Course summary

What makes a leader powerful? Is it better to be loved or feared? Can political violence ever be justified?

With these questions in mind, this two-day course supports students studying NSW English Advanced Module A: Textual Conversations. It focuses on the rich literary and political conversation between Niccolò Machiavelli’s The Prince (1532) and William Shakespeare’s political tragedy Julius Caesar (1599).

Through a guided study of carefully selected extracts from both texts, students explore how ideas about leadership, ambition, persuasion and moral compromise are initially framed, then reframed across time, form and context to reveal darker truths about the human heart.

Students examine how Machiavelli represents political power as calculated, pragmatic and dependent on the management of appearance. They then consider how Shakespeare dramatically reframes these ideas in an Elizabethan context. In Julius Caesar, political power becomes unstable, theatrical and vulnerable to persuasive language.

Studied together, the texts create a compelling conversation about authority, loyalty, fear, virtue and political survival. Students are guided to identify resonances and dissonances within and between the texts, particularly in relation to rhetoric, public image, ambition and moral compromise.

The course helps students move beyond separate discussion of each text. Students learn how to evaluate textual relationships through context, form and language. They also consider how historical and cultural contexts shape each composer’s values, assumptions and representation of political life.

Students receive explicit instruction in comparative thesis development, paired evidence selection, integrated paragraph structure and analytical synthesis. They practise using appropriate metalanguage to make connections, interpret meaning and refine arguments.

By the end of the course, students should have a stronger understanding of how comparative study deepens appreciation of both texts. They should also have practical strategies for composing sustained critical responses for Module A under examination conditions.

Learning outcomes

By the end of this course, you should be able to:

• analyse how Machiavelli constructs ideas about leadership, power and political authority in The Prince
• evaluate how Shakespeare reframes, challenges and complicates these ideas in Julius Caesar
• identify resonances and dissonances between the texts through context, form, language and values
• explain how changing historical and cultural contexts shape each composer’s representation of political leadership
• construct comparative arguments that begin with the earlier text and evaluate how the later text responds to its ideas
• compose sustained critical responses that synthesise textual evidence, contextual understanding and comparative interpretation.

Content

This course will cover how to:

• examine Machiavelli’s key ideas about leadership, power, virtue, fear and political survival in The Prince
• explore how Shakespeare reframes these ideas through character, conflict and rhetoric in Julius Caesar
• compare how the different forms of political treatise and drama shape meaning and audience response
• analyse resonances and dissonances between the texts in their treatment of authority, loyalty, ambition, persuasion and morality
• evaluate how changing contexts influence each composer’s assumptions, values and representation of political power
• develop Module A responses that trace the movement from the earlier text to the later text, demonstrating how textual conversations create new meanings and understandings.

Who this course is for

This course is for Year 12 students studying NSW English Advanced Module A: Textual Conversations. It is designed for students studying Niccolò Machiavelli’s The Prince and William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar as their paired texts.

The course will suit students who want to strengthen their understanding of the relationship between the two texts, especially how Shakespeare reframes Machiavelli’s ideas about power, leadership, rhetoric and political morality.

The course is also suitable for students who want to improve their comparative essay writing. Students will learn how to move beyond separate discussion of each text and develop integrated arguments that evaluate relationships between context, form and language.

Students should be prepared to engage in close reading, discussion, annotation and writing practice. They are encouraged to bring their own copies of both texts, school notes, assessment notifications or draft responses.

Delivery style

This course combines tutor presentation, explicit instruction, group discussion, close reading, writing practice and individual feedback. Students will examine key extracts, analyse model responses, practise comparative writing, and refine sections of their own work.

Students should be prepared for interactive learning. They will participate in discussion, annotation and timed writing activities.

Online activities may be used to support and extend learning during the course.

Materials

Course materials will be shared electronically.

What you need to do before the course

Please bring a device to access the course learning materials. You are also encouraged to bring your own copies of The Prince and Julius Caesar, along with any relevant school notes, assessment notifications or draft responses.

Relevant syllabus outcomes

This course is informed by the NSW English Advanced 11–12 Syllabus (2024). The most relevant Year 12 outcomes are:

• EAV-12-01 Critically analyses the ways an author’s choice of language, form and structure shapes meaning in complex texts of different modes and mediums.

  Students examine how Machiavelli’s political treatise and Shakespeare’s drama use different forms, structures and language choices to shape ideas about power, leadership and political morality.

• EAV-12-02 Evaluates the relationships between texts through context, form and language.

  This is the central outcome for the course. Students evaluate how Julius Caesar reframes, challenges and complicates ideas first explored in The Prince, creating a textual conversation across time and context.

• EAV-12-03 Evaluates the ways context and values influence composition and audience response.

  Students consider how Renaissance political thought, Elizabethan anxieties about authority, and differing cultural values shape each composer’s representation of power, rhetoric and public image.

• EAV-12-05 Composes critical and creative texts for a range of audiences and purposes.

  Students practise composing sustained comparative arguments for Module A assessment and examination contexts, using appropriate metalanguage and controlled analytical expression.

Prescribed text

Shakespeare, W. 2014, Julius Caesar, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.

Machiavelli, N. 2011, The Prince, trans. T. Parks, Penguin, London.

Getting Through Your HSC: A Practical Guide

While you progress through this journey and also the conclusion of your schooling life, we know you’ll have a lot on your mind – exams, future study, careers – but remember, while keeping focused on these bigger goals and aspirations, it’s also important not to forget your own health and well-being.

For tips on staying motivated and keeping focused, dealing with anxiety, keeping healthy, relaxation, pre-study exercise and more, read our article Getting Through Your HSC: A Practical Guide.