Year 11 Critical Study of a Text

Page | 1 Description of unit:

In this module, students develop analytical and critical knowledge, understanding and
appreciation of a literary text. Through increasingly informed personal responses to the text
in its entirety, students develop understanding of the distinctive qualities of the text and
notions of textual integrity.

Students study one text appropriate to their needs and interests. Central to this study is the
exploration of how the author’s ideas are expressed in the text through an analysis of its
construction, content and language. Students develop their own interpretation of the text,
basing their judgements on evidence drawn from their research and reading, enabling the
development of a deeper and richer understanding of the text. In doing so, they consider
notions of contexts with regard to the text’s composition and reception; investigate the
perspectives of others; and explore the ideas in the text, further strengthening their
personal perspective on the text.

Students have opportunities to appreciate and express views about the aesthetic and
imaginative aspects of a text by composing creative and critical texts of their own. Through
reading, viewing or listening they analyse, evaluate and comment on the text’s specific
language features and form. They express increasingly complex ideas, clearly and
cohesively using appropriate register, structure and modality. They draft, appraise and
refine their own texts, applying the conventions of syntax, spelling and grammar
appropriately.

Opportunities to engage deeply with the text as a responder and composer further develops
personal and intellectual connections with this text, enabling students to express their
informed personal view of its meaning and value.

TASK: Highlight and annotate key aspects of the module.

Textual Integrity

Defined by NESA:

‘The unity of a text; its coherent use of form and language to produce an
integrated whole in terms of meaning and value.’

Three ways that this can be interpreted:

1. Unity of form, language and content - perfectly constructed text

 2. Universality of Ideas. – GIVES THE TEXT ITS VALUE
3. Critical Reception as to meaning and value. – “Critically Acclaimed”.

Page | 2 Genre- The ‘History Plays’

The "history plays" written by Shakespeare are generally thought of as a distinct genre: they differ
somewhat in tone, form and focus from his other plays (the "comedies," the "tragedies" and the
"romances"). While many of Shakespeare's other plays are set in the historical past, and even treat
similar themes such as kingship and revolution (for example, Julius Caesar, Antony and Cleopatra,
Hamlet, or Cymbeline), the eight history plays have several things in common: they form a linked
series, they are set in late medieval England, and they deal with the decline of the Plantagenet
House, as well as rise and fall of the House of Lancaster--what later historians often referred to as
the "War of the Roses."

Shakespeare's most important history plays were written in two "series" of four plays. The first
series, written near the start of his career (around 1589-1593), consists of Henry VI, Parts 1, 2 & 3,
and Richard III, and covers the fall of the Lancaster dynasty--that is, events in English history
between about 1422 and 1485. The second series, written at the height of Shakespeare's powers
(around 1595-1599), moves back in time to examine the rise of the Lancastrians, covering English
history from about 1398 to 1420. This series consists of Richard II, Henry IV, Parts 1 & 2, and Henry
V.

Although the events he writes about occurred some two centuries before his own time, Shakespeare
expected his audience to be familiar with the characters and events he was describing. The battles
among houses and the rise and fall of kings were woven closely into the fabric of English culture and
formed an integral part of the country's patriotic legends and national mythology. Shakespearean
history is thus often inaccurate in its details, but it reflects popular conceptions of history. BIASED.

Shakespeare drew on a number of different sources in writing his history plays. His primary source
for historical material, however, is generally agreed to be Raphael Holinshed's massive work, The
Chronicles of England, Scotland and Ireland, published in 1586-7. Holinshed's account provides the
chronology of events that Shakespeare reproduces, alters, compresses, or conveniently avoids
whichever serves his dramatic purposes best (appropriation of traditional historical narrative).
However, Holinshed's work was only one of an entire genre of historical chronicles that were
popular during Shakespeare's time and may have used other minor sources to inform the play.

The ‘Shadow of History’

It is important to remember, when reading the history plays, the significance to this genre of what
we might call the "shadows of history." One of the questions which preoccupies the characters in the
history plays is whether or not the King of England is divinely appointed by the Lord. If so, then the
overthrow or murder of a king is tantamount to blasphemy, and may cast a long shadow over the
reign of the king who gains the throne through such nefarious means. This shadow, which manifests
in the form of literal ghosts in plays like Hamlet, Macbeth, Julius Caesar, and Richard III, also looms
over Richard II and its sequels. The murder of the former King Richard II at the end of Richard II will
haunt King Henry IV for the rest of his life, and the curse can only be redeemed by his son, Henry V.
 Similarly, Richard II himself, in the play which bears his name, is haunted by a politically motivated
murder: not of a king, but of his uncle, Thomas of Woodstock, Duke of Gloucester. This death occurs
long before the beginning of the play, but, as we will see, it haunts Richard, just as his own death will
haunt the usurper who is responsible for it

Page | 3 Context of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar

Julius Caesar takes place in ancient Rome in 44 B.C, when Rome was the centre of an empire
stretching from Britain to North Africa and from Persia to Spain. Yet even as the empire grew
stronger, so, too, did the force of the dangers threatening its existence: Rome suffered from
constant infighting between ambitious military leaders and the far weaker senators to whom they
supposedly owed allegiance. The empire also suffered from a sharp division between citizens, who
were represented in the senate, and the increasingly underrepresented plebeian masses. A
succession of men aspired to become the absolute ruler of Rome, but only Julius Caesar seemed
likely to achieve this status. Those citizens who favoured more democratic rule feared that Caesar’s
power would lead to the enslavement of Roman citizens by one of their own. Therefore, a group of
conspirators came together and assassinated Caesar. The assassination, however, failed to put an
end to the power struggles dividing the empire, and civil war erupted shortly thereafter. The plot of
Shakespeare’s play includes the events leading up to the assassination of Caesar as well as much of
the subsequent war, in which the deaths of the leading conspirators constituted a sort of revenge for
the assassination.

As his chief source in writing Julius Caesar, Shakespeare probably used Thomas North’s translation of
Plutarch’s Lives of the Noble Greeks and Romans, written in the first century A.D. Plutarch, who
believed that history was propelled by the achievements of great men, saw the role of the
biographer as inseparable from the role of the historian. Shakespeare followed Plutarch’s lead by
emphasizing how the actions of the leaders of Roman society, rather than class conflicts or larger
political movements, determined history. However, while Shakespeare does focus on these key
political figures, he does not ignore that their power rests, to some degree, on the fickle favour of
the populace.

Shakespeare’s contemporaries, well versed in ancient Greek and Roman history, would very likely
have detected parallels between Julius Caesar’s portrayal of the shift from republican to imperial
Rome and the Elizabethan era’s trend toward consolidated monarchal power. In 1599, when the
play was first performed, Queen Elizabeth I had sat on the throne for nearly forty years, enlarging
her power at the expense of the aristocracy and the House of Commons. As she was then sixty-six
years old, her reign seemed likely to end soon, yet she lacked any heirs (as did Julius Caesar). Many
feared that her death would plunge England into the kind of chaos that had plagued England during
the fifteenth-century Wars of the Roses. In an age when censorship would have limited direct
commentary on these worries, Shakespeare could nevertheless use the story of Caesar to comment
on the political situation of his day.

In the context of this anxiety, Shakespeare wrote Julius Caesar, a play whose events parallel the
political shifts in Elizabethan England. Elizabeth’s refusal to name a successor even led to
speculations that England might erupt in civil war, as Rome did following Caesar’s death.

Context – The English Renaissance

The English Renaissance is often considered by critics to be when Western literature, drama, and
poetry came of age. Renaissance basically means 'rebirth' or 'revival.' In a more specific sense, there
 was a flowering of the arts that swept through Europe starting in Italy in about the late 1300’s. It
made its way over to England around 1500 and lasted about 100 years.

When we talk about important English writers of the Renaissance, you probably know who's going to
come up first. William Shakespeare. Still the premiere dramatist of the English language today, his
plays have been read or seen in one of the million adaptations that exist on film. He's at the very
Page | 4 forefront of the English Renaissance.

Besides Shakespeare, there are two other sort of titans of the Renaissance stage. First is Christopher
Marlowe. He was a precursor to Shakespeare and very influential. Marlowe was a figure of some
controversy; it's suspected that he was kind of a secret agent for Queen Elizabeth. He had a violent
and mysterious death, and it speaks to the way that he may have been tied up in some unsavoury
business. Of all his dramas, the one with most lasting impact is probably The Tragical History of the
Life and Death of Doctor Faustus, an adaptation of a German legend in which a scholar sells his soul
to the devil for personal gain. Though this is a very old story, Marlowe is really credited for creating
the first dramatized version. His version inspired most of those that followed, including the most
popular version of the story, the German playwright Goethe's rendition, which came over 200 years
later.
The third and final dramatist (or playwright) is Ben Jonson. He's a 'frenemy' of Shakespeare, and he's
best known for his satirical plays. For a long time, it was thought that Shakespeare represented
unrestrained and messy verbal genius - he created a lot of words and he played with language in a
way that people either really responded well to or really didn't. But Jonson was a superb sculptor of
precise plays. Jonson spent a lot of time writing masques, which were elaborate stage productions
performed at the royal court. He thus had a good deal of institutional success. Some of his more
noted works include Volpone, a dark satire about a rich man putting his friends through trials to gain
his inheritance. Also, you should know about The Alchemist, another comedy about the ridiculous
lengths people will go to pursue material wealth.

Poetry
All of the men wrote some poems - Shakespeare for example, is famous for his sonnets - but they're
primarily dramatists. The first is Edmund Spenser, chronologically one of the first major writers of
the English Renaissance. He's known primarily for his epic allegorical poem The Faerie Queene. Epic
basically just means a long and important piece of work. Allegorical usually is when one thing in the
poem symbolizes something else. It usually has a larger moral attached to the play itself. Critics
believe that Spenser intended it to be praise of then-Queen Elizabeth.
Another important poet who often practiced a shorter form was John Donne. He was at the head of
the metaphysical poetry movement, the works of which often used clever conceits and were
philosophical and spiritual in nature. John Donne was a highly skilled writer, and he marks the first in
a major breed of English poets.

Major Thinkers
- Philip Sidney, whose major work, The Defense of Poesy, was really the first example
of literary criticism in the English language. As literature began to take on a life of its own,
it's not an accident that writers would began to think about their profession more carefully
and look at what they're doing and what their colleagues are doing with a more critical
eye. The Defense of Poesy, Sidney's defence of the fictional arts, started this whole
enterprise of literary criticism.
- Francis Bacon, a prominent writer who left his biggest mark a little outside the humanities.
He's often referred to as the father of empiricism, which means he created a logical,
verifiable way to conduct scientific research. Bacon's work in this field basically established
 all of the modern sciences as we know them - that's huge! He's yet another great example of
a Renaissance thinker who got the ball rolling in a major field of study.

William Shakespeare - William Shakespeare, also known as “The Bard”, was a famous English
writer, credited with the creation of 154 sonnets, 38 plays and two narrative poems. His abundant
portfolio was composed between the years of 1589 and 1613 and performed by his company The
Page | 5
Lord Chamberlains Men, later known as the Kings Men, at The Globe Theatre and other theatres
across the region.

Shakespeare's work can fit into three categories: comedies, tragedies, and histories.
His unique and intellectual style included the use of:

Style Definition Example Purpose

The use of five iambic feet per line, ten
But soft, what light The use of iambic pentameter
Iambic total syllables. When read, the words
through yonder mimics that of real speech and
pentameter will follow an unstressed to stressed
window breaks? made plays easy to listen to.
pattern.
To sleep- The purpose of blank verse is to
Lines written in iambic pentameter that perchance to allow the writer to feel the
Blank Verse
do not rhyme dream: ay, there's freedom of writing without
the rub! rhyme.
Historical Context
There are several parallels between Julius Caesar’s portrayal of the shift from republican
to imperial Rome and the Elizabethan era’s trend toward consolidated monarchical
power. In 1599. Shakespeare’s contemporaries, well versed in ancient Greek and Roman
history, would very likely have detected parallels between Julius Caesar’s portrayal of the
shift from republican to imperial Rome and the Elizabethan era’s trend toward
consolidated monarchic power. In 1599, when the play was first performed, Queen
Elizabeth I had sat on the throne for nearly forty years, enlarging her power at the
expense of the aristocracy and the House of Commons. As she was then sixty-six years old,
her reign seemed likely to end soon, yet she lacked any heirs (as did Julius Caesar). Many
feared that her death would plunge England into the kind of chaos that had plagued
England during the fifteenth-century Wars of the Roses. In an age when censorship would
have limited direct commentary on these worries, Shakespeare could nevertheless use the
story of Caesar to comment on the political situation of his day.

Julius Caesar does not entirely side with the single-ruler approach to government, either
for ancient Rome or Renaissance England. Caesar has obvious flaws; he is physically ill,
conceited, and stubborn. Once he dies, Rome is paralysed by bloody factionalism. The
death of a monarch or ruler, even an imperfect one, leads only to greater instability and
bloodshed. More than simple indictment or approval of any one form of government,
Julius Caesar functions best as a cautionary tale, outlining the disastrous consequences of
a high-profile assassination, however noble in intention. In many ways, Julius Caesar
draws parallels between ancient Rome and the political discourse of Elizabethan England.
 Like Caesar, Queen Elizabeth had no direct heirs, and with her mental and physical health
in decline, the question of succession was fraught. After four decades of Elizabeth’s rule,
many in England had become disillusioned with her reign, and by the time Julius Caesar
was performed in 1599, multiple attempts had been made on the queen’s life. The Roman
civil wars in Julius Caesar would have served as a sober warning of the discord England
Page | 6 would see should an assassination attempt succeed.
Who Was Julius Caesar?
Julius Caesar was famous statesman, military leader, and dictator of Rome. When he was
dictator, Caesar instilled a number of reforms meant to help strengthen Rome and its
people. He helped bring about the end of the Roman Republic, and ushered in the Roman
Empire period of Rome's history.
During the time of Caesar, under Roman law, it was forbidden to cross the Rubicon River
with an army. Caesar crossed the Rubicon with his army, which led to the Roman Civil Wars,
and ended with him as dictator. Caesar conquered Gaul, which was regarded as one of his
greatest military achievements. He also created the Julian Calendar out need for a more
accurate calendar. Caesar lived from 100 B.C. to 44 B.C.
Gaius Julius Caesar was Julius Caesar's full name, but he has also just been known as
"Caesar" throughout history. He was an influential politician, military general, and eventual
ruler and dictator of Rome. Caesar was born on either July 12th or 13th in 100 B.C. to a
noble, aristocratic family in the Roman Republic. He was of the Julii family, who were
original descendants of nobility from earlier Roman times.
Even as a young man, Caesar was able to rise relatively quickly in rank and influence. Many
problems plagued the Roman Republic during his youth, which allowed for someone such as
himself the opportunity to prove his value. Caesar rose to power as a talented military
leader and statesman, and enjoyed much success throughout his lifetime. Eventually, he
rose to dictator of Rome before his death in 44 B.C. at the hands of Roman senators.
Caesar had three marriages throughout his life, and was said to have had an affair with the
Egyptian Cleopatra. Cleopatra had a son by him, named Caesarion, or Ptolemy XV Caesar,
who was the last Egyptian pharaoh of ancient Egypt. Julius Caesar also had a daughter, Julia,
who was his only legitimate child, with his first wife Cornelia.
Julius Caesar is remembered as one of the greatest military strategists, conquerors, and
leaders in world history. In addition, people still study and recognize his contributions to
Roman society and beyond, as he influenced many who came after him.

Julius Caesar Significance

Caesar stands as a historically significant figure from world history because he led many
successful military campaigns, and spread Roman culture, knowledge, and traditions
throughout the world. He also arguably made the life of everyday Roman citizens better by
instituting various reforms for their benefit. His influences can still be found throughout the
far reaches of the once Roman Republic/Empire today.

Why is Julius Caesar Famous?

Julius Caesar is famous for many reasons, including that he broke laws before he was ruler
of Rome, he was both feared and envied by other Roman politicians, and he was loved by
his soldiers and the Roman people. He broke laws during his military conquests, leading to
his gaining more power and influence; this is likely why other Roman politicians wanted him
 to head home as a citizen, so that he could be tried for his crimes and be reduced in overall
power.
Other main reasons why Caesar is famous include:
 The Julian Calendar- This calendar, named for Caesar, replaced the old Roman
calendar, as the old one was inaccurate and often manipulated for political reasons.
Page | 7 Caesar replaced the old Roman calendar with the Julian one, which was modelled
after the Egyptian Calendar. The Julian Calendar is still used in some Eastern
Orthodox Christian areas, but has since been replaced by the Gregorian Calendar in
most locations by Pope Gregory XIII; the Gregorian Calendar is the Julian Calendar,
with some modifications.
 Caesar crossed the Rubicon River with his army, from Gaul into Italy, in 49 B.C. This
action was seen as an act of war/treason against Rome, of which Caesar was well
aware. The action led to the Roman Civil Wars between Caesar and Pompey, along
with the majority of the Roman Senate. As previously mentioned, many in the
Senate viewed some of Caesar's conquests and military actions as illegal, so wanted
to strip him of his power. "The die has been cast," or phrase "crossing the point of no
return" has been attributed to Caesar's aforementioned river crossing.
 The Ides of March- This term refers to the death date of Caesar and his overall
dramatic death scene on March 15, 44 B.C. He was assassinated by his political rivals
in the Roman Senate House, which included some of his once friends. Caesar was
reportedly stabbed 60 times; there were about 60 conspirators in his death. "Beware
the Ides of March" is a commonly known phrase with its origins around Caesar's
death date, and even before. The date is associated with a deadline for debt
repayment as well as some Roman Calendar observances.
 Caesar is credited with the end of the Roman Republic and the beginning of the
Roman Empire, as the first true Roman emperor followed Caesar's rule in some short
years after his death.
 Some famous Caesar quotes include:
"I came, I saw, I conquered."
"Experience is the teacher of all things."
"Divide and Conquer."
"I love treason but hate a traitor."
"And you, Brutus?" In reference to his friend's involvement in his death plot.

Some interesting facts about Julius Caesar include:

 He wrote many poems and orations/speeches, as well as commentaries about his
time abroad. Caesar wrote in Latin, and penned two well known works on war,
which were the Commentaries on the Gallic War and the Commentaries on the Civil
War. He is well-known for his simple and clear writing style.
 Caesar was born by caesarean section- mothers typically died from this type of
procedure during that time, but records state that his mother survived.

CONTEXT, VALUES, CONCEPTS

Republican Rome
 Short Version:
Julius Caesar, (born July 12/13, 100 BCE, Rome—died March 15, 44 BCE, Rome), Celebrated
Roman general, statesman, and dictator. His time in history came at a time where there was
a transition from Republican to imperial ideas, whilst there existed a great fear of
consolidation of power by one individual resulting in tyranny.
Page | 8
Ironically from 27 BCE to 337 CE was the time of the Roman Emperors (From Augustus
Caesar to Emperor Constantine I.)
A patrician by birth, he held the prominent posts of quaestor and praetor before becoming
governor of Farther Spain in 61–60. He formed the First Triumvirate with Pompey and
Marcus Licinius Crassus in 60 and was elected consul in 59 and proconsul in Gaul and Illyria
in 58. After conducting the Gallic Wars, during which he invaded Britain (55, 54) and crossed
the Rhine (55, 53), he was instructed by the Senate to lay down his command, Senate
conservatives having grown wary of his increasing power, as had a suspicious Pompey.
When the Senate would not command Pompey to give up his command simultaneously,
Caesar, against regulations, led his forces across the Rubicon River (49) between Gaul and
Italy, precipitating the Roman Civil War. Pompey fled from Italy but was pursued and
defeated by Caesar in 48; he then fled to Egypt, where he was murdered. Having followed
Pompey to Egypt, Caesar became lover to Cleopatra and supported her militarily. He
defeated Pompey’s last supporters in 46–45. He was named dictator for life by the Romans.
He was offered the crown (44) but refused it, knowing the Romans’ dislike for kings. He was
in the midst of launching a series of political and social reforms when he was assassinated in
the Senate House on the ides of March by conspirators led by Cassius and Brutus. His
writings on the Gallic and Civil wars are considered models of classical historiography.

Long Version:
 Julius Caesar was a Roman general and politician who named himself dictator of the
Roman Empire, a rule that lasted less than one year before he was famously
assassinated by political rivals in 44 B.C.
 Caesar was extremely successful as a general, conquering many areas, primarily the
Gaul regions, (see below)
  During his conquest of Gaul, Caesar had been busy in preserving and improving his
position at home, which worried many senators in Rome. Prior to his assassination there
was great misgovernment of the Greco-Roman world by the Roman nobility, and there
Page | 9 remained a question as to whether this should be allowed to continue or whether it
should be replaced by an autocratic regime. Meanwhile, Caesar had launched a series of
political and social reforms.
 Caesar’s success in building up his political power had made the champions of the old
regime so implacably hostile to him that he was now faced with a choice between
putting himself at his enemies’ mercy or seizing the monopoly of power at which he was
accused of aiming.
 Civil war had ensued between Caesar and Pompey.
 He crushed Pompey’s army in Spain.
 Caesar pursued Pompey from Thessaly to Egypt, where Pompey was murdered by an
officer of King Ptolemy.
 Had an affair with Cleopatra
 Eventually Caesar then returned to Rome with the title of dictator, campaigned in Africa,
crushing yet another army, before returning to Rome again, only to leave in November
for Farther Spain to deal with a fresh outbreak of resistance, which he crushed on March
17, 45 BCE, at Munda.
 He then returned to Rome to start putting the Greco-Roman world in order. He had less
than a year’s grace for this huge task of reconstruction before his assassination in 44 BCE
in the Senate House at Rome on March 15 (the Ides of March).
 Caesar amnestied his opponents wholesale and gave a number of them responsible
positions in his new regime. Gaius Cassius Longinus, who was the moving spirit in the
 plot to murder him, and Marcus Junius Brutus, the symbolic embodiment of Roman
republicanism, were both former enemies. “Et tu, Brute” (“You too, Brutus”) was
Caesar’s expression of his particular anguish at being stabbed by a man whom he had
forgiven, trusted, and loved.
Page | 10
 Brutus wages a debate with himself about committing the crime of assassination,
manifesting his internal conflict within his soliloquy. Used by Shakespeare for this
dramatic purpose, the device succeeds in presenting an "inward drama,” a function far
superior to a direct and, therefore, more primitive exposition of the action.
 He begins to calculate the dangers of a politically ambitious man to the state – Iadder
“climber-upper”
 In the closing lines of the soliloquy, he seems to rationalize his conflict – reflecting his
patriotic nature - Brutus' great concern is for the welfare of Rome.
 His internal conflict emphasises his sensitive and idealistic nature, as well as his ability to
be easily swayed (I believe).
o Analyse how Shakespeare establishes the inner conflict experienced by
Brutus within the soliloquy?
o Evaluate how effectively Brutus manipulates the audience’s perception of
Julius Caesar in order to account for his murderous actions as a reflection of
context.

Shakespeare and the Elizabethan Period:

o Consideration of Elizabethan Values derived from Christian belief i.e. Great
Chain of Being, Divine Right of Kings.
o Period of fear regarding consolidation and direction of power following the
death of Elizabeth I, also known as the “Virgin Queen”.
 During Shakespeare’s time, the King or Queen were the head of the church. Thus,
by challenging the monarch, an individual would thereby be challenging the
church.
 In Shakespeare’s time the law said that you had to go to church every week.
 The Great Chain of Being - Elizabethans believed that God set out an order for
everything in the universe. This was known as the Great Chain of Being. On Earth,
God created a social order for everybody and chose where you belonged. In other
words, the king or queen was in charge because God put them there and they
were only answerable to God (the Divine Right of Kings). This meant that
disobeying the monarch was a sin, which was handy for keeping people in their
place! It also led to the idea that if the wrong person was monarch everything
would go wrong for a country, including whether the crops would be good, or if
animals behaved as they should. (Macbeth) The Elizabethans were very
superstitious.
  There was a sense of apprehension and uncertainty towards the end of Queen
Elizabeth’s long and prosperous rule, by her refusal to name a successor.
However, following her death in 1603, the English and Scottish kingdoms were
ruled by a single sovereign. [Play written around 1599-1600… context]
 The crowns of England and Scotland were brought together on the accession of
Page | 11
James VI of Scotland as James I of England in 1603.
 From 1649 to 1660, the tradition of monarchy was broken by the republican
Commonwealth of England, which followed the Wars of the Three Kingdoms.
 On 7 February 1649, the office of King was formally abolished, following the
execution of Charles I and the rules of Oliver Cromwell and his son, Richard.
The Civil Wars were essentially confrontations between the monarchy and Parliament
over the definitions of the powers of the monarchy and Parliament’s authority
Caesar Relating to Shakespearian Society
Perhaps Shakespeare thought the story of Caesar was appropriate to tell because of
how relatable it was to Elizabethan society. Essayist Paulina Kewes claims that “the
significance of Julius Caesar lay in its dramatization of the dangers of a disputed
succession and the horrors of civil war”. The play continued to be topical even after
Elizabeth’s death in 1603 when James VI of Scotland took the British throne. Kewes
speculates that Jacobean England saw King James as another Caesar, complete with
an assassination attempt. James even had a certain reverence for the Roman ruler
and thought others should share his intense fascination (Kewes). It is common for
history to repeat itself and perhaps Shakespeare was trying to avoid that by
reminding audiences what happened to those who conspired against Caesar. This is
where Brutus becomes a central character, to show the results of trying to overthrow
a ruler and how it not only affects the society but it takes a great toll on the
individual as well.

An auxiliary verb (aka a helping verb) is a verb that helps another verb express its tense, mood, or voice.

Brutus’ process of thought to murder = uncertainty, justification, supposition (assumption)

TASK: RESEARCH 16th century England and Elizabeth I’s reign.

Need to have an understanding of the following:

 The circumstances of Richards rise to power and fall
 The Tudor Myth
 Northern Rebellion
 Spanish Invasion
 Wars of the Roses
 Medievalism
 Abdication
 Renaissance
 Humanism
 SUMMARY of JULIUS CAESAR
The action begins in February 44 BC. Julius Caesar has just re-entered Rome in triumph after
a victory in Spain over the sons of his old enemy, Pompey the Great. A spontaneous
Page | 12 celebration has interrupted and been broken up by Flavius and Marullus, two political
enemies of Caesar. It soon becomes apparent from their words that powerful and secret
forces are working against Caesar.

Caesar appears, attended by a train of friends and supporters, and is warned by a

soothsayer to "beware the ides of March," but he ignores the warning and leaves for the
games and races marking the celebration of the feast of Lupercal.

After Caesar's departure, only two men remain behind — Marcus Brutus, a close personal
friend of Caesar, and Cassius, a long-time political foe of Caesar's. Both men are of
aristocratic origin and see the end of their ancient privilege in Caesar's political reforms and
conquests. Envious of Caesar's power and prestige, Cassius cleverly probes to discover
where Brutus' deepest sympathies lie. As a man of highest personal integrity, Brutus
opposes Caesar on principle, despite his friendship with him. Cassius cautiously inquires
about Brutus' feelings if a conspiracy were to unseat Caesar; he finds Brutus not altogether
against the notion; that is, Brutus shares "some aim" with Cassius but does not wish "to be
any further moved." The two men part, promising to meet again for further discussions.

In the next scene, it is revealed that the conspiracy Cassius spoke of in veiled terms is
already a reality. He has gathered together a group of disgruntled and discredited
aristocrats who are only too willing to assassinate Caesar. Partly to gain the support of the
respectable element of Roman society, Cassius persuades Brutus to head the conspiracy,
and Brutus agrees to do so. Shortly afterward, plans are made at a secret meeting in Brutus'
orchard. The date is set: It will be on the day known as the ides of March, the fifteenth day
of the month. Caesar is to be murdered in the Senate chambers by the concealed daggers
and swords of the assembled conspirators.

After the meeting is ended, Brutus' wife, Portia, suspecting something and fearing for her
husband's safety, questions him. Touched by her love and devotion, Brutus promises to
reveal his secret to her later.

The next scene takes place in Caesar's house. The time is the early morning, the date, the
fateful ides of March. The preceding night has been a strange one — wild, stormy, and full
of strange and unexplainable sights and happenings throughout the city of Rome. Caesar's
wife, Calpurnia, terrified by horrible nightmares, persuades Caesar not to go to the Capitol,
convinced that her dreams are portents of disaster. By prearrangement, Brutus and the
other conspirators arrive to accompany Caesar, hoping to fend off any possible warnings
until they have him totally in their power at the Senate. Unaware that he is surrounded by
assassins and shrugging off Calpurnia’s exhortations, Caesar goes with them.

Despite the conspirators' best efforts, a warning is pressed into Caesar's hand on the very
steps of the Capitol, but he refuses to read it. Wasting no further time, the conspirators
move into action. Purposely asking Caesar for a favour they know he will refuse, they move
 closer, as if begging a favour, and then, reaching for their hidden weapons, they kill him
before the shocked eyes of the senators and spectators.

Hearing of Caesar's murder, Mark Antony, Caesar's closest friend, begs permission to speak
at Caesar's funeral. Brutus grants this permission over the objections of Cassius and delivers
Page | 13 his own speech first, confident that his words will convince the populace of the necessity for
Caesar's death. After Brutus leaves, Antony begins to speak. The crowd has been swayed by
Brutus' words, and it is an unsympathetic crowd that Antony addresses. Using every
oratorical device known, however, Antony turns the audience into a howling mob,
screaming for the blood of Caesar's murderers. Alarmed by the furore caused by Antony's
speech, the conspirators and their supporters are forced to flee from Rome and finally, from
Italy. At this point, Antony, together with Caesar's young grandnephew and adopted son,
Octavius, and a wealthy banker, Lepidus, gathers an army to pursue and destroy Caesar's
killers. These three men, known as triumvirs, have formed a group called the Second
Triumvirate to pursue the common goal of gaining control of the Roman Empire.

Months pass, during which the conspirators and their armies are pursued relentlessly into
the far reaches of Asia Minor. When finally they decide to stop at the town of Sardis, Cassius
and Brutus quarrel bitterly over finances. Their differences are resolved, however, and plans
are made to meet the forces of Antony, Octavius, and Lepidus in one final battle. Against his
own better judgment, Cassius allows Brutus to overrule him: Instead of holding to their well-
prepared defensive positions, Brutus orders an attack on Antony's camp on the plains of
Philippi. Just before the battle, Brutus is visited by the ghost of Caesar. "I shall see thee at
Philippi," the spirit warns him, but Brutus' courage is unshaken and he goes on.

The battle rages hotly. At first, the conspirators appear to have the advantage, but in the
confusion, Cassius is mistakenly convinced that all is lost, and he kills himself. Leaderless, his
forces are quickly defeated, and Brutus finds himself fighting a hopeless battle. Unable to
face the prospect of humiliation and shame as a captive (who would be chained to the
wheels of Antony's chariot and dragged through the streets of Rome), he too takes his own
life.

As the play ends, Antony delivers a eulogy over Brutus' body, calling him "the noblest
Roman of them all." Caesar's murder has been avenged, order has been restored, and, most
important, the Roman Empire has been preserved.

Summary - The tribunes of Rome, Marullus and Flavius, break up a gathering of citizens who want to
celebrate Julius Caesar's triumphant return from war. The victory is marked by public games in which
Caesar's protégé, Mark Antony, takes part. On his way to the arena, Caesar is stopped by a stranger
who warns him that he should 'Beware the Ides [15th] of March.'

Fellow senators, Caius Cassius and Marcus Brutus, are suspicious of Caesar's reactions to the power
he holds in the Republic. They fear he will accept offers to become Emperor. He has been gaining a
lot of power recently and people treat him like a god. Cassius, a successful general himself, is jealous
of Caesar. Brutus has a more balanced view of the political position. The conspirator Casca enters
and tells Brutus of a ceremony held by the plebeians. They offered Caesar a crown three times, and
he refused it every time. But the conspirators are still wary of his aspirations.
 Cassius, Casca, and their allies plant false documents to manipulate Brutus to join their cause to
remove Caesar. After doing so, they visit Brutus at night in his home to persuade him of their views.
There they plan Caesar's death. Brutus is troubled but refuses to confide in his devoted wife, Portia.
On 15 March, Caesar's wife, Calpurnia, urges him not to go to the Senate. She has had visionary
dreams and fears the portents of the overnight storms.
Page | 14
Caesar is nevertheless persuaded by flattery to go to the Capitol. At the Capitol, he is stabbed by
each conspirator in turn. As Brutus gives the final blow, Caesar utters the famous phrase: ‘Et tu,
Brute?’

Against Cassius's advice, Brutus allows Mark Antony to speak a funeral oration for Caesar in the
market place. He is allowed under the condition that first Brutus must address the people to explain
the conspirators' reasons and their fears for Caesar's ambition. After Brutus speaks, the crowd
becomes calm and supports his cause. However, Antony, in his speech, questions the motives of the
conspirators and reminds the crowd of Caesar's benevolent actions and of his refusal to accept the
crown. He also reads them Caesar's will, in which Caesar leaves public land and money to each
Roman citizen. Antony's speech stirs the crowd into a murderous riot, and the conspirators are
forced to flee from the city.

Brutus and Cassius gather an army in Northern Greece and prepare to fight the forces led by Mark
Antony. Antony has joined with Caesar's great-nephew, Octavius, and with a man called Lepidus.
Away from Rome, Brutus and Cassius are filled with doubts about the future and quarrel over funds
for their soldiers' pay. After making amends, they prepare to engage Antony's army at Philippi,
despite Cassius' misgivings about the site. Brutus stoically receives news of his wife's suicide in
Rome. He then sees Caesar's ghost as he tries to rest and is unable to sleep on the eve of the
conflict.

