Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar:
The Literary Devices Scavenger Hunt Project
Outcome:
Due Date:
Value:
SCO 5- examine the impact of literary devices within literature
________________________
20 marks
The Preamble:
“Why do we continue to read Shakespeare some 400+ years after it was written?” you ask. The
answer is simple:
“He is the greatest dramatist, the greatest poet and the greatest prose writer in the history of the
English language,” claims Alan Craven, literary scholar and Professor Emeritus of the UTSA
College of Liberal and Fine Arts. The question I pose to students, then, is “Why not study
Shakespeare?”
The language is rich, the characters are complex and many of his basic themes – love, treachery,
honor, bravery and political intrigue –are universal, timeless, and still resonate with teenagers
today.
The central psychological drama of Shakespeare’s Julius Ceasar focuses on the main characters'
struggle between the conflicting demands of honor, patriotism and friendship. Through several
famous speeches, Shakespeare shows us the power that language has to persuade and
manipulate. He captivated audiences by brilliantly using literary devices like no other author
or playwright in history has. These devices not only amuse the viewer/reader, but help us to
appreciate, interpret and analyze this literary work and its intriguing cast of characters.
Your Task:
You are expected keep an ongoing list of these literary devices as we listen to/read the
play as a whole class. Then, you choose what you feel is the best example in each
category, and present (in some way, shape, or form) your explanation of both the
context of the literary device, and how the device has impacted you as a reader/viewer.
More Specifically…
I.
Using the attached graphic organizer or a note-taking system of your own, jot
down references to literary devices as they arise in the play (ie, Act I; scene 3;
lines 5-6). This worksheet will get passed in with your final project.
II.
At the end of the play, review the devices you tracked. Choose what you feel to be
the best example of EACH type of literary device.
III.
For each example, you will identify the following:
a) The TYPE of literary device;
b) Your chosen EXAMPLE of the literary device, properly quoted and cited;
c) The CONTEXT of the example – explain what is going on in the play at this
time, who is speaking to who, the mood/atmosphere, etc.
d) The IMPACT achieved by this device: how has this literary device impacted
you as a reader? How does it enhance your understanding of the point being
made? What is so great about it? Why is using the literary device a better way of
getting a point across?
IV.
Decide how you will share/present your findings. Choose an option below, or
suggest an alternative option to Mrs. Milton:

An MLA essay

A multi-media form (Powerpoint slide show, Prezi, video, Animoto, etc.)
Note: This is not a presentation that will be shared with the whole class. You will
simply send/share the file directly to Mrs. Milton for evaluation.

A Poster
Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar: The Literary Devices Scavenger Hunt
Allusion: is a brief and indirect reference to a person, place, thing or idea of historical, cultural, literary
or political significance.
Examples:
Irony (dramatic): a literary technique, originally used in Greek tragedy, by which the full significance of a
character's words or actions are clear to the audience or reader although unknown to the character.
Examples:
Symbolism/Motif:
Symbols are images, ideas, sounds or words that represent something else and help to understand an
idea or a thing. Motifs, on the other hand, are images, ideas, sounds or words that help to explain the
central idea of a literary work, such as the theme. Moreover, a symbol may appear once or twice in a
literary work, whereas a motif is a recurring element.
Examples:
Puns: A pun is a joke based on the use of a word, or more than one word, that has more than one
meaning but the same sound.
Examples:
Foreshadowing:
Foreshadowing occurs when a piece of dialogue or action in a work refers to events that will happen
later in the story even though the characters have no prior knowledge such events will occur.
Examples:
Metaphor:
A metaphor is a comparison in which an object or person is directly likened to something else that could
be completely unrelated.
Examples:
Personification:
Personification occurs when an inanimate object or concept is given the qualities of a person or animal.
Examples:
Oxymoron: An oxymoron describes when two juxtaposed words have opposing or very diverse
meanings.
Examples:
Paradox: A paradox is a statement or situation with seemingly contradictory or incompatible
components. On closer examination, however, the combination of these components is indeed
appropriate.
Examples:
Hyperbole: The use of excessive exaggeration to emphasize a point
Examples:
Simile: A short, direct comparison made between two things using the words “like” or “as”
Examples:
For a further explanation of each type of literary device, visit:
http://literarydevices.net/literary-devices/
Video clip on rhetoric in JC: rhetorical appeals- ethos, pathos,
logos, parallelism, repetition,
http://study.com/academy/lesson/rhetorical-devices-injulius-caesar.html
Prezi on rhetorical devices https://prezi.com/7vbmtru1aw_/analyzing-rhetorical-devices-in-julius-caesar/