The returning action is now well under way.

SCENE 3. Review all the scenes in which the mob appears, and ask yourself how significant the mob is in the general development of the action.

Act IV

SCENES 1 AND 2. After the passionate third act these scenes may seem tame and uninteresting. The returning action of a typical tragedy like Julius Cæsar is not easy for a dramatist to manage. The climax has passed and a new set of forces must be brought into action. This takes time, and consequently the interest is likely to flag. Show the relation of each of these scenes to the development of the returning action.

SCENE 3. To compensate for the falling off in tension, Shakespeare usually takes pains to present one scene of the returning action with elaborate brilliancy. Scene 3 is such a scene. Does the quarrel in any way foreshadow the catastrophe? Note. passages which show the impetuosity of Cassius in contrast with the coolness of Brutus. Indicate lines which bring out particular aspects of the character of Brutus. Why is the ghost introduced? Does it help to explain the title of the play?

Act V

SCENE 1. This scene is introductory to the catastrophe. Indicate particular passages which look forward to the catastrophe. In the parley, notice how each speech is in keeping with the character of the speaker.

SCENE 2. Why is this little scene introduced? How is it that such a scene was possible in Shakespeare's theater, but impossible on the modern stage?

SCENES 3-5. Is it true that the play has a double

catastrophe, the death of Cassius and the death of Brutus? Or is the real catastrophe the death of Brutus, the death of Cassius being only incidental and preparatory? Who is the tragic hero of the play? Is the catastrophe anywhere attributed to the force represented by Cæsar?

5. The Part of the Mob in the Play.'

6. Reasons for believing that Portia knew about the Conspiracy. 7. The Speeches of Brutus and Antony (Act III, Scene 2) compared.

8. An Account of the Quarrel and Reconciliation of Brutus and Cassius.

9. An Analysis of Antony's Speech, showing his Skill in influencing the Mob.

10. How Julius Cæsar differs from a Chronicle History Play.

MACBETH

Macbeth, like Julius Cæsar, is a typical tragedy both in subject matter and in structure. Macbeth, a member of the royal family but not the heir to the throne, is ambitious to be king, and is urged to realize his ambition by Lady Macbeth, who is in full sympathy with her husband. Together they plan and effect the murder of Duncan, the King, and have themselves crowned. One crime demands another, however, and they continue in their career of murder, until the inevitable reaction destroys them both. Shakespeare has used these external facts to represent a great internal tragedy. He works out the influence of evil upon character,

and emphasizes the inevitable consequences of wrong-doing in moral degeneration and life-consuming remorse. The trag

edy is therefore both external and internal. Act I contains the introduction. In it the setting of the action is explained, the principal characters introduced, and Macbeth's ambition stimulated to action. Act II, the rising action, contains the development of Macbeth's plans to secure the throne, and so has for its chief scene the murder of Duncan. The internal

tragedy, i.e., the beginning of Macbeth's moral degeneration, is emphasized. The third or climax act finds Macbeth seated upon the throne, and has as a dramatic centerpiece the banquet scene, in which the coronation is celebrated. This triumph, however, is not quite complete. Macbeth's plans for making his position secure are not altogether successful, and apparitions come to throw him into confusion and foreshadow his ruin. The dramatic interest lies largely in the inner tragedy of a nature neither mentally clear nor morally sure, when it finds itself for the first time face to face with the power of moral retribution. In Act IV, the forces of reaction become centered around Malcolm and Macduff. Macbeth's moral degradation becomes complete. Act V, the catastrophe act, presents the inevitable ruin of both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth in moral confusion and remorse. The following titles have been given to the acts: I. The Temptation, II. The Deed, III. Fate Challenged, IV. Fate Deceives, V. Fate Conquers.

The greatness of the play as a piece of art may easily be seen by comparing it with the material upon which it is based. Holinshed's Chronicles furnished the groundwork for the plot. That material Shakespeare has adapted, enlarged, and enriched by his own knowledge of life, especially as regards the character of the human heart and the motives of conduct. Under his transforming power, a mere sequence