In the battle, the Republicans (led by Brutus) appear to be winning at first. But when Cassius'
messenger's horse seems to be overtaken by the enemy, Cassius fears the worst and gets his servant
to help him to a quick death. After finding Cassius's body, Brutus commits suicide. He believes this to
be the only honourable option left to him. Antony, triumphant on the battlefield, praises Brutus as
'the noblest Roman of them all' and orders a formal funeral before he and Octavius return to rule in
Rome.
Page | 15

Conventions of Shakespearean Tragedy

Explain these contextual ideas:

Divine Right of
Kings
It is the belief that the authority of the king was appointed by God, which means that
disobeying the king and the law in place is a sin in itself. This was a mechanism put in place
to control the people of the land.
 The belief that a king’s authority to rule comes directly from a higher power, usually a god or
divine being. It means that the king’s right to rule is absolute and not subject to questioning
by his subjects.

Page | 16
Great Chain of Elizabethans believed that God set out an order for everything in the universe. This was
Being known as the Great Chain of Being. On Earth, God created a social order for everybody and
chose where you belonged.

Hierarchy God – Kings/Queens – Nobles and Church – Commoners – Serfs – Slaves

In your own words, what is a tragedy?

A tragedy is a type of story or event where the main character faces serious misfortune, often due to their own flaws
or circumstances beyond their control. Tragedies typically involve a downfall or loss for the protagonist and often
evoke feelings of sadness or sympathy in the audience.

Aristotelian Tragedy - Noble protagonist

Modern Tragedy – Common man protagonist

Conventions of a Shakespearian Tragedy:

• The protagonist is a good person who suffers due to a flaw (hamartia) caused by human
weakness or a vice such as hubris (excessive pride).
• Moral weakness causes the protagonist’s downfall; they bring the events upon themselves
 rather than just external forces.
• External influences may be fate, evil spirits, manipulative characters resulting in an
unexpected reversal of circumstance (peripeteia).
• Fatal, catastrophic ending.
• The tragedy is brought about by individual (they play a pivotal role in their own destruction)
Page | 17 or other circumstances.
• A dramatic form which evokes pity (pathos) and terror in the audience and ends with
catharsis where pity and terror subsides for the audience.
• The audience identifies with the hero’s suffering as representative of the human condition.
• Protagonist brings about the suffering and death of others due to flaw or error of
judgement.
• Focuses on noble figures.
• Protagonist struggles against overwhelming fate and in defeat, knowledge and
understanding are realised too late (anagnorisis). There is a sense the protagonist wins the
moral victory over the forces that destroy them.
• Tragedy evokes pity and fear leading to catharsis (cleansing).

Define the following terms:

Hamartia
Character Flaw

Hubris Excessive pride or self confidence

Peripeteia A sudden reversal of change in circumstances

Anagnorisis realisation of one’s mistake

 Pathos A quality that evokes pity and/or sadness

Page | 18

Catharsis
Purification of purgation of emotions.

Themes in Julius Caesar

Background to Julius Caesar
Shakespeare's historical dramas, such as The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, which depicts
Caesar's last bid for absolute power over Rome, his final days as a ruler, and the civil war
that followed his death, looks behind the scenes so we could see the real person
underneath the public image. This was showcased by Caesar hiding his flaws, like his
physical weakness and concern for his own life, while portraying himself as a brave warrior.
He also reveals that ambition is more common than honour, but ambition is also a tragic
flaw that eventually brings down the ambitious. This is most starkly shown in the characters
of Caesar and Brutus. Caesar's ambition led to his fall, while Brutus' decision to murder
Caesar was based on the honour and restoration of the Roman republic. Finally,
Shakespeare warns us not to be as easily swayed by the persuasive rhetoric as the
Romans were. Politicians are not always who they appear to be, and their words are not
always trustworthy.
The Tragedy of Julius Caesar depicts Caesar's last bid for absolute power over Rome, his final
days as a ruler, and the civil war that followed his death. As the drama unfolds, ambition
clashes with honour, with deadly consequences. Shakespeare asks the audience to consider
the reality behind public personas and the truth within political rhetoric.

Public Image vs. Reality

Picture Julius Caesar, the conquering hero, literally draped in laurels, bathing in the ecstatic
cheers of the Roman populace. That's the audience's first image of the title character.
Seems impressive, doesn't it? But Shakespeare wants the audience to see that public image
isn't always reality, especially in politics.
 When the play opens, Caesar has returned to Rome triumphantly, having just squashed
Pompey, his rival for control over an ancient world power. Caesar nobly rejects a crown all
three times it's offered by the plebeian masses, but not because he doesn't want to become
a king or emperor. He simply plans to accept the crown later on. His public image is nothing
short of a Roman god.
Page | 19 Shakespeare doesn't let us believe that image for too long. Soon the audience also learns
that Caesar has a host of weaknesses. In Act I Scene 2, Caesar reveals to Mark Antony, his
closest aide, that he is deaf in one ear. Of course, that's not the most grievous of
weaknesses. But later we learn that Caesar is given to fainting spells. He even fell once when
he was offered the crown.
Another contradiction occurs the morning of Caesar's assassination, the date a soothsayer
had warned him about. He is expected to attend a senate meeting that day. However,
Caesar fishes for a valid excuse not to go. He listens to his wife, Calpurnia as she interprets
omens that foreshadow his eventual death. He nearly concedes to superstition over
courage.
Then, Caesar gives a grand speech touting his bravery. 'Cowards die many deaths,' he
declares. 'The valiant taste death but once.' Finally, Caesar decides to put his public image
above private concerns and walks into the scene of his murder.
Publicly, Caesar wants the world to see him as a brave and noble warrior motivated by the
good of Rome. Privately, he is all too possessed with mortal failings coupled with a desire for
all the laurels he can obtain, including the title of emperor.

Power of Rhetoric
https://www.bl.uk/shakespeare/articles/rhetoric-power-and-persuasion-in-
julius-caesar
'Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears…'
Persuasion is a concept at the centre of this play. Everyone seems to be trying to convince
someone else of something: Caesar tries to create an image in the public's mind of his
crowing (an ancient form of spin doctoring); Cassius finds the best way to manipulate each
man he seeks to bring to his side; and Brutus, whom the reader hopes will refuse to
participate, takes longer than the others to respond to Cassius' manipulations, but
eventually does respond and even finishes the job for him by persuading himself (see his
soliloquy in Act II, Scene I). This pivotal scene, when Brutus joins the conspirators, is also
interesting because Portia, Brutus' wife, serves as the voice of Brutus' conscience.

That's the opening to the play's best-known speech, and a good place to look at another
theme in the play: the power of persuasive rhetoric. Shortly after the Roman senators
assassinate Caesar, the conspirators and their main opposition, Mark Antony, stand before
the Roman public in the form of an impromptu trial. The chief conspirators, Cassius and
Brutus, want the public to see Caesar as a potential tyrant who would rip apart the republic.
Mark Antony, on the other hand, tries to convince Rome that the conspirators acted out of
jealousy.
Shakespeare shows the public swaying with each speech. First, Brutus pacifies an angry
Roman mob with a rational explanation for the need to strike down Caesar, a once great
man corrupted by a dangerous ambition to rule Rome despotically and take freedom from
its citizens. Then, Mark Antony takes the floor and incites the crowd to violence against the
conspiratorial senators.
 Shakespeare's message should resonate with anyone who follows modern politics: The
power of persuasion doesn't lie in whoever tells the truth. The power belongs to whoever
spins the better tale.

Ambition vs. Honour

Page | 20 Horrific deaths catch up to most of the major characters, except for Mark Antony, by the
end of the play. Through their deaths, Shakespeare explores the conflict between honour
and ambition, another key theme in the play.
Ambition is like the finger that knocks over the first in a line of tragic dominoes. Caesar's
ambition for power fuels the conspiracy against him, the first domino. That leads to his
murder, the second domino, and the murder throws Rome into a civil war, the third
domino. The audience learns that the thirst for power destroys the ambitious and causes
massive collateral damage.
We can learn more about honour versus ambition by looking at character motives. Cassius,
the chief conspirator, is motivated by envy of Caesar. Antony, on the other hand, is
motivated by revenge. Only Brutus acts out of honour. He sees the danger in allowing a
dictator to rule Rome, and he alone acts with no self interest. Twenty-two senators stab
Caesar, but only the honourable Brutus can kill him with the 23rd strike. Only honour can
end ambition.
At the end of the play, Brutus, facing capture by Antony's army, makes the honourable
choice and falls on his sword. Mark Antony orders Brutus's body returned to Rome for a
proper burial, the only conspirator so honoured. 'His life was gentle,' Antony says, 'So mix'd
in that Nature might stand up And say to all the world 'This was a man! Even in death,
honour has its rewards.

Leadership
Shakespeare took the potential for upheaval in Julius Caesar and used it to examine a
leadership theme. Concentrating on the responsibilities of the ruling class, he looked at
what could happen if that class no longer had a unified vision and hand lost sight of what it
meant to be Roman. In fact, the characters of the play lose touch with the tradition, glory,
integrity, and stoicism of their past. As you read the play, note the way that Cassius use the
memory of that glorious past to persuade men to become conspirators, and the way the
actions of the conspirators do or do not return Rome to its golden age.

Defining Masculinity
While gender itself is not a central issue to this play, questions of Masculinity and
effeminacy are. Caesar's weakness — his effeminacy — makes him vulnerable. On the other
hand, the incorporation of the so-called feminine traits of compassion and love into the
friendship between Brutus and Cassius paradoxically allows the men to show greater
strength and allows the audience to have greater sympathy for them.

Friendship in Julius Caesar

Friendship is an important idea in William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. Examining the
relationships in the play helps us understand the motives and desires of the characters. For
example:
  Cassius's friendship with Brutus is shown when Cassius makes sure Brutus's mood
doesn't mean he's angry at him. Then, Cassius uses their friendship to manipulate
Brutus and gets him to join the conspiracy against Caesar.
 Mark Antony's friendship with Caesar, (emphasized by Caesar asking Antony to
touch his wife to cure her sterility) causes Antony to instigate the war in Rome and
Page | 21 avenge Caesar's murder.
 Finally, the friendship between Brutus and Caesar gives the audience an example of
extreme betrayal, when Caesar utters the phrase, 'Et tu, Brute?'

Friendship of Brutus and Cassius

One of the first examples of friendship that we see in Julius Caesar is between Brutus and
Cassius. This is important because Cassius uses their friendship to manipulate Brutus. At one
point Cassius says:
'Brutus, I do observe you now of late:
I have not from your eyes that gentleness
And show of love as I was wont to have:
You bear too stubborn and too strange a hand
Over your friend that loves you.'
In other words, Cassius has noticed that Brutus is being distant with him. Cassius loves
Brutus and wants to know if he is upset with him. But then, Brutus explains that he is just
worried about something private in his own life.
When Cassius realizes that Brutus is upset about something else, and that he isn't angry
with him, Cassius immediately launches into a tirade about Caesar. He even goes so far as to
casually plan an assassination, which is, of course, a very serious offense. However, the fact
that Cassius felt that comfortable sharing his hatred of Caesar with Brutus shows just how
close the men are. In addition, Cassius knows that Brutus is also worried about Caesar ruling
Rome. Brutus does not tell Cassius this directly, but because they are so close, Cassius is
able to guess his concern about Caesar ruling Rome. Thus, the close friendship between the
two men is integral in launching the plot against Caesar.

Julius and Mark Antony Friendship

Another important friendship in the play is between Julius Caesar and Mark Antony. From
the beginning of the play, the audience knows that Mark Antony and Caesar are close. At
one point, Caesar, relying on an old wive's tale about runners and infertility, even asks Mark
Antony to touch his wife while he's running in an attempt to cure of her of her sterility.
In fact their friendship is so strong, that in the midst of Cassius and Brutus planning Caesar's
murder, Cassius suggests that they kill Mark Antony, too. To support this idea, Cassius says it
would be bad if:
'Mark Antony, so well beloved of Caesar,
Should outlive Caesar: we shall find of him
A shrewd contriver.'
In other words, if Mark Antony outlives Caesar, he might seek revenge. However, in the end,
the men decide to let Mark Antony live. Ultimately, Cassius is proven right when Mark
Antony leads a war against the conspirators.

The Friendship of Brutus and Caesar

 Caesar and Brutus had friendship between them as well. When Caesar is killed, the last
thing he says is 'Et tu, Brute? Then fall, Caesar.' This statement comes after the other
conspirators stab Caesar multiple times. In other words, Caesar is saying 'You too, Brutus?
Then I guess I should die.' This means that Caesar, who thought he was so close with Brutus,
is shocked to see Brutus among the murderers. After he realizes that his friend is in on the
Page | 22 conspiracy, he gives up on life, realizing that his friend has betrayed him in the deepest way
possible.

Loyalty in Julius Caesar

Loyalty is an important concept in Julius Caesar. Brutus's clashing loyalties to Caesar and
Rome show the conflict between love of one's country and feelings for a personal friend.
Both of the women in the play show loyalty when they attempt to help their husbands.
Mark Antony's undying love for Julius Caesar shows the audience how far one man's loyalty
can take him.

Betrayal & Loyalty

'Et Tu, Brute?' This is one of the most famous lines from William Shakespeare's Julius
Caesar. Brutus was a friend of Julius Caesar. In the scene where all the men stab Caesar, he
doesn't respond to them until he sees that Brutus has stabbed him as well. His response is,
'Et tu, Brute! Then fall, Caesar' which means 'You too Brutus! Then I will die.' This quote
suggests that the betrayal by Brutus is just as responsible for his death as the wounds
inflicted by the swords. The concept of loyalty is well explored in Julius Caesar.

Brutus
From the beginning of the play, the audience knows that Brutus is most loyal to Rome. He
respects Caesar but loves Rome more. In Act I scene ii, Cassius asks if Brutus would like
Caesar to be king. Brutus responds, 'I would not, Cassius. Yet I love him well.' In other
words, even though Brutus loves Caesar, he doesn't believe Rome should be under a
dictatorship. After Cassius makes his argument that Caesar should not be king, Brutus asks
to be left alone to gather his thoughts.
Brutus agonizes over whether or not to kill Caesar. The reason for his agony is that he feels
loyalty toward his country as well as loyalty toward Caesar. Brutus goes to his orchard
hoping to clear his thoughts. In Act II scene i, Brutus finally concludes that, for the sake of
Rome, he must kill Caesar. He tells himself to think of Caesar 'as a serpent's egg which,
hatch'd, would, as his kind, grow mischievous, / And kill him in the shell.' Brutus knows that
Caesar hasn't done anything dangerous, but reasons that if he was given the power of a
dictator, he would become a threat to freedom. For this reason, he betrays his loyalty to
Caesar and joins the assassins.

The Women
While one could try to analyze Calpurnia and Portia as full characters in their own right, they
function primarily not as sympathetic personalities or sources of insight or poetry but rather
as symbols for the private, domestic realm. Both women plead with their husbands to be
more aware of their private needs and feelings (Portia in Act II, scene i; Calpurnia in Act III,
scene ii). Caesar and Brutus rebuff the pleas of their respective wives, however; they not
 only prioritize public matters but also actively disregard their private emotions and
intuitions. As such, Calpurnia and Portia are powerless figures, willing though unable to help
and comfort Caesar and Brutus.
There are only two female characters in the play. Portia is Brutus's wife, and Calpurnia is
Caesar's wife. Both women display loyalty toward their husbands. Portia notices that
Page | 23 Brutus's behaviour has changed. Portia tells Brutus that she should know what is bothering
her husband. Brutus tells her that it's not a big deal and that he's just feeling sick. She knows
otherwise. She believes that Brutus is not telling her what's up because he doesn't trust her.
In order to prove that she would be loyal to Brutus, she stabs herself in the thigh. She does
this to show that even if she was physically tortured, she would be loyal to him and not
reveal his secrets.
Calpurnia shows her loyalty to Caesar in another way. Calpurnia has a violent dream in
which a statue of Caesar spews blood. Calpurnia tells Caesar to stay home because the
dream must be a bad sign. Caesar initially ignores her, but Calpurnia continues to express
her concern. In the time of Caesar, women were expected to be submissive, so Calpurnia's
insistence was unusual and risky. Caesar eventually agrees to stay home in order to please
Calpurnia. Unfortunately, a conspirator comes along and convinces Caesar to leave the
house anyway.

Mark Antony
Mark Antony is the character who is most loyal to Caesar. After the conspirators kill Caesar,
Mark Antony comes upon the scene and begins to hatch a plan. He pretends that the
assassins made the right decision. He shakes all their hands and tells them that he simply
wishes to give Caesar a burial, if they'll allow it. When the time comes for Caesar's burial,
Mark Antony delivers a speech that pits the commoners against the conspirators, causing
war to break out against Cassius, Brutus, and the other murderers. Mark Antony's loyalty to
Caesar is so strong that he is willing to lie, incite riots, and go to war.

Betrayal in Julius Caesar

The play is based on the history of the real Julius Caesar, who, after having just returned
after defeating Pompey the Great, was appointed dictator of the Roman Republic.
Afterwards he was betrayed by two of his closest friends, Brutus and Cassius. Cassius
manipulated Brutus into thinking that Caesar was trying to destroy Rome and that the
citizens wanted him dead. Cassius, Brutus, and the other senators decided to assassinate
Caesar at the senate where his bodyguards would have to wait outside.
There, they all stabbed him. Caesar's dying words are 'Et tu, Brute? Then fall Caesar,' when
he realizes Brutus is in on the murder. The Roman Republic in turn felt betrayed by the
Senate and revolted. Cassius is killed, and Brutus kills himself. In the end, Caesar's
assassination leads to the destruction of the Republic.

Betrayal by Cassius
Julius Caesar is famous for being betrayed, which ultimately ends in his murder. He was
betrayed by many people whom he thought were his close friends, but the readers saw them
as enemies clothed as trusted companions.
 The character Cassius is the character mainly behind the orchestration of Caesar's
assassination. His motive? Well, Cassius is a loyal supporter of Pompey, and his loyalty still
remains with him. Cassius plots to kill Caesar, and he has the support from others, but a big
missing link is Caesar's closest friend, Brutus, whom he needs for his plan to work. Brutus is
considered the biggest betrayer because of his friendship with Caesar.
Page | 24 Cassius is a master manipulator and is able to convince Brutus that Caesar must die. Brutus
is the most conflicted character in this story, and Cassius knows this. He sways him by telling
Brutus that Caesar is unfair and is drunk with power.
In Act 1, Scene 2, Cassius says to himself:
Well, Brutus, thou art noble. Yet I see thy honorable mettle may be wrought from that it is
disposed. Therefore it is meet that noble minds keep ever with their likes; for who so firm
that cannot be seduced?
Cassius is saying that anyone can be manipulated - especially someone like Brutus.
Cassius starts getting into Brutus' head with stories of how he has saved Caesar's life and
was never recognized for it. He knows that Brutus has a greater love for Rome than he does
for Caesar. Cassius even goes as far to write fake letters to Brutus that are supposed to be
from citizens concerned about Caesar's position and asking Brutus to take over.

Brutus' Ultimate Betrayal

Caesar's murder by multiple Roman senators, including his closest friend Brutus, is the
ultimate betrayal in this tragedy. Sixty members of the Senate decided that the only way to
remove Caesar from power was to assassinate him. They had decided on the Senate as the
place Caesar should die, as Caesar's bodyguards would have to stay outside, and their
daggers could be hidden beneath their robes.
Caesar had some warning, but he chose to ignore them all. One example is when Caesar
sees a soothsayer (fortune teller) twice, and each time the soothsayer tells him, 'Beware the
Ides of March.' He just writes the soothsayer off as dreamer, but the soothsayer was actually
right all along. Caesar's wife has a premonition of his murder in a dream and begs him not
to go to the capital, but Caesar is convinced otherwise.
Caesar was stabbed over 30 times and died at the foot of Pompey's Statue on The Ides of
March. His last words are possibly one of the most popular phrases when quoting betrayal
or this tragedy. It is in Act 3, Scene 1, when Caesar is being murdered and he sees Brutus as
one of his assassins. Caesar says 'Et tu, Brute? Then fall, Caesar.' In other words, Caesar is
saying 'You too, Brutus?! Then I guess I should die.'

The Aftermath
A riot ensued after Caesar's assassination, as well as other events that the murderers were
not expecting. Caesar had made his grandnephew his sole heir, and the senators were made
enemies of the state. After trying to defeat Caesar's heir in battle, Cassius ends up being
killed, and Brutus later kills himself out of guilt for betraying and murdering his best friend.
Before using his sword to end his own life, Brutus declares that in killing himself he is
avenging Caesar's murder: 'Caesar, now be still. I killed not thee with half so good a will.'
The Roman Republic was destroyed after this and came to a close around 26 BC.
 Caesar at the Senate

Page | 25

Fate in Julius Caesar

In Julius Caesar, questions relating to fate and free will are explored extensively. Many of
the characters express different viewpoints on fate. Although certain lines in the play do
suggest the possibility of free will, the play ends exactly as the soothsayer predicted,
indicating that fate is in fact a deciding factor in the outcome.

Free Will and Determinism

The philosophical question of free will versus determinism essentially asks to what extent
we have control over our own actions and destiny. Free will is the ability to make our own
choices, which will ultimately affect what happens in the future. On the other hand,
determinism suggests that our actions are ultimately beyond our control. Determinism does
not necessarily imply a belief in prophecies or supernatural forces. It may also refer to a
belief that people's actions are shaped by their natural tendencies, environment, and other
real-world factors outside their control. However, free will versus determinism is often
explored in stories like Julius Caesar which do involve characters catching a glimpse of some
preordained destiny.

Fate in Julius Caesar

Throughout Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, destiny and fate versus free will is explored in great
depth. Characters' attitudes vary considerably: Julius Caesar is frequently warned about
upcoming threats but pays little attention; Cassius expresses a belief that people can control
their own destiny; and Calpurnia, Artemidorus, the soothsayer and the augurers are
convinced of Julius Caesar's fate but unable to prevent it. Although many characters attempt
to prevent fate from taking its course or claim that they are in control, none of the
predictions or warnings are enough to prevent what eventually happens to Julius, and
destiny seems to be outside anyone's control.

The Ides of March

In Act I, scene II of Julius Caesar, fate is brought up for the first time when Caesar is
confronted in public by a soothsayer who warns him to "Beware the Ides of March."
Although Caesar is suspicious of Cassius and believes he may be dangerous, Caesar is
dismissive of the soothsayer, calling him a "dreamer" and ignoring the warning. However,
later on in the play, it becomes obvious that there is good reason for Caesar to be cautious
of what may happen on that day. He does not take the warning seriously, but Julius Caesar
cannot escape his fate.

Calpurnia's Dream
Another example of fate in Julius Caesar comes in Act II, Scene II, where Caesar's wife,
Calpurnia, begs him not to leave their house that day. She has had a nightmare and heard of
 various unusual signs which she believes signal his impending death, claiming that "the
heavens themselves blaze forth the death of princes". She nearly convinces him by urging
him to place the blame on her: "Call it my fear that keeps you in the house, and not your
own." However, he is persuaded to ignore her warning and go to the Senate anyway.

Page | 26 The Augurers

In the same scene where Calpurnia begs Caesar to remain at home, he asks a servant what
the augurers - who used the entrails of animals to predict the future - have to say about the
matter. The augurers agree with Caesar's wife, but Caesar likewise dismisses their concerns.
When told that, "Plucking the entrails of an offering forth, they could not find a heart within
the beast," he replies with an alternate interpretation: "Caesar should be a beast without a
heart if he should stay at home today for fear."

Free Will
Most of the characters in Julius Caesar believe in destiny, whether they take it seriously or
not. However, Cassius seems convinced that the future is less predetermined than the
others make it out the be. When speaking to co-conspirator Brutus, he says the following:
Men at some time are masters of their fates:
The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars,
But in ourselves, that we are underlings.

In Shakespeare's work, the stars are often used as a representation of destiny due to the
belief in astrology, the idea that the stars can influence or predict the future. Another
similar example is the description of Romeo and Juliet as "a pair of star-crossed lovers."
Therefore, by claiming that the stars are not involved, but rather, they are "masters of their
fates," Cassius is essentially describing the concept of free will.
It is ironic, however, that Cassius believes he and Brutus are acting due to free will while
their actions lead to the very events predicted by the soothsayer, the augurers, and
Calpurnia: Julius Caesar's death. The question remains of whether their actions were
predetermined by fate or simply predicted by these characters, but it certainly does seem
that the future as portrayed by Shakespeare in Julius Caesar is not purely the result of
individuals' random choices.

Examples of fate in Julius Caesar

Although the word "fate" or "fates" appears only three times in the play,
Shakespeare's Julius Caesar includes many quotes relating to fate or destiny, including the
following:
 "Beware the Ides of March" - a soothsayer's warning early in the play.
 "The heavens themselves blaze forth the deaths of princes" - a belief in astrology is
mentioned when Calpurnia describes her reasons for attempting to keep her
husband home.
 "She dreamt tonight she saw my statue, which like a fountain with a hundred spouts
did run pure blood" - Calpurnia's dream, which she interprets as a warning that
Caesar will be murdered.
 "If thou read this, O Caesar, thou mayest live; if not, the fates with traitors do
contrive" - a man named Artemidorus attempts to warn Caesar of the Brutus and
 Cassius' plot, suggesting that the note will reach him successfully unless the
conspiracy is destined to succeed.
 "Men at some time are masters of their fates; The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our
stars" - Cassius expresses a belief in free will, in contrast to the other characters,
who concern themselves with signs and prophetic dreams.
Page | 27  "Fates, we will know your pleasures." - Brutus discusses fate.

Superstition in Julius Caesar

Superstitions, or the beliefs in supernaturally predetermined outcomes, are an important part of
William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. Caesar has his own superstitions relating to his wife's ability to
bear children. He also believes in sacrificing animals and interpreting their entrails. Casca is the most
superstitious of the characters and is worried about the storm and other omens he sees. Finally,
Calpurnia allows herself to be superstitious when it comes to protecting her husband.

Calpurnia's Curse
One of the first examples of superstition is when Caesar asks his friend to touch his wife while he is
competing in a race. Caesar says ''Forget not in your speed, Antonius, / To touch Calpurnia, for our
elders say / The barren, touched in this holy chase, / Shake off their sterile curse.'' In other words,
Caesar believes that Mark Antony can cure Calpurnia's fertility issues by touching her. The fact that
Caesar calls their lack of children a ''curse'' even further shows that he does not believe there is a
logical explanation. He is superstitious about his wife.

Casca's Overreaction
One of the most detailed examples of superstition in Julius Caesar is the storm in Act 1 scene 3. One
character in particular, Casca, is overwhelmed by what he sees. He is worried about the storm and
says that ''Or else the world, too saucy with the gods, / Incenses them to send destruction.'' Cicero
asks if Casca is that afraid of the storm or if he has seen anything more serious. Casca describes
several other instances that suggest bad luck.
Casca tells Cicero that he saw a slave's hand burst into flames without causing the man any pain. He
also says that he crossed a lion in the street that simply looked at him and walked away. He goes on
to say that he also spoke to a group of women who were terrified after seeing men running through
the streets while they were on fire. Lastly, he says that an owl was out during the day and was
hooting.
The first things Casca describes sound pretty scary, and it is easy to understand why he might be
worried about people on fire and lions roaming the street. The last item he mentions, the owl, is a
perfect example of superstitious overreaction. Out of all the things Casca lists, the owl is the least
worrisome. The fact that it is listed among other truly disturbing events shows that Casca has a deep
superstition about an owl being spotted during the day.

Calpurnia's Superstition
Caesar's wife, Calpurnia, is also worried about the signs of the storm. She tells Caesar ''Caesar, I
never stood on ceremonies, / Yet now they fright me.'' In this passage, she is saying that she is usually
not superstitious, but the things she has seen are worth worrying about. Caesar dismisses her
concerns. He tells her that if the gods have a plan for him, then there is nothing they can do.
Interestingly, Caesar engages in his own superstition by asking his servants to slaughter an animal
and then interpret the results of the slaughter by examining the animals' guts. The servants report
that they could not find a heart in the animal and that it is a sign he should not leave the house.
 Caesar applies his own interpretation and says that he would be a beast with no heart if he allowed
fear to keep him home.

Iambic Pentameter in Julius Caesar

Page | 28 What is Iambic Pentameter
When you read a story or a poem, do you ever pay attention to the way the words flow?
Maybe as you read out loud, you find that the pace of your speech picks up. Or you find
yourself emphasizing certain words or syllables. This is referred to as the meter, or the
specific rhythm that a piece of writing follows.
One of the most common meters found in poetry (also called verse) is iambic pentameter.
Pronounced, 'I-Am-Bick Pen-Tam-It-Er'.
The word 'iambic' describes a pattern of unstressed and stressed syllables; in pairs of two,
the first syllable is unstressed, and the second syllable is stressed. Pentameter explains how
many pairs of unstressed/stressed syllables appear in a single line of poetry. Stressed
syllables are the parts of a word that get the most emphasis, while unstressed syllables get
less emphasis. The prefix penta- means five, so you should expect to see five pairs of
unstressed/stressed syllables. That's ten syllables in total!

Example of Iambic Pentameter

Let's take a look at an example of iambic pentameter. First, read the line of poetry from
Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet in your head, then read it out loud:
'But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks?'
Can you hear where the unstressed and stressed syllables fall? This line of verse reads as
follows:
'But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks?'
The bolded syllables show you where your voice naturally stresses or emphasizes each
syllable. Notice how there are ten syllables, five unstressed and five stressed.
Writers, especially poets, use iambic pentameter to create a specific effect in their writing.
Iambic pentameter flows naturally off the tongue and gives a sense of forward motion for
the reader. William Shakespeare was a big fan of iambic pentameter and used it in many of
his poems, but he also used it in his plays as well!

Iambic Pentameter in Julius Caesar

While Julius Caesar is a play, much of it is actually written like a poem. As you read Julius
Caesar, you may notice that there's a distinct difference between the way characters speak.
Shakespeare's noble Roman characters like Caesar, Cassius, and Brutus generally speak in
iambic pentameter, meanwhile common characters like the Soothsayer speak normally.
Shakespeare did this to subtly highlight the differences between the social status of
characters. It's also a way to add emphasis to the words of important characters. Below
you'll find a number of examples of iambic pentameter from the play.
 Decimus Brutus
Decimus Brutus is one of many politicians from the play Julius Caesar. In this quote, he
discusses the premonitions and omens about Caesar's demise. Notice how each line of his
dialogue is written in iambic pentameter:
'This dream is all amiss interpreted;
Page | 29 It was a vision fair and fortunate:
Your statue spouting blood in many pipes,
In which so many smiling Romans bathed,
Signifies that from you great Rome shall suck
Reviving blood, and that great men shall press
For tinctures, stains, relics and cognizance.
This by Calpurnia's dream is signified.'
Julius Caesar
In the play, Caesar speaks about death and cowardice:
'Cowards die many times before their deaths;
The valiant never taste of death but once.
Of all the wonders that I yet have heard.
It seems to me most strange that men should fear;
Seeing that death, a necessary end,
Will come when it will come.
Notice how the last line of the verse is not actually iambic pentameter. It's actually iambic
trimeter because it only has three sets of unstressed/stressed syllables.

Lucius
Lucius is one of the conspirators planning to do away with Julius Caesar:
'The taper burneth in your closet, sir.
Searching the window for a flint, I found
This paper thus seal'd up; and I am sure,
It did not lie there when I went to bed.'
 CHARACTERS IN JULIUS CAESAR

Page | 30
 Julius Caesar
The main character in this famous play is not Julius Caesar, although his death is the catalyst
for the tragic events that unfold.
At the play’s start, Julius Caesar is the sole ruler of the Roman Republic, having recently
defeated Pompey. His ascent to the throne—and the political unrest surrounding it—drives
Page | 31
the plot and produces the play’s central tensions. Although the play is named after Caesar,
he is not the protagonist and speaks far less often than he is spoken about. Caesar is a
polarizing figure: revered or despised. In his appearances, Caesar often speaks of himself in
the third person—“No, Caesar shall not”—a testament to his sense of personal grandiosity.
Yet his pomp is tempered by his devotion to his wife, Calpurnia, and his genuine desire to
serve Rome.
Julius Caesar's superstitious nature, however, is worth mentioning. At the beginning of the
play, Caesar asks Mark Antony, his friend, to touch his wife's garment during a race to
release her from her infertility. Later, when he is approached by a soothsayer and warned to
beware the Ides of March, Caesar takes note, although he minimizes the event, calling the
man a dreamer.
Also, when Calpurnia, his wife, warns him not to attend the senate meeting on March 15th
because of a nightmare she has had and because of odd omens and storms, he concedes to
her wishes until he is persuaded to attend the fateful meeting by his conspirators.
Prophesies, dreams, and storms give pause to his actions, although his pride overrules his
caution.

The conspirators charge Caesar with ambition, and his behaviour substantiates this
judgment: he does vie for absolute power over Rome, revelling in the homage he receives
from others and in his conception of himself as a figure who will live on forever in men’s
minds. However, his faith in his own permanence—in the sense of both his loyalty to
principles and his fixture as a public institution—eventually proves his undoing. At first, he
stubbornly refuses to heed the nightmares of his wife, Calpurnia, and the supernatural
omens pervading the atmosphere. Though he is eventually persuaded not to go to the
Senate, Caesar ultimately lets his ambition get the better of him, as the prospect of being
crowned king proves too glorious to resist.

Caesar’s conflation of his public image with his private self helps bring about his death, since
he mistakenly believes that the immortal status granted to his public self somehow protects
his mortal body. Still, in many ways, Caesar’s faith that he is eternal proves valid by the end
of the play: by Act V, scene iii, Brutus is attributing his and Cassius’s misfortunes to Caesar’s
power reaching from beyond the grave. Caesar’s aura seems to affect the general outcome
of events in a mystic manner, while also inspiring Octavius and Antony and strengthening
their determination. As Octavius ultimately assumes the title Caesar, Caesar’s permanence
is indeed established in some respect.

