Caligula

Research the life of Albert Camus. Which character in the play do you think is most like Camus, and why?

Caligula’s exercise of freedom affects everyone around him negatively. Is this always true when people try to exercise their personal freedom? Does freedom always come, as Caligula claims, at the expense of others?

Drusilla is not a character in the play but is mentioned several times. Assess the impact of her death on Caligula.

In Act II, Cherea advises the patricians to bide their time before launching their assassination plot against Caligula. Do you think this was the right decision? Why or why not?

Cherea agrees that Caligula’s philosophy is logical but doesn’t think it works in a practical sense. How would you describe Cherea’s own philosophy of life, rather than his response to Caligula’s?

Assess the way Camus portrays female characters in the play. How does their representation compare to that of male characters? Do you think the portrayal of women is more characteristic of Caligula’s time (the play’s first-century setting) or of Camus’s time (the 20th century)?

Research the history of Caligula’s reign. How accurate do you find Camus’s portrayal? Is the representation of Caligula’s behavior as being driven by logical principles a plausible reconstruction of the historical Caligula?

Camus revised and expanded Caligula during World War II, in which invading armies overran his homelands of France and Algeria. What elements of that experience can you discern in the play?