The Violent Rhetoric of Julius Caesar
In this one-time course, students will analyze the rhetoric and persuasive power in two speeches from Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar"
Paul H. The Shakespearean Student
48 total reviews for this teacher
5 reviews for this class
Completed by 14 learners
learners per class
55 minute class
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This course will be a close reading of a speech from Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar." We will look at the famous "Friends Romans, Countrymen," speech by Marc Antony. I will give a dramatic reading of the speech, then discuss its verse, its use of rhetoric, and the historical al political context of the speech. The students will learn to annotate the speech using Ethos, Pathos, and Logos, the building blocks of persuasive speech. They will then apply these skills to modern-day speeches and...
Students will learn the basics of persuasive speaking, rhetorical analysis, oratory, and gain an appreciation for Shakespeare's writing. Topics covered: -Persuasive Speech -Ethos, Pathos, Logos, -Rhetoric -Roman History -Shakespeare's Julius Caesar -Oratory -Public Speaking
Again, though this play is politically charged, it doesn't advocate violence. I have studied the play, acted in it, and written about it as an educator and an MFA. I have studied the arts of rhetoric, oratory, and persuasive speaking at Mary Baldwin College, and received a Master of Fine Arts in 2011. I have a Bachelors's degree in Theater from Ashland University, where I studied acting, voice and articulation, political theory, and rhetoric.
Students will complete a short worksheet where they analyze both the Julius Caesar speech, and 2-3 modern political speeches such as The Gettysburg Address. They will annotate the use of Ethos (appeal to authority), Pathos (appeal to feelings), and Logos (use of facts and figures). They will then write 2-3 sentences about what the speaker is attempting to make them feel/ do.
1 file available upon enrollmentAll you need is a working webcam.
In addition to the Outschool classroom, this class uses:
Students will receive credit for asking questions, completing the worksheet, and delivering a line of the speech to the best of their ability.
55 minutes per week in class, and maybe some time outside of class.
This play deals with violent revolutions and political assassination. Though Shakespeare doesn't advocate violence, there is a bloody murder in the play which I will reference and may show clips from past production. I will not take any political stance, but I may draw parallels between the Julius Caesar assassination on the steps of the Capital, and the attempted murder of US senators on January 6th.
This course is based largely on a post I wrote for my blog entitled: "Close Reading: Friends, Romans, Countrymen: " https://shakespeareanstudent.wordpress.com/2018/04/21/close-reading-friends-romans-countrymen/#:~:text=Friends%2C%20Romans%2C%20countrymen%2C%20lend,Caesar%2C%20not%20to%20praise%20him.&text=Hath%20told%20you%20Caesar%20was%20ambitious%3A&text=Come%20I%20to%20speak%20in%20Caesar's%20funeral. You are welcome to read the post if you want to prepare for the classroom activities.
Paul H. The Shakespearean Student
Teacher, lecturer, actor, astronomer, and technology specialist
🇺🇸Lives in the United States
48 total reviews
82 completed classes
I specialize in Shakespeare and Astronomy, having worked in theater for over 10 years, and for two years as a professional astronomy assistant. I teach courses in Shakespeare Appreciation and Shakespearean acting, as well as basic astronomy for...