In using Julius Caesar as a central figure, Shakespeare is less interested in portraying a figure
of legendary greatness than he is in creating a character who is consistent with the other
aspects of his drama. If Brutus and Cassius were eminently evil men insidiously planning the
 cold-blooded murder of an eminently admirable ruler, Julius Caesar would be little more
than a melodrama of suspense and revenge. On the other hand, if Caesar were wholly the
bloody tyrant, there would be little cause for Brutus' hesitation and no justification for
Antony's thirst for revenge. In fact, Shakespeare creates in Caesar a character who is
sometimes reasonable, sometimes superstitious, sometimes compassionate, and sometimes
Page | 32 arrogantly aloof. In so doing, he has projected Caesar as a man whom the nobility have just
reasons to fear, yet who is not a villain.

Flavius concludes his criticism of Caesar in Act I, Scene 1, by expressing his fear that Caesar
desires to "soar above the view of men / And keep us all in servile fearfulness." His opinion is
given credence when, moments later, Casca and Antony's attitude toward Caesar
demonstrates that they consider him a man whose every wish should be considered a
command by the citizens of Rome. Caesar's opinion of himself throughout shows that he
complies with that attitude. He does not fear Cassius because he believes himself to be
beyond the reach of mere humans, and he caps his explanation of his incapability of
experiencing fear by observing, ". . . for always I am Caesar." However, his reference to his
partial deafness provides an obvious contrast between the conceptions of the vain man who
perceives himself in godlike terms and the actual, aging man who stands in imminent danger
of assassination. His potential for evil is further emphasized by the swiftness with which he
summarily has Flavius and Marullus "put to silence." Finally, at the very moment preceding
his death, Caesar compares himself to the gods of Olympus in his determination to continue
his arbitrary administration of Roman justice.

Caesar's teeming arrogance and pride more than offset his proven ability to reason. He
expresses a fatalistic acceptance of the inevitability of death when he tells Calpurnia how
strange it is to him "that men should fear; / Seeing that death, a necessary end, / Will come
when it will come." But it is not his belief that the hour of his death has been predetermined
and thus cannot be avoided that causes him to ignore the portents, his priests, and
Calpurnia. Instead, he ignores them because of Decius' challenge to his sense of pride and to
his ambition. Caesar, who is so perceptive in his analysis of Cassius, cannot always look
"quite through the deeds" of a calculating deceiver.

From his first appearance, Caesar openly displays a superstitious nature, but also from the
beginning he displays a propensity to ignore warnings and signs that should alert a man of
his beliefs. He enters the action of the play by advising Calpurnia to seek a cure for her
sterility by ritual, and he exits fifteen lines later, dismissing the soothsayer as "a dreamer."
He ignores the soothsayer, Calpurnia, the many portents, his priests, and finally Artemidorus
because he has ceased to think of himself as a fallible human being, and because he
passionately wants to be crowned king. He does not fear Cassius, although he knows him to
be a danger to political leaders, because he believes that he and Cassius occupy two
separate levels of existence. Cassius is a man; Caesar, a demigod. He even comes to think of
himself in terms of abstract qualities, considering himself older and more terrible even than
"danger." His sense of superiority to his fellow humans, as well as his overriding ambition to
be king, ultimately prevent him from observing and reasoning clearly.

Caesar as a viable character in the play endures beyond his assassination. Brutus wants to
"come by Caesar's spirit / And not dismember Caesar." In fact, Brutus and the conspirators
 succeed in dismembering the corporeal Caesar, but they fail to destroy his spirit. Antony
invokes the spirit of Caesar first in his soliloquy in Act III, Scene 1, and he uses it to bring the
citizens of Rome to rebellion in Act III, Scene 2. The ghost of Caesar appears to Brutus at
Sardis and again at Philippi, signifying that Brutus has failed to reconcile mentally and
morally his participation in the murder, as well as signifying that his and Cassius' fortunes
Page | 33 are fading. Caesar's spirit ceases to be a force in the play only when Cassius and Brutus
commit suicide, each acknowledging that he does so to still the spirit of Caesar.

Calpurnia
Calpurnia is the wife of Julius Caesar. She only appears in two scenes in the play, a small but
significant role. As Caesar’s wife, Calpurnia is part of the chorus of characters who
repeatedly warn Caesar that various signs and omens suggest that he is in great danger.
Calpurnia is the only character who can make Caesar heed these warnings—if only
momentarily—when she begs Caesar to stay home. She tells Caesar about her prophetic
dream where Caesar’s statue ran with blood, which correctly predicts what will happen
when Caesar goes to the Senate and is stabbed by the conspirators. Caesar agrees to
pretend to be sick, saying “…for thy humour I will stay at home.” Caesar seems to genuinely
value his wife and respect her opinions. While Caesar comes across as a somewhat distant
character, his relationship with Calpurnia humanizes him. Calpurnia stands as a contrast to
Portia, who also begs her husband Brutus not to go out, but with much less effect. In both
instances, the wives are correct, and their husbands’ decisions to ignore their warnings
ultimately lead to both men’s deaths. Only Calpurnia can briefly derail this inevitable fate.

She appears first in Act 1, Scene 2, as part of Caesar's triumphal procession; Caesar
mentions that she has not had any children (and perhaps cannot have children). Her second
and final appearance is in Act 2, Scene 2, which occurs at Caesar's house on the Ides of
March (March 15th). At the beginning of the scene, Caesar observes that "Nor heaven nor
earth have been at peace tonight:/Thrice hath Calpurnia in her sleep cried out,/'Help, ho!
They murder Caesar!'"
Calpurnia then enters, and entreats Caesar not to leave the house, believing that something
bad will happen if he does. She recounts the strange things that happened the night before:
a lioness gave birth in the streets of Rome; the dead rose from their graves; and "Fierce fiery
warriors fought upon the clouds,/In ranks and squadrons and right form of war,/Which
drizzled blood upon the Capitol." Caesar insists that he is not afraid, and that he is still going
to go to the Senate. He believes that he will be perceived as cowardly if he does not.
Calpurnia tells him that his "wisdom is consumed in confidence" and again asks him to stay
home for her sake. She tells him that he can say it is because she is afraid, not because he is.
Caesar agrees to stay home for her sake.
Decius Brutus, one of the conspirators in the assassination plot (a different character than
Brutus) arrives to take Caesar to the Senate. Caesar tells Decius Brutus that he will not go to
the Senate that day. Calpurnia tells Decius Brutus to tell the Senators that Caesar is sick;
Caesar, however, refuses to offer a lie as an excuse for his absence. Decius Brutus presses
Caesar for a reason that he will not come to the Senate that day. Caesar says that Calpurnia
 wishes for him to stay at home, because "She dreamt tonight she saw my statua,/Which,
like a fountain with an hundred spouts,/Did run pure blood: and many lusty Romans/Came
smiling, and did bathe their hands in it." Decius Brutus, motivated to get Caesar to the
Senate in order to assassinate him, tells him that Calpurnia misinterpreted her own dream.
He says that Calpurnia's dream means that "from you great Rome shall suck/Reviving
Page | 34 blood." He then tells Caesar that the Senate was planning to crown him that day, but that
they may change their minds if the find out that he stayed home because his wife had a bad
dream. Caesar once again changes his mind, deciding to go to the Senate, and scolding
Calpurnia for her foolish fear.
This is Calpurnia's last appearance in the play, and she is portrayed desperately trying to
protect her husband's life. After Caesar's death, Mark Antony takes over the role of Caesar's
protector. Just as Calpurnia fights to protect Caesar's life, Antony fights to protect his legacy,
and for revenge on his assassins. This makes Calpurnia and Antony allies with one another,
although they never directly interact in the play.

Calpurnia's Dream
On the night before Caesar's assassination on the Idea of March, Calpurnia has a prophetic
dream foretelling his death. Before she is awake, Caesar comments that in the night
Calpurnia cried out "Help, ho! They murder Caesar!" three times in her sleep. Calpurnia then
asks her husband to stay home, discussing all the bad omens that occurred in the streets of
Rome the previous night. When Caesar says that the omens have nothing to do with him,
Calpurnia insists that "When beggars die, there are no comets seen;/The heavens
themselves blaze forth the death of princes."
Calpurnia also says that in the past she did not pay much attention to omens or prophesies,
but she is nonetheless frightened of the recent omens and what they mean for her husband.
Caesar later describes Calpurnia's prophetic dream to one of his soon-to-be assassins: "She
dreamt tonight she saw my statua,/Which, like a fountain with an hundred spouts,/Did run
pure blood." While Caesar ultimately dismisses the significance of Calpurnia's dream, it turns
out to be an omen of Caesar's assassination in Act 3, Scene 1.
Analysis of Calpurnia, Wife of Julius Caesar
In Act 2, Scene 2, we see Calpurnia afraid for her husband's life. Caesar considers staying
home, but ultimately disregards Calpurnia's worries. He believes she is trying to meddle and
interfere with his role as a military leader and politician in Rome, failing to realize that she
has his best interests at heart, and Decius Brutus, who stresses the importance of Caesar
going to the Senate that day, does not.
Part of the reason for Caesar's refusal to stay home is his pride in his reputation as a
courageous man. He believes that Calpurnia is meddling in his masculine duties due to her
unfounded worry. This is an example of dramatic irony, because the audience knows about
the plot against Caesar, and knows that Caesar should listen to Calpurnia instead of being
ruled by his own pride and hubris. In this scene we also see Calpurnia acting as a foil for
Caesar; her rightful caution is contrasted with his overabundance of confidence. Calpurnia
even comments directly on her husband's overconfidence, saying "Your wisdom is
consumed in confidence." Out of love and loyalty, and to soothe her husband's easily-
 wounded pride, Calpurnia tells him to say that he is staying at home because she is afraid,
not because he is. (Caesar momentarily accepts this, and agrees to stay home for her sake.)
Calpurnia's prophetic dream turns out to be correct when Caesar is assassinated. This is just
one of the supernatural elements present in the play, with also include the Soothsayer's
prophecy in Act 1, Scene 2, and the appearance of Caesar's ghost in Act 4, Scene 3. (All of
Page | 35 these supernatural occurrences foretell the death of a major character).
Calpurnia Quotes
Important quotes from Calpurnia in Act 2, Scene 2 include:
"Caesar, I never stood on ceremonies/Yet now they fright me."
 Calpurnia reminds her husband that she is not a superstitious woman; in fact the
opposite is true. However, she is still frightened by all the bad omens that occurred
in the night, correctly believing that they foretell her husband's death.
"A lioness hath whelped in the streets;/And graves have yawn'd and yielded up their
dead,/Fierce fiery warriors fought upon the clouds,/In ranks and squadrons and right form
of war,/Which drizzled blood upon the Capitol."
 Calpurnia describes the many frightening omens that occurred the previous night.
She interprets all of these things as omens of Caesar's death.
"When beggars die, there are no comets seen,/The heavens themselves blaze forth the
death of princes."
 When Caesar insists that the omens probably have nothing to do with him, Calpurnia
insists that they do. She states a belief that such omens always foretell the death of
well-known and powerful men such as her husband.
"Alas, my lord,/Your wisdom is consumed in confidence."
 Calpurnia believes that Caesar is allowing his confidence to overrule his wisdom. She
believes that he would be safer if he exercised caution in this instance. She is proven
right when, after going to the Senate against her advice, Caesar is assassinated by his
colleagues.

Brutus
Brutus emerges as the most complex character in Julius Caesar and is also the play’s
tragic hero. In his soliloquies, the audience gains insight into the complexities of his
motives. He is a powerful public figure, but he appears also as a husband, a master to his
servants, a dignified military leader, and a loving friend. The conflicting value systems that
battle with each other in the play as a whole are enacted on a microcosmic level in Brutus’s
mind. Even after Brutus has committed the assassination with the other members of the
conspiracy, questions remain as to whether, in light of his friendship with Caesar, the
murder was a noble, decidedly selfless act or proof of a truly evil callousness, a gross
indifference to the ties of friendship and a failure to be moved by the power of a truly great
man.
Brutus’s rigid idealism is both his greatest virtue and his most deadly flaw. In the world of
the play, where self-serving ambition seems to dominate all other motivations, Brutus lives
up to Antony’s elegiac description of him as “the noblest of Romans.” However, his
 commitment to principle repeatedly leads him to make miscalculations: wanting to curtail
violence, he ignores Cassius’s suggestion that the conspirators kill Antony as well as Caesar.
In another moment of naïve idealism, he again ignores Cassius’s advice and allows Antony to
speak a funeral oration over Caesar’s body. As a result, Brutus forfeits the authority of
having the last word on the murder and thus allows Antony to incite the plebeians to riot
Page | 36 against him and the other conspirators. Brutus later endangers his good relationship with
Cassius by self-righteously condemning what he sees as dishonourable fund-raising tactics
on Cassius’s part. In all of these episodes, Brutus acts out of a desire to limit the self-serving
aspects of his actions; ironically, however, in each incident he dooms the very cause that he
seeks to promote, thus serving no one at all.

Brutus is the most complex of the characters in this play. He is proud of his reputation for
honour and nobleness, but he is not always practical, and is often naive. He is the only major
character in the play intensely committed to fashioning his behaviour to fit a strict moral
and ethical code, but he take actions that are unconsciously hypocritical. One of the
significant themes that Shakespeare uses to enrich the complexity of Brutus involves his
attempt to ritualize the assassination of Caesar. He cannot justify, to his own satisfaction,
the murder of a man who is a friend and who has not excessively misused the powers of his
office. Consequently, thinking of the assassination in terms of a quasi-religious ritual instead
of cold-blooded murder makes it more acceptable to him. Unfortunately for him, he
consistently misjudges the people and the citizens of Rome; he believes that they will be
willing to consider the assassination in abstract terms.
Brutus is guided in all things by his concepts of honour. He speaks of them often to Cassius,
and he is greatly disturbed when events force him to act in a manner inconsistent with
them. Consider his anguish when he drinks a toast with Caesar while wearing a false face to
hide his complicity in the conspiracy. Ironically, his widely reputed honour is what causes
Cassius to make an all-out effort to bring him into an enterprise of debatable moral
respectability. Brutus' reputation is so great that it will act to convince others who are as yet
undecided to join.
Brutus' concentration on honourable and noble behaviour also leads him into assuming a
naive view of the world. He is unable to see through the roles being played by Cassius,
Casca, and Antony. He does not recognize the bogus letters as having been sent by Cassius,
although they contain sentiments and diction that would warn a more perceptive man. He
underestimates Antony as an opponent, and he loses control over the discussion at the
Capitol following the assassination by meeting Antony's requests too readily. Brutus as a
naive thinker is most clearly revealed in the scene in the Forum. He presents his reasons for
the assassination, and he leaves believing that he has satisfied the Roman citizens with his
reasoned oration. He does not realize that his speech has only moved the mob emotionally;
it has not prodded them to make reasoned assessments of what the conspirators have
done.
Brutus is endowed with qualities that could make him a successful private man but that limit
him severely, even fatally, when he endeavours to compete in public life with those who do
not choose to act with the same ethical and moral considerations. In his scene with Portia,
Brutus shows that he has already become alienated with his once happy home life because
 of his concentration on his "enterprise," which will eventually cause him to lose everything
except the belief that he has acted honourably and nobly. In the tent at Sardis, after learning
of Portia's death and believing that Cassius is bringing discredit on the republican cause,
Brutus becomes most isolated. His private life is destroyed, and he also has difficulty
avoiding the taint of dishonour in his public life.
Page | 37 Brutus makes moral decisions slowly, and he is continually at war with himself even after he
has decided on a course of action. He has been thinking about the problem that Caesar
represents to Roman liberty for an unspecified time when the play opens. After Cassius
raises the subject and asks for Brutus' commitment, he requests time to think the matter
over, and a month later, speaking alone in his orchard, he reveals that he has since thought
of little else. He has trouble arriving at a decision whether to participate in the assassination,
he expresses contradictory attitudes towards the conspiracy, he attempts to "purify" the
murder through ritual, and he condemns Cassius' money-raising practices while asking for a
share. His final words, "Caesar, now be still: / I kill'd not thee with half so good a will," are
almost a supplication for an end to his mental torture.
On the other hand, Brutus characteristically makes decisions that are essential to his and
Cassius' success with much less forethought, and after he's committed to a plan, he does not
waiver. He quickly takes command of the conspiracy and makes crucial decisions regarding
Cicero and Antony. He does not, however, make adequate plans to solidify republican
control of government following the assassination, and he too readily agrees to allow
Antony to speak.
Brutus' character is made even more complex by his unconscious hypocrisy. He has
conflicting attitudes toward the conspiracy, but he becomes more favourable following his
becoming a member of the plot against Caesar. He attacks Cassius for raising money
dishonestly, yet he demands a portion. Nevertheless, at the end, Brutus is a man who nobly
accepts his fate. He dismisses the ghost of Caesar at Sardis. He chooses personal honour
over a strict adherence to an abstract philosophy. He reacts calmly and reasonably to
Cassius' death, as he had earlier in a moment of crisis when Popilius revealed that the
conspiracy was no longer secret. In his last moments, he has the satisfaction of being certain
in his own mind that he has been faithful to the principles embodying the honour and
nobility on which he has placed so much value throughout his life.

Brutus the Tragic Hero

Brutus's complexity makes him a tragic hero because of his conflicted sense of loyalty to
Caesar on one hand and his loyalty to Rome on the other. His allegiance to Caesar becomes
obvious when, upon hearing about the conspirators' assassination plot, Brutus is unwilling
to betray his friend. Although Caesar has shown no symptoms of ambition, Brutus reasons
that Caesar eventually might become everything the conspirators are most afraid of. Brutus
says, "Fashion it thus: that what he is, augmented, / Would run to these and these
extremities. / And therefore think him as a serpent's egg / Which, hatched, would as his kind
grow mischievous / And kill him in the shell."
In other words, a tyrannical Caesar will hatch out of this humble Caesar as soon as he
achieves power. Thus, Brutus helps to plan the assassination: "kill him in the shell. . . Let us
be sacrificers, not butchers."
 While the other senators are driven by jealousy, Brutus seeks only to protect the people of
Rome and to preserve the republic, or so he believes. Brutus, however, misjudges human
nature, for he misreads not only Caesar but also Marc Antony, who is "only Caesar's arm." In
other words, once Caesar is dead, Antony will be helpless. He is mistaken about Caesar's
ambition as well as Antony's helplessness. Furthermore, Brutus also seems mistaken about
Page | 38 his own ambitions. While he convinces himself that he is plotting to kill Caesar out of loyalty
to Rome, he allows himself to be deceived by false information and even believes he is
acting justly when he murders Caesar. Thus, he is a perfect example of a tragic hero because
from the hero's strongest character trait springs the hero's tragic flaw: Brutus's idealism
keeps him from seeing his own errors in judgment.
Furthermore, a tragic hero is a person who, though virtuous in some ways, nevertheless
suffers or even dies because of a tragic flaw. Idealistic Brutus believes he is acting in the best
interests of Rome by killing Caesar, though he chooses incorrectly. He begins to see his error
when he begins to see portents of his own death and especially when the ghost of Caesar
haunts him. Facing inevitable death, Brutus accepts defeat on the battlefield and commits
suicide by falling on his own sword. Upon seeing his corpse, Antony praises Brutus's nobility.
Thus, Brutus is a virtuous man whose tragic flaw brings about suffering or even, in this case,
death, the definition of a tragic hero.

In William Shakespeare’s tragic play Julius Caesar, the protagonist, Brutus, conspires
against and successfully kills Caesar; to only find the city he loves in chaos and mutiny
from his actions.
Brutus: A politician and military commander, Brutus is the play’s protagonist and moral
centre. In Shakespeare’s hands, Brutus, becomes a complicated figure. On the one hand,
Brutus respects and admires Caesar. On the other, Brutus understands that his primary
allegiance lies with Rome and its people. He views Caesar’s increasingly dictatorial
behaviour as a problem. Despite his role in Caesar’s murder, Brutus is always motivated
by a deep sense of responsibility.
Brutus in the eyes of many people was a noble and honourable man who loved and adored
the city of Rome, and no person thought more of this than Caesar. To Caesar, Brutus was
the son he never had, and his love of Brutus was known, therefore the thought of Brutus
betraying him was absurd. However, imagine if not only Brutus did not love Caesar, but he
hated him. If that was the situation in the Julius Caesar, the play would then change
drastically, with almost every quote from Brutus changing. If this is the case, Brutus’ hatred
of Caesar and love of Rome leads to the murder of Caesar because of Brutus’ fear of Caesar
becoming king.
It was known that Brutus loved Rome, but was it his hatred of Caesar concealed? Brutus is a
high ranking man in Rome and a very close friend to Caesar. We see in the beginning that
Brutus has many eternal troubles that he is battling and that his insecurities make him easily
manipulated. If Brutus hated Caesar, Brutus would not have killed Caesar for Rome, but out
of envy and rivalry making his murder savage and gruesome. While trying to convince the
plebeians how the murder of Caesar was for their freedom and why they should see them
 as honourable men protecting Rome, he said “Not that/ I loved Caesar less, but that I love
Rome more.” I believe this quote would not change because Brutus wants the multitude to
believe what he is saying, and adding that he did love Caesar, but loved their city more
made it seem as if Brutus and the conspirators did an unselfish act. If Brutus could betray his
friend he loved for the city and the people, then he must be an honourable man.
Page | 39
The outcome of Caesar’s murder would be very different depending on the motive, with one
being out of freedom and liberty and the other out of hatred. When the conspirators were
discussing plan on how they should precede on killing Caesar , Brutus made it very apparent
on how the killing should go, stating “Let’s kill him boldly but not wrathfully. / Let’s carve
him as a dish fit for gods, / Not hew him as a carcass fit for hounds.” This meant that Brutus
loved Caesar enough to respect his remains and not have the murder perceived as
gruesome but as essential for Rome to remain free, peaceful and have liberty. Brutus
wanted his body to be in such pristine condition that it would be fit for the gods. He was
keeping in mind that he was not killing Caesar out of his personal strife, but for greater well-
being of Rome. This way of thinking would affect the murder from being seen as savage to
humane, only doing what was necessary to kill him. However this would mind set would
change if Brutus hated Caesar. Brutus would not care to respect a body of a man he hated,
he would want to kill him wrathfully, and try to cause the most pain he possibly could.
In the last paragraph, I explained how the murder of Caesar would be gruesome if Brutus
actually did hate Caesar rather than in the actual play were he did love Caesar. Well after
the conspirators stabbed Caesar to death in the street, Brutus announced to the other
conspirators, “And let us bathe our hands in Caesar’s blood/ Up to the elbows, and besmear
our swords.” Not only did the men kill Caesar in the streets of Rome, which symbolizes their
boldness, they smeared Caesar’s own blood on their arms and their swords, which they then
yelled and ran about Rome. This clearly shows the hatred Brutus had for Caesar, with them
leaving the body there and taking another human being’s blood and lathering their blood
upon themselves which is a very savage thing to do. This was not the murder Brutus initially
said; this is not only bold but also wrathfully. What also proved Brutus’ hatred of Caesar was
when Octavius mentioned how many time the conspirators stabbed Caesar, saying “Never,
till Caesar’s three and thirty wounds. “Only someone who truly hated a person could stab a
friend thirty three times who loved them and run around town with that person’s blood on
them to be as a sign of freedom and liberty.
The main reason Brutus joined the conspiracy to kill Caesar was the fear that Caesar would
become king. While in his home when his private thoughts and feelings were revealed, he
coming up with reasons why the death of Caesar necessary for the city of Rome and why
joining the conspiracy was a noble act. The one reason that officially convinced him to join
the conspiracy was when Brutus said, “It must be by his death, and for my part/ I know no
personal cause to spurn at him/ But for the general. He would be crowned.” Brutus had put
his own emotions over for the fact that Caesar would become a king and then overtime
tyrant, enslaving the people of Rome. He felt it was only way to protect the people of Rome,
not for a personal reason, similar to the other men in the conspiracy. This quote in particular
would change drastically in that his personal cause would be out his hatred and envy of
 Caesar and his adore for the general public of Rome. Brutus’ hatred and the love of Rome
would be the only motivation to kill Caesar, making him not stopping for anything until his
motivation was fulfilled.
The play Julius Caesar would be very different if Brutus’ motivation was hatred instead for
Page | 40 the general public and city of Rome. His fear that Caesar would become king was put over
his own personal relationships in hope that Rome would somehow be better and more
prosperous if Caesar was no longer the ruler.

Antony
Mark Antony is a young soldier and politician, as well as an ally and protégé to Julius Caesar.
In the first two acts, Antony makes only brief appearances. Upon Caesar’s death, Antony
steps in to fill the void. Standing over Caesar’s body, Antony transforms from a spirited
young man into brilliant, mercurial statesman. Turning the Roman populace against the
assassins, he delivers one of the signature speeches of the Shakespeare.

Prior to Caesar's assassination, Antony makes four brief appearances in which he speaks a
total of five lines. Twice during Lupercal and again at Caesar's house, he makes short
statements indicating that he is loyal to Caesar as dictator and as a friend. Caesar's confiding
to Antony at Lupercal indicates that he trusts Antony and looks upon him as a friend in
return, perhaps even as a protégé. Antony appears at the Capitol at the beginning of Act III,
Scene 1, but he does not speak before Trebonius leads him out.

When, during Lupercal, Caesar describes Cassius as a dangerous man, Antony defends him
as "a noble Roman and well given." While Antony does not perceive at that time that
Cassius is dangerous, and later underestimates the determination of Octavius, as a ruler, he
is a perceptive observer who verifies Cassius' assessment of him as being a "shrewd
contriver." Following the assassination, Antony quickly grasps that he must deal with Brutus,
and he has the shrewdness to take advantage of Brutus' naïveté. When he has his servant
say that "Brutus is noble, wise, valiant, and honest," it is clear that Antony intends to flatter
Brutus and to work upon those personal qualities of Brutus that represent moral strengths,
but that are also fundamental weaknesses when dealing with a more sophisticated man.

Antony's requests for safety and for an explanation for the murder are reasonable in the
context of the situation, but Brutus' consent to provide both ensures that, upon returning to
the Capitol, Antony can concentrate on his ultimate objective of gaining a forum. At the
Capitol, by having Brutus repeat his promises, Antony succeeds in placing him on the
defensive and in establishing a means to evade the more difficult questions being raised by
Cassius. He is not in the slightest degree deterred by considerations of honesty when
dealing with those whom he wishes to deceive or manipulate. He knows that Brutus wants
to believe that he (Antony) will join the conspirators' cause, and he takes advantage of
Brutus' hope when he falsely tells the conspirators, "Friends am I with you all, and love you
all." He will also freely use half-truths and outright falsehoods to sway the mob at the Forum
to do what he wants.
 Antony faces danger in this meeting from Cassius, who knows him to be a "shrewd
contriver," and from the other conspirators, who know him to be a friend of Caesar. He
disposes of the threat of Cassius by directing his attention to the more powerful and gullible
Brutus, whom he keeps on the defensive by repeating that he will be friends if he receives a
Page | 41 satisfactory explanation. He disposes of the remaining conspirators by boldly raising the
subject of his apparent hypocrisy in making friends with his friend's murderers and by then
shrewdly diverting his comments to the nobility of Caesar. This is much in the manner that
he will turn the citizens to rebellion by professing that he does not want to stir them up.
Antony, in reality, wants two things: to avenge Caesar's murder and to rule Rome. In order
to do both, he must first undermine public confidence in the republicans, and second, he
must drive them from power by creating a chaotic situation that will allow him to seize
power in their place. The method he chooses is to gain permission to speak at Caesar's
funeral, and that is the sole reason he plays the role he does in the Capitol.

In his soliloquy in the Capitol, Antony reveals that he intends to create civil strife throughout
Italy, and in his oration he sets it off to a promising start. He is thoroughly the politically
expedient man in his speech. He wants to create rebellion and overthrow the republicans so
that he and Octavius can fill the vacuum, and he succeeds to the fullest measure. From his
soliloquy in the Capitol until the end of the play, he is constantly ambitious, confident,
successful, and exceptionally ruthless. He has no concern for the welfare of the citizens of
Rome who will suffer in the civil strife he has instigated, he is willing to have a nephew put
to death rather than argue for his life, he seeks to keep as much as he can of Caesar's legacy
to the poor of Rome, and he openly acknowledges that he will remove Lepidus from power
as soon as Lepidus is no longer of use to him.

He has some personality conflict with Octavius, but he is able to relegate it to the
background so that their differences are always secondary to their struggle to defeat Brutus
and Cassius. Antony is also particularly adept at locating the most advantageous point of
attack in all of his confrontations. In the Capitol, rather than confront all of the conspirators,
he concentrates on Brutus' naive sense of honour and nobility. In the Forum, rather than
construct a reasoned argument against the assassins, he appeals to the emotion with which
he saw the crowd respond to Brutus' speech. At Philippi, when Brutus leaves Cassius' army
exposed, Antony attacks immediately. At the conclusion of the play, when Brutus and
Cassius are dead and the republicans thoroughly defeated, he publicly praises Brutus in
order to set about healing the political wounds of Rome. Ironically, Brutus hoped to remove
arbitrary government from Rome by the assassination, but by murdering Caesar, he
established the conditions for an even more ruthless tyranny to seize power in the persons
of Antony and Octavius.

Antony proves strong in all of the ways that Brutus proves weak. His impulsive,
improvisatory nature serves him perfectly, first to persuade the conspirators that he is on
their side, thus gaining their leniency, and then to persuade the plebeians of the
conspirators’ injustice, thus gaining the masses’ political support. Not too scrupulous to
 stoop to deceit and duplicity, as Brutus claims to be, Antony proves himself a consummate
politician, using gestures and skilled rhetoric to his advantage. He responds to subtle cues
among both his nemeses and his allies to know exactly how he must conduct himself at each
particular moment in order to gain the most advantage. In both his eulogy for Caesar and
the play as a whole, Antony is adept at tailoring his words and actions to his audiences’
Page | 42 desires. Unlike Brutus, who prides himself on acting solely with respect to virtue and
blinding himself to his personal concerns, Antony never separates his private affairs from his
public actions.

Cassius
Gaius Cassius Longinus, known as Cassius, is a very rational and manipulative person. He
is controlling, greedy, and puts forth a lot of effort in the military. Cassius is a senator of
Rome. He is a rebel at heart and also wants everything done his way. Cassius is known for
"hears no music," which means that he is not evil, but could never be satisfied.

Cassius: Cassius is a Roman politician who feverishly opposes Caesar. Cassius identifies
Caesar’s rise to power as a problem and gathers the band of assassins. While Brutus
fluctuates in his loyalties, Cassius continually pushes him deeper into the conspiracy. Cassius
is sharp and perceptive, adept at reading the motivations of those around him. He is touchy
and proud, but ultimately loyal to his friends and his cause.

Cassius is a different man to different people, depending on who it is he can be loving or

ruthless, gentle or rough, passionate or mean. Caesar's opinion on Cassius is "Yond Cassius
has a lean and hungry look; He thinks too much: such men are dangerous." ( l.ii.194).
Brutus's opinion is, "The last of all the Romans, fare thee well! It is impossible that ever
Rome should breed thy fellow equal." (V.iii.9) Cassius is a envious of Caesars position and
fearful of what Rome might become if Caesar becomes the king.

Cassius is not very fond of Caesar and Antony. Part of the reason being, Caesar and Antony
do not follow in Cassius’s footsteps. He despises the fact that the Roman people treat Caesar
like an idol. More importantly, he hates the way Caesar runs around acting like he is an idol
to the Roman people. "Why, man, he doth bestride the narrow world /Like a Colossus, and
we petty men / Walk under his huge legs and peep about" (I.ii.10).

Cassius thinks Caesar has a secret plan to become a dictating King. The fact that Caesar
rejects the crown offered to him didn't change Cassius’s mind; Cassius thinks the reason
being is because Caesar does not want the people to know that he wants to rule Rome and
have control of the Romans.

Cassius studied philosophy at Rhodesunder Archelaus and became a fluent speaker in Greek.
He was married to Junia Tertia. They had one son in 60 B.C. Cassius’s wife was the half-sister
to Brutus. Cassius decided to take part in the Battle of Carrhae; the battle was eventually
lost by Marcus Licinius Crassus against the Parthians in 53 B.C.
 In 44 B.C. Cassius was promised the governorship of Syria for the following year. Marcus
Junius Brutus deeply offended him, and Cassius became one of the busiest betrayers against
Caesar, taking a major part in the assassination.

Cassius was forced to withdraw from Rome when he plotted against Caesar; that is when he
Page | 43 began the mission to assassinate him. He left Italy for Syria, where he created a large army
and defeated Publius Cornelius Dolabella.

Cassius compares himself to a metal-worker as he suggests that even the noblest men can
be manipulated. Cassius seduces Brutus. First, he suggests that the Romans want Brutus to
lead them, and then he sent Brutus forged letters telling him to take down Caesar.

Cassius is also responsible for manipulating Brutus into joining the conspiracy, although
Brutus may have been thinking of turning against Caesar already. ”Well, Brutus, thou art
noble; yet, I see, thy honourable metal may be wrought from that it is disposed: therefore it
is meet that noble minds keep ever with their likes; for who so firm that cannot be seduced?”
(l.ii.24).

In 43 B.C. the Caesarian leaders: Mark Antony, Octavia, and Marcus Aemilius Lepidus, came
together to take down Cassius and Brutus. the two of them combined their armies and
camped near Philippi in Macedonia. Cassius and Brutus end up in an argument in the tents
at Sardis. Cassius threatens suicide repeatedly and finally chooses death to the capture of
Antony and Octavius. When he becomes more than an acquaintance to Brutus, he remains
faithful and refuses to blame Brutus for what they encounter at Philippi, even though he has
reason to blame Brutus. Their intention was to starve out the enemy, but they were forced
into a conflict.

Cassius was set up for failure. He felt that he was in charge of his own destiny, “Men at
some times are masters of their fates. The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in
ourselves...” (I.ii.146-147). He strongly disapproved of people that believed in fate until he
became one of those people. While adventuring to the battle of Philippi. Cassius believes
that the birds he saw were omens and tells a friend that he is starting to believe in fate. At
this point in the play, Cassius is becoming less controlling and greedy.

