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Julius Caesar/Shakespeare Webquest

Shakespeare WebQuest – Julius Caesar

 Purpose: To acquaint ourselves with William Shakespeare, the


Elizabethan era, and Julius Caesar.

Directions: Visit the links that go with each set of questions. Read


carefully to answer the questions fully and correctly. Feel free to
read beyond the questions! The sites are packed with information to help
you learn more about life in Shakespeare’s day.

 Part I: Shakespeare & the Globe


SHAKESPEARE:

Use this link to answer questions:


http://www.biography.com/people/william-shakespeare-9480323

1.William Shakespeare was born in what year?

2.What date do we recognize as his birthday?

3.Where was Shakespeare born?

4.Under Married Life: Whom did Shakespeare marry?  How many children


did they have?

5. Under Married Life: What time period covers the lost years?  Why are
they called the lost years?

6.Under Theatrical Beginnings  find the acting company Shakespeare was


associated with in the early days. 

7.What day and year did Shakespeare die?  Why is this interesting?  How
old was he when he died?

GLOBE :
first link: http://www.shakespeare-online.com/theatre/globe.html

8. Where did the timbers to build The Globe come from?


9.  Who was the carpenter who built The Globe?

10. Where exactly was The Globe originally built?

11.  What happened to the Globe theatre on July 29, 1613?  What
happened as a result?  Click this link: http://www.history.com/this-day-in-
history/the-globe-theater-burns-down

12.   How big was The Globe? How many people did it seat? Click here:
http://www.william-shakespeare.info/william-shakespeare-globe-theatre.htm

13. Why did the Globe have flags?  How were they used?  What did the
various colors mean? Click  here: http://www.bardstage.org/globe-theatre-
flags.htm

Part II: Theater

Use this link: http://www.uni-koeln.de/phil-fak/englisch/shakespeare/


(Click on “Actors, Acting & Audience” on the left-hand side of the page.)

14)    How many women actors did the company usually feature?

15)    Was Shakespeare an actor? What term was often used to refer to


actors?

16)    How were the seats arranged for the audience? How did one get a
good seat?

17)   What would the audience do if they did not like a performance?


Part III: The Gist on JC and Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar

ROMAN LIFE:
Use information from the following sites:
http://www.vroma.org/~bmcmanus/caesar.html

http://www.livius.org/articles/person/caesar/

18.  Who was Julius Caesar, and when did he live?

19.  What was his great victory?

20. A triumvirate is political power made up of three people. Caesar was


part of one at a very crucial turning point in the history of Rome. Who
formed what is now known as the First Triumvirate with Caesar? When
was this? (see this link: http://historylink101.com/2/Rome/roman-time-
line.htm)

21.  See :http://www.infoplease.com/spot/ides1.html What is/are “the Ides


of March”? Why do you suppose Caesar is warned to “beware the Ides of
March”?

SHAKESPEARE’S CAESAR:
Search for the answers to questions 23 -25 on the following sites:
http://www.william-shakespeare.info/shakespeare-play-julius-caesar.htm
22.  What is the setting?

23.What historical source(s) did Shakespeare draw from to write his play?

24. We’ll meet many people in the Tragedy of Julius Caesar, but who are
the main characters?

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