Question paper: Paper 1 Shakespeare and the 19th-century novel – November 2020

In Shakespeare’s tragedy Julius Caesar, internal and external conflict have a significant impact on Rome and its inhabitants. Shakespeare illustrates the ways in which conflict can cause division, chaos, and ultimately the demise of a society through the characters and their interactions.

The power struggle between Caesar and the plotters who want to overthrow him is one of the play’s most important conflicts. As a result of this conflict, the citizens of the city experience unease and uncertainty as they are forced to decide between their loyalty to Caesar and their desire for political stability. In Act 1 Scene 2, Caesar proclaims, “I rather tell thee what is to be feared / Than what I fear;