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Discover the significance of Pietas, Gravitas, Simplicitas, and Virtus in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, reflecting Roman values and principles. Dive into literary devices like Anachronism, Pun, and Apostrophe, used to enhance dramatic effect and storytelling. Uncover the themes of duty, seriousness, honesty, and courage in this classic tragedy.
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Julius Caesarby William Shakespeare Four Roman Virtues Literary Devices
The Four Roman Virtues • In Rome during the time of Julius Caesar, a person’s uprightness was measured by how well he/she conformed to four basic virtues. • Virtue – n. conformity to moral and ethical principals; moral excellence • The four Roman virtues are:
Pietas • “Pietas was actually a divinity, but an abstraction as well, to which the Roman aspired. Though it gives us the word “piety,” pietas meant for the Roman duty, or dutifulconduct toward his parents, relatives, ancestors, gods, and country. Pietas was the supreme virtue, acquired in the family and expressed in action throughout the good Roman’s life.”
Gravitas • “Gravitas means seriousness, and for the Roman, life was an intensely serious affair. Responsibilities destroy the careless experimentation so dear to the Greeks. The Roman had the individual responsibility of family leadership as well as the corporate responsibility of an empire to govern.”
Simplicitas • “Simplicitas comes close to plainness or even bluntness in English. It suggests singleness of purpose and directness in achieving one’s ends. At its highest it stands for frankness and honesty…”
Virtus • “Virtus originally meant manliness, but came to suggest physical courage and eventually virtues in our sense, though associated more with the battlefield than with the council chamber.
Anachronism • an event or detail that is chronologically out of its proper time in history
Pun • a humorous play on words, using either 1) two or more different meanings of the same word OR 2) two or more words that are spelled and pronounced somewhat the same but have different meanings.
Apostrophe • addressing something that/someone who is not present; dead as if living, absent as if present, inanimate as if animate; Ex. Oh feet, don’t fail me now.
Pathetic Fallacy • attachment of human feelings and traits to nature
Aside • private words that a character in a play speaks to the audience or to another character, which are not supposed to be overheard by others on stage.
Soliloquy • a long speech in which a character who is alone onstage expresses private thoughts or feelings.
