean and hungry and ambitious.

If you're satisfied, you're not ambitious.

But if you're unsatisfied, you are ambitious.

And to this Anthony replies in whispering to Caesar, he says, "Fear him not Caesar, he's not dangerous.

"He's a noble Roman and well given".

Now this Caesar, seem a little bit cowardly here, because Anthony feels it necessary, to tell Caesar not to fear Cassius, not just fear Cassius.

as if he thinks perhaps Caesar is a little bit, I don't know, scared of Cassius.

He says, "Fear him not.

"He's a Nobel Roman and well given".

He's got a good reputation and he's a good noble Roman.

So perhaps Antony even think Caesar, is a little bit cowardly.

But moving on Caesar says, "Would he were fatter!" Meaning I wish he was fatter, but I fear him not.

"Yet if my name were liable to fear, "I do not know the man I should avoid "so soon as that spare Cassius.

"He reads much.

"He's a great observer and he looks quite through "the deeds of men.

"He loves no plays as thou dost, Anthony.

"He hears no music.

"Seldom he smiles and smiles in such a sort, "as if he mocked himself and scorned his spirit.

"That could be moved to smile at anything.

"Such men, as he be never at heart's ease.

"Whiles they behold greater than themselves.

"And therefore they are very dangerous".

Now there's a few things in here and we talked about some of them last lessons.

I'm not going to go through all of them again.

But I do want to look at this in bold where it says, I do not know the man I should avoid.

So soon as that spare Cassius.

So Caesar again does seem a little bit spare.

Or scared of Cassius.

I do not know them and I should avoid so soon as that spare Cassius.

He's someone I should keep away from.

Caesar seems to be saying.

And then he goes and gives a number of reasons, why people should be scared of Cassius.

He says, yeah, he doesn't like plays, as you do as thou dost.

He hears no music, he doesn't smile.

So he's not interested in the normal things that people are interested in.

Presumably because he's only interested in power and ambition perhaps.

So on the one hand while Caesar does seem a bit cowardly, he is perhaps correct to be sceptical of Cassius.

Now if you're sceptical of someone, that means you're unsure of them or you're unsure about something, you're sceptical about it.

And again, he does see the same cowardly here, well perhaps he does, he's saying I should avoid Cassius.

And then he gives a lot of reasons, why he should be feared because he's different and interested in other things or different interested in different things than usual.

And then Caesar continues, says "I rather tell thee, what is to be feared "than what I fear, for I, I'm always Caesar.

"Come into my right hand, for this ear is deaf.

"And tell me truly, what thou thinks of him".

What thou thinks of Cassius.

Now again, do we believe Caesar here? And if not, why not? He says, oh I'm not telling you what I fear.

I'm telling you what should be feared, generally by just people in general.

But it's not what I fear because for always, I am Caesar.

But do we believe him? Do we believe him that he's just talking about things that should be feared and not what he fears.

And if you don't believe him, why don't you believe him? Have a think about that.

So we're going to move on and we're going to answer some questions based on the extract, we have just read.

So first off we have this quote from Caesar that says, "Let me have men about me that are fat" as you know, my favourite Shakespearian quote.

And the question is it says, Why does Caesar want men about him who are quote fat? And then it says use the words, ambition and satisfied in your answer.

Now, before you have a go at this question, we're just going to have a quick look, at the quotation.

And here it is, it Caesar he says, "Let me have men about me that are fat." And the first thing to remember, is that fat is a metaphor for men who are satisfied, well slept and well fed.

They're satisfied, they're not ambitious.

And the second thing, well here we go, is the men who are satisfied are less ambitious.

And that's what he's talking about.

When he says he wants men about him, who are fat.

So fat is a metaphor, for satisfied and satisfied is the less ambitious.

So, you have all the information on screen.

You have the question on screen and you have the two words you need to use in your answer.

So, pause the video, have a go at answering the question.

And then when you're done unpause and we can go through your answer.

Off you go.

Welcome back guys.

Now, let's have a look at the kind of thing, you might have written for your answer.

So, Caesar wants men about him who are fat, because he wants men, who are satisfied and who do not have the ambition to take power from him.

So you can see how we're explaining, why he wants those people he calls fat, around him and we get that vocabulary in there.

off satisfied and ambition.

And if we want this even better, we could perhaps add this on the end.

We could say this metaphor contrasts with the metaphor Caesar uses to describe Cassius, which is lean and hungry.

And we use that word contrast to show the difference between fat men as he calls them who are satisfied and hungry men such as Cassius who are ambitious.

Okay, so let's move on to the next question.

And again, we have a quote from Caesar and Caesar says, "I rather tell thee what is to be feared than what I fear "for all for always I am Caesar." Now, remember this is where he's saying to Anthony, after having said, why people should fear Cassius all of course I'm not really scared of him, but I'm just telling you what people should fear.

What other people should fear, not what I fear.

And the question is, do we believe Caesar? When he says he does not fear Cassius and you should use the word coward in your answer.

Okay, now I'm not going to go through this one with you, because I want you to do a personal response.

That means I want you to give me your response, without any help from me.

So I want to ask the question.

Do we believe Caesar, when he says does not fear a Cassius and you can use the quotation onscreen to help you.

Now write as much as you can.

When you're done, I'll go through a couple of things that you might have written.

So pause the video, write your answer and I'll see you in a minute.

Okay, welcome back.

So I'm sure you've got some great answers.

So let's have a look, at the kind of thing you might have written.

Well, first of all, at the top we have a good answer.

And the good answer says, No, we do not believe Caesar when he says he does not fear Cassius.

He seems like he's desperately trying to convince Anthony that he doesn't fear Cassius, which just makes him seem like a coward because he's so desperately trying to convince Antony, that he doesn't fear Cassius, that may make him seem like he does in fact fear Cassius, which makes him seem like a coward.

So, that's a good answer.

Now a great answer would be something more like this.

It says the audience are sceptical.

Remember that word sceptical, I talked about earlier, it means suspicious or unsure about something, you don't quite believe something, your sceptical.

The audience are sceptical, when Caesar says he does not fear Cassius.

He seems like he is desperately, trying to convince Anthony that he doesn't fear Cassius, which just makes him seem like a coward and there's that vocabulary.

And then we use this word, furthermore, now we use furthermore when we've already said something, but actually we have more to say about it.

So we use this word to show the reader, that we've got more to say, about the thing we're talking about.

So furthermore, he has just spent lots of time, talking about how quote dangerous Cassius is.

For example, he used the metaphor, lean and hungry to describe Cassius's ambition.

Suggesting that he does fear Cassius, attempting to come after his power.

Okay, so then this is better because we add more information in the end using that word furthermore and we referenced a couple of other bits of the scene, we talk about that metaphor, lean and hungry that we used last time.

So that's what turns it from a good answer, into a great answer.

Okay guys, we're nearly at the end of today's lesson and you've done some great work.

So massive thumbs up from me and well done.

So the only thing, left to do is complete today's quiz, which you can find by pressing the appropriate button down below on your screen.

So the only thing left for me to say is great work, well done and I'll see you in tomorrow's lesson for our final part of unit one, on Julius Caesar.

Great work guys, see you soon.