Dani Stoilova

Pd. 2
Julius Caesar Act 1 Scene 1

Language plays an important part in any piece of writing, and in William Shakespeare’s

“Julius Caesar” is no exception, literary devices are used throughout to provide new insights and

the first scene of the play provides a prescient for the forthcoming conflicts in the rest of the

play. Language plays a big part in setting the scene for the rest of the play as there is a great

contrast of the way the plebeians and patricians speak, showing their difference in rights through

the argument. In the play “Julius Caesar”, by William Shakespeare, the author is able to use

language to subtly foreshadow conflicts that would occur later on in Act I, Scene 1, the patricians

Marullus and Flavius are outwardly menacing and compare others to beasts and even stones, on

the other hand the working-class people are forced to use connotations of words and puns in

order to get their message across and this is the primary introduction to conflict in the play

whether it be man vs man, commoners vs aristocrats, or even Caesar’s followers vs Pompey’s

followers.

In “ Julius Caesar” during the first scene of the first act conflict is introduced between the

commoners and the aristocrats, although it seems harmless and benign at first eventually it

proves to be an important beginning to a series of events that would soon follow. During the play

the patricians who also act as officers are able to use any language of their choosing and not be

forced to face any repercussions for their actions. This in itself creates a great barrier between the

commoners and the wealthy, as one group of people, the wealthy, clearly has more rights than the

other. In the first scene the tribunes go on to call the people “mechanical” which can be taken as

comparing them to machines and making them seem outwardly less than human. (I, i, 3)Another

way this is done is when the tribunes call the commoners “idle creatures” (I,i, 1)which can be

taken to mean that they are useless and do not do anything for society as a whole. A different
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Pd. 2
Julius Caesar Act 1 Scene 1

example of the language used is when Murellus says “You blocks, you stones, you worse than

senseless things” this proves how the aristocracy feel about the lower class and they are simply

useless and their existence is comparable of that to an inanimate object. (I,i,36) Proving that they

are able to speak openly and castigate the citizens just for their existence. Shakespeare’s

wording in this scene is crucial since it is the first introduction of conflict in a play that is filled

to the brim with animosity. The tribunes and the commoners represent two of the main groups of

people in this play, which can be classified as Caesar’s followers and Pompey’s followers, which

in a way sets the stages for the rest of the drama.

On the other hand Shakespeare also uses clever wording and the use of puns throughout

the first scene through the commoners as well, through his intricate wording he is able to show

how restricted the commoners are and are not allowed to react openly to the berating done by the

tribunes. The Cobbler, in this instance, suggests that he is “a mender of bad soles”, and although

this very well may be referring to his profession, it hides a second meaning that he is better than

Murellus, which he is speaking to, and that he can fix him. (I,i,14). Later on when the horde of

people is still surrounding them and the tribunes are still trying to figure out what the profession

of the Cobbler is he also states “Why, sir, cobble you” (I,i, 20). Since this cobbling can mean

taking something and breaking it up into small pieces this suggests violence in the future,

although the commoners are not able to directly fight back against the tribunes, they take every

opportunity they can get, but they make sure that they do not catch on to what is happening or

they would be imprisoned. The difference in language creates a great comparison of the lives

these people lead and what they are allowed to do and the freedoms they have. This again sets
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Julius Caesar Act 1 Scene 1

the scene for potential conflict in the future because Shakespeare is known for the prescient

nature of his first scenes and how they foretell the story ahead.

Throughout the course of “Julius Caesar” Shakespeare uses sophisticated phrasing to

introduce topics of conflict and tragedy. In the first scene of the first act of this play, Shakespeare

uses as a simple altercation between the tribunes and the commoners to introduce the conflict

that would persist throughout the rest of the play. In his word choice and organization

Shakespeare was able to begin the development of the story line that follows the conflict

between Pompey’s followers and Caesar’s. The bickering at the beginning foreshadows all future

hostility and introduces the audience to the people in this ancient Roman society. At this time

Shakespeare sets all standards for the rest of the play by showing how deeply the tribunes loathe

the commoners and are able to abuse and berate them in public, while the commoners although

they feel the same way about the tribunes are only able to react in sly ways. The language used

not only foreshadows social and political conflict but also potential violence.