Cato, a Tragedy was a hugely influential text during the American Revolution and among the Founding Fathers; George Washington reportedly had the work performed for soldiers at Valley Forge. Write an essay that connects Cato to the American Revolution and considers why the Founding Fathers would have been drawn to Addison’s play.

Julius Caesar is often referenced in Cato, though he is never seen. What do you learn about Caesar and his reign as emperor through the play?

Contrast the play’s “good” characters of Cato, Portius, and Juba against the “villains” Sempronius and Syphax. What does Addison reveal about the key themes of honor and virtue through these groups?