In a speech Cassius tells Messala that he is worried about the upcoming battle against
Caesar. Although Cassius is not a superstitious person, he cannot help but notice that the
two eagles who accompanied the army on their long trek from Sardis have now flown away.
"A canopy most fatal, under which our army lies, ready to give up the ghost." (88-9).

Cassius asks Brutus what he plans to do if they should lose the battle. Brutus rejects suicide,
calling it cowardly and vile, but he also insists that he will never return to Rome as a
prisoner. Before the troops set out, Cassius and Brutus bid a solemn farewell to one another,
“If we do meet again, we'll smile indeed; If not, 'tis true this parting was well made.”

Brutus was successful against Octavia, but Cassius, who was defeated by Mark Antony, gave
up because he mistakenly thought that Brutus was dead. He ordered Antony to assassinate
him. He was known as “the last of the Romans” by Brutus and buried at Thasos.
 Cassius has his negative aspects. He dislikes Caesar deeply; he also becomes an assassin. But
he has generosity in mind that is recognized. When Caesar tells Antony that Cassius is
dangerous, Antony answers, "Fear him not, Caesar; he's not dangerous. He's a noble Roman
and well given." Cassius displays hatred in his verbal attack against Caesar.
Page | 44
Cassius was a man of his word and a great soldier, but in politics he was accused of vanity
and ambition and had an uncontrollable temper and no filter of his words. His portrait in
William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, is remembered historically.

Cassius is a general and long-time friend of Julius Caesar, but because of Caesar's power,
Cassius becomes jealous. Cassius's character develops as the story of The Tragedy of Julius
Caesar unfolds. At first, he leads Brutus into the plot to kill Caesar, but in time he allows
Brutus to lead the conspiracy.
Cassius believes the people of Rome treat Caesar like a king, and frankly, he doesn't like it. It
should be noted that after having known Cassius for a long time, Caesar does not trust him.
In order to remove Caesar from power, Cassius, along with several other men, conspire to
kill Julius Caesar. Cassius knows his plan will not be successful unless he gets the support of
others, including another of Caesar's close friends, Brutus.
Cassius is manipulative, or good at convincing others to do what he wants. He appeals to
Brutus's sense of honour, nobility, and pride to convince him to go along with his plan. He
writes several letters, said to be from Roman citizens, and sends them to Brutus.
In the letters, Cassius expresses concern about Caesar's power and influence in Rome.
Brutus then decides to go along with Cassius's plan for the good of the Roman people.
Cassius also tries to raise money for himself by taxing Roman citizens. In the end, having
been consumed by envy and jealousy, Cassius gets his wish -- one of his oldest friends is
murdered.

Cassius is the most shrewd and active member of the conspiracy to assassinate Caesar. He
functions in some respects as the conspirators’ leader, although Brutus later takes this role.
Both Cassius and Brutus are concerned by Caesar’s rise to power, but Cassius’s motivations
are not nearly as honourable as Brutus’s. While Brutus worries about what Caesar’s power
could mean for the Roman people, Cassius resents how Caesar has become a god-like figure.
Further, Cassius repeatedly suggests that tyrants come to power when the people allow
their power to be stolen. At the heart of his resentment and willingness to assassinate is
Cassius’s deep jealousy of Caesar’s rise to power.
From the very beginning, Cassius is pleased with himself for his ability to manipulate others.
The audience sees this manipulation in terms of Cassius’s treatment of Brutus and his use of
flattery and reassurance to bring Brutus into the conspiracy to kill Caesar. Later, the
audience learns that Cassius is willing to gain money by means that Brutus finds
dishonourable and unacceptable, though the specifics are not fully revealed. Cassius is at
various times petty, foolish, cowardly, and short-sighted. On the other hand, Cassius offers
Brutus the correct advice that Brutus should not allow Antony to talk to the Roman citizens
after Caesar’s death. Had Brutus taken Cassius’s advice, the conspirators might have
 succeeded in convincing the Roman people that Caesar had to die. Despite his villainous
tendencies, Cassius remains a complex character with hostile yet impressively passionate
traits.
The most significant characteristic of Cassius is his ability to perceive the true motives of
men. Caesar says of him, "He reads much; / He is a great observer and he looks / Quite
Page | 45 through the deeds of men." The great irony surrounding Cassius throughout the play is that
he nullifies his greatest asset when he allows Brutus to take effective control of the
republican faction.
Cassius believes that the nobility of Rome are responsible for the government of Rome.
They have allowed a man to gain excessive power; therefore, they have the responsibility to
stop him, and with a man of Caesar's well-known ambition, that can only mean
assassination.
Cassius intensely dislikes Caesar personally, but he also deeply resents being subservient to
a tyrant, and there are indications that he would fight for his personal freedom under any
tyrant. He does not resent following the almost dictatorial pronouncements of his equal,
Brutus, although he does disagree heatedly with most of Brutus' tactical decisions. To
accomplish his goal of removing Caesar from power, he resorts to using his keen insight into
human nature to deceive Brutus by means of a long and passionate argument, coupled with
bogus notes. In the conversation, he appeals to Brutus' sense of honour, nobility, and pride
more than he presents concrete examples of Caesar's tyrannical actions. Later, he is more
outrightly devious in the use of forged notes, the last of which prompts Brutus to leave off
contemplation and to join the conspiracy. Cassius later uses similar means to bring Casca
into the plot.
Throughout the action, Cassius remains relatively unconcerned with the unscrupulous
means he is willing to use to further the republican cause, and at Sardis, he and Brutus come
almost to breaking up their alliance because Brutus objects to his ways of collecting revenue
to support the armies. Cassius sees Brutus as the catalyst that will unite the leading nobles
in a conspiracy, and he makes the recruitment of Brutus his first priority. Ironically, his
success leads directly to a continuous decline of his own influence within the republican
camp.
Clearly, Cassius has his negative aspects. He envies Caesar; he becomes an assassin; and he
will consent to bribery, sell commissions, and impose ruinous taxation to raise money. But
he also has a certain nobility of mind that is generally recognized. When Caesar tells Antony
that Cassius is dangerous, Antony answers, "Fear him not, Caesar; he's not dangerous. / He's
a noble Roman and well given." He was no doubt expressing sentiments popular at the time.
Cassius is also highly emotional. He displays extreme hatred in his verbal attack on Caesar
during Lupercal; he almost loses control because of fear when Popilius reveals that the
conspirators' plans have been leaked; he gives vent to anger in his argument with Brutus in
the tent at Sardis; he expresses an understanding tolerance of the poet who pleads for him
and Brutus to stop their quarrel; and he threatens suicide repeatedly and finally chooses
self-inflicted death to humiliating capture by Antony and Octavius. When he becomes a
genuine friend of Brutus following the reconciliation in the tent, he remains faithful and
refuses to blame Brutus for the dilemma that he encounters at Philippi, even though he has
reason to do so.
 Of all the leading characters in Julius Caesar, Cassius develops most as the action progresses.
At the end of Act I, Scene 2, he is a passionate and devious manipulator striving to use
Brutus to gain his ends. By the end of Act IV, Scene 3, he is a calm friend of Brutus who will
remain faithful to their friendship until death.

Page | 46
Octavius
Julius Caesar is its own frame of reference, and a knowledge of Roman history is not
essential to an understanding of the play. However, Shakespeare does construct the
character of Octavius by highlighting those aspects of his personality that will predominate
later in his political and military conflicts with Antony and in his role as the Emperor
Augustus. In order to stabilize the political situation in Rome following the assassination and
to solidify the triumvirs' control of government, Octavius is willing to conduct a ruthless
reign of terror during which the opponents to the triumvirs are methodically slaughtered,
but not all of those on the proscription list are actual enemies. Some are simply wealthy
Romans who are condemned as "traitors" and executed in order that the triumvirs may
confiscate their estates as a means of raising money to finance their armies. It is,
nevertheless, noteworthy that the future Augustus does not volunteer members of his own
immediate family to the list, although he does insist on the death of Lepidus' brother and
does not object to the inclusion of Antony's nephew.

Octavius exhibits creditable insight in his observation that all who currently act friendly to
the triumvirs are not indeed friends and in his attitude toward Antony throughout the play.
He knows that he is in a power struggle with Antony that will intensify after they have
defeated their enemies, and he knows enough about Antony's thirst for power to protect
himself from domination by Antony. Consequently, he is not reluctant to disagree with
Antony, as he demonstrates in his defence of Lepidus ("he's a tried and valiant soldier"), in
his pointing to Antony's error in predicting that Brutus and Cassius would not come to
Philippi, and in his insistence that he will fight on the right-hand side of the battlefield at
Philippi and not the left-hand side as Antony orders. However, Octavius does not let his
determination to remain independent interfere with following Antony's advice when he
realizes that Antony speaks from experience, as he demonstrates in agreeing to allow
Antony to make Lepidus a junior partner in the Triumvirate, in agreeing with Antony that
the most important matter at hand following the assassination is to prepare to meet the
republican armies, and in accepting Antony's decision that they should fight from defensive
positions at Philippi and allow the enemy to initiate the battle.

Octavius is shrewd in his political assessments and in his relationship with Antony. He is
decisive in executing the proscription and in preparing to meet Brutus and Cassius. He is also
supremely confident that he will succeed in defeating his enemies at Philippi and in
organizing a successful new government of Rome.
 Portia
In Julius Caesar, Portia is Brutus's wife. She is the daughter of a patrician (aristocratic)
family and is married to a senator, both of which give her privilege and status in ancient
Roman society. However, as a woman and a wife, she is expected to remain in the domestic
sphere and not question her husband.
Page | 47
Act 2, Scene 1 occurs at Brutus's house in the middle of the night. Brutus decides to
participate in the assassination of Caesar, and the other conspirators arrive to plan the
assassination. Eventually, everyone but Brutus leaves. Portia then enters. Brutus says it is
bad for her health to be out of bed; Portia points out that it is equally bad for his health and
recounts how unsettled and discontent he has seemed lately. She then kneels and entreats
Brutus to tell her what is wrong. She asks if he thinks it is proper that, "I should know no
secrets/That appertain to you," and says he is treating her as "Brutus' harlot, not his wife."
Brutus insists that she is "As dear to me as are the ruddy drops/That visit my sad heart."
Portia presses him, saying, "If this were true, then I should know this secret." She
acknowledges that being a woman gives her an inferior societal status to Brutus but reminds
him of her constancy, and stabs herself in the leg to prove it. Brutus exclaims, "O ye
gods/Render me worthy of this noble wife!" He then hears a knock and tells Portia to go in,
promising that he will tell her his secrets later.
In Act 2, Scene 4, Portia sends a messenger to the Capitol to observe Brutus and Caesar and
report back to her. She also interacts with the Soothsayer who tried to warn Caesar to
"Beware the Ides of March." She asks if Caesar has gone to the Capitol and if the
Soothsayer knows of any harm intended toward Caesar. She once again curses her position
in society and hopes that Brutus will succeed at his "enterprise." (It is never explicitly stated
whether or not Brutus disclosed the assassination plot to Portia; however, certain lines in
this scene imply that he did.)
Portia does not appear again in the play. However, in Act 4, Scene 3, Brutus confides in
Cassius that Portia has died by suicide, because Brutus had been gone so long and because
Antony and Octavius had amassed so much political power.
Brutus and Portia
Portia's primary role, both in the play and in Roman society, is Brutus's wife. Brutus and
Portia are portrayed as having a very loving and loyal marriage. In particular, Portia's loyalty
to her husband is unquestionable throughout the play. Portia's loyalty to her husband may
explain both his hesitation to participate in the assassination, knowing that it could
negatively affect her, and also his decision to go through with it, knowing that she will be
loyal no matter what. Brutus states that he does not feel worthy of Portia in Act 2, Scene 1.
However, in spite of the love and loyalty between Portia and Brutus, there is a notable
difference in their behaviour. Portia prioritizes Brutus over everything else; Brutus prioritizes
politics over Portia. After the assassination of Caesar, he leaves her behind in order to raise
an army and fight Antony and Octavius. If Portia were Brutus's top priority, he might not
have left her, and he might not have participated in the assassination of Caesar at all. Portia
 eventually dies by suicide, because Brutus has been gone for years, and Octavius and
Antony are winning the war.
The fact that Portia prioritizes Brutus more than Brutus prioritizes her is a reflection of the
societal values of both ancient Rome, where the play is set, and Elizabethan England, where
Page | 48 the play was written and first performed.

Analysis of Portia's Character

Portia plays an important role in Julius Caesar, because she is Brutus's strongest tether to
the domestic sphere and represents his domestic life. Though she is portrayed as loving and
fiercely loyal throughout the play, she is also portrayed as somewhat dissatisfied with the
constraints and expectations she experiences in her role as a woman and as a wife. She is
very loyal to Brutus and holds him in the highest regard. However, she questions his loyalty
and his regard for her, because she knows he has a troubling secret he is not telling her. She
is not content with Brutus excluding her from his political plans and is unhappy when she
correctly believes that Brutus is keeping a secret from her. She stabs herself in the leg to
prove her own strength and constancy to Brutus.
In Act 2, Scene 4, Portia seems agitated. She sends a messenger to the Senate to observe
Brutus and Caesar and report back to her; she then speaks to the Soothsayer and asks
whether he knows of any harm that is likely to come to Caesar. She once again laments the
position she is in. As a woman, she cannot participate in politics and, therefore, cannot
directly support Brutus's political endeavours to the extent she would like.
In the end, Portia dies by suicide after Brutus's long absence, because it seems likely that
Brutus and his army will be defeated by Antony and Octavius.
Portia's Quotes
"Yesternight, at supper/You suddenly arose, and walk'd about/...And when I ask'd you
what the matter was/You stared upon me with ungentle looks." (Act 2, Scene 1)
 Portia correctly believes that something is troubling Brutus, based on his agitated
behaviour. Thus far, he has refused to tell her what is wrong. She insists that as his
wife, she has a right to know what is troubling him.
"Within the bond of marriage, tell me, Brutus,/Is it excepted I should know no
secrets/That appertain to you?" (Act 2, Scene 1)
 Portia reminds Brutus of her loyalty. She implies that Brutus does not think she is
trustworthy and, therefore, does not value her as a wife.
"I grant I am a woman; but withal/A woman that Lord Brutus took to wife:/I grant I am a
woman; but withal/A woman well-reputed, Cato's daughter/Think you I am no stronger
than my sex/Being so father'd and so husbanded?" (Act 2, Scene 1)
 Portia acknowledges the expectation that she should not question Brutus, because
she is a woman. However, she reminds him that she is his wife and Cato's daughter,
 and also reminds him of her loyalty and strength of character. She then attempts to
prove her constancy by stabbing herself in the leg.
"Ay me, how weak a thing/The heart of woman is! O Brutus, The heavens speed thee in
thine enterprise!" (Act 2, Scene 4)
Page | 49  Portia once again laments her womanhood, because it means that she cannot be
present in the political sphere and support her husband to the extent she would like.
(This reference to Brutus's "enterprise" also implies that he told Portia about the
plan to assassinate Caesar, although this is never explicitly confirmed.)

Casca
Casca is a character in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. He is one of the senators who
participates in the assassination of Caesar. Other characters in the play, including the other
conspirators, generally regard him with disdain. He is considered to be a foolish man and a
follower rather than a leader. Generally, his actions in the play support this interpretation of
his character. He is, however, the first senator to stab Caesar, which may indicate that his
convictions and initiative are stronger than the other characters believe.

Character Analysis of Casca

In the first scene in which Casca appears, he is accompanying Caesar and his retinue through
the streets of Rome. While we later learn that he disapproves of Caesar's consolidation of
power, Casca nonetheless acts obsequiously in his presence, demanding silence from the
crowd each time Caesar speaks.
When Brutus and Cassius speak privately, they hear a loud noise from the crowd at the
games celebrating Caesar's victory, making them fear that Caesar has been crowned king of
Rome. Later in the scene, Brutus and Cassius question Casca about what happened. Casca
describes the events in a somewhat meandering way that annoys both Cassius and Brutus.
He tells them that Mark Antony publicly offered Caesar a crown three times, and Caesar
refused it three times. However, Casca believes that Caesar only refused for appearance's
sake, saying "he put it by once; but for all that, to my thinking, he would fain have had it."
(Casca, Act 1, Scene 2) Casca also reveals that Caesar had a seizure at the games, saying, "He
fell down in the marketplace and foamed at mouth and was speechless." (Casca, Act 1,
Scene 2)
Casca displays his disdain for the people of the plebeian class during this conversation. He
theorizes that it was the crowd's breath that caused Caesar to faint. (Many times
throughout the play, Casca displays his own prejudice and weak-willed nature while
mocking the supposed foolishness of others.)
Throughout the scene, Casca speaks in prose, while Brutus and Cassius speak in iambic
pentameter, perhaps symbolizing Casca's own foolishness and naivety. When Casca leaves,
Brutus comments on his perception of Casca's trifling manner, saying, "What a blunt fellow
is this grown to be!/He was quick mettle when he went to school." (Brutus, Act 1, Scene 2)
 Cassius, however, believes that Casca is dissembling and that he is more astute than he
leads people to believe.

Casca's Role in Caesar's Assassination

Page | 50 In Act 1, Scene 3, Cassius convinces Casca to participate in the plot to assassinate Caesar.
The scene begins with Casca meeting Cicero (another senator who is not involved in the
conspiracy) on a stormy night in the street. Casca comments on the ferocity of the storm, as
well as many other strange occurrences that he believes to be omens from the heavens:
unlike Cicero and Cassius, Casca believes in omens. Again, this might be interpreted to mean
that Casca is more credulous than the other characters portrayed in this play. On the other
hand, fate does play a role in the narrative, so perhaps Casca's belief in omens is not
unreasonable.
Cassius arrives after Cicero leaves and speaks with Casca. He convinces Casca to join the plot
to assassinate Caesar by not-so-subtly insulting Casca's intelligence and courage. When
Casca expresses fear of the storm, Cassius responds, "You are dull, Casca, and those sparks
of life/That should be in a Roman you do want/or else you use not." (Cassius, Act 1, Scene 3)
The fact that Cassius's strategy works show that Casca is easily manipulated, even though he
believes otherwise.
In Act 3, Scene 1, on the day of the assassination, the conspirators remind Casca that he will
be the first to stab Caesar. Cassius says, "Casca/Be sudden for we fear prevention" (Cassius,
Act 3, Scene 1), and Cinna says, "Casca, you are the first that rears your hand." (Cinna, Act 3,
Scene 1) Once again, the other conspirators demonstrate an expectation that Casca will not
question the orders that he is given, and they have assigned him the most dangerous part of
the assassination. (It also seems possible that the other conspirators plan to use Casca as a
scapegoat if their plan does not work.)
There is an interlude in which the other senators distract Caesar by asking him to reconsider
his banishment of Metellus Cimber's brother. Casca is indeed the first to stab Caesar,
declaring, "Speak, hands, for me!" (Casca, Act 3, Scene 1)
There are multiple possible interpretations of Casca's action here. The fact that he follows
Cassius's orders without question does suggest that Casca is one of the more credulous and
easily-manipulated characters in the play. However, the fact that Casca is the first to follow
through on the conspirators' plans by stabbing Caesar suggests that he does, at least, have
the strength of his convictions.
Act 3, Scene 1 is the last scene in which Casca appears. Mark Antony mentions him two
more times in the play, condemning his actions both times. In Act 3, Scene 3, supporters of
Caesar search for Casca and the other conspirators, intending to take revenge for Caesar's
death. What happens to Casca after Caesar's death is never specified; Casca's narrative arc
ends with the assassination of Caesar.
 Cinna
Cinna is a minor, though an important character in the play. He is based on the historical
person of Lucius Cornelius Cinna (c. 100 BCE- c. 44 BCE), who was the brother-in-law of
Julius Caesar, who later publicly expressed his approval of the assassination. The fictional
character of Cinna first appears in the play in Act 1, Scene 3. He is one of the men conspiring
Page | 51
against Julius Caesar, and he works to enlist Brutus to their cause. Significantly, there are
two Cinna’s in the play. The second Cinna only appears in Act 3, Scene 3. He is mistaken for
the first Cinna due to their shared name.
Cinna's Role as a Conspirator
In his first appearance, Cinna, the Conspirator, meets with Cassius and Casca. He is familiar
to Cassius, who recognized him from a distance by his walk. The two men know each other,
but Cinna does not know Casca and confuses him with another, Metellus Cimber. The three
men discuss their allegiance against Julius Caesar, wishing they had more men on their side.
After Cinna wistfully remarks that they should get Brutus in their camp, Cassius provides him
with three notes for Brutus. He instructs him to plant the fake letters in three places that
Brutus will find them: on his chair, his window, and a statue of his father. They hope that
this propaganda will convince him that Caesar is dangerous for Rome. Cinna agrees. He
takes the notes and leaves.
In Act 2, Scene 1, Cinna is present when the conspirators visit Brutus. In this scene, they
hope the notes have swayed his opinion of Julius Caesar and that they can fully enlist him to
their side. In this scene, Cinna advocates enlisting Cicero, but ultimately the conspirators
decide to leave him out of the assassination plot. In Act 2, Scene 3, the diviner Artemidorus
prophesies that Caesar should be wary of the men who conspire against him. He includes
Cinna in this list, suggesting that Caesar "have an eye to Cinna."
Cinna Quotes
In Act 3, Scene 1, Cinna is with the other conspirators in the Senate. They intend to ask
Caesar to pardon the brother of Metellus Cimber, named Publius Cimber, as an attempt to
give him one final opportunity to redeem himself. Caesar refuses to lift the banishment.
Cinna pleads, "O Caesar-" Swiftly after, Casca stabs Caesar. Cinna then joins in, stabbing him
with the other conspirators. Finally, Brutus stabs him as well. Immediately after the death of
Caesar, Cinna speaks first: "Liberty! Freedom! Tyranny is dead! Run hence, proclaim, cry it
about the streets." This statement is a sentiment immediately echoed by Cassius, who tells
others to send "Some to the common pulpits, and cry out 'Liberty, freedom, and
enfranchisement!'" They want to spread the news of his death far and wide. Cinna's cry
illustrates the political grip that he felt Caesar held not only over the people but also over
the very principles themselves.
Assault of Cinna the Poet
In Act III, Scene III, another Cinna appears, Cinna, the Poet. Cinna, the Poet, had no
foreknowledge of the assassination. He begins the scene by speaking of a dream he had
about Caesar, where they feasted together. He says that his dreams are usually bad luck,
and thus he has no desire to leave his house, yet he is led forth, nonetheless. Quickly,
 citizens descend upon him and begin to interrogate him. He
says he is on his way to Caesar's funeral. They ask, "as a friend
or an enemy?" He replies: "As a friend." The citizens ask him his
name, and he tells them he is called Cinna. The citizens jump at
this, mistaking him for the assassin. The first citizen cries, "Tear
Page | 52 him to pieces; he's a conspirator." Cinna, the Poet, quickly tries
to clarify that he is not the Cinna they are looking for, as he
clarifies: "I am Cinna the poet, I am Cinna the poet." This
declaration does not stop the citizens, whose anger only builds.
They continue to demand violence against him, now shouting:
"Tear him for his bad verses." They clearly understand that he
is a poet, but he remains guilty in their eyes nonetheless.
Cinna, the Poet, pleads that he is not the right man nor a
conspirator, but he cannot successfully convince them. The
fourth citizen cries, "It is no matter, his name's Cinna; pluck but his name out of his heart,
and turn him going." The shared name alone was enough to link him to the conspirator.
Though he has no involvement, Cinna, the Poet, is killed out of outrage for the assassination
of Caesar. This short scene demonstrates the further and violence created as a result of the
assassination: even innocent people could find themselves as the target of a mob.
Shakespeare based this scene on a historical account by Plutarch. Plutarch described the
death of Helvius Cinna, a poet. He was killed after the death of Caesar because he was
confused with Lucius Cornelius Cinna, the Conspirator.

Cicero
In William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, the character Cicero is painted as a wise and calm
man. The audience can see this when he interacts with Casca who is terrified of the storm
and the omens he has seen. Cicero tells Casca to calm down and remember that people
often misunderstand what they see. The audience also gets a glimpse of Cicero's personality
through what the other characters say about him. Even as the men are planning Caesar's
death, they recognize that Cicero's name would add to their credibility.

Cicero Tells Casca to Lighten up

Casca. What can we say about him? He is very dramatic. About everything. A storm? Oh no!
The gods are angry. An owl? Oh no, the gods are angry. Cicero comes upon Casca while he is
having one of his freak-out sessions. Casca is worried about the storm and when Cicero sees
that Casca is acting strangely, he asks 'Good even, Casca: brought you Caesar home? / Why
are you breathless? and why stare you so?' In other words, Cicero is asking why Casca is out
of breath and why he has a frightened look on his face. There is a storm raging outside and
Cicero can clearly see that Casca is upset, and yet he simply asks Casca what's going on. This
calm demeanour shows Cicero's ability to withhold his reactions until he has the whole
story.
 In response to Cicero's question, Casca goes into a description of the storm and how scary it
is that the sky is 'dropping fire.' Cicero asks if that is all Casca has seen. Casca then tells
Cicero of a few more scary omens he supposedly saw, including a owl being out during the
day and a man's hand catch on fire. Cicero responds by saying 'Indeed, it is a strange-
disposed time: / But men may construe things after their fashion, / Clean from the purpose
Page | 53 of the things themselves.' In other words, Cicero is telling Casca, that there are indeed
strange things going on, but remember that people often overreact and are interpret things
very far from their true meaning. With this, Cicero says goodbye and tells Casca that he
should not be out in such bad weather. This half of Cicero and Casca's exchange show very
clearly just how logical Cicero is. He clearly thinks that Casca is overreacting and tells him as
much. In the midst of the storm, and of Casca's goofy behaviour, Cicero reminds Casca that
it is easy to misinterpret omens.

Brutus's Comment About Cicero

Aside from the exchange where Cicero speaks with Casca, he has no more lines in the play.
The rest of the audience's understanding comes from what others say about him. In the
beginning of the play, Cicero's name comes up after Caesar has an epileptic fit in public.
Brutus and his friend see Cicero, Caesar, and Caesar's supporters enter the capital. Brutus
notices that everyone looks upset and observes 'Cicero / Looks with such ferret and such
fiery eyes / As we have seen him in the Capitol, / Being cross'd in conference by some
senators.' Brutus is saying that Cicero looks as upset and concerned as he does when he is
debating a politician at a meeting. This paints Cicero as someone who takes his opinions and
the opinions of others seriously. The first comment in the play about Cicero involves his
mind and thinking ability.

Casca's Comment About Cicero

After Caesar's epileptic fit, Cassius and Brutus are gossiping about what happened. Casca in
his usual dramatic way is retelling the story. Cassius wants to know if Cicero said anything
and Casca tells the men that he said something in Greek. This is another reference to
Cicero's intelligence. Greek was considered the language of philosophers and thinkers. Even
in passing, Cicero is framed as a well-informed man.

Metellus's Comment About Cicero

When the conspirators in the play decided to plan their assassination of Caesar, Cicero's
name comes up. Cassius, the mastermind of the plot, asks if they should ask Cicero to join in
on the plan to kill Caesar. All of the men agree they should involve Cicero. Metellus speaks
up in favour of this and says 'O, let us have him, for his silver hairs / Will purchase us a good
opinion / It shall be said his judgment ruled our hands. / Our youths and wildness shall no
whit appear, / But all be buried in his gravity.' In other words, Metellus thinks they should
get Cicero's support so that the public will look at their actions as wise. He is saying that his
age and wisdom will make other people think that the plot was Cicero's idea. He believes
that simply by having Cicero on their side, they will be able get support for the assassination
of Caesar.
 The Soothsayer
The Soothsayer's Role
Page | 54
The origin of soothsayers dates back to Old English, with "sooth" being an archaic word
meaning "truth." Therefore, the word soothsayer breaks down to the teller of truth,
identified as a prophet in earlier writings. In many Greek and Roman dramas, authors
employed a soothsayer who was able to provide insight into future events. This prophet
would eventually become a recurring character appearing in literature around the 14th
century and lasting to the middle of the 17th century.
Soothsayers were known to have the ability to recognize and interpret omens and signs to
determine future fortunate or unfortunate events. They would frequently "read" the
entrails of sacrificed animals as a means of predicting the future. Their predictions were
often ambiguous and open to interpretation, and people were advised to accept their
prophesies, visions, and predictions.
Despite the soothsayer in "Julius Caesar" only speaking nine lines of dialogue, his role within
the play is of paramount importance. The soothsayer warns Caesar twice in Act I that he
should "beware the ides of March," which is the 15th of March. Caesar finds the soothsayer
to be "a dreamer," despite this warning, thereby not lending credence to the prophet's
words. Ultimately, the soothsayer warns of Caesar's death, yet his egotistical nature leads
him to ignore the plea.

The Ides of March

Upon the introduction of the soothsayer, he provides somewhat of a cryptic warning that
Caesar should "beware the ides of March." The ides were initially used to reference the first
new moon in any given month, between the 13th and 15th. Shakespeare incorporates
Caesar's interaction with the soothsayer to highlight the titular character's frame of mind:

BRUTUS
A soothsayer bids you beware the ides of March.
CAESAR
Set him before me; let me see his face.
CASSIUS
Fellow, come from the throng; look upon Caesar.
CAESAR
What say'st thou to me now? speak once again.
SOOTHSAYER
Beware the ides of March.
CAESAR
He is a dreamer; let us leave him: pass.

Brutus and Cassius, who are conspiring to assassinate Caesar, ironically are the ones who
help him recognize that the soothsayer is trying to speak with him. The soothsayer then
 warns Caesar of the 15th of March twice, once from the crowd and then directly to his face.
Yet, Caesar ignores the warning, classifying the soothsayer as "a dreamer," and proceeds to
pass by him.
When the ides of March arrive, Caesar passes the soothsayer yet again, and he remarks,
"The ides of March have come." This response highlights Caesar's scepticism of the
Page | 55 soothsayer's warning. However, the soothsayer replies, "Ay, Caesar, but not gone,"
emphasizing that there is still time to fulfill the prophecy. Not long after this interaction, the
group of conspirators, led by Cassius and Brutus, proceed to stab him 23 times, thus leading
to the accuracy of the soothsayer's warning.

The Ninth Hour

Before Caesar's death, Brutus' wife, Portia, converses with the soothsayer regarding the fate
of Caesar:
PORTIA
What is't o'clock?
SOOTHSAYER
About the ninth hour, lady.

As the soothsayer references the “ninth hour,” Shakespeare connects the death of Caesar to
the death of Jesus Christ, as the latter was also believed to have died at the same time.
Consequently, Shakespeare connects Caesar to Jesus while showcasing how his egotistical
nature could have led to his demise.

Thematic Connections connected to the Soothsayer – Fate vs. Free Will

Throughout the play, Shakespeare highlights the conflict between faith and free will, an idea
he presents in many of his plays. The playwright would question how much control people
have in their lives. Within "Julius Caesar" specifically, he introduced several situations that
highlight the notion of fate vs. free will.

Caesar: Was Caesar destined to die? Or was his assassination his fault? If he would have
listened to the soothsayer, would he have lived beyond the ides of March? Caesar's words
and actions suggest that he believes fate controls his life: "It seems to me most strange that
men should fear; / Seeing that death, a necessary end, / Will come when it will come."
Therefore, Caesar suggests that he has no control over his death, which leads the audience
to wonder, even if he listened to the soothsayer, would he still have lost his life?

Cassius: Cassius is of the notion that a person's choices drive their lives. Upon discussing
Caesar's rise in power with Brutus, Cassius states, "Men at some time are masters of their
fate. / The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, / But in ourselves that we are underlings."
With the utility of stars as a common reference to fate, Cassius suggests that the only way to
avoid being subordinates is to act. Therefore, he proposes that he would not be capable of
assassinating a would-be tyrant without free will, ultimately implying that he has control
over his life.
 Ultimately, Shakespeare wants his audience to honestly question their power over their
lives and whether they are driven by free will or bounded by fate.

Octavius
Page | 56 The very first time Octavius is mentioned is more than halfway through the play in act 4,
scene 1. After Caesar is assassinated, Antony, Octavius, and Lepidus decide to avenge his
murder and make a list of who should be assassinated in retaliation. So, the very first time
we hear Octavius speak, he says 'Your brother too must die; consent you, Lepidus?' In other
words, he is saying 'Sorry, Dude. We are going to kill your brother. Cool?' This paints
Octavius as a straightforward guy who wants justice to be served. He is not overly
emotional, and he is not sensitive to Lepidus's plight. He simply tells it how it is. Lepidus
agrees and leaves the room.
Time to talk about Lepidus, obviously. As soon as Lepidus leaves, Antony says that it is a bad
idea to let Lepidus work with them. Antony compares Lepidus to a dumb donkey who will
help carry the burden of their work, but who should not share in their victories. Octavius
points out that Antony listened to Lepidus about who should be assassinated, so he can't be
that much of a jackass. Antony says that he is older and wiser than Octavius and doesn't
need to listen to him. Octavius responds, 'You may do your will; But he's a tried and valiant
soldier.' In other words, he tells Antony to do what he wants, but Lepidus deserves respect.
This reflects Octavius's honourable character.
Octavius Has Better Ideas
Another excellent example of Octavius's strong personality comes when he and Mark
Antony are in battle together. Octavius points out that Mark Antony was wrong after he
claimed that their enemies would not come down the hill and attack them. Antony tells
Octavius not to worry and then gives him instructions to take his troops to the left. Octavius
straight up rejects this and tells Mark Antony to take his own troops to the left. Antony asks
why Octavius is defying him, but Octavius responds that he is not defying Antony. He is just
telling him what he is going to do. Just as in the example with Lepidus, Octavius is
determined to make his own decisions based on what he thinks is best.
The Sword Comes Out
One of the most dramatic scenes comes when Octavius and Antony have a shouting match
with their enemies, Brutus and Cassius. Octavius comes up with some pretty good disses,
telling Brutus that he is all talk. Octavius draws his sword and asks everyone when they think
he will put it away. He tells them that he will only put it away when Caesar is avenged or
when he is killed by his enemy.

