Introduction

The action of many of Shakespeare’s plays has been transported through the centuries by various directors, each reimagining the selected text against the backdrop of a more modern era or with differing cultural influences. 

Gregory Doran of the Royal Shakespeare Company transported the events of Shakespeare’s classic political tale Julius Caesar by using a nontraditional cast and setting—modern Africa—in his film Julius Caesar (2012). In this lesson, students will explore how the nontraditional elements affect the play and add a new allegorical layer of meaning to the events.

Materials

  • Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare
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  • Julius Caesar directed by Gregory Doran, Illuminations, 2012

Lesson Objectives

1. Students will identify and understand how setting influences a story. 

2. Students will recognize the cultural influences presented through the setting of a story. 

3. Students will engage in critical analysis of the complexities of a film. 

4. Students will consider how setting can be used to create subtle meaning that dramatizes a film.

Instructional Sequence

This activity is designed to be completed after students have finished reading Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare. 

1. Together as a class or individually, research African dictators throughout history. Focus on the number of dictators and corrupt leaders in Africa. Be sure to point out the number of leaders who have fallen and left a power vacuum in their place, a vacuum that was quickly filled by leaders worse than the ones replaced.

2. In small groups, have students generate a list of similarities between the events depicted in Julius Caesar and the information researched on the rise and fall of African dictators. 

3. Have students watch the Gregory Doran interview “Interview: Julius Caesar—Royal Shakespeare Company, 2012—ATG Tickets.” 

4. As a class, discuss some of the comments Doran makes about the second half of the play and how his film attempts to avoid the anticlimactic nature of it. 

5. As a class, discuss the importance of setting and how setting can impact a story. Have students reimagine some of their favorite stories (perhaps ones you have read in class) in different settings. Discuss how the change of setting may add meaning or take away meaning from the entire work or change the meaning of certain scenes. 

6. Pass out the Nontraditional Settings Worksheet. Instruct students to fill in the chart on the worksheet as they watch the film to document how the nontraditional setting and cast impact the story. In column 1, students should record the act and scene numbers from the text in which the action takes place. In column 2, students should describe the nontraditional element from the film. In column 3, students should briefly explain the effect the nontraditional element has on the story. 

7. Have students watch Gregory Doran’s Julius Caesar and complete the chart. 

8. After they have watched the film, give students time to reconsider and discuss the information from their research into African dictators. Then have students discuss the impact of the African setting on the story and the correlations between the film and their research, using information from their completed charts. 

9. As a class, review the following writing prompt which also appears on the worksheet. 

After watching Gregory Doran’s reimagined Julius Caesar, write a well-developed response that considers and explains how the nontraditional setting and cast impact the story and add a new allegorical layer of meaning to the events. Your response must include at least three direct references to the movie and two references from your research into African dictators.

10. Have students write their responses.

Differentiated Instruction

This activity can be modified to help all students access learning.
Decrease difficulty

Have students work in pairs to write the essay. 

Have students orally describe the impact of the nontraditional setting and cast.

Increase difficulty

Have students develop and revise the essay. Expectations for writing can be adapted to the skill level of any class.

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