How to Analyze Characters in Julius Caesar

Study Indirect Characterization to Learn about Characters

Mar 31, 2009

High school students are often most intrigued by the characters in Shakespeare's plays. As a teacher, you can capitalize on the human interest element in Julius Caesar.

Students can use their character analysis to comprehend the twists and turns of a complex Shakespearean plot. The key is to help them develop a thorough understanding of indirect characterization. This article will use the antagonist of the play, Cassius, as an example.

Definition of Indirect Characterization

While direct characterization is fairly easy for students to comprehend, indirect characterization is much more complex and requires extensive practice for students to master. To begin teaching students how to study characters with a critical eye, provide them with a simple definition of indirect characterization.

Indirect characterization uses speech and action to help audience members learn about a character. That is, one learns about characters based on what they do and what they say. This article focuses on a character’s speech.

Use Speech for Character Analysis

Students can learn about a character by studying dialogue spoken by the character or spoken by other characters about the character under analysis. Consider the following quote spoken by Cassius to Brutus:

In these lines, Cassius reveals his jealousy toward Julius Caesar. However, students might not grasp this during an initial reading. Although he does not state his jealousy directly, Cassius clearly is unhappy with Caesar. You can start with this general idea and help your students build an interpretation from there.

Study Word Choice

To begin analysis of a character’s speech, pay attention to the words. Shakespeare selected his words very carefully. Words in a character’s speech often reveal motive, even if that motive remains opaque to other characters in the play. Ask your students to consider the following italicized words and encourage them to make a connection between these words and Cassius’ motive.

What is the purpose of these words? Cassius wants to convince Brutus that Caesar has gained too much power. He is a “god” who requires other “wretched” men to “bend” for him.

Cassius makes a second attempt in this short speech to encourage Brutus to reject Caesar. Cassius refers to a childhood experience to show Brutus that Caesar is weak. He does not directly say that Caesar is weak; however, his words imply that Caesar is not fit to be named king of Rome. Because Caesar makes a fleeting comparison between himself and Caesar by saying, “and Cassius is/ A wretched creature,” Cassius suggests his own desire for power and recognition. Students must be encouraged to read in between the lines and make an inference about this character based on dialogue.

Help Students Make Inferences

Learning to make inferences is a critical part of character analysis. The easiest way to guide students to make inferences is to ask probing questions beginning with “why” and “how.” This lifts students above the level of mere comprehension into the realm of higher-order thinking skills. Some questions that could be asked to explore Cassius’ character in the above quote are:

Analyzing characters is a wonderful way students to better comprehend The Tragedy of Julius Caesar. Helping students understand indirect characterization, particularly details revealed through a character’s speech, is a first step toward character analysis. From there, you can encourage students to make inferences about the character to deepen their understanding.

The copyright of the article How to Analyze Characters in Julius Caesar in Curricula/Lesson Plans is owned by Thadra Petkus. Permission to republish How to Analyze Characters in Julius Caesar in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.