Artemidorus
In William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, Artemidorus is a diviner - someone who can predict
the future. In real life, there was a man named Artemidorus who lived far after Caesar's
time. Artemidorus writes a letter to Caesar to warn him of his upcoming assassination. The
letter names all the conspirators and also tells Caesar that he is too comfortable when he
should be keeping an eye out for those who may want to harm him. When he tries to give
 the letter to Caesar, he is brushed off. When he becomes more forceful with his letter,
Caesar assumes he is crazy and walks off.

Women in Julius Caesar

While there are only two female characters in Julius Caesar, they are both interesting and
Page | 57
dynamic characters.
Calpurnia
The first time the audience meets Calpurnia, it is during a sporting event which includes a
race. Calpurnia is Caesar's wife, and she has not had any children. Caesar asks one of the
runners to touch Calpurnia as he is running. Superstition holds that if a runner touches a
woman during the festival, it will help 'Shake off their sterile curse.' The audience's first
interaction with Calpurnia relates to her inability to bear children.
The next time we see Calpurnia, it is the day that the conspirators plan to murder Caesar.
Calpurnia has a dream the night before that Caesar's statue is stabbed and bleeding. She
begs Caesar to stay home, and at first he dismisses her. She tries again to convince him,
even playing on the notion that women are weak. She tells Caesar 'Do not go forth to-day:
call it my fear / That keeps you in the house.' Caesar agrees to stay home until one of the
conspirators convince him that Calpurnia has misunderstood her own dream. Caesar is
happy to again dismiss Calpurnia's fear, and he leaves the house and is stabbed to death.

Portia
The audience does not meet Portia until Act 2. Brutus is one of the conspirators and also
Caesar's friend. Portia is his wife. Brutus struggles with whether or not to kill Caesar. While
he experiences this emotional turmoil, Portia asks him what is wrong. Brutus tells her that
he is simply sick. She does not believe him and insists that he tell her what is bothering him.
She notes that he has been agitated lately, and Brutus admits that he is keeping a secret.
Portia desperately wants to know what the secret is. She recognizes the sexist assumption
that women are inferior to men and says, 'I grant I am a woman; but withal / A woman that
Lord Brutus took to wife.' She insists that she is stronger than other women by asking 'Think
you I am no stronger than my sex, / Being so father'd and so husbanded?' In other words,
Portia is telling Brutus that she can handle his secret since she is married to him and has a
high-ranking father.
In order to prove her silence even if tortured, Portia stabs herself in the thigh. She tells
Brutus 'I have made strong proof of my constancy, / Giving myself a voluntary wound / Here,
in the thigh.' Fun fact: While much of the play is exaggerated for dramatic or comedic effect,
the real life Portia did stab herself in the leg to prove her loyalty. In the play, Brutus
promises that he will tell her everything later. After Caesar is killed and war breaks out,
Brutus receives a letter that Portia has killed herself by swallowing hot coals. Portia proves
her strength, even in death.
 External Conflict in Julius Caesar
In William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, there are many examples of external conflict.
 The tribunes, or Roman officials, harassing the commoners
Page | 58
 Cassius's entire plot and follow through to kill Caesar
 The other character's issues with Caesar and how they react by killing him
 Brutus and Cassius arguing over money
 Rome going to war

The Tribunes
One of the first examples of conflict comes in the very first scene of Julius Caesar. Flavius
and Murellus (two Roman officials who are also called tribunes) enter the scene of an
unusually crowded street. The two men ask why the crowd has gathered. It is clear from the
beginning that there is conflict brewing.
Flavius opens the play by saying 'Hence! Home, you idle creatures get you home!' This sets
up an immediate conflict between the commoners and the officials. The men harass the
people by asking what their jobs are and why they are not working in their shops. One man
in particular responds to the harassment by making jokes and telling the officials that he can
'mend' their souls as well as their shoes.
The strife between the commoners and the officials is one of the first examples of external
conflict in the play. While the situation is a single event, it also serves to mimic the general
attitude toward authority during Caesar's time.

Cassius
Another example of external conflict is Cassius's plot to kill Caesar. Cassius is the
mastermind behind the plot to kill Caesar. While many people in the play are worried about
Caesar coming to power, Cassius is the one who moves forward with a plan to assassinate
him.
Cassius first speaks with Brutus and convinces him to think about what would happen if
Caesar became king. This example shows that conflict is not always aggressive or violent.
Cassius manipulates Brutus in a calm, friendly way. He plays on Brutus's love for Rome
through convincing dialogue and entertaining stories about how weak Caesar is.
Cassius cannot succeed in his plan with only Brutus's help. He must have more men on his
side. So Cassius goes after another character named Casca. Casca is portrayed throughout
the play as being dumb. At one point, Cassius even calls Casca 'dull.' While a storm is raging
outside, Casca overreacts and draws his sword in self-defence. Cassius sees this as way to
gain support for his cause. Because he has to overcome an obstacle involving people, this is
an example of external conflict. Cassius convinces Casca that Caesar is just as dangerous as
this storm, and that something must be done. Casca agrees and Cassius moves forward with
his scheme.
 The Entire Plot
In a more general sense, the entire plot to kill Caesar is an example of external conflict. The
men who are in on the plan have their own reasons for wanting Caesar dead. Each man's
reason represents their conflict with him. They wish to take Caesar's life, and this is the
most clear example of conflict in the play. They disagree with Caesar becoming king, and
Page | 59 react by murdering him.

The War
After Caesar is killed, Rome is thrown into war. In a most literal sense, this is conflict. Cassius
and Brutus team up for a while, and fight against Caesar's best friend, Mark Antony. Before
the day of a big battle, Brutus and Cassius have an argument over money. Brutus is angry
because he believes that Cassius refused to give him a loan. Cassius becomes angry that
Brutus is not being kind to him.
The men finally calm down after Brutus admits the real reason why is upset is because his
wife killed herself. The next day both of the men kill themselves on the field of battle. The
war, as well as the argument between the two men are both examples of external conflict.

Conflicts in Julius Caesar

Cassius's Conflicts
One of the first examples of conflict from Julius Caesar is when the mastermind of the
assassination plot tries to gather support for his cause. Cassius wants to kill Caesar, but he
knows that he will be executed if he does not have support from other politicians. His first
step to overcome this challenge is to recruit Brutus, a friend of Caesar's, to join the plan.
Cassius does this by telling Brutus that the people of Rome love him even more than they
love Caesar.
Initially, Brutus resists Cassius. 'Into what dangers would you lead me, Cassius, / That you
would have me seek into myself / For that which is not in me?' Cassius continues to explain
how dangerous it would be for Caesar to become king. Brutus finally agrees to consider
what Cassius is saying. Because Cassius's conflict is with Brutus, this is an example of
external conflict.
Cassius needs more people than Brutus on his side, so he goes after Casca next. In Act 1
Scene 3, strange omens occur, and Casca is deeply afraid. He believes that the gods are
angry and are punishing the Romans for provoking them. Cassius uses this to his advantage
and convinces Casca that Caesar is just as bad as the storm. Casca agrees to join the plot to
murder Caesar, and Cassius's conflict with Casca comes to an end.

Casca's Conflict
One of the reasons Cassius was able to convince Casca to join the plot to kill Caesar was
because Casca was fearful of the storm and the omens he had seen. Casca's fear is an
example of external conflict between man and nature. If the storm and the omens are seen
as supernatural forces, then we could also say that the conflict was between man and the
 supernatural, or God. Casca explains this conflict: 'Either there is a civil strife in heaven, / Or
else the world, too saucy with the gods, / Incenses them to send destruction.'

Brutus's Conflicts
Page | 60 Brutus is the most conflicted character in the play. He is Caesar's friend and looks up to
Caesar with admiration. But Brutus also loves Rome and says multiple times that his highest
commitment is to Rome. His conflict arises because he must decide if murdering his friend
for the sake of Rome is worth it.
In Act 2 Scene 1, Brutus is walking in his orchard, agonizing over whether there is just cause
to kill Caesar. 'For my part / I know no personal cause to spurn him.' In other words, Brutus
cannot think of a reason why Caesar should be killed. He continues his conflicted thoughts,
finally deciding that while Caesar is not a threat currently, he would be if he came to power.
'Crown him? -- that;-- / And then, I grant, we put a sting in him / That at his will he may do
danger with.' With this line of reasoning, Brutus convinces himself that if they allow Caesar
to become king, they will give him a weapon (a sting) with which he can harm Rome. This is
an example of internal conflict.
 Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare

Page | 61 Act I - Scene I

Note: Since Shakespeare's plays were performed in the daytime without the benefit of
technology, his characters, like Brutus in this speech, often speak of the sun or the stars to
let the audience know the time of day or to alert playgoers to the passage of time.

Glossary
 mechanical of manual labour or manual laborers.
 wherefore for what reason or purpose; why.
 triumph in ancient Rome, a procession celebrating the return of a victorious
general and his army.
 tributaries captive princes who will pay tribute.
 Pompey Roman general and one of the triumvirs, along with Caesar and Crassus,
defeated by Caesar in 48 BC and later murdered.
 sate sat.
 vulgar of the great mass of people in general; common; popular.
 pitch a term from falconry. A pitch is the highest point of a hawk's flight from
which it swoops down on its prey.
[Rome. A Street.]

Enter Flavius, Marullus, and certain Commoners over the stage.

FLAVIUS:

Hence! home, you idle creatures, get you home.

Is this a holiday? What, know you not,

Being mechanical, you ought not walk

Upon a laboring day without the sign

Of your profession? Speak, what trade art thou?(5)

CARPENTER:

Why, sir, a carpenter.

MARULLUS:
 Where is thy leather apron and thy rule?
What dost thou with thy best apparel on?
You, sir, what trade are you?
COBBLER:
Page | 62 Truly, sir, in respect of a fine workman, I am but, as(10)
you would say, a cobbler.
MARULLUS:
But what trade art thou? Answer me directly.
COBBLER:
A trade, sir, that, I hope, I may use with a safe con-
science, which is indeed, sir, a mender of bad soles.
MARULLUS:
What trade, thou knave? Thou naughty knave, what(15)
trade?
COBBLER:
Nay, I beseech you, sir, be not out with me; yet, if you
be out, sir, I can mend you.
MARULLUS:
What mean'st thou by that? Mend me, thou saucy-
fellow!(20)
COBBLER:
Why, sir, cobble you.
FLAVIUS:
Thou art a cobbler, art thou?
COBBLER:
Truly, Sir, all that I live by is with the awl; I meddle
with no tradesman's matters, nor women's matters, but with
awl. I am indeed, sir, a surgeon to old shoes; when they are(25)
in great danger, I recover them. As proper men as ever
trod upon neats-leather have gone upon my handiwork.
FLAVIUS:

But wherefore art not in thy shop today?

Why dost thou lead these men about the streets?(30)

COBBLER:
 Truly, sir, to wear out their shoes, to get myself into

more work. But indeed, sir, we make holiday, to see Caesar

Page | 63
and to rejoice in his triumph.

MARULLUS:

Wherefore rejoice? What conquest brings he home?

What tributaries follow him to Rome,(35)
To grace in captive bonds his chariot-wheels?
You blocks, you stones, you worse than senseless things!
O you hard hearts, you cruel men of Rome,
Knew you not Pompey? Many a time and oft
Have you climb'd up to walls and battlements,(40)
To towers and windows, yea, to chimney tops,
Your infants in your arms, and there have sat
The live-long day with patient expectation
To see great Pompey pass the streets of Rome.
And when you saw his chariot but appear,(45)
Have you not made an universal shout,
That Tiber trembled underneath her banks
To hear the replication of your sounds
Made in her concave shores?
And do you now put on your best attire?(50)
And do you now cull out a holiday?
And do you now strew flowers in his way
That comes in triumph over Pompey's blood?
Be gone!
Run to your houses, fall upon your knees,(55)
Pray to the gods to intermit the plague
That needs must light on this ingratitude.

FLAVIUS:
Go, go, good countrymen, and, for this fault,
Assemble all the poor men of your sort,
 Draw them to Tiber banks, and weep your tears(60)
Into the channel, till the lowest stream
Do kiss the most exalted shores of all.

Exeunt all the Commoners.

Page | 64 See, whether their basest metal be not moved;
They vanish tongue-tied in their guiltiness.
Go you down that way towards the Capitol;(65)
This way will I. Disrobe the images,
If you do find them deck'd with ceremonies.
MARULLUS:

May we do so?

You know it is the feast of Lupercal.

FLAVIUS:

It is no matter; let no images(70)

Be hung with Caesar's trophies. I'll about,

And drive away the vulgar from the streets;

So do you too, where you perceive them thick.

These growing feathers pluck'd from Caesar's wing

Will make him fly an ordinary pitch,(75)

Who else would soar above the view of men

And keep us all in servile fearfulness.

Exeunt.

Analysis

Understand the opening scenes of Shakespeare's plays and you understand what follows:
The scene has been painted with brilliant strokes. As Julius Caesar opens, Flavius and
Marullus, tribunes of Rome, are attempting to re-establish civil order. But it's too little, too
late: There is disorder in the streets. The tribunes call upon the commoners to identify
themselves in terms of their occupations. In the past, Flavius could recognize a man's status
by his dress, but now all the signposts of stability are gone and the world is out of control
and dangerous. At first glance, this disorder is attributed to the lower classes who won't
 wear the signs of their trade and who taunt the tribunes with saucy language full of puns,
but while the fickle and dangerous nature of the common Romans is an important theme in
later scenes, here the reader is given indications that the real fault lies with the ruling class,
which is, after all, responsible for the proper governing of the people.

Page | 65 When Flavius demands, "Is this a holiday?" he is asking whether Caesar's triumph ought to
be celebrated. It's a rhetorical question. Flavius thinks poor Romans ought not to celebrate
but should "weep [their] tears / Into the channel, till the lowest stream / Do kiss the most
exalted shores of all." Caesar, a member of the ruling class, has violently overthrown the
government and brought civil strife with him. These issues would have resonated with an
audience of the time, able to recall civil disturbances themselves and with a ruler who, by
virtue of being a woman, was perceived as less able to rule than a man. (Paradoxically,
Elizabeth brought a great deal of peace and stability to England.) In addition, his
contemporaries would have recognized that Caesar has overstepped his bounds. Statues of
him wearing a crown have been set up before he has been offered the position of ruler, and
Flavius and Marullus plan to deface them. Just as Caesar has brought disorder with him, the
tribunes contribute to the upheaval by becoming part of the unruly mob themselves.

Why are these statues, erected by supporters of Caesar, set up in the first place? In effect,
they are, like modern advertising and political spin doctoring, meant to establish an image
of Caesar in the popular imagination. Romans would associate statues with gods and
important political figures. Thus Caesar would take on the same associations. In addition, by
putting a crown on Caesar before he is actually given the job, the people of Rome are better
prepared when it happens. The image already established, Caesar's supporters hope that
the event will be more palatable and the transition to power smoother. The act of erecting
these statues is part of the process of persuasion and persuasion is a central theme of this
play.

But if persuasion is necessary, it is because political factions are vying for power. This
splintering of the ruling class means that there is no longer one common vision of what
Rome is and what it is to be a Roman. Marullus draws attention to this problem when he
returns to Flavius' original question, "Is this a holiday?" As Marullus points out, it is indeed a
holiday, the festival of Lupercal. He is concerned that by disrobing the images "deck'd with
ceremonies" he will destroy ceremonies meant not only to celebrate Caesar but also a
festival that is part of Rome's history, tradition, and religion. Ceremonies and rituals, in both
Roman and Elizabethan terms, were means of maintaining social order, of knowing who you
were as a group. By destroying that identity, Marullus seems to sense that he will contribute
to the destruction of the state. His intuition is correct and foreshadows the battles to come.

Act I - Scene II
[A public place.]
Enter Caesar; Antony for the course, Calpurnia, Portia, Decius, Cicero, Brutus,
Cassius, Casca; a Soothsayer; after them Marullus and Flavius.
CAESAR:
 Calpurnia!
CASCA:
Peace, ho! Caesar speaks.
CAESAR:
Page | 66
Calpurnia!
CALPURNIA:
Here, my lord.
CAESAR:
Stand you directly in Antonio's way,(5)
When he doth run his course. Antonio!
ANTONY:
Caesar, my lord?
CAESAR:
Forget not, in your speed, Antonio,
To touch Calpurnia, for our elders say,
The barren, touched in this holy chase,(10)
Shake off their sterile curse.
ANTONY:

I shall remember.

When Caesar says “Do this,” it is perform'd.

CAESAR:

Set on, and leave no ceremony out.

SOOTHSAYER:

Caesar!(15)

CAESAR:

Ha! Who calls?

CASCA:

Bid every noise be still. Peace yet again!

CAESAR:
 Who is it in the press that calls on me?

I hear a tongue, shriller than all the music,

Cry “Caesar.” Speak, Caesar is turn'd to hear.(20)

Page | 67
SOOTHSAYER:

Beware the ides of March.

CAESAR:

What man is that?

BRUTUS:

A soothsayer bids you beware the ides of March.

CAESAR:

Set him before me; let me see his face.

CASSIUS:

Fellow, come from the throng; look upon Caesar.(25)

CAESAR:

What say'st thou to me now? Speak once again.

SOOTHSAYER:

Beware the ides of March.

CAESAR:

He is a dreamer; let us leave him. Pass.

Sennet. Exeunt [all but] Brutus and Cassius.]

CASSIUS:

Will you go see the order of the course?

BRUTUS:
 Not I.(30)

CASSIUS:
Page | 68
I pray you, do.

BRUTUS:

I am not gamesome; I do lack some part

Of that quick spirit that is in Antony.

Let me not hinder, Cassius, your desires;

I'll leave you.(35)

CASSIUS:

Brutus, I do observe you now of late;

I have not from your eyes that gentleness

And show of love as I was wont to have;

You bear too stubborn and too strange a hand

Over your friend that loves you.(40)

BRUTUS:

Cassius,

Be not deceived; if I have veil'd my look,

I turn the trouble of my countenance

Merely upon myself. Vexed I am

 Of late with passions of some difference,(45)

Conceptions only proper to myself,

Page | 69 Which give some soil perhaps to my behaviors;

But let not therefore my good friends be grieved—

Among which number, Cassius, be you one—

Nor construe any further my neglect(50)

Than that poor Brutus with himself at war

Forgets the shows of love to other men.

CASSIUS:

Then, Brutus, I have much mistook your passion,

By means whereof this breast of mine hath buried

Thoughts of great value, worthy cogitations.(55)

Tell me, good Brutus, can you see your face?

BRUTUS:

No, Cassius, for the eye sees not itself

But by reflection, by some other things.

CASSIUS:

'Tis just,

And it is very much lamented, Brutus,(60)

That you have no such mirrors as will turn

Your hidden worthiness into your eye

That you might see your shadow. I have heard

 Where many of the best respect in Rome,

Except immortal Caesar, speaking of Brutus,(65)

And groaning underneath this age's yoke,

Page | 70
Have wish'd that noble Brutus had his eyes.

BRUTUS:

Into what dangers would you lead me, Cassius,

That you would have me seek into myself

For that which is not in me?(70)

CASSIUS:

Therefore, good Brutus, be prepared to hear,

And since you know you cannot see yourself

So well as by reflection, I your glass

Will modestly discover to yourself

That of yourself which you yet know not of.(75)

And be not jealous on me, gentle Brutus;

Were I a common laugher, or did use

To stale with ordinary oaths my love

To every new protester, if you know

That I do fawn on men and hug them hard(80)

And after scandal them, or if you know

That I profess myself in banqueting

To all the rout, then hold me dangerous.

Flourish, and shout.

 BRUTUS:

What means this shouting? I do fear the people

Page | 71
Choose Caesar for their king.(85)

CASSIUS:

Ay, do you fear it?

Then must I think you would not have it so.

BRUTUS:

I would not, Cassius, yet I love him well.

But wherefore do you hold me here so long?

What is it that you would impart to me?(90)

If it be aught toward the general good,

Set honour in one eye and death i' the other

And I will look on both indifferently.

For let the gods so speed me as I love

The name of honour more than I fear death.(95)

CASSIUS:

I know that virtue to be in you, Brutus,

As well as I do know your outward favour.

Well, honour is the subject of my story.

I cannot tell what you and other men

Think of this life, but, for my single self,(100)

I had as lief not be as live to be

In awe of such a thing as I myself.

 I was born free as Caesar, so were you;

We both have fed as well, and we can both

Page | 72
Endure the winter's cold as well as he.(105)

For once, upon a raw and gusty day,

The troubled Tiber chafing with her shores,

Caesar said to me, “Darest thou, Cassius, now

Leap in with me into this angry flood

And swim to yonder point?” Upon the word,(110)

Accoutred as I was, I plunged in

And bade him follow. So indeed he did.

The torrent roar'd, and we did buffet it

With lusty sinews, throwing it aside

And stemming it with hearts of controversy.(115)

But ere we could arrive the point proposed,

Caesar cried, “Help me, Cassius, or I sink!”

I, as Aeneas our great ancestor

Did from the flames of Troy upon his shoulder

The old Anchises bear, so from the waves of Tiber(120)

Did I the tired Caesar. And this man

Is now become a god, and Cassius is

A wretched creature, and must bend his body

If Caesar carelessly but nod on him.

He had a fever when he was in Spain,(125)

And when the fit was on him, I did mark

 How he did shake. 'Tis true, this god did shake;

His coward lips did from their color fly,

And that same eye whose bend doth awe the world
Page | 73
Did lose his luster. I did hear him groan.(130)

Ay, and that tongue of his that bade the Romans

Mark him and write his speeches in their books,

Alas, it cried, “Give me some drink, Titinius,”

As a sick girl. Ye gods! It doth amaze me

A man of such a feeble temper should(135)

So get the start of the majestic world

And bear the palm alone.

Shout. Flourish.

BRUTUS:

Another general shout!

I do believe that these applauses are

For some new honours that are heap'd on Caesar.(140)

CASSIUS:

Why, man, he doth bestride the narrow world

Like a Colossus, and we petty men

Walk under his huge legs and peep about

To find ourselves dishonourable graves.

Men at some time are masters of their fates:(145)

 The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars,

But in ourselves, that we are underlings.

Brutus, and Caesar: what should be in that Caesar?

Page | 74
Why should that name be sounded more than yours?

Write them together, yours is as fair a name;(150)

Sound them, it doth become the mouth as well;

Weigh them, it is as heavy; conjure with 'em,

Brutus will start a spirit as soon as Caesar.

Now, in the names of all the gods at once,

Upon what meat doth this our Caesar feed(155)

That he is grown so great? Age, thou art shamed!

Rome, thou hast lost the breed of noble bloods!

When went there by an age since the great flood

But it was famed with more than with one man?

When could they say till now that talk'd of Rome(160)

That her wide walls encompass'd but one man?

Now is it Rome indeed, and room enough,

When there is in it but one only man.

O, you and I have heard our fathers say

There was a Brutus once that would have brook'd(165)

The eternal devil to keep his state in Rome

As easily as a king.

BRUTUS:

That you do love me, I am nothing jealous;

What you would work me to, I have some aim.

 How I have thought of this and of these times,(170)

I shall recount hereafter; for this present,

I would not, so with love I might entreat you,

Page | 75
Be any further moved. What you have said

I will consider; what you have to say

I will with patience hear, and find a time(175)

Both meet to hear and answer such high things.

Till then, my noble friend, chew upon this:

Brutus had rather be a villager

Than to repute himself a son of Rome

Under these hard conditions as this time(180)

Is like to lay upon us.

CASSIUS:

I am glad that my weak words

Have struck but thus much show of fire from Brutus.

Enter Caesar and his Train.

BRUTUS:

The games are done, and Caesar is returning.

CASSIUS:

As they pass by, pluck Casca by the sleeve,(185)

And he will, after his sour fashion, tell you

What hath proceeded worthy note today.

BRUTUS:
 I will do so. But, look you, Cassius,

The angry spot doth glow on Caesar's brow,

And all the rest look like a chidden train:(190)

Page | 76
Calpurnia's cheek is pale, and Cicero

Looks with such ferret and such fiery eyes

As we have seen him in the Capitol,

Being cross'd in conference by some senators.

CASSIUS:

Casca will tell us what the matter is.(195)

CAESAR:

Antonio!

ANTONY:

Caesar?

CAESAR:

Let me have men about me that are fat,

Sleek-headed men, and such as sleep o' nights:

Yond Cassius has a lean and hungry look;(200)

He thinks too much; such men are dangerous.

ANTONY:

Fear him not, Caesar; he's not dangerous;

He is a noble Roman and well given.

CAESAR:

Would he were fatter! But I fear him not,

Yet if my name were liable to fear,(205)

 I do not know the man I should avoid

So soon as that spare Cassius. He reads much,

He is a great observer, and he looks

Page | 77
Quite through the deeds of men. He loves no plays,

As thou dost, Antony; he hears no music;(210)

Seldom he smiles, and smiles in such a sort

As if he mock'd himself, and scorn'd his spirit

That could be moved to smile at any thing.

Such men as he be never at heart's ease

Whiles they behold a greater than themselves,(215)

And therefore are they very dangerous.

I rather tell thee what is to be fear'd

Than what I fear, for always I am Caesar.

Come on my right hand, for this ear is deaf,

And tell me truly what thou think'st of him.(220)

Sennet. Exeunt Caesar and his Train [but Casca.]

CASCA:

You pull'd me by the cloak; would you speak with me?

BRUTUS:

Ay, Casca, tell us what hath chanced today,

That Caesar looks so sad.

CASCA:

Why, you were with him, were you not?

BRUTUS:
 I should not then ask Casca what had chanced.(225)

CASCA:
Page | 78
Why, there was a crown offered him, and being offered

him: he put it by with the back of his hand, thus, and then

the people fell a-shouting.

BRUTUS:

What was the second noise for?

CASCA:

Why, for that too.(230)

CASSIUS:

They shouted thrice. What was the last cry for?

CASCA:

Why, for that too.

BRUTUS:

Was the crown offered him thrice?

CASCA:

Ay, marry, wast, and he put it by thrice, every time gentler

than other, and at every putting by mine honest neighbors(235)

shouted.

CASSIUS:

Who offered him the crown?

CASCA:
 Why, Antony.

BRUTUS:

Tell us the manner of it, gentle Casca.

Page | 79

CASCA:

I can as well be hang'd as tell the manner of it. It was(240)

mere foolery; I did not mark it. I saw Mark Antony offer

him a crown, yet 'twas not a crown neither, 'twas one of

these coronets and, as I told you, he put it by once. But for

all that, to my thinking, he would fain have had it. Then he

offered it to him again; then he put it by again. But, to my(245)

thinking, he was very loath to lay his fingers off it. And then

he offered it the third time; he put it the third time by; and

still as he refused it, the rabblement hooted and clapped

their chopped hands and threw up their sweaty nightcaps

and uttered such a deal of stinking breath because Caesar(250)

refused the crown, that it had almost choked Caesar, for he

swounded and fell down at it. And for mine own part, I

durst not laugh for fear of opening my lips and receiving the

bad air.

CASSIUS:

But, soft, I pray you. What, did Caesar swound?(255)

CASCA:

He fell down in the market-place and foamed at mouth

and was speechless.

 BRUTUS:

'Tis very like: he hath the falling sickness.

CASSIUS:
Page | 80
No, Caesar hath it not, but you, and I,

And honest Casca, we have the falling sickness.(260)

CASCA:

I know not what you mean by that, but I am sure

Caesar fell down. If the tag-rag people did not clap him

and hiss him according as he pleased and displeased them,

as they use to do the players in the theatre, I am no true

man.(265)

BRUTUS:

What said he when he came unto himself?

CASCA:

Marry, before he fell down, when he perceived the

common herd was glad he refused the crown, he plucked

me ope his doublet and offered them his throat to cut.

An had been a man of any occupation, if I would not(270)

have taken him at a word, I would I might go to hell

among the rogues. And so he fell. When he came to himself

again, he said, if he had done or said any thing amiss,

he desired their worships to think it was his infirmity.

Three or four wenches, where I stood cried, “Alas, good(275)

soul!” and forgave him with all their hearts. But there's no
 heed to be taken of them; if Caesar had stabbed their

mothers, they would have done no less.

BRUTUS:
Page | 81
And after that, he came thus sad away?

CASCA:

Ay.(280)

CASSIUS:

Did Cicero say anything?

CASCA:

Ay, he spoke Greek.

CASSIUS:

To what effect?

CASCA:

Nay, an I tell you that, I'll ne'er look you i' the face

again; but those that understood him smiled at one(285)

another and shook their heads; but for mine own part, it

was Greek to me. I could tell you more news too:

Marullus and Flavius, for pulling scarfs off Caesar's

images, are put to silence. Fare you well. There was more

foolery yet, if could remember it.(290)

 CASSIUS:
Page | 82
Will you sup with me tonight, Casca?

CASCA:

No, I am promised forth.

CASSIUS:

Will you dine with me tomorrow?

CASCA:

Ay, if I be alive, and your mind hold, and your dinner

worth the eating.(295)

CASSIUS:

Good, I will expect you.

 CASCA:

Do so, farewell, both.

Page | 83
Exit.

BRUTUS:

What a blunt fellow is this grown to be!

He was quick mettle when he went to school.

CASSIUS:

So is he now in execution(300)

Of any bold or noble enterprise,

However he puts on this tardy form.

This rudeness is a sauce to his good wit,

Which gives men stomach to digest his words

 With better appetite.(305)

BRUTUS:

Page | 84 And so it is. For this time I will leave you.

Tomorrow, if you please to speak with me,

I will come home to you, or, if you will,

Come home to me and I will wait for you.

CASSIUS:

I will do so. Till then, think of the world.(310)

Exit Brutus.

Well, Brutus, thou art noble; yet, I see

Thy honourable metal may be wrought

From that it is disposed; therefore it is meet

That noble minds keep ever with their likes;

For who so firm that cannot be seduced?(315)

Caesar doth bear me hard, but he loves Brutus.

If I were Brutus now and he were Cassius,

He should not humor me. I will this night,

In several hands, in at his windows throw,

As if they came from several citizens,(320)

 Writings, all tending to the great opinion

That Rome holds of his name, wherein obscurely

Page | 85
Caesar's ambition shall be glanced at.

And after this let Caesar seat him sure;

For we will shake him, or worse days endure.

Exit.

Analysis

Unrest is possible in Rome because the new leader is weak. The audience is given evidence of this at
the opening of Scene 2. Antony is about to run a race (an important and religious element of the
Lupercalian festivities) and Caesar calls on him to touch Calpurnia, Caesar's wife, as he passes "for
our elders say, / The barren, touched in this holy chase, / Shake off their sterile curse." Calpurnia has
not borne Caesar any children, and while in the Elizabethan mind the problem would have resided
with the woman, here, Caesar's virility is also in question. The fact that he calls upon another man,
known for his athleticism, carousing, and womanizing, suggests that Caesar is impotent.

A lack of virility is not Caesar's only problem. He also is unable to recognize and take heed of good
advice. A soothsayer enters the scene and "with a clear tongue shriller than all the music," warns
Caesar of the ides of March. Caesar doesn't hear the man clearly, but others do, and it is
Shakespeare's ironic hand that has Brutus, who will be Caesar's murderer, repeat the warning.
Caesar has every opportunity to heed these words. He hears them again from the soothsayer and
even takes the opportunity to look into the speaker's face and examine it for honesty, but he
misreads what he sees. The soothsayer is termed a dreamer and is dismissed.

Some critics of this play call Caesar a superstitious man and weak for that reason, but that is not the
real root of the problem. All of the characters in this play believe in the supernatural. It is one of the
play's themes that they all misinterpret and attempt to turn signs and omens to their own
advantage. What characterizes Caesar as weak is susceptibility to flattering interpretations of omens
and his inability to distinguish between good advice and bad, good advisors and bad.
 Those who surround Caesar are not all supporters. At Caesar's departure, Cassius and Brutus are left
onstage. Cassius, whose political purpose is to gather people around him and overthrow Caesar,
tests the waters with Brutus. He asks if he intends to watch the race and Brutus is less than
enthusiastic. Brutus speaks disapprovingly of Antony's quickness. Cassius, who is a very good reader
of other people, interprets this as Brutus' dislike of the new regime and goes on to probe a little
Page | 86 further to find out if he will join his group of conspirators. Brutus resists the idea of speaking against
Caesar, but Cassius flatters him, suggesting that no matter what Brutus says or does, he could never
be anything but a good man.
Their speech is interrupted by a shout offstage and the abruptness of it causes Brutus to display more
of his feeling than he may have otherwise. He says that he fears that the people have elected Caesar
their king. Cassius has the green light now and presses his case. He speaks of how Caesar oversteps
his bounds by calling himself a god when he is only a man and not a very strong one at that. He
recounts saving Caesar from drowning. He describes the fever that left Caesar groaning and
trembling. Another offstage shout adds urgency to what Cassius says. Brutus is swayed.

With Caesar's return to the stage — not crowned as Cassius and Brutus expect — he looking
unhappy and is none too pleased that Cassius is lurking about with "a lean and hungry look." But
Cassius is not truly tainted by this description because Caesar goes on to complain that he has not
been able to corrupt Cassius and make him fat, luxurious, and distracted by orchestrated spectacles.
So Caesar sees Cassius as a good Roman. On the other hand, Caesar worries that "Such men as he be
never at heart's ease / Whiles they behold a greater than themselves," and he accuses Cassius of
being too ambitious, which makes Cassius not a good Roman. Cassius thus cannot be categorized as
good or bad — like all the other actors in this drama, he is complex and very human.

Caesar's insight into Cassius' character reveals Caesar to be an intelligent and effective man, but as
Caesar leaves the stage he reveals a physical weakness that represents a moral and intellectual
weakness: He is deaf in one ear and can hear only one side of the issue — Antony's. Caesar and
Antony exit, with the latter calming Caesar's fears.

