In this class, we will study Shakespeare's tragedy Julius Caesar. We will study the play scene by scene: students will be expected to complete readings of the scenes being discussed in class on their own time, but we will also read through each scene in class and learn how to "decode" the archaic language. By the end of the class, students should be able to understand Shakespeare with relative ease. At the end of the course, students will be given a quiz and asked to write a 1,000 word essay on the play.
We will study not only the text, but also the themes of the play: revenge, friendship, treachery, honor, and ambition. Students will gain a clearer understanding of the play from a theatrical perspective as well: I am a Shakespearean actor, and I will coach students to read the text aloud in ways that convey its meaning more easily to an audience. 

Each class will consist of:

1. Students sharing their impressions of the assigned reading.
2. A class reading of one or two of the scenes of the play, during which the text will be broken down so that students have a clear understanding of the meaning. Students will learn to be "sleuths of Shakespeare" and decipher the meaning of the lines based on "clues" in the text. 
3. A discussion of the themes in the scenes, and how they relate to the themes of previous scene and the play as a whole. 
Week One: Act I Scene 1. Act I Scene 2.
Week Two: Act I Scene 2 continued, Act I Scene 3.
Week Three: Act I Scene 3 continued, Act II Scene 1.
Week Four: Act II Scene 1 continued, Scenes 2 - 4. 
Week Five: Act III Scenes 1 - 2.
Week Six: Act III Scene 2 continued, Act III Scenes 3 - 4. 
Week Seven: Act IV Scenes 1 - 3. 
Week Eight: Act V Scenes 1 - 4. 
Week Nine: Act V Scene 5. Review. Quiz.  

I am a kind, patient, encouraging, and enthusiastic teacher. All students will be expected to treat each other and the play with respect. Previous experience with Shakespeare is not required, but an affection for poetry or literature is ideal.