Before students meet Caesar, Brutus, or Cassius, place them inside a republic trying to decide how much power one successful leader should be allowed to hold.

In WHO SHOULD HOLD POWER?, students take on one of six civic positions in the fictional Republic of Valeria. A respected general, Cassian Varo, returns from a major victory and begins gaining influence. Across five rounds, students receive new information and recommend whether the council should EXPAND, HOLD, or LIMIT his authority.

The evidence is deliberately mixed. Varo solves real problems. He is genuinely popular. When he receives temporary emergency authority, he uses it successfully and gives it back on schedule. At the same time, the political system around him becomes increasingly dependent on one person.

By the final round, students are not deciding whether Varo is secretly “good” or “bad.” They are weighing competence, popularity, ambition, institutional safeguards, and fear of future abuse.

That unresolved problem gives students a concrete way into Brutus’s reasoning when they begin Julius Caesar.

WHAT STUDENTS DO

• Take on one of six civic positions with a different priority and concern

• Work through five rounds of new evidence

• Recommend EXPAND, HOLD, or LIMIT in each round

• Track which evidence matters and which risks they are willing to accept

• Make a final policy recommendation for the republic

• Compare the class pattern and step out of role for discussion

• Record before-reading positions on power, loyalty, leadership, and fear

• Return to the simulation after reading Julius Caesar and test it against Shakespeare’s world

THE FIVE ROUNDS

• The Return

• The Crisis

• The Cheers

• The Offer

• The Warning

WHAT’S INCLUDED

• 21-page complete resource

• Teacher Quick Start

• Student/teacher How It Works page

• Six civic position cards

• Student Council Record

• Five simulation rounds

• Final Council Decision

• Optional Class Vote Tally

• Post-simulation debrief

• Before We Read continuum activity

• After Reading: Return to the Council

• Teacher Connection Notes

• Teacher Role Lens

• Discussion prompts

• 25-minute version

• Full 35-minute version

• 15-page student/shared materials PDF

• 5-page teacher guide PDF

• Editable PowerPoint

• Printable PDFs

AN IMPORTANT DISTINCTION

The simulation is a lens, not a one-to-one allegory for the play. Valeria gives its council legal ways to limit Varo’s authority. Brutus joins an assassination. After reading, students are asked to consider how that difference changes the comparison.

The fictional republic also keeps the focus on structures and evidence rather than asking students to map the activity onto current political parties or politicians.

WHEN TO USE IT

Use this immediately before beginning Julius Caesar. It works especially well before introducing the political situation in Rome or before students begin thinking about Brutus’s fear of Caesar’s possible ambition.

The activity can run in about 25 minutes using the shortened sequence or in about 35 minutes using all five rounds.

CONTINUING WITH JULIUS CAESAR?

When you reach Act III, my Rhetorical Appeals & Devices Mini-Unit includes an optional Brutus vs. Antony rhetoric application that works naturally after this pre-reading activity.

Want more pre-reading simulations like this one?

Julius Caesar: Who Should Hold Power? is also included in the Literature Pre-Reading Simulations Bundle, featuring six decision-based activities for major secondary texts.

Bundle:

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Literature-Pre-Reading-Simulations-Bundle-Critical-Thinking-Activities-17656452

BEST FOR

• Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare

• Grades 9–12

• Pre-reading / anticipation

• Leadership and power

• Ambition and political fear

• Brutus character analysis

• Socratic discussion / evidence-based discussion

• Tragedy units

FORMATS

Microsoft PowerPoint + PDF