The others remain onstage. Casca describes to Cassius and Brutus what all the shouting had been
about, how Caesar had to tried to build enthusiasm for his ascent to the throne by pretending
disinterest. The plan backfired and the crowd shouted not because they wanted him to be crowned
but because they were responding to the theatre he had created, as they "did clap him and hiss him,
according as he pleas'd and displeas'd them, as they use to do the players in the theatre." The
biggest cheer arose when Caesar refused the crown and his fit of pique was represented bodily by a
fit of epilepsy.

Casca reveals his own sympathies when he mentions that he had trouble keeping himself from
laughing at the scene, and Cassius invites him to dinner in order to convert him to the conspirators'
cause.

Brutus, not yet converted, is nonetheless sympathetic and suggests that he and Cassius get together
the next day to discuss it further. The scene finishes with Cassius alone on stage. He mistrusts Brutus'
nobility and his loyalty to the state, and decides on a ploy to convince him. Having determined the
possibility of Brutus' open mind, he will write flattering letters that seem to come from the people
 and will throw them in Brutus' open window. He could not do this with any hope of success, however,
were he not aware that Brutus' mind was open to the suggestion.

Page | 87

Act I - Scene III

[A street.]
Thunder and lightning. Enter Casca, and Cicero.
CICERO:
Good even, Casca. Brought you Caesar home?
Why are you breathless, and why stare you so?
CASCA:
Are not you moved, when all the sway of earth
Shakes like a thing unfirm? O Cicero,
I have seen tempests, when the scolding winds(5)
Have rived the knotty oaks, and I have seen
The ambitious ocean swell and rage and foam,
To be exalted with the threatening clouds,
But never till tonight, never till now,
Did I go through a tempest dropping fire.(10)
Either there is a civil strife in heaven,
Or else the world too saucy with the gods
Incenses them to send destruction.
CICERO:
Why, saw you anything more wonderful?
CASCA:
A common slave—you know him well by sight—(15)
Held up his left hand, which did flame and burn
Like twenty torches join'd, and yet his hand,
Not sensible of fire, remain'd unscorch'd.
Besides—I ha' not since put up my sword—
Against the Capitol I met a lion,(20)
Who glazed upon me and went surly by
Without annoying me: and there were drawn
Upon a heap a hundred ghastly women
Transformed with their fear, who swore they saw
Men all in fire walk up and down the streets.(25)
And yesterday the bird of night did sit
 Even at noon-day upon the market-place,
Howling and shrieking. When these prodigies
Do so conjointly meet, let not men say(30)
“These are their reasons; they are natural,”
For, I believe, they are portentous things
Page | 88
Unto the climate that they point upon.
CICERO:
Indeed, it is a strange-disposed time;
But men may construe things after their fashion,(35)
Clean from the purpose of the things themselves.
Come Caesar to the Capitol tomorrow?
CASCA:
He doth; for he did bid Antonius
Send word to you he would be there tomorrow.
CICERO:
Good then, Casca. This disturbed sky(40)
Is not to walk in.
CASCA:
Farewell, Cicero.
Exit Cicero.
Enter Cassius.
CASSIUS:
Who's there?(45)
CASCA:
A Roman.
CASSIUS:
Casca, by your voice.
CASCA:
Your ear is good. Cassius, what night is this!
CASSIUS:
A very pleasing night to honest men.(50)
CASCA:
Who ever knew the heavens menace so?
CASSIUS:
Those that have known the earth so full of faults.
For my part, I have walk'd about the streets,
Submitting me unto the perilous night,
And thus unbraced, Casca, as you see,(55)
Have bared my bosom to the thunder-stone;
 And when the cross blue lightning seem'd to open
The breast of heaven, I did present myself
Even in the aim and very flash of it.
CASCA:
Page | 89 But wherefore did you so much tempt the heavens?(60)
It is the part of men to fear and tremble
When the most mighty gods by tokens send
Such dreadful heralds to astonish us.
CASSIUS:
You are dull, Casca, and those sparks of life
That should be in a Roman you do want,
Or else you use not. You look pale and gaze(65)
And put on fear and cast yourself in wonder,
To see the strange impatience of the heavens.
But if you would consider the true cause
Why all these fires, why all these gliding ghosts,
Why birds and beasts from quality and kind,(70)
Why old men fool, and children calculate,
Why all these things change from their ordinance,
Their natures and preformed faculties,
To monstrous quality, why, you shall find
That heaven hath infused them with these spirits(75)
To make them instruments of fear and warning
Unto some monstrous state.
Now could I, Casca, name to thee a man
Most like this dreadful night,
That thunders, lightens, opens graves, and roars(80)
As doth the lion in the Capitol,
A man no mightier than thyself or me
In personal action, yet prodigious grown
And fearful, as these strange eruptions are.

Wouldn’t you say that instability arises from the enduring callous zeitgeist derived from
humanity’s INNATE lust for power? Which in turn corrupts divine sovereignty? Remember,
Julius Caesar transposes Renaissance concerns of Queen Elizabeth I’s succession through the
veiled critique of Caesar’s assassination, which prompts civil upheaval - catalysed by Brutus’s
providential abandonment, succumbing to humanity’s innate potential of tyranny.
I want you to think – is Shakespeare affirming pragmatic rule as a solution to conflict? Are his
characters didactic = capturing the Renaissance zeitgeist of humanism overriding divine
ordination? Is Shakespeare critiquing men desiring civil order at the expense of divine
providence? Is he advocating moderate modes of political judgement?
 Monday of week 5 – starting to draft.
Friday Week 6 – Final DRAFTS
Overarching ideas of the play – the stability of a nation is dependent on strong leadership.
Pragmatic/Humanist. The different types of leadership – and what is beneficial to a nation.
Social upheaval/instability as a result of challenging the divine right of kings.
Page | 90

1. In "Julius Caesar," Shakespeare offers a nuanced perspective on the concept of pragmatic

rule, presenting its implications through the actions and consequences faced by his characters.
For example, Cassius, known for his manipulative and pragmatic nature, leads a conspiracy to
assassinate Caesar, believing it to be for Rome's greater good. However, the resulting power
vacuum and ensuing civil strife suggest that pragmatic rule, while potentially logical, may still
lead to undesirable outcomes. Thus, Shakespeare invites his audience to consider the
complexities of pragmatism in leadership, including its potential for both success and disaster.

2. The characters in "Julius Caesar" do reflect elements of Renaissance humanism, which may
be interpreted as didactic in nature. Renaissance humanism emphasized the potential for
individual achievement and the inherent dignity of the individual, moving away from divine
ordination. For instance, Brutus's struggle with his moral obligations versus his love for Rome
illustrates an internal conflict characteristic of Renaissance humanism's emphasis on individual
moral agency. Similarly, Caesar's ambition and subsequent fall demonstrate the humanistic
theme of personal ambition's potential to lead to one's downfall, a shift from the Medieval belief
of predestined fate.

3. Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar" is a complex exploration of power, ambition, and human

agency. The desire for civil order, particularly as it stands against the concept of divine
providence, is a significant theme. Shakespeare presents a nuanced critique of characters,
such as the conspirators, who seek to control or reorder societal structures, often ignoring
potential divine providence. The conspirators' decision to assassinate Caesar in the name of
Rome's welfare could be seen as an attempt to impose their will and establish civil order.
However, the chaos and civil strife that follow Caesar's death suggest that such human
interventions against the natural order may lead to unintended and disastrous consequences.
This critique reflects the social and political context of Elizabethan England, where questions of
divine right, political power, and societal order were salient (means noticeable).

4. Shakespeare's exploration of political judgement in "Julius Caesar" tends to caution against

extremism, hence indirectly advocating for moderation. Brutus embodies the struggle to strike a
balance between personal loyalty and civic duty, demonstrating a moderate political judgement.
However, his eventual tragic end and the ensuing chaos might suggest the precariousness of
such a stance in a volatile political landscape. The oscillation between extreme loyalty, seen in
Antony, and drastic actions for perceived common good, embodied by the conspirators, invites
the audiences to reflect on the complexities and consequences of political decisions. This also
resonates with the context of the play's composition, where Queen Elizabeth's rule had faced
 various conspiracies and threats, emphasizing the need for careful and considered political
judgement.

Page | 91

CASCA:

'Tis Caesar that you mean, is it not, Cassius?(85)

CASSIUS:

Let it be who it is, for Romans now

Have thews and limbs like to their ancestors.

But, woe the while! Our fathers' minds are dead,

And we are govern'd with our mothers' spirits;

Our yoke and sufferance show us womanish.(90)

CASCA:

Indeed they say the senators tomorrow

Mean to establish Caesar as a king,

And he shall wear his crown by sea and land,

In every place save here in Italy.

CASSIUS:

I know where I will wear this dagger then:(95)

Cassius from bondage will deliver Cassius.

Therein, ye gods, you make the weak most strong;

Therein, ye gods, you tyrants do defeat.

Nor stony tower, nor walls of beaten brass,

Nor airless dungeon, nor strong links of iron,(100)

Can be retentive to the strength of spirit;

 But life, being weary of these worldly bars,

Never lacks power to dismiss itself.

If I know this, know all the world besides,

Page | 92
That part of tyranny that I do bear(105)

I can shake off at pleasure.

Thunder still.

CASCA:
So can I.
So every bondman in his own hand bears
The power to cancel his captivity.
CASSIUS:
And why should Caesar be a tyrant then?(110)
Poor man! I know he would not be a wolf
But that he sees the Romans are but sheep.
He were no lion, were not Romans hinds.
Those that with haste will make a mighty fire
Begin it with weak straws. What trash is Rome,(115)
What rubbish and what offal, when it serves
For the base matter to illuminate
So vile a thing as Caesar? But, O grief,
Where hast thou led me? I perhaps speak this
Before a willing bondman; then I know(120)
My answer must be made. But I am arm'd,
And dangers are to me indifferent.
CASCA:
You speak to Casca, and to such a man
That is no fleering tell-tale. Hold, my hand.
Be factious for redress of all these griefs,(125)
And I will set this foot of mine as far
As who goes farthest.
CASSIUS:
There's a bargain made.
Now know you, Casca, I have moved already
Some certain of the noblest-minded Romans(130)
To undergo with me an enterprise
Of honourable-dangerous consequence;
And I do know, by this they stay for me
 In Pompey's Porch. For now, this fearful night,
There is no stir or walking in the streets,(135)
And the complexion of the element
In favour’s like the work we have in hand,
Most bloody, fiery, and most terrible.
Page | 93
Enter Cinna.
CASCA:
Stand close awhile, for here comes one in haste.
CASSIUS:
'Tis Cinna, I do know him by his gait;(140)
He is a friend. Cinna, where haste you so?
CINNA:
To find out you. Who's that? Metellus Cimber?
CASSIUS:
No, it is Casca, one incorporate
To our attempts. Am I not stay'd for, Cinna?
CINNA:
I am glad on't. What a fearful night is this!(145)
There's two or three of us have seen strange sights.
CASSIUS: Am I not stay'd for? Tell me.
CINNA:
Yes, you are.
O Cassius, if you could
But win the noble Brutus to our party—(150)
CASSIUS:
Be you content. Good Cinna, take this paper,
And look you lay it in the praetor's chair,
Where Brutus may but find it; and throw this
In at his window; set this up with wax
Upon old Brutus' statue. All this done,(155)
Repair to Pompey's porch, where you shall find us.
Is Decius Brutus and Trebonius there?
CINNA:
All but Metellus Cimber, and he's gone
To seek you at your house. Well, I will hie
And so bestow these papers as you bade me.(160)
CASSIUS:
That done, repair to Pompey's theatre.

Exit Cinna.
Come, Casca, you and I will yet ere day
See Brutus at his house. Three parts of him
Is ours already, and the man entire
 Upon the next encounter yields him ours.(165)
CASCA:
O, he sits high in all the people's hearts,
And that which would appear offense in us,
His countenance, like richest alchemy,
Page | 94
Will change to virtue and to worthiness.
CASSIUS:
Him and his worth and our great need of him(170)
You have right well conceited. Let us go,
For it is after midnight, and ere day
We will awake him and be sure of him.
Exeunt.
Analysis
Scene 3 opens with the natural world reflecting the unrest of the state. Casca, soon to be a conspirator,
is unnerved by what is going on. Cicero, a senator and thus a representative of the status quo, is, on the
other hand, blissfully unaware of the danger at hand. It is Casca's task to describe the omens he has
seen for Cicero. Cicero's response to that impulse is as follows:
Indeed, it is a strange-disposed time;
But men may construe things after their fashion,
Clean from the purpose of the things themselves.

Cicero suggests that each person will interpret events for their own purposes, and this is, in effect, what
happens. Cassius enters the scene and the opening exchange between Casca and Cassius is an
interesting one. Cassius asks "Who's there?" and Casca answers "A Roman," identifying himself as a man
loyal to the idea of being a Roman — not necessarily one who supports the state as it stands now, but
one who embodies all the glories of Rome's past. Cassius recognizes Casca's voice and the latter
compliments his ear, reminding the reader, by contrast, of Caesar's deaf ear and his inability to hear,
both literally and metaphorically. Thus the reader is left with two contrasting images: Cassius as strong,
intuitive, clever; Caesar as weak, deluded, and rather unintelligent.

It is Cassius' cleverness that comes to the fore now. In order to convince Casca of the worth of his cause,
Cassius does just as Cicero, the great orator, has suggested men would — he interprets and
manipulates the omens for his own purposes. In his hands, all of these frightening events are happening
because the heavens "hath infus'd them with these spirits, / To make them instruments of fear and
warning / Unto some monstrous state." The monstrous state, Casca is meant to believe, is Caesar's
Rome. Cassius tells Casca that there is a man who is "most like this dreadful night, / That thunders,
lightens, opens graves, and roars / As doth the lion in the Capitol." Casca asks directly if Cassius means
Caesar but, not wanting to reveal himself too quickly and not wanting to leave the possibility open that
his words could be turned against him, Cassius allows Casca to draw his own conclusions. Having
established the problem, Cassius comes up with a solution. He points out that Caesar is just a man, not a
god, and that all of these terrible visions can be overcome by a true, idealized Roman who calls on the
spirits of his ancestors for strength and perseverance. Once again, Cassius has found the best way to
persuade his listener — in this case, he has called on Casca's image of himself as a noble and loyal
Roman, and given him an opportunity to act on it.

Casca joins the plot and the conspirators' faction is enlarged, but to be successful, the person they really
need is Brutus. Brutus is well-regarded, wields a great deal of power and, after Caesar is overthrown,
has the strength to manage that chaotic and potentially dangerous group, the people. "O, he sits high in
 all the people's hearts; / And that which would appear offence in us, / His countenance, like richest
alchymy, / Will change to virtue and to worthiness." Act I ends in gloom and darkness with the state
beginning to splinter. The daylight that Cassius perceives on the horizon is, paradoxically, a light that will
show the cracks all the more clearly.
Act One, Scene 3 opens with Casca commenting on the terrible weather and mentioning the strange omens he
Page | 95 feels reflect the turbulence in Rome's government. After listening to Casca comment on the flaming hand of a
slave, the glaring lion walking in the Capitol, and the owl hooting at noon in the marketplace, Cicero says,

"But men may construe things after their fashion, Clean from the purpose of the things themselves"
(Shakespeare, 1.3.34-35).

Cicero is essentially saying that men tend to misinterpret things and end up missing the actual meaning of the
unnatural events. According to Cicero, men do not exercise perspective when they interpret enigmatic
portents, which leads to their wrong interpretations.

When Cassius enters the scene, he is exposing his chest to the thunderbolts and tells Casca that the terrible,
chaotic weather reflects the hectic political atmosphere in Rome. He believes that the storm is in response to
Julius Caesar's fiery ambition and represents the senators' bloody plan to assassinate Caesar. Cassius clearly
interprets the storm as an ominous portent of the brutal plan to assassinate Caesar and the turbulent
political atmosphere in Rome. Cassius tells Casca,

"But if you would consider the true cause Why all these fires, why all these gliding ghosts, Why birds and
…..monstrous state" (Shakespeare, 1.3.63-7

When we look at Julius Caesar, we see many different interpretations of these omens. Before the night of the
assassination of Caesar, there are many omens (or portents) and a storm, and no one seems to interpret
them correctly. For instance, Cassius interprets them as the dangers that lie ahead for Rome in view of
Caesar's ambition. Cassius believes that Caesar is aiming for kingship. He even uses these omens to persuade
Brutus to join the conspiracy. Caesar, on the other hand, pretty much ignores them.

What Cicero states is that people pretty much interpret things in they way they want to. This is patently true,
because omens can be interpreted in many different ways. For example, the storm could be a sign that the
gods disapprove of the conspiracy that has been hatched!

Act II - Scene I

Enter Brutus in his orchard.

BRUTUS:
[Calling out.]
What, Lucius, ho!
I cannot, by the progress of the stars,
Gives guess how near to day. Lucius, I say!
I would it were my fault to sleep so soundly.
When, Lucius, when? awake, I say! what, Lucius!(5)
Enter Lucius.
LUCIUS:
Call'd you, my lord?
 BRUTUS:
Get me a taper in my study, Lucius.
When it is lighted, come and call me here.
LUCIUS:
Page | 96
I will, my lord.
Exit.
BRUTUS: (Soliloquy – suppositions – turning points)
It must be by his death, and, for my part,(10)
I know no personal cause (loyalty and betrayal theme) to spurn at
him,
But for the general. He would be crown'd:
How that might change his nature, there's the question.
It is the bright day that brings forth the adder
And that craves wary walking. Crown him? that;(15)
And then, I grant, we put a sting in him
That at his will he may do danger with.
The abuse of greatness is when it disjoins
Remorse from power, and, to speak truth of Caesar,
I have not known when his affections sway'd(20)
More than his reason. But 'tis a common proof
That lowliness is young ambition's ladder,
Whereto the climber-upward turns his face;
But when he once attains the upmost round,
He then unto the ladder turns his back,(25)
Looks in the clouds, scorning the base degrees
By which he did ascend. So Caesar may;
Then, lest he may, prevent. And, since the quarrel
Will bear no color for the thing he is,
Fashion it thus, that what he is, augmented,(30)
Would run to these and these extremities;
And therefore think him as a serpent's egg
Which hatch'd would as his kind grow mischievous,
And kill him in the shell. (Turning point, where he makes up his
mind)
 [Re-]enter Lucius with a taper.]
LUCIUS:
The taper burneth in your closet, sir.(35)
Searching the window for a flint I found
Page | 97
This paper thus seal'd up, and I am sure
It did not lie there when I went to bed.
Gives him the letter.
BRUTUS:
Get you to bed again, it is not day.
Is not tomorrow, boy, the ides of March?(40)
LUCIUS:
I know not, sir.
BRUTUS:
Look in the calendar and bring me word.
LUCIUS:
I will, sir.
Exit.
BRUTUS: The exhalations whizzing in the air

Give so much light that I may read by them.(45)

Opens the letter, and reads.

“Brutus, thou sleep'st: awake and see thyself!

Shall Rome, &c. Speak, strike, redress!”

“Brutus, thou sleep'st: awake!”

Such instigations have been often dropp'd

Where I have took them up.(50)

“Shall Rome, &c.” Thus must I piece it out.

Shall Rome stand under one man's awe? What, Rome?

My ancestors did from the streets of Rome

 The Tarquin drive, when he was call'd a king.

“Speak, strike, redress!” Am I entreated(55)

To speak and strike? O Rome, I make thee promise,

Page | 98

If the redress will follow, thou receivest

Thy full petition at the hand of Brutus!

[Re-]enter Lucius.
LUCIUS:
Sir, March is wasted fifteen days.
Knocking within.
BRUTUS:
'Tis good. Go to the gate, somebody knocks.(60)

Exit Lucius.

Since Cassius first did whet SUS🤨 me against Caesar

I have not slept.
Between the acting of a dreadful thing
And the first motion, all the interim is
Like a phantasma or a hideous dream;(65)
The genius and the mortal instruments
Are then in council, and the state of man,
Like to a little kingdom, suffers then
The nature of an insurrection.
[Re-]Enter Lucius.[with a taper.]
LUCIUS:
Sir, 'tis your brother Cassius at the door,(70)
Who doth desire to see you.
BRUTUS:
Is he alone?
LUCIUS:
No, sir, there are moe with him.
BRUTUS:
 Do you know them?
LUCIUS:
No, sir, their hats are pluck'd about their ears,(75)
And half their faces buried in their cloaks,
Page | 99 That by no means I may discover them
By any mark of favour.
BRUTUS:
Let 'em enter.

[Exit Lucius.]
They are the faction. O Conspiracy,(80)
Shamest thou to show thy dangerous brow by night,
When evils are most free? O, then, by day
Where wilt thou find a cavern dark enough
To mask thy monstrous visage? Seek none, conspiracy;
Hide it in smiles and affability;(85)
For if thou path, thy native semblance on,
Not Erebus itself were dim enough
To hide thee from prevention.
Enter the conspirators, Cassius,[with a taper] Casca, Decius, Cinna,
Metellus [Cimber], and Trebonius.
CASSIUS:
I think we are too bold upon your rest.
Good morrow, Brutus, do we trouble you?(90)
BRUTUS:
I have been up this hour, awake all night.
Know I these men that come along with you?
CASSIUS:
Yes, every man of them, and no man here
But honours you, and every one doth wish
You had but that opinion of yourself(95)
Which every noble Roman bears of you.
This is Trebonius.
BRUTUS:
He is welcome hither.
CASSIUS:
This, Decius Brutus.
BRUTUS:
He is welcome too.(100)
 CASSIUS:
This, Casca; this, Cinna; and this, Metellus Cimber.
BRUTUS:
They are all welcome.
Page | 100 What watchful cares do interpose themselves
Betwixt your eyes and night?
CASSIUS:
Shall I entreat a word?(105)
They whisper.
DECIUS:
Here lies the east. Doth not the day break here?
CASCA:
No.
CINNA:
O, pardon, sir, it doth, and yon grey lines
That fret the clouds are messengers of day.
CASCA:
You shall confess that you are both deceived.(110)
Here, as I point my sword, the sun arises,
Which is a great way growing on the south,
Weighing the youthful season of the year.
Some two months hence up higher toward the north
He first presents his fire, and the high east(115)
Stands as the Capitol, directly here.
BRUTUS:

Give me your hands all over, one by one.

CASSIUS:

And let us swear our resolution.

BRUTUS:
No, not an oath. If not the face of men,
The sufferance of our souls, the time's abuse—(120)
If these be motives weak, break off betimes,
And every man hence to his idle bed;
 So let high-sighted tyranny range on
Till each man drop by lottery. But if these,
As I am sure they do, bear fire enough(125)
To kindle cowards and to steel with valor
Page | 101 The melting spirits of women, then, countrymen,
What need we any spur but our own cause
To prick us to redress? What other bond
Than secret Romans that have spoke the word(130)
And will not palter? And what other oath
Than honesty to honesty engaged
That this shall be or we will fall for it?
Swear priests and cowards and men cautelous,
Old feeble carrions and such suffering souls(135)
That welcome wrongs; unto bad causes swear
Such creatures as men doubt; but do not stain
The even virtue of our enterprise,
Nor the insuppressive mettle of our spirits,
To think that or our cause or our performance(140)
Did need an oath; when every drop of blood
That every Roman bears, and nobly bears,
Is guilty of a several bastardy
If he do break the smallest particle
Of any promise that hath pass'd from him.(145)
CASSIUS:
But what of Cicero? Shall we sound him?
I think he will stand very strong with us.
CASCA:
Let us not leave him out.
CINNA:
No, by no means.
METELLUS:

O, let us have him, for his silver hairs(150)

Will purchase us a good opinion,

And buy men's voices to commend our deeds.

 It shall be said his judgement ruled our hands;

Our youths and wildness shall no whit appear,

But all be buried in his gravity.(155)

Page | 102

BRUTUS:

O, name him not; let us not break with him,

For he will never follow anything

That other men begin.

Four men, Cassius, Casca, Cinna, and Metellus, all want to recruit the great Cicero to join their
conspiracy, but Brutus overrules them. What Brutus is really thinking is that he enjoys being leader of
this enterprise now that he has committed himself to it, and he knows that Cicero would put him in
the shade if he were to become involved. What Metellus says of Cicero is quite true:
O, let us have him, for his silver hairs
Will purchase us a good opinion,
And buy men's voices to commend our deeds.
It shall be said his judgement ruled our hands;
Our youths and wildness shall no whit appear,
But all be buried in his gravity.
But Metellus is accurately expressing exactly the reasons why Brutus doesn't want him. Brutus wants
to be the one whose judgement and gravity make the assassination appear wise, just and patriotic.
Brutus has many good qualities, but Shakespeare, characteristically, has given him offsetting qualities
in order to make him seem human. Brutus is vain and egotistical. He is noble, but he wants
everybody to know he is noble. Shakespeare did not have a terribly good opinion of humanity in
general. Speaking through Hamlet, he says:
How weary, stale, flat and unprofitable
Seem to me all the uses of this world!
Fie on't! ah, fie! 'tis an unweeded garden
That grows to seed; things rank and gross in nature
Possess it merely.
The other conspirators, including Cassius, consistently give in to Brutus on every issue. They know
they can't get along without him, and it wasn't easy to recruit him in the first place. If he were to feel
offended and drop out, not only would their assassination plot be jeopardized, but their own lives
would be in danger. There are too many people who know about it, and it would be fatal for all of
them if Caesar found out they had intended to kill him.
If Brutus is right in saying that Cicero "will never follow anything That other men begin," then Cicero
would refuse to join them and would have something on them which he could use, if he wanted to
do so. It turns out that Antony, Octavius and Lepidus had Cicero killed along with many others who
were in sympathy with the assassins. Cicero could conceivably warn Caesar of a plot against his life in
order to get some assurance of his own safety. Cicero is wise enough to know that he could be in
extreme danger if the conspirators went ahead without him and failed to secure control of the city,
as they in fact did. When Brutus says, "...let us not break with him," he means let us not divulge our
 plans to him. And when Cassius says, "Then leave him out," he is thinking that it might be dangerous
to approach Cicero at all. Cassius is the one who organized this conspiracy. He talked to many men
but not to Cicero. He may have had some misgivings about him too.

CASSIUS:
Page | 103
Then leave him out.

CASCA:

Indeed he is not fit.(160)

DECIUS:

Shall no man else be touch'd but only Caesar?

CASSIUS:

Decius, well urged. I think it is not meet

Mark Antony, so well beloved of Caesar,

Should outlive Caesar. We shall find of him

A shrewd contriver; and you know his means,(165)

If he improve them, may well stretch so far

As to annoy us all, which to prevent,

Let Antony and Caesar fall together.

BRUTUS:

Our course will seem too bloody, Caius Cassius,

To cut the head off and then hack the limbs(170)

Like wrath in death and envy afterwards;

For Antony is but a limb of Caesar. (How naive is Brutus for

thinking Antony has no effect)

 Let us be sacrificers, but not butchers, Caius.

We all stand up against the spirit of Caesar,

And in the spirit of men there is no blood.(175)

Page | 104

O, that we then could come by Caesar's spirit,

And not dismember Caesar! But, alas,

Caesar must bleed for it! And, gentle friends,

Let's kill him boldly, but not wrathfully;

Let's carve him as a dish fit for the gods,(180)

Not hew him as a carcass fit for hounds;

And let our hearts, as subtle masters do,

Stir up their servants to an act of rage

And after seem to chide 'em. This shall make

Our purpose necessary and not envious,(185)

Which so appearing to the common eyes,

We shall be call'd purgers, not murderers.

And for Mark Antony, think not of him,

For he can do no more than Caesar's arm

When Caesar's head is off.(190)

CASSIUS:

Yet I fear him,

For in the ingrafted love he bears to Caesar—

BRUTUS:
 Alas, good Cassius, do not think of him.

If he love Caesar, all that he can do

Is to himself, take thought and die for Caesar.(195)

Page | 105

And that were much he should, for he is given

To sports, to wildness, and much company.

TREBONIUS:

There is no fear in him, let him not die,

For he will live and laugh at this hereafter.

Clock strikes.

BRUTUS:

Peace, count the clock.(200)

CASSIUS: The clock hath stricken three.

TREBONIUS:

'Tis time to part.

CASSIUS:
But it is doubtful yet
Whether Caesar will come forth today or no,
For he is superstitious grown of late,(205)
Quite from the main opinion he held once
Of fantasy, of dreams and ceremonies.
It may be these apparent prodigies,
The unaccustom'd terror of this night,
And the persuasion of his augurers(210)
May hold him from the Capitol today.
DECIUS:
Never fear that. If he be so resolved,
 I can o'ersway him, for he loves to hear
That unicorns may be betray'd with trees,
And bears with glasses, elephants with holes,(215)
Lions with toils, and men with flatterers;
Page | 106 But when I tell him he hates flatterers,
He says he does, being then most flattered.
Let me work;
For I can give his humor the true bent,(220)
And I will bring him to the Capitol.
CASSIUS:
Nay, we will all of us be there to fetch him.
BRUTUS:
By the eighth hour. Is that the uttermost?
CINNA:
Be that the uttermost, and fail not then.
METELLUS:
Caius Ligarius doth bear Caesar hard,(225)
Who rated him for speaking well of Pompey.
I wonder none of you have thought of him.
BRUTUS:
Now, good Metellus, go along by him.
He loves me well, and I have given him reasons;
Send him but hither, and I'll fashion him.(230)
CASSIUS:
The morning comes upon's. We'll leave you, Brutus,
And, friends, disperse yourselves, but all remember
What you have said and show yourselves true Romans.
BRUTUS:
Good gentlemen, look fresh and merrily;
Let not our looks put on our purposes,(235)
But bear it as our Roman actors do,
With untired spirits and formal constancy.
And so, good morrow to you every one.

Exeunt [all but] Brutus.

Boy! Lucius! Fast asleep? It is no matter.
Enjoy the honey-heavy dew of slumber;(240)
Thou hast no figures nor no fantasies,
Which busy care draws in the brains of men;
 Therefore thou sleep'st so sound.
Enter Portia.
PORTIA:
Brutus, my lord!
Page | 107
BRUTUS:
Portia, what mean you? Wherefore rise you now?(245)
It is not for your health thus to commit
Your weak condition to the raw cold morning.
PORTIA:
Nor for yours neither. Y'have ungently, Brutus,
Stole from my bed; and yesternight at supper
You suddenly arose and walk'd about,(250)
Musing and sighing, with your arms across;
And when I ask'd you what the matter was,
You stared upon me with ungentle looks.
I urged you further; then you scratch'd your head,
And too impatiently stamp'd with your foot.(255)
Yet I insisted, yet you answer'd not,
But with an angry wafture of your hand
Gave sign for me to leave you. So I did,
Fearing to strengthen that impatience
Which seem'd too much enkindled, and withal(260)
Hoping it was but an effect of humor,
Which sometime hath his hour with every man.
It will not let you eat, nor talk, nor sleep,
And, could it work so much upon your shape
As it hath much prevail'd on your condition,(265)
I should not know you, Brutus. Dear my lord,
Make me acquainted with your cause of grief.
BRUTUS:
I am not well in health, and that is all.
PORTIA:
Brutus is wise, and, were he not in health,
He would embrace the means to come by it.(270)
BRUTUS:
Why, so I do. Good Portia, go to bed.
PORTIA:
Is Brutus sick, and is it physical
To walk unbraced and suck up the humors
Of the dank morning? What, is Brutus sick,
 And will he steal out of his wholesome bed(275)
To dare the vile contagion of the night
And tempt the rheumy and unpurged air
To add unto his sickness? No, my Brutus,
Page | 108 You have some sick offense within your mind,
Which by the right and virtue of my place(280)
I ought to know of; and, upon my knees,
I charm you, by my once commended beauty,
By all your vows of love and that great vow
Which did incorporate and make us one,
That you unfold to me, yourself, your half,(285)
Why you are heavy, and what men tonight
Have had resort to you; for here have been
Some six or seven, who did hide their faces
Even from darkness.
BRUTUS:
Kneel not, gentle Portia.(290)
PORTIA:
I should not need, if you were gentle Brutus.
Within the bond of marriage, tell me, Brutus,
Is it excepted I should know no secrets
That appertain to you? Am I yourself
But, as it were, in sort or limitation,(295)
To keep with you at meals, comfort your bed,
And talk to you sometimes? Dwell I but in the suburbs
Of your good pleasure? If it be no more,
Portia is Brutus' harlot, not his wife.
BRUTUS:
You are my true and honourable wife,(300)
As dear to me as are the ruddy drops
That visit my sad heart.
PORTIA:
If this were true, then should I know this secret.
I grant I am a woman, but withal
A woman that Lord Brutus took to wife.(305)
I grant I am a woman, but withal
A woman well reputed, Cato's daughter.
 Think you I am no stronger than my sex,
Being so father'd and so husbanded?
Tell me your counsels, I will not disclose em.(310)
I have made strong proof of my constancy,
Page | 109 Giving myself a voluntary wound
Here in the thigh. Can I bear that with patience
And not my husband's secrets?
BRUTUS:
O ye gods,(315)
Render me worthy of this noble wife!
Knock [within.]
Hark, hark, one knocks. Portia, go in awhile,
And by and by thy bosom shall partake
The secrets of my heart.
All my engagements I will construe to thee,(320)
All the charactery of my sad brows.
Leave me with haste.
Exit Portia.

[Re-]enter Lucius and Ligarius.]

Lucius, who's that knocks?

LUCIUS:
Here is a sick man that would speak with you.
BRUTUS:
Caius Ligarius, that Metellus spake of.
Boy, stand aside. Caius Ligarius, how?(325)
LIGARIUS:
Vouchsafe good morrow from a feeble tongue.
BRUTUS:
O, what a time have you chose out, brave Caius,
To wear a kerchief! Would you were not sick!
LIGARIUS:
I am not sick, if Brutus have in hand
Any exploit worthy the name of honour.(330)
BRUTUS:
 Such an exploit have I in hand, Ligarius,
Had you a healthful ear to hear of it.
LIGARIUS:
By all the gods that Romans bow before,
Page | 110
I here discard my sickness! Soul of Rome!
Brave son, derived from honourable loins!(335)
Thou, like an exorcist, hast conjured up
My mortified spirit. Now bid me run,
And I will strive with things impossible,
Yea, get the better of them. What's to do?
BRUTUS:

A piece of work that will make sick men whole.(340)

LIGARIUS:

But are not some whole that we must make sick?

BRUTUS:

That must we also. What it is, my Caius,

I shall unfold to thee, as we are going

To whom it must be done.

LIGARIUS:
Set on your foot,(345)
And with a heart new-fired I follow you,
To do I know not what; but it sufficeth
That Brutus leads me on.
BRUTUS:
Follow me then.
Thunder. Exeunt.
Analysis
While the reader has been led to believe in Brutus' strength of nobility, there is a touch of weakness
in the self-delusion he must create before he can join the conspirators: Brutus feels that murder is
wrong and so must find a way to justify his actions. It's not for personal reasons that he will do it, but
for the general; that is, for the good of the people of Rome. He generalizes about the effects of power
and ambition and anticipates the damage that Caesar will do when he gains the crown. He has to
 admit, however, that Caesar has not yet committed any of these wrongs. Brutus has to convince
himself to kill Caesar before he has the opportunity to achieve his ambition; that is, he will "kill him in
the shell." The final element of his persuasion comes from an outside source. He responds to the call
of the people without knowing that the call is false. The letters that Cassius has penned have been
discovered in Brutus' closet; he reads them and is persuaded by them under the same harsh and
distorting "exhalations of the air" that light the conspirators' way to Brutus' doorstep. By that light,
Page | 111
one can see that Brutus is as tainted as any of the other conspirators.
Brutus, although he has decided to be one of the conspirators, knows that what they plan is wrong.
"O Conspiracy, / Sham'st thou to show thy dang'rous brow by night, / When evils are most free?"
(emphasis added). But being a man of his word, he is committed to the plan. After a brief, whispered
discussion with Cassius, Brutus takes on the leadership of the group, and when Cassius calls on the
group to swear to continue as they have planned, Brutus stops them, and begins by a sort of
negative persuasion to fix their resolve and establish himself as leader. "No, not an oath!" he says. If
their motives are not strong enough, an oath will not help them to accomplish the deed. Only
cowards and deceivers would swear, and to swear would be to taint what they do. This is how Brutus
convinces his men. He creates a void, takes away what Cassius says, and then fills it with his own
voice. By stripping away the words of an oath and by replacing that oath with images of valiant
Romans, their very blood carrying strength, nobility, and constancy, Brutus inspires his men and
establishes himself as their leader. Caesar, therefore, is not alone in his ambition.
This image of nobility disappears rather abruptly as the conspirators return to the details of the plan.
What about Cicero? Should they try to get him on their side? He carries a lot of weight. Perhaps he'd
be useful. Maybe they could claim him as the author of what they do and spread some of the
responsibility around. Brutus points out that Cicero is too much his own man and will not follow
anyone, and so he is excluded. Next, they must decide what to do about Mark Antony. He is a
powerful and dangerous foe, but Brutus is doubtful, not wanting to murder for the sake of killing and
even regretting that Caesar's blood must be shed.
Blood imagery begins to replace the lightening and flame that dominated the earlier part of the
scene. It is as though a bloody rain follows the rumbling warnings of thunder. By means of this fluid
image, Shakespeare moves easily between all the connotations that blood offers. The conspirators
are up to no good, yet they attempt to lend credibility to what they do by calling on their noble
Roman ancestry — their blood — in order to spill Caesar's blood. By this bloodletting, they believe
they will regain the masculinity and strength that the state has lost. By penetrating Caesar's body, by
exposing his weakness and effeminacy, Romans will be men again.
Just as interesting is the image of blood that Brutus' wife, Portia, brings to the stage. As the
conspirators leave their home, Portia sees "some six or seven, who did hide their faces / Even from
the darkness." She knows something is very wrong. Brutus hasn't been sleeping well and is drawn
from bed "to dare the vile contagion of the night." Her husband attempts to put off her questions but
she, among all the characters of the play, seems most able to cut through the darkness and see the
truth. "No, my Brutus, / You have some sick offense within your mind." Portia represents strong
Roman womanhood, yet can still only be defined in terms of the men around her. She points out that
she is the daughter of Cato, a man famed for his integrity, and the wife of Brutus, and for these
reasons Brutus should confide in her. Portia's credibility is described in the images of blood. She is
Brutus' "true and honorable wife / As dear to [him] as are the ruddy drops / That visit [his] sad
heart."
The meaning of this bloodletting is two-fold. First, the audience is meant to remember the Greek
myth of the birth of Athena, the goddess associated with both war and wisdom, and who is
sometimes described as having been born of the thigh of Zeus. Second, one sees that it is a woman
who bears the marks of true Roman nobility. The self-wounding in her thigh is a sort of suicide, an
 act valued by the Romans as the ultimate sacrifice in the face of dishonour. Portia's honourable
bloodletting, then, suggests that the male characters in the play, even though they call on their
ancestry and on the ideas of strength and honour, do so in a dishonourable cause. Still, she is a
woman, and even though she is "so father'd and so husbanded," she is unable to stem the flow of
blood that the conspirators have begun.
Page | 112

Act II - Scene II
[Caesar's house.]
Thunder and lightning. Enter Caesar, in his night-gown.
CAESAR:
Nor heaven nor earth have been at peace tonight.
Thrice hath Calpurnia in her sleep cried out,
“Help, ho! They murder Caesar!” Who's within?
Enter a Servant.
SERVANT:
My lord?
CAESAR:
Go bid the priests do present sacrifice,(5)
And bring me their opinions of success.
SERVANT:
I will, my lord.
Exit.
Enter Calpurnia.
CALPURNIA:
What mean you, Caesar? Think you to walk forth?
You shall not stir out of your house today.
CAESAR:
Caesar shall forth: the things that threaten'd me(10)
Ne'er look'd but on my back; when they shall see
The face of Caesar, they are vanished.
CALPURNIA:
Caesar, I never stood on ceremonies,
Yet now they fright me. There is one within,
Besides the things that we have heard and seen,(15)
Recounts most horrid sights seen by the watch.
 A lioness hath whelped in the streets;
And graves have yawn'd, and yielded up their dead;
Fierce fiery warriors fight upon the clouds,
In ranks and squadrons and right form of war,(20)
Which drizzled blood upon the Capitol;
Page | 113 The noise of battle hurtled in the air,
Horses did neigh and dying men did groan,
And ghosts did shriek and squeal about the streets.
O Caesar! These things are beyond all use,(25)
And I do fear them.
CAESAR:
What can be avoided
Whose end is purposed by the mighty gods?
Yet Caesar shall go forth, for these predictions
Are to the world in general as to Caesar.(30)
CALPURNIA:
When beggars die, there are no comets seen;
The heavens themselves blaze forth the death of princes.
CAESAR:

Cowards die many times before their deaths;

The valiant never taste of death but once.

Of all the wonders that I yet have heard,(35)

It seems to me most strange that men should fear

Seeing that death, a necessary end,

Will come when it will come.

[Re-]enter Servant.]

What say the augurers?

SERVANT:

They would not have you to stir forth today.(40)

Plucking the entrails of an offering forth,

They could not find a heart within the beast.

CAESAR:
The gods do this in shame of cowardice.
Caesar should be a beast without a heart
 If he should stay at home today for fear.(45)
No, Caesar shall not. Danger knows full well
That Caesar is more dangerous than he.
We are two lions litter'd in one day,
And I the elder and more terrible.
Page | 114 And Caesar shall go forth.(50)
CALPURNIA:
Alas, my lord,
Your wisdom is consumed in confidence.
Do not go forth today. Call it my fear
That keeps you in the house and not your own.
We'll send Mark Antony to the Senate-house,(55)
And he shall say you are not well today.
Let me, upon my knee, prevail in this.
CAESAR:
Mark Antony shall say I am not well,
And, for thy humor, I will stay at home.

Enter Decius.
Here's Decius Brutus, he shall tell them so.(60)
DECIUS:
Caesar, all hail! Good morrow, worthy Caesar!
I come to fetch you to the Senate-house.
CAESAR:
And you are come in very happy time,
To bear my greeting to the senators
And tell them that I will not come today.(65)
Cannot, is false, and that I dare not, falser:
I will not come today. Tell them so, Decius.
CALPURNIA:
Say he is sick.
CAESAR:
Shall Caesar send a lie?
Have I in conquest stretch'd mine arm so far(70)
To be afeard to tell greybeards the truth?
Decius, go tell them Caesar will not come.
DECIUS:
Most mighty Caesar, let me know some cause,
Lest I be laugh'd at when I tell them so.
CAESAR:

The cause is in my will: I will not come,(75)

That is enough to satisfy the Senate.

 But, for your private satisfaction,

Because I love you, I will let you know.

Calpurnia here, my wife, stays me at home;

Page | 115
She dreamt tonight she saw my statue,(80)

Which like a fountain with an hundred spouts,

Did run pure blood, and many lusty Romans

Came smiling and did bathe their hands in it.

And these does she apply for warnings and portents

And evils imminent, and on her knee(85)

Hath begg'd that I will stay at home today.

DECIUS: This dream is all amiss interpreted;

It was a vision fair and fortunate.
Your statue spouting blood in many pipes,
In which so many smiling Romans bathed,(90)
Signifies that from you great Rome shall suck
Reviving blood, and that great men shall press
For tinctures, stains, relics, and cognizance.
This by Calpurnia's dream is signified.
CAESAR:
And this way have you well expounded it.(95)
DECIUS:
I have, when you have heard what I can say.
And know it now, the Senate have concluded
To give this day a crown to mighty Caesar.
If you shall send them word you will not come,
Their minds may change. Besides, it were a mock(100)
Apt to be render'd, for some one to say
“Break up the Senate till another time,
When Caesar's wife shall meet with better dreams.”
If Caesar hide himself, shall they not whisper
“Lo, Caesar is afraid”?(105)
Pardon me, Caesar, for my dear dear love
To your proceeding bids me tell you this,
And reason to my love is liable.
CAESAR:

How foolish do your fears seem now, Calpurnia!

 I am ashamed I did yield to them.(110) – W husband

Page | 116
Page | 117

Give me my robe, for I will go.

Enter Brutus, Ligarius, Metellus [Cimber], Casca, Trebonius, Cinna, and

Publius.

And look where Publius is come to fetch me.

PUBLIUS:

Good morrow, Caesar.

CAESAR:

Welcome, Publius.

What, Brutus, are you stirr'd so early too?(115)

Good morrow, Casca. Caius Ligarius,

Caesar was ne'er so much your enemy

As that same ague which hath made you lean.

What is't o'clock?

BRUTUS:

Caesar, 'tis strucken eight.(120)

CAESAR:

I thank you for your pains and courtesy.

Enter Antony.

See, Antony, that revels long o' nights,

 Is notwithstanding up. Good morrow, Antony.

ANTONY:
So to most noble Caesar.
Page | 118 CAESAR:
Bid them prepare within.(125)
I am to blame to be thus waited for.
Now, Cinna; now, Metellus; what, Trebonius,
I have an hour's talk in store for you;
Remember that you call on me today;
Be near me, that I may remember you.(130)
TREBONIUS:

Caesar, I will. And so near will I be

That your best friends shall wish I had been further.

CAESAR:

Good friends, go in and taste some wine with me,

And we like friends will straightway go together.

BRUTUS:

That every like is not the same, O Caesar,(135)

The heart of Brutus yearns to think upon!

Exeunt.
Analysis
If Portia is noble, Calpurnia, Caesar's wife, suffers greatly in comparison. She is not so well-
husbanded, for here Caesar shows himself to be weak and superstitious. Still, there is truth
in Calpurnia’s dreams and real caring for her husband in her attempts to keep him from
going to the Capitol. Her fault lies in her shrewish nature, which her husband allows to get
out of control. Her ability to convince him to stay at home serves to show his weakness.

Caesar shows some vestiges of masculinity, however. Calpurnia describes "fierce, fiery
warriors . . . which drizzled blood upon the Capitol," but Caesar responds that "cowards die
many times before their deaths." He is determined not be a coward. But as Calpurnia kneels
before him, he is persuaded. Here, the reader is meant to remember Portia's actions in the
previous scene. She, too, knelt before her husband and he was persuaded. Shakespeare
invites the readers to draw comparisons between the two and see a strong woman married
to a strong man and a weak woman married to a weak man.

Decius enters the scene as Caesar agrees to feign illness and stay at home. Decius uses all of
his powers of persuasion to ensure that Caesar will go out that day. Caesar orders Decius to
 say he will not come — Caesar seems unable to give one command and follow it through,
but is constantly changing his mind — but Decius will not do so unless he can give a good
reason for Caesar's non-appearance. Caesar tells of Calpurnia’s dream, that "she saw my
statue, / Which, like a fountain with an hundred spouts, / Did run pure blood; and many
lusty Romans / Came smiling and did bathe their hands in it." Decius reinterprets the dream
Page | 119 for him and convinces him that it is a good omen, appealing to Caesar's vanity. Yet even in
Decius' flattering description, Caesar is effeminized, for the blood that pours from his statue
signifies that "great Rome shall suck / Reviving blood." Caesar is placed in the position of
mother, rather than father, of Rome. Convinced, Caesar prepares to go to the Capitol and
the tension begins to build. Suddenly, he is surrounded by the men who plan to kill him and
his only protector, Antony, enters, tired from the previous night's revels. Caesar, through
vanity and weakness, blithely begins the procession to his own death.

Act II - Scene III

[A street near the Capitol.]

Enter Artemidorus, [reading paper.]
ARTEMIDORUS:
“Caesar, beware of Brutus; take heed of Cassius;
come not near Casca; have an eye to Cinna; trust not
Trebonius; mark it well Metellus Cimber; Decius Brutus
loves thee not; thou hast wronged Caius Ligarius. There is
but one mind in all these men, and it is bent against Caesar.(5)
If thou beest not immortal, look about you. Security gives
way to conspiracy. The mighty gods defend thee!
Thy lover, Artemidorus.”
Here will I stand till Caesar pass along,
And as a suitor will I give him this.(10)
My heart laments that virtue cannot live
Out of the teeth of emulation.
If thou read this, O Caesar, thou mayest live;
If not, the Fates with traitors do contrive.
Exit.
Analysis
This short scene is tinged with irony. Artemidorus, a teacher of rhetoric, capable of grand and
complex flourishes of speech, speaks most clearly and directly. His note to Caesar contains only
facts, but has one great fault: For Caesar to acknowledge the facts, he has to admit that he is not
a god, providing bloody sustenance to all of Rome, but a mere mortal. That he could never do.

This scene allows you to see another opinion of Caesar. Artemidorus is a Roman who loves Caesar
and sees the conspirators as traitors. From this man's viewpoint, the reader gets a hint of the
greatness that was once Caesar.

Act II - Scene IV
 [Another part of the same street, before the house of Brutus.]

Enter Portia and Lucius.

Page | 120 PORTIA:

I prithee, boy, run to the Senate-house;

Stay not to answer me, but get thee gone.

Why dost thou stay?

LUCIUS:

To know my errand, madam.

PORTIA:

I would have had thee there, and here again,(5)

Ere I can tell thee what thou shouldst do there.

O constancy, be strong upon my side!

Set a huge mountain 'tween my heart and tongue!

I have a man's mind, but a woman's might.

How hard it is for women to keep counsel!(10)

Art thou here yet?

LUCIUS:

Madam, what should I do?

Run to the Capitol, and nothing else?

And so return to you, and nothing else?

PORTIA:

Yes, bring me word, boy, if thy lord look well,(15)

For he went sickly forth; and take good note

What Caesar doth, what suitors press to him.

 Hark, boy, what noise is that?

LUCIUS:

I hear none, madam.

Page | 121

PORTIA:

Prithee, listen well.(20)

I heard a bustling rumor like a fray,

And the wind brings it from the Capitol.

LUCIUS:
Sooth, madam, I hear nothing.
Enter the Soothsayer.
PORTIA:
Come hither, fellow; which way hast thou been?
SOOTHSAYER:
At mine own house, good lady.(25)
PORTIA:
What is't o'clock?
SOOTHSAYER:
About the ninth hour, lady.
PORTIA:
Is Caesar yet gone to the Capitol?
SOOTHSAYER:
Madam, not yet. I go to take my stand
To see him pass on to the Capitol.(30)
PORTIA:
Thou hast some suit to Caesar, hast thou not?
SOOTHSAYER:
That I have, lady. If it will please Caesar
To be so good to Caesar as to hear me,
I shall beseech him to befriend himself.
PORTIA:
Why, know'st thou any harm's intended towards him?(35)
SOOTHSAYER:
 None that I know will be, much that I fear may chance.

Good morrow to you. Here the street is narrow,

Page | 122
The throng that follows Caesar at the heels,

Of senators, of praetors, common suitors,

Will crowd a feeble man almost to death.(40)

I'll get me to a place more void and there

Speak to great Caesar as he comes along.

Exit.

PORTIA:

I must go in. Ay me, how weak a thing

The heart of woman is! O Brutus,

The heavens speed thee in thine enterprise!(45)

Sure, the boy heard me. Brutus hath a suit

That Caesar will not grant. O, I grow faint.

Run, Lucius, and commend me to my lord;

Say I am merry. Come to me again,

And bring me word what he doth say to thee.(50)

Exeunt [severally.]

Analysis

In this scene, Portia wishes to act but cannot for she has "a man's mind, but a woman's
might." Portia's untenable position — her fear that her husband's plan will be discovered
(although she does not know exactly what the plan is) and that she cannot act to help him
— add to tension at the end of Act II. Caesar is on his way to the Capitol surrounded by
murderers. Artemidorus may offer him a way out if he can only hear it and the soothsayer of
this scene looks as though he may offer Caesar another chance. What will happen, however,
is, so far, only "a bustling rumor, like a fray, / And the wind brings it from the Capitol."
Page | 123

Act III - Scene I

[Rome. The Capitol]
[Flourish. Enter Caesar, Brutus, Cassius, Casca, Decius, Metellus [Cimber],

Trebonius, Cinna, Antony, Lepidus, Artimedorus, Publius, [Popilius]; and the

Soothsayer.]

CAESAR:

The ides of March are come.

SOOTHSAYER:

Ay, Caesar, but not gone.

ARTEMIDORUS:
Hail, Caesar! Read this schedule.
DECIUS:
Trebonius doth desire you to o'er read,
At your best leisure, this his humble suit.(5)
ARTEMIDORUS:
O Caesar, read mine first, for mine's a suit
That touches Caesar nearer. Read it, great Caesar.
CAESAR:
What touches us ourself shall be last served.
ARTEMIDORUS:
Delay not, Caesar; read it instantly.
CAESAR:
What, is the fellow mad?(10)
PUBLIUS:
Sirrah, give place.
CASSIUS:
What, urge you your petitions in the street?
 Come to the Capitol.
POPILIUS:
I wish your enterprise today may thrive.
CASSIUS:
Page | 124 What enterprise, Popilius?(15)
POPILIUS:
Fare you well.
BRUTUS:
What said Popilius Lena?
CASSIUS:
He wish'd today our enterprise might thrive.
I fear our purpose is discovered.
BRUTUS:
Look, how he makes to Caesar. Mark him.(20)
CASSIUS:

Casca,

Be sudden, for we fear prevention.

Brutus, what shall be done? If this be known,

Cassius or Caesar never shall turn back,

For I will slay myself.(25)

BRUTUS:

Cassius, be constant.

Popilius Lena speaks not of our purposes;

For, look, he smiles, and Caesar doth not change.

CASSIUS:

Trebonius knows his time, for, look you, Brutus,

He draws Mark Antony out of the way.(30)

[Exeunt Antony and Trebonius.]

DECIUS:
 Where is Metellus Cimber? Let him go,

And presently prefer his suit to Caesar.

BRUTUS:
Page | 125
He is address'd; press near and second him.

CINNA:

Casca, you are the first that rears your hand.

CAESAR:

Are we all ready? What is now amiss(35)

That Caesar and his Senate must redress?

METELLUS:

Most high, most mighty, and most puissant Caesar,

Metellus Cimber throws before thy seat

An humble heart.

CAESAR:

I must prevent thee, Cimber.(40)

These couchings and these lowly courtesies

Might fire the blood of ordinary men

And turn preordinance and first decree

Into the law of children. Be not fond

To think that Caesar bears such rebel blood(45)

That will be thaw'd from the true quality

With that which melteth fools, I mean sweet words,

 Low-crooked court'sies, and base spaniel-fawning.

Thy brother by decree is banished.

Page | 126 If thou dost bend and pray and fawn for him,(50)

I spurn thee like a cur out of my way.

Know, Caesar doth not wrong, nor without cause

Will he be satisfied.

METELLUS:

Is there no voice more worthy than my own,

To sound more sweetly in great Caesar's ear(55)

For the repealing of my banish'd brother?

BRUTUS:

I kiss thy hand, but not in flattery, Caesar,

Desiring thee that Publius Cimber may

Have an immediate freedom of repeal.

CAESAR:

What, Brutus?(60)

CASSIUS:

Pardon, Caesar! Caesar, pardon!

 As low as to thy foot doth Cassius fall

To beg enfranchisement for Publius Cimber.

Page | 127 CAESAR:

I could be well moved, if I were as you;

If I could pray to move, prayers would move me;(65)

But I am constant as the northern star,

Of whose true-fix'd and resting quality

There is no fellow in the firmament.

The skies are painted with unnumber'd sparks;

They are all fire and every one doth shine;(70)

But there's but one in all doth hold his place.

So in the world, 'tis furnish'd well with men,

And men are flesh and blood, and apprehensive;

Yet in the number I do know but one

That unassailable holds on his rank,(75)

Unshaked of motion; and that I am he,

Let me a little show it, even in this;

That I was constant Cimber should be banish'd,

And constant do remain to keep him so.

CINNA:
 O Caesar,—(80)

CAESAR:
Page | 128
Hence! Wilt thou lift up Olympus?

DECIUS:

Great Caesar—

CAESAR:

Doth not Brutus bootless kneel? [bootless = in vain (Caesar's point is that if

Brutus can't change Caesar's mind, no one can]

CASCA:

Speak, hands, for me!

They stab Caesar.

CAESAR:

Et tu, Brute? Then fall, Caesar!(85)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_81OHHEI1qg

Dies.
Page | 129
CINNA:

Liberty! Freedom! Tyranny is dead!

Run hence, proclaim, cry it about the streets.

CASSIUS:

Some to the common pulpits and cry out

“Liberty, freedom, and enfranchisement!”

BRUTUS:

People, and senators, be not affrighted,(90)

Fly not, stand still; ambition's debt is paid.

CASCA:

Go to the pulpit, Brutus.

DECIUS:

And Cassius too.

BRUTUS:
 Where's Publius?

CINNA:
Page | 130
Here, quite confounded with this mutiny.(95)

METELLUS:

Stand fast together, lest some friend of Caesar's

Should chance—

BRUTUS:

Talk not of standing. Publius, good cheer,

There is no harm intended to your person,

Nor to no Roman else. So tell them, Publius.(100)

CASSIUS:

And leave us, Publius, lest that the people

Rushing on us should do your age some mischief.

BRUTUS:

Do so, and let no man abide this deed

But we the doers.

[Re-]enter Trebonius.]

CASSIUS:

Where is Antony?(105)

TREBONIUS:

Fled to his house amazed.

Men, wives, and children stare, cry out, and run

 As it were doomsday.

BRUTUS:

Fates, we will know your pleasures.

Page | 131
That we shall die, we know; 'tis but the time(110)

And drawing days out that men stand upon.

CASSIUS:

Why, he that cuts off twenty years of life

Cuts off so many years of fearing death.

BRUTUS:

Grant that, and then is death a benefit;

So are we Caesar's friends that have abridged(115)

His time of fearing death. Stoop, Romans, stoop,

And let us bathe our hands in Caesar's blood

Up to the elbows, and besmear our swords;

Then walk we forth, even to the market-place,

And waving our red weapons o'er our heads,(120)

Let's all cry, “Peace, freedom, and liberty!”

CASSIUS:

Stoop then, and wash. How many ages hence

Shall this our lofty scene be acted over

In states unborn and accents yet unknown!

BRUTUS:

How many times shall Caesar bleed in sport,(125)

That now on Pompey's basis lies along

 No worthier than the dust!

CASSIUS:
So oft as that shall be,
Page | 132 So often shall the knot of us be call'd
The men that gave their country liberty.(130)
DECIUS:
What, shall we forth?
CASSIUS:
Ay, every man away.
Brutus shall lead, and we will grace his heels
With the most boldest and best hearts of Rome.
Enter a Servant.
BRUTUS:
Soft, who comes here? A friend of Antony's.(135)
SERVANT:
Thus, Brutus, did my master bid me kneel,
Thus did Mark Antony bid me fall down,
And, being prostrate, thus he bade me say:
Brutus is noble, wise, valiant, and honest;
Caesar was mighty, bold, royal, and loving.(140)
Say I love Brutus and I honour him;
Say I fear'd Caesar, honour'd him, and loved him.
If Brutus will vouchsafe that Antony
May safely come to him and be resolved
How Caesar hath deserved to lie in death,(145)
Mark Antony shall not love Caesar dead
So well as Brutus living, but will follow
The fortunes and affairs of noble Brutus
Thorough the hazards of this untrod state
With all true faith. So says my master Antony.(150)
BRUTUS:
Thy master is a wise and valiant Roman;
I never thought him worse.
Tell him, so please him come unto this place,
He shall be satisfied and, by my honour,
Depart untouch'd.(155)
SERVANT:
I'll fetch him presently.
Exit servant.
 BRUTUS:
I know that we shall have him well to friend.
CASSIUS:
I wish we may, but yet have I a mind
That fears him much, and my misgiving still
Page | 133
Falls shrewdly to the purpose.(160)
[Re-]enter Antony.]
BRUTUS:
But here comes Antony. Welcome, Mark Antony.
ANTONY:
O mighty Caesar! Dost thou lie so low?
Are all thy conquests, glories, triumphs, spoils,
Shrunk to this little measure? Fare thee well.
I know not, gentlemen, what you intend,(165)
Who else must be let blood, who else is rank.
If I myself, there is no hour so fit
As Caesar's death's hour, nor no instrument
Of half that worth as those your swords, made rich
With the most noble blood of all this world.(170)
I do beseech ye, if you bear me hard,
Now, whilst your purpled hands do reek and smoke,
Fulfill your pleasure. Live a thousand years,
I shall not find myself so apt to die;
No place will please me so, no mean of death,(175)
As here by Caesar, and by you cut off,
The choice and master spirits of this age.
BRUTUS:
O Antony, beg not your death of us!
Though now we must appear bloody and cruel,
As, by our hands and this our present act,(180)
You see we do, yet see you but our hands
And this the bleeding business they have done.
Our hearts you see not; they are pitiful;
And pity to the general wrong of Rome—
As fire drives out fire, so pity pity—(185)
Hath done this deed on Caesar. For your part,
To you our swords have leaden points, Mark Antony;
Our arms in strength of malice, and our hearts
Of brothers' temper, do receive you in
With all kind love, good thoughts, and reverence.(190)
CASSIUS:
 Your voice shall be as strong as any man's

In the disposing of new dignities.

BRUTUS:
Page | 134
Only be patient till we have appeased
The multitude, beside themselves with fear,
And then we will deliver you the cause(195)
Why I, that did love Caesar when I struck him,
Have thus proceeded.
ANTONY:
I doubt not of your wisdom.
Let each man render me his bloody hand.
First, Marcus Brutus, will I shake with you;(200)
Next, Caius Cassius, do I take your hand;
Now, Decius Brutus, yours; now yours, Metellus;
Yours, Cinna; and, my valiant Casca, yours;
Though last, not least in love, yours, good Trebonius.
Gentlemen all,—alas, what shall I say?(205)
My credit now stands on such slippery ground,
That one of two bad ways you must conceit me,
Either a coward or a flatterer.
That I did love thee, Caesar, O, 'tis true!
If then thy spirit look upon us now,(210)
Shall it not grieve thee dearer than thy death
To see thy Antony making his peace,
Shaking the bloody fingers of thy foes,
Most noble! In the presence of thy corse?
Had I as many eyes as thou hast wounds,(215)
Weeping as fast as they stream forth thy blood,
It would become me better than to close
In terms of friendship with thine enemies.
Pardon me, Julius! Here wast thou bay'd, brave hart,
Here didst thou fall, and here thy hunters stand,(220)
Sign'd in thy spoil, and crimson'd in thy lethe.
O world, thou wast the forest to this hart,
And this, indeed, O world, the heart of thee.
How like a deer strucken by many princes
Dost thou here lie!(225)
CASSIUS:
Mark Antony,—
ANTONY: Antony is manipulative, cunning, loyal, charismatic, strategic,
 Pardon me, Caius Cassius.
The enemies of Caesar shall say this:
Then, in a friend, it is cold modesty.
CASSIUS:
Page | 135 I blame you not for praising Caesar so;(230)
But what compact mean you to have with us?
Will you be prick'd in number of our friends,
Or shall we on, and not depend on you?
ANTONY:
Therefore I took your hands, but was indeed
Sway'd from the point by looking down on Caesar.(235)
Friends am I with you all and love you all,
Upon this hope that you shall give me reasons
Why and wherein Caesar was dangerous.
BRUTUS:
Or else were this a savage spectacle.
Our reasons are so full of good regard(240)
That were you, Antony, the son of Caesar,
You should be satisfied.
ANTONY:
That's all I seek;
And am moreover suitor that I may
Produce his body to the marketplace,(245)
And in the pulpit, as becomes a friend,
Speak in the order of his funeral.
BRUTUS:
You shall, Mark Antony.
CASSIUS:
Brutus, a word with you.

[Aside to Brutus.]
You know not what you do. Do not consent(250)
That Antony speak in his funeral.
Know you how much the people may be moved
By that which he will utter?
BRUTUS:
By your pardon,
I will myself into the pulpit first,(255)
And show the reason of our Caesar's death.
What Antony shall speak, I will protest
 He speaks by leave and by permission,
And that we are contented Caesar shall
Have all true rites and lawful ceremonies.(260)
It shall advantage more than do us wrong.
Page | 136 CASSIUS:
I know not what may fall; I like it not.
BRUTUS:
Mark Antony, here, take you Caesar's body.
You shall not in your funeral speech blame us,
But speak all good you can devise of Caesar,(265)
And say you do't by our permission,
Else shall you not have any hand at all
About his funeral. And you shall speak
In the same pulpit whereto I am going,
After my speech is ended.(270)
ANTONY:
Be it so,
I do desire no more.
BRUTUS:
Prepare the body then, and follow us.
Exeunt [all but] Antony.

ANTONY: Monologue

O, pardon me, thou bleeding piece of earth,

That I am meek and gentle with these butchers!(275)

Thou art the ruins of the noblest man

That ever lived in the tide of times.

Woe to the hand that shed this costly blood!

Page | 137

Over thy wounds now do I prophesy

Which like dumb mouths do ope their ruby lips(280)

To beg the voice and utterance of my tongue,

A curse shall light upon the limbs of men;

Domestic fury and fierce civil strife

Shall cumber all the parts of Italy;

Blood and destruction shall be so in use,(285)

And dreadful objects so familiar,

That mothers shall but smile when they behold

Their infants quarter'd with the hands of war;

All pity choked with custom of fell deeds,

And Caesar's spirit ranging for revenge,(290)

With Ate by his side come hot from hell,

 Shall in these confines with a monarch's voice

Cry “Havoc!” and let slip the dogs of war,

Page | 138
That this foul deed shall smell above the earth

With carrion men, groaning for burial.(295)

Enter Octavius' Servant.

You serve Octavius Caesar, do you not?

SERVANT:
I do, Mark Antony.
ANTONY:
Caesar did write for him to come to Rome.
SERVANT:
He did receive his letters, and is coming,
And bid me say to you by word of mouth—(300)
O Caesar!
ANTONY:
Thy heart is big; get thee apart and weep.
Passion, I see, is catching, for mine eyes,
Seeing those beads of sorrow stand in thine,
Began to water. Is thy master coming?(305)
SERVANT:
He lies tonight within seven leagues of Rome.
ANTONY:
Post back with speed and tell him what hath chanced.
Here is a mourning Rome, a dangerous Rome,
No Rome of safety for Octavius yet;
Hie hence, and tell him so. Yet stay awhile,(310)
Thou shalt not back till I have borne this corse
Into the market-place. There shall I try,
In my oration, how the people take
The cruel issue of these bloody men,
According to the which thou shalt discourse(315)
To young Octavius of the state of things.
Lend me your hand.
Exeunt.
 Analysis
When the moment of crisis arrives and Caesar enters the public square, the
conspirators are pent up and concerned when Popilius wishes them well. Their
anxiety is at such a pitch that they are unable to determine what he actually means
when he says "I wish your enterprise to-day may thrive." In fact, they almost act
Page | 139 precipitously to kill him but are calmed by Brutus who makes them wait to see if
Caesar is put on guard. To heighten the crises, Shakespeare shifts from lengthy
speeches, asides, and soliloquies to short bursts of dialogue.

The first crisis in this scene is the accumulating danger of discovery arising from the
words of the soothsayer, Artemidorus, and Popilius. As that danger is resolved, a
graver crisis is suitably expressed in slower and heavier tones. The conspirators
ritualistically turn to their prey (Caesar) and mock him with their courtesies.
Metellus Cimber kneels before Caesar to press his case that his banished brother be
allowed to return to Rome, but Caesar pre-empts him, mocks him and humiliates
him. Cimber is a "base spaniel fawning." There is no suit, really. Instead, Metellus
Cimber's actions are a trick on the part of the conspirators to get close enough to
Caesar to kill him, and to keep others who may help away. One by one, slowly and
methodically, the conspirators come to Caesar, circle him, and kneel. Their words
bear all the malice that "sweet words" can afford, during which Caesar shows
himself as a self-involved, self-important tyrant.

They kill him, but the murder is not the last crisis of the scene. There is a slight
pause in the action for purposes of regrouping, both for the characters and for the
audience. The conspirators turn away from the body of Caesar and shout to the
populace of what they have gained — freedom and the death of ambition. Irony
here. Instead of bringing freedom to Rome, the conspirators have actually caused
more instability. Before long, however, the spectre of danger reappears. Cassius
asks, "Where is Antony?" This group will not hold the state together, and Mark
Antony is the troublemaker.

Antony sends a servant to test the waters — better the servant should be run
through than his master — revealing Antony as a consummate survivor. This is not
to say that he does not truly grieve Caesar's death. His feelings are clear when he
views the corpse and sees the murderers, their arms bathed in Caesar's blood. Yet,
he is able to cover his feelings, not only so that he can place himself in a position to
avenge Caesar's death, but also so that he can find his own position of power. In
contrast to the conspirators — even the sharpest of them, Cassius — Antony is
strong and politically savvy. Gone are the images of him as womanizer and
drunkard. He's taken charge at the moment of greatest danger and he does so by
manipulating Brutus' naïveté.

Speaking of Antony, Brutus says, "I know that we shall have him well to friend," but
he is wrong — Antony has a plan to persuade the populace to his side at the funeral
oration and turn them against the conspirators. Further, while the conspirators
weren't very good at keeping their plans to themselves, Antony has been successful.
He knows that his ally, Octavius, is on the outskirts of Rome. A military strategy is
 already afoot. What it is, Antony doesn't divulge, but because Antony tries to
dissuade Octavius from entering Rome, the reader may wonder whether Antony
does this in order to avoid sharing power.

The ultimate crisis in this scene is the danger that Rome is now in. Consider the
Page | 140 way that Antony expresses his grief over his friend's death, indicating that
Caesar's body is no longer his own but has become a symbol for Rome itself: "O,
pardon me, thou bleeding piece of earth," describing Caesar as "the ruins of the
noblest man." No longer flesh and blood, he stands for the breeching of Rome. It is
Rome as well as Caesar whose wounds "Which like dumb mouths do ope their
ruby lips / To beg the voice and utterance of [Antony's] tongue."

Act III - Scene II

[The Forum.]
Enter Brutus and goes into the pulpit, and Cassius, with the Plebeians.
CITIZENS:
We will be satisfied! Let us be satisfied!
BRUTUS:
Then follow me and give me audience, friends.
Cassius, go you into the other street
And part the numbers.(5)
Those that will hear me speak, let 'em stay here;
Those that will follow Cassius, go with him;
And public reasons shall be rendered
Of Caesar's death.
FIRST CITIZEN:
I will hear Brutus speak.(10)
SECOND CITIZEN:
I will hear Cassius and compare their reasons,
When severally we hear them rendered.
[Exit Cassius, with some of the Citizens.]
THIRD CITIZEN:
The noble Brutus is ascended. Silence!
BRUTUS:
Be patient till the last.

Romans, countrymen, and lovers! Hear me for my cause,(15)

and be silent, that you may hear. Believe me for mine

 honor, and have respect to mine honor, that you may

believe. Censure me in your wisdom, and awake your

senses, that you may the better judge. If there be any in this
Page | 141
assembly, any dear friend of Caesar's, to him I say that(20)

Brutus' love to Caesar was no less than his. If then that

friend demand why Brutus rose against Caesar, this is my

answer: Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome

more. Had you rather Caesar were living and die all slaves,

than that Caesar were dead to live all freemen? As Caesar(25)

loved me, I weep for him; as he was fortunate, I rejoice at

it; as he was valiant, I honor him; but as he was ambitious,

I slew him. There is tears for his love, joy for his fortune,

honor for his valor, and death for his ambition. Who is here

so base that would be a bondman? If any, speak, for him(30)

have I offended. Who is here so rude that would not be a

Roman? If any, speak, for him have I offended. Who is here

so vile that will not love his country? If any, speak, for him

have I offended. I pause for a reply.

ALL:
None, Brutus, none.(35)
BRUTUS:
Then none have I offended. I have done no more to
Caesar than you shall do to Brutus. The question of his death
is enrolled in the Capitol, his glory not extenuated, wherein
he was worthy, nor his offenses enforced, for which he
suffered death.(40)
 Enter Antony [and others] with Caesar's body.
Here comes his body, mourned by Mark Antony, who, though
he had no hand in his death, shall receive the benefit of his
dying, a place in the commonwealth, as which of you shall(45)
Page | 142 not? With this I depart—that, as I slew my best lover for the
good of Rome, I have the same dagger for myself, when it
shall please my country to need my death.
ALL:
Live, Brutus, live, live!
FIRST CITIZEN:
Bring him with triumph home unto his house.(50)
SECOND CITIZEN:
Give him a statue with his ancestors.
THIRD CITIZEN:
Let him be Caesar.
FOURTH CITIZEN:
Caesar's better parts
Shall be crown'd in Brutus.
FIRST CITIZEN:
We'll bring him to his house with shouts and clamors.(55)
BRUTUS:
My countrymen—
SECOND CITIZEN:
Peace! Silence! Brutus speaks.
FIRST CITIZEN:
Peace, ho!
BRUTUS:
Good countrymen, let me depart alone,(60)
And, for my sake, stay here with Antony.
Do grace to Caesar's corse, and grace his speech
Tending to Caesar's glories, which Mark Antony,
By our permission, is allow'd to make.
I do entreat you, not a man depart,(65)
Save I alone, till Antony have spoke.
Exit.
FIRST CITIZEN:
Stay, ho, and let us hear Mark Antony.
 THIRD CITIZEN:
Let him go up into the public chair;
We'll hear him. Noble Antony, go up.
ANTONY:
Page | 143 For Brutus' sake, I am beholding to you.(70)
FOURTH CITIZEN:
What does he say of Brutus?
THIRD CITIZEN:
He says, for Brutus' sake,
He finds himself beholding to us all.
FOURTH CITIZEN:
'Twere best he speak no harm of Brutus here.
FIRST CITIZEN:
This Caesar was a tyrant.(75)
THIRD CITIZEN:
Nay, that's certain.
We are blest that Rome is rid of him.
SECOND CITIZEN:
Peace! Let us hear what Antony can say.
ANTONY:
You gentle Romans—
ALL:
Peace, ho! Let us hear him.(80)
ANTONY:
Antony beings his speech, one of the most famous speeches in Shakespearian drama, by
parodying Brutus's speech. Brutus says "Romans, countrymen, and lovers, hear me for my
cause, and be silent." Antony improves the internal rhythm of the line and invokes an intimacy
and shared nationality that Brutus's lines lack. In calling his audience "" first, Antony
establishes a connection that Brutus's formulaic address lacks. He's acknowledging the crowd
as his peers and says he has no motives besides burying Caesar. In this pivotal scene, Antony
performs a masterful feat; he manages to turn the crowd against the conspirators. Antony's
words about Caesar and Rome move the crowd to such an emotional frenzy the downfall of the
conspirators is clearly on the horizon. Antony also uses mock humility with his "lend me your
ears" as opposed to the arrogant command "be silent" that Brutus uses to command attention.
Antony's rhetorical appeal allows him to manipulate the crowd and make them believe his
position; Brutus lectured the crowd to get them on his side. For this reason, the crowd supports
Antony's claim and turns on Brutus.
Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears!

I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him.

 The evil that men do lives after them,

The good is oft interred with their bones;

So let it be with Caesar. The noble Brutus(85)

Page | 144
Hath told you Caesar was ambitious;

If it were so, it was a grievous fault,

And grievously hath Caesar answer'd it.

Here, under leave of Brutus and the rest—

For Brutus is an honorable man;(90)

So are they all, all honorable men—

Come I to speak in Caesar's funeral.

He was my friend, faithful and just to me;

But Brutus says he was ambitious,

And Brutus is an honorable man.(95)

He hath brought many captives home to Rome,

Whose ransoms did the general coffers fill.

Did this in Caesar seem ambitious?

When that the poor have cried, Caesar hath wept;

Ambition should be made of sterner stuff.(100)

Yet Brutus says he was ambitious,

And Brutus is an honorable man.

You all did see that on the Lupercal

I thrice presented him a kingly crown,

Which he did thrice refuse. Was this ambition?(105)

Yet Brutus says he was ambitious,

 And sure he is an honorable man.

Page | 145

I speak not to disprove what Brutus spoke,

But here I am to speak what I do know.

You all did love him once, not without cause;(110)

What cause withholds you then to mourn for him?

O judgement, thou art fled to brutish beasts,

And men have lost their reason. Bear with me;

My heart is in the coffin there with Caesar,

And I must pause till it come back to me.(115)

FIRST CITIZEN:
Methinks there is much reason in his sayings.
SECOND CITIZEN:
If thou consider rightly of the matter,
Caesar has had great wrong.
THIRD CITIZEN:
Has he, masters?
I fear there will a worse come in his place.(120)
FOURTH CITIZEN:
 Mark'd ye his words? He would not take the crown;
Therefore 'tis certain he was not ambitious.
FIRST CITIZEN:
If it be found so, some will dear abide it.
Page | 146
SECOND CITIZEN:
Poor soul, his eyes are red as fire with weeping.(125)
THIRD CITIZEN:
There's not a nobler man in Rome than Antony.
FOURTH CITIZEN:
Now mark him, he begins again to speak.
ANTONY:
But yesterday the word of Caesar might
Have stood against the world. Now lies he there,
And none so poor to do him reverence.(130)
O masters! If I were disposed to stir
Your hearts and minds to mutiny and rage,
I should do Brutus wrong and Cassius wrong,
Who, you all know, are honorable men.
I will not do them wrong; I rather choose(135)
To wrong the dead, to wrong myself and you,
Than I will wrong such honorable men.
But here's a parchment with the seal of Caesar;
I found it in his closet, 'tis his will.
Let but the commons hear this testament—(140)
Which, pardon me, I do not mean to read—
And they would go and kiss dead Caesar's wounds
And dip their napkins in his sacred blood,
Yea, beg a hair of him for memory,
And, dying, mention it within their wills,(145)
Bequeathing it as a rich legacy
Unto their issue.
FOURTH CITIZEN:
We'll hear the will. Read it, Mark Antony.
ALL:
The will, the will! We will hear Caesar's will.
ANTONY:
Have patience, gentle friends, I must not read it;(150)
It is not meet you know how Caesar loved you.
 You are not wood, you are not stones, but men;
And, being men, hearing the will of Caesar,
It will inflame you, it will make you mad.
'Tis good you know not that you are his heirs,(155)
Page | 147 For if you should, O, what would come of it!
FOURTH CITIZEN:
Read the will; we'll hear it, Antony.
You shall read us the will, Caesar's will.
ANTONY:
Will you be patient? Will you stay a while?
I have o'ershot myself to tell you of it.(160)
I fear I wrong the honorable men
Whose daggers have stabb'd Caesar; I do fear it.
FOURTH CITIZEN:
They were traitors. “Honorable men!”
ALL:
The will! The testament!
SECOND CITIZEN:
They were villains, murderers. The will!(165)
Read the will!

ANTONY: Strategic / appeals to logos, ethos, pathos, shrewd, great orator,

 You will compel me then to read the will?

Then make a ring about the corse of Caesar,

And let me show you him that made the will.
Shall I descend? And will you give me leave?(170)
Page | 148
ALL:
Come down.
SECOND CITIZEN:
Descend.
THIRD CITIZEN:
You shall have leave.
FOURTH CITIZEN:
A ring, stand round.
FIRST CITIZEN:
Stand from the hearse, stand from the body.(175)
SECOND CITIZEN:
Room for Antony, most noble Antony.
ANTONY:
Nay, press not so upon me, stand far off.
ALL:
Stand back; room, bear back!

ANTONY:

If you have tears, prepare to shed them now.

You all do know this mantle. I remember(180)

The first time ever Caesar put it on;

'Twas on a summer's evening, in his tent,

That day he overcame the Nervii.

Look, in this place ran Cassius' dagger through;

 See what a rent the envious Casca made;(185)

Through this the well-beloved Brutus stabb'd;

Page | 149 And as he pluck'd his cursed steel away,

Mark how the blood of Caesar follow'd it,

As rushing out of doors, to be resolved

If Brutus so unkindly knock'd, or no;(190)

For Brutus, as you know, was Caesar's angel.

Judge, O you gods, how dearly Caesar loved him!

This was the most unkindest cut of all;

For when the noble Caesar saw him stab,

Ingratitude, more strong than traitors' arms,(195)

Quite vanquish'd him. Then burst his mighty heart,

And, in his mantle muffling up his face,

Even at the base of Pompey's statue,

Which all the while ran blood, great Caesar fell.

O, what a fall was there, my countrymen!(200)

Then I, and you, and all of us fell down,

Whilst bloody treason flourish'd over us.

O, now you weep, and I perceive you feel

The dint of pity. These are gracious drops.

 Kind souls, what weep you when you but behold(205)

Our Caesar's vesture wounded? Look you here,

Page | 150 Here is himself, marr'd, as you see, with traitors.

FIRST CITIZEN:
O piteous spectacle!
SECOND CITIZEN:
O noble Caesar!
THIRD CITIZEN:
O woeful day!(210)
FOURTH CITIZEN:
O traitors, villains!
FIRST CITIZEN:
O most bloody sight!
SECOND CITIZEN:
We will be revenged.
ALL:
Revenge! About! Seek! Burn! Fire! Kill!
Slay! Let not a traitor live!(215)
ANTONY:
Stay, countrymen.
FIRST CITIZEN:
Peace there! Hear the noble Antony.
SECOND CITIZEN:
We'll hear him, we'll follow him, we'll die with him.
ANTONY:

Good friends, sweet friends, let me not stir you up(220)

To such a sudden flood of mutiny.

They that have done this deed are honorable.

What private griefs they have, alas, I know not,

 That made them do it. They are wise and honorable,

And will, no doubt, with reasons answer you.(225)

Page | 151 I come not, friends, to steal away your hearts.

I am no orator, as Brutus is;

But, as you know me all, a plain blunt man,

That love my friend, and that they know full well

That gave me public leave to speak of him.(230)

For I have neither wit, nor words, nor worth,

Action, nor utterance, nor the power of speech,

To stir men's blood. I only speak right on;

I tell you that which you yourselves do know;

Show you sweet Caesar's wounds, poor poor dumb mouths,(235)

And bid them speak for me. But were I Brutus,

And Brutus Antony, there were an Antony

Would ruffle up your spirits and put a tongue

In every wound of Caesar that should move

The stones of Rome to rise and mutiny.(240)

ALL:
We'll mutiny.
FIRST CITIZEN:
We'll burn the house of Brutus.
THIRD CITIZEN:
 Away, then! Come, seek the conspirators.
ANTONY:
Yet hear me, countrymen; yet hear me speak.
ALL:
Page | 152
Peace, ho! Hear Antony, most noble Antony!(245)
ANTONY:
Why, friends, you go to do you know not what.
Wherein hath Caesar thus deserved your loves?
Alas, you know not; I must tell you then.
You have forgot the will I told you of.
ALL:
Most true, the will! Let's stay and hear the will.(250)
ANTONY:
Here is the will, and under Caesar's seal.
To every Roman citizen he gives,
To every several man, seventy-five drachmas.
SECOND CITIZEN:
Most noble Caesar! We'll revenge his death.
THIRD CITIZEN:
O royal Caesar!(255)
ANTONY:
Hear me with patience.
ALL:
Peace, ho!
ANTONY:
Moreover, he hath left you all his walks,
His private arbors, and new-planted orchards,
On this side Tiber; he hath left them you,(260)
And to your heirs for ever; common pleasures,
To walk abroad and recreate yourselves.
Here was a Caesar! When comes such another?
FIRST CITIZEN:
Never, never. Come, away, away!
We'll burn his body in the holy place(265)
And with the brands fire the traitors' houses.
Take up the body.
SECOND CITIZEN:
Go fetch fire.
 THIRD CITIZEN:
Pluck down benches.
FOURTH CITIZEN:
Pluck down forms, windows, any thing.(270)
Page | 153 Exit Plebeians [with the body.]
ANTONY:
Now let it work. Mischief, thou art afoot,
Take thou what course thou wilt.

[Enter a Servant.]
How now, fellow?
SERVANT:
Sir, Octavius is already come to Rome.
ANTONY:
Where is he?(275)
SERVANT:
He and Lepidus are at Caesar's house.
ANTONY:
And thither will I straight to visit him.
He comes upon a wish. Fortune is merry,
And in this mood will give us any thing.
SERVANT:
I heard him say, Brutus and Cassius(280)
Are rid like madmen through the gates of Rome.
ANTONY:
Belike they had some notice of the people,
How I had moved them. Bring me to Octavius.
Exeunt.
Analysis
Brutus is blithely unaware of the danger that he has allowed to enter the scene. He speaks to the people
of Rome in order to make them understand what he has done and why, and with relatively
straightforward logic, lays out his rationale before the people and makes them believe that he was right.
He describes Caesar's great ambition and suggests to the plebeians that under Caesar's rule they would
have been enslaved. Again, the audience is given an understanding of the masses as easily swayed —
they do not seem able to form their own opinions but take on the coloration of the most persuasive
orator. They are necessary to the successful running of the state, yet they are a dangerous bunch that
could turn at any moment. Brutus convinces them of his cause by his use of reason. Even his style is
reasonable, here presented in even-handed prose rather than the rhetorical flourish of Antony's poetry.

Antony is a master of the theatrical. What more dramatic effect could there be than Antony entering the
forum bearing the body of the slain leader? No matter what Brutus says, and despite the fact that the
crowd is emphatically on his side, from this moment, all eyes are turned to Mark Antony and the corpse
he bears. In his trusting naïveté, Brutus leaves the stage to his opponent. What follows is Antony's now-
famous "Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears; / I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him"
funeral oration. Antony's rhetorical skill is impressive; he instantly disarms any opposition in the crowd
 by saying "I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him," but quickly follows this with a subtle turn of phrase
that suggests Caesar was a good man and that all that was good of him will go to the grave. He has
turned his audience's attention from the "evil ambition" of which Brutus spoke.

Look closely at the rhythms that Antony builds into his oration. Antony does the same thing with the
Page | 154 phrase "For Brutus is an honorable man, / So are they all, all honorable men" or "But Brutus says he
was ambitious, / And Brutus is an honorable man." The phrase is repeated four times, in slightly variant
forms, allowing Antony not only to counter each of Brutus' arguments, but also question Brutus' honour
simply by drawing so much attention to it.

Finally, Antony incites the mob by suggesting that they have something to gain from Caesar's will. By
this means, he initiates desire but must then direct it. He begins to create the desire for revenge and
each time he does so, he strengthens that desire by reigning it in. Each time he holds them back, he
builds their desire until finally they are passionate enough to do what Antony wants, seek out and kill the
conspirators, and, consequently, leave him in power. As a finishing touch, just as Antony created an
impressive image by entering the Forum bearing the body of Caesar, he draws his oration to a close by
pointing to another image that will remain in the minds of the people as they riot. He reveals Caesar's
wounds. As Antony is fully aware, that image speaks far better for his cause than any words possibly
could.

Act III - Scene III

[A street.]
Enter Cinna the poet, and after him the Plebeians.
CINNA:
I dreamt tonight that I did feast with Caesar,
And things unluckily charge my fantasy.
I have no will to wander forth of doors,
Yet something leads me forth.
FIRST CITIZEN:
What is your name?(5)
SECOND CITIZEN:
Whither are you going?
THIRD CITIZEN:
Where do you dwell?
FOURTH CITIZEN:
Are you a married man or a bachelor?
SECOND CITIZEN:
Answer every man directly.
FIRST CITIZEN:
Ay, and briefly.(10)
FOURTH CITIZEN:
Ay, and wisely.
THIRD CITIZEN:
 Ay, and truly, you were best.
CINNA:
What is my name? Whither am I going? Where do I dwell? Am I a married man or a
bachelor? Then, to answer
every man directly and briefly, wisely and truly: wisely I say, I am a bachelor.(15)
Page | 155
SECOND CITIZEN:
That's as much as to say, they are fools that marry. You'll bear me a bang for that, I fear.
Proceed directly.
CINNA:
Directly, I am going to Caesar's funeral.
FIRST CITIZEN:
As a friend or an enemy?(20)
CINNA:
As a friend.
SECOND CITIZEN:
That matter is answered directly.
FOURTH CITIZEN:
For your dwelling, briefly.
CINNA:
Briefly, I dwell by the Capitol.
THIRD CITIZEN:
Your name, sir, truly.(25)
CINNA:
Truly, my name is Cinna.
FIRST CITIZEN:
Tear him to pieces, he's a conspirator.
CINNA:
I am Cinna the poet, I am Cinna the poet.
FOURTH CITIZEN:
Tear him for his bad verses, tear him for his
bad verses.(30)
CINNA:
I am not Cinna the conspirator.
FOURTH CITIZEN:
It is no matter, his name's Cinna. Pluck but
his name out of his heart, and turn him going.
THIRD CITIZEN:
Tear him, tear him! Come, brands, ho, fire-.
brands To Brutus', to Cassius'; burn all. Some to Decius'(35)
house, and some to Casca's, some to Ligarius'. Away, go!
 Exeunt all the Plebeians.
Analysis
What is surprising about this relatively short scene is its complexity. The purpose of these thirty-
eight lines is not simply to show the way in which mob mentality has overtaken Rome — how far
ordered society has disintegrated — although violence and intimidation are well represented here
Page | 156 in the threateningly rhythmic incantation of the plebeians' questions. The reader can imagine them
surrounding Cinna the poet, closing in on him, firing questions from all sides. Cinna's terror is
evident in his confused response. This is the realm of mob rule.

More interesting, however, is why Shakespeare chose to have the plebeians attack an artist. Cinna
the poet is being asked to account for himself, not only as a citizen, but as a poet, and he does not
pass muster. The plebeians initially attack him as a conspirator, but when they find out who he
really is, they are still perfectly prepared to kill him, this time "for his bad verses." Shakespeare has
not created a scene of simple mistaken identity. He is asking the reader to examine the position of
the poet in this society. To whom must the artist account for his work? What responsibility does he
have in making a good and well-ordered society? Who is best able to judge him? These questions
were often in the Elizabethan audience's mind. The artist was quite regularly asked to justify
himself and his work, and the debate about whether he was dangerous to a stable and moral
society was a common one. That the artist would feel the pressure of these demands is
metaphorically evident in this scene. Dismembered at the hands of the mob, Cinna the poet is torn
as easily as the paper on which those "bad verses" were written.

Act IV - Scene I
[I A house in Rome.]In this Scene we see the other side of Antony – devious, disloyal and
manipulative
Enter Antony, Octavius, and Lepidus. – oppose Brutus and Cassius
ANTONY:
These many then shall die, their names are prick'd.
OCTAVIUS:
Your brother too must die; consent you, Lepidus?
LEPIDUS:
I do consent—
OCTAVIUS:
Prick him down, Antony.
LEPIDUS:
Upon condition Publius shall not live,(5)
Who is your sister's son, Mark Antony.
ANTONY:
 He shall not live; look, with a spot I damn him.

But, Lepidus, go you to Caesar's house,

Fetch the will hither, and we shall determine

Page | 157
How to cut off some charge in legacies.(10)

LEPIDUS:

What, shall I find you here?

OCTAVIUS:

Or here, or at the Capitol.

Exit Lepidus.

ANTONY:

This is a slight unmeritable man,

Meet to be sent on errands. Is it fit,

The three-fold world divided, he should stand(15)

One of the three to share it?

OCTAVIUS:
So you thought him,
And took his voice who should be prick'd to die
In our black sentence and proscription.
ANTONY:
Octavius, I have seen more days than you,(20)
And though we lay these honours on this man
To ease ourselves of divers slanderous loads,
He shall but bear them as the ass bears gold,
To groan and sweat under the business,
Either led or driven, as we point the way;(25)
And having brought our treasure where we will,
Then take we down his load and turn him off,
Like to the empty ass, to shake his ears
And graze in commons.
OCTAVIUS:
 You may do your will,(30)
But he's a tried and valiant soldier.
ANTONY:
So is my horse, Octavius, and for that
Page | 158 I do appoint him store of provender.
It is a creature that I teach to fight,
To wind, to stop, to run directly on,(35)
His corporal motion govern'd by my spirit.
And, in some taste, is Lepidus but so:
He must be taught, and train'd, and bid go forth;
A barren-spirited fellow, one that feeds
On objects, arts, and imitations,(40)
Which, out of use and staled by other men,
Begin his fashion. Do not talk of him
But as a property. And now, Octavius,
Listen great things. Brutus and Cassius
Are levying powers; we must straight make head;(45)
Therefore let our alliance be combined,
Our best friends made, our means stretch'd;
And let us presently go sit in council,
How covert matters may be best disclosed,
And open perils surest answered.(50)
OCTAVIUS:

Let us do so, for we are at the stake,

And bay'd about with many enemies;

And some that smile have in their hearts, I fear,

Millions of mischiefs.

Exeunt.
Analysis
In his funeral oration, Antony spoke to the people of Caesar's will. He told them of a bequest of money
and property to the people of Rome. With blinding speed, Antony seeks to revoke that will, keeping the
money and properties for himself, for Octavius, and for the third member of the triumvirate who will rule
Rome, Lepidus. In this manner, you can confirm what you may already believe — that Antony has
manipulated the people with his own advantage in mind.

The question, then, is not whether these men will respect Caesar's final wishes (they will not), but which
of the three men now in power will dominate. Lepidus, who is, in effect, Antony's messenger, sent to
retrieve Caesar's will, has no power. The real battle takes place between Octavius and Antony with no
clear winner established. So why does Shakespeare concern the reader with this question? Because this
power struggle is another aspect of the concern that desire and appetite are at the root of the
 destruction taking place in Rome. At first glance, one sees only the plebian mob being ruled by passion
and standing ready to wreak havoc, but growing evidence shows that the conspirators and the
triumvirate are as passionate as the mob.

Despite the fact that Brutus tries to convince himself that he kills Caesar because of logic and reason, he
Page | 159 and the others are as much ruled by passion as anyone else. (For evidence of this, see Act II, Scene 1,
where their passion is externalized and presented to the audience as disturbances in the natural world.)
Brutus is unaware of his own emotional nature and denies it, thus losing its potential power.

On the other hand, Antony is able to accept both sides of his nature and use them to his own advantage.
In this scene, his emotional nature can be sidelined when cruel, rational thought is required. How else
would he be able to discuss the murders of so many people, the betrayal of so many promises, so easily?
Thus Antony embodies both the problem and the solution. He is able to understand and control passion.
The Antony who likes drink and women, the Antony who could weep with sincerity over Caesar's corpse,
is best able, because of his emotional experience, to take charge.

From Plato through to modern day, reason has been valued over emotional response. Questioning and
debating that belief was central to the audience's imagination in Shakespeare's time. Shakespeare is
telling his audience that it is possible to live a successful life by combining the two, but also questions
what that success entails. The triumvirs, particularly Antony, are more "successful" than are the
conspirators, as the audience sees in the next scene; however, this success comes at the cost of cruelty,
betrayal, and tyranny. Shakespeare is telling his audience that there is a way to combine the two. It
seems as though this group has managed it while the conspirators, as the reader sees in the next scene,
are losing control of their feelings. Brutus, in particular, is unable to get a handle on fear, even paranoia.
On the other hand, the coldness expressed by Antony and ("He [Antony's nephew] shall not live; look,
with a spot I damn him") Octavius ("Your brother too must die"), and even by Lepidus' ("I do consent") to
his own brother's death, indicates the horror of men who have replaced their affective for effective sides.
The debate is a complex one and not yet complete.

Act IV - Scene II
Camp near Sardis. Before Brutus' tent.]
Drum Enter Brutus, Lucilius, [Lucius] and the Army; Titinius and Pindarus meet
them.
BRUTUS:
Stand, ho!
LUCILIUS:
Give the word, ho, and stand.
BRUTUS:
What now, Lucilius, is Cassius near?
LUCILIUS:
He is at hand, and Pindarus is come
 To do you salutation from his master.(5)
BRUTUS:
He greets me well. Your master, Pindarus,
In his own change, or by ill officers,
Page | 160 Hath given me some worthy cause to wish
Things done undone; but if he be at hand,
I shall be satisfied.(10)
PINDARUS:
I do not doubt
But that my noble master will appear
Such as he is, full of regard and honour.
BRUTUS:
He is not doubted. A word, Lucilius,
How he received you. Let me be resolved.(15)
LUCILIUS:
With courtesy and with respect enough,
But not with such familiar instances,
Nor with such free and friendly conference,
As he hath used of old.
BRUTUS:
Thou hast described(20)
A hot friend cooling. Ever note, Lucilius,
When love begins to sicken and decay
It useth an enforced ceremony.
There are no tricks in plain and simple faith;
But hollow men, like horses hot at hand,(25)
Make gallant show and promise of their mettle;
But when they should endure the bloody spur,
They fall their crests and like deceitful jades
Sink in the trial. Comes his army on?
LUCILIUS:
They mean his night in Sardis to be quarter'd;(30)
The greater part, the horse in general,
Are come with Cassius.
Low march within.
BRUTUS:
Hark, he is arrived.
March gently on to meet him.
Enter Cassius and his powers.
 CASSIUS:
Stand, ho!
BRUTUS:
Stand, ho! Speak the word along.(35)
Page | 161
FIRST SOLDIER:
Stand!
SECOND SOLDIER:
Stand!
THIRD SOLDIER:
Stand!
CASSIUS:
Most noble brother, you have done me wrong.
BRUTUS:
Judge me, you gods! Wrong I mine enemies?(40)
And, if not so, how should I wrong a brother?
CASSIUS:
Brutus, this sober form of yours hides wrongs,
And when you do them—
BRUTUS:
Cassius, be content,
Speak your griefs softly, I do know you well.(45)
Before the eyes of both our armies here,
Which should perceive nothing but love from us,
Let us not wrangle. Bid them move away;
Then in my tent, Cassius, enlarge your griefs,
And I will give you audience.(50)
CASSIUS:
Pindarus,
Bid our commanders lead their charges off
A little from this ground.
BRUTUS:
Lucilius, do you the like, and let no man
Come to our tent till we have done our conference.(55)
Let Lucius and Titinius guard our door.
Exeunt [all but] Brutus and Cassius
Analysis
Just as powerful men have struggled for supreme power in the previous scene, here you see
the struggle of men as they fall out of love. (It is important to remember that when male
 Shakespearean characters speak of love, they mean friendship.) Note the type of passionate
language used to describe how Brutus and Cassius feel. Brutus says, "Thou hast describ'd /
A hot friend cooling. Ever note, Lucilius, / When love begins to sicken and decay / It useth
an enforced ceremony." In addition, the imagery of sickness and decay in this quote
underscores the potential destructiveness of emotion. The question of how to reconcile
Page | 162
passion and reason — the mind and the body — are ultimately unresolved.

Note that this scene stands in contrast to the previous scene, especially in the use of horse
imagery. In the previous scene, Antony speaks of Lepidus as a horse as a way of indicating
the latter's inferior position. Here, Brutus denounces Cassius as a hollow man, who like a
horse "hot at hand, / Make[s] gallant show and promise of [his] mettle." Antony's use of
the imagery indicates control; Brutus', a loss of control.

Act IV - Scene III

[Brutus' tent.]
CASSIUS:
That you have wrong'd me doth appear in this:
You have condemn'd and noted Lucius Pella
For taking bribes here of the Sardians,
Wherein my letters, praying on his side,
Because I knew the man, were slighted off.(5)
BRUTUS:
You wrong'd yourself to write in such a case.
CASSIUS:
In such a time as this it is not meet
That every nice offense should bear his comment.
BRUTUS:

Let me tell you, Cassius, you yourself

Are much condemn'd to have an itching palm,(10)

 To sell and mart your offices for gold

To undeservers.

CASSIUS:
Page | 163

I an itching palm?

You know that you are Brutus that speaks this,

Or, by the gods, this speech were else your last.(15)

BRUTUS:

The name of Cassius honours this corruption,

And chastisement doth therefore hide his head.

CASSIUS:

Chastisement?

BRUTUS:

Remember March, the ides of March remember.

Did not great Julius bleed for justice' sake?(20)

What villain touch'd his body, that did stab,

 And not for justice? What, shall one of us,

That struck the foremost man of all this world

Page | 164
But for supporting robbers, shall we now

Contaminate our fingers with base bribes(25)

And sell the mighty space of our large honours

For so much trash as may be grasped thus?

I had rather be a dog, and bay the moon,

Than such a Roman.

CASSIUS:
Brutus, bait not me,(30)
I'll not endure it. You forget yourself
To hedge me in. I am a soldier, I,
Older in practice, abler than yourself
To make conditions.
This quarrel is really about who is going to become the real leader. Cassius used
Brutus as a figurehead in his assassination plot, but he always thought of himself as
the real planner and the real leader. {Hidden Motivations}This was actually the case,
because the assassination never would have occurred if Cassius had not originated and
organized it. He pictured himself as the true ruler of Rome if they succeeded in killing
Julius Caesar. Cassius is a thoroughly selfish man. He cannot imagine a new order in
which he is not the supreme authority. In Act I, Julius Caesar says of him:

Such men as he be never at heart's ease

Whiles they behold a greater than themselves,
 And therefore are they very dangerous.

If Cassius came up with the idea of murdering Caesar, he might in time decide to kill
Brutus, or have him killed, if they had won the long struggle against Antony and
Octavius and were securely seated in power back in Rome. Cassius is already
Page | 165
threatening to kill Brutus during this argument in the tent, which shows which way his
mind is tending. Note how Cassius says he is "abler than yourself to make conditions,"
to which Brutus replies, "Go to, you are not, Cassius," who reiterates, "I am," and once
again Brutus says, "I say you are not." Cassius has believed since the very beginning
that he was "abler to make conditions," but it hasn't come out until now. Each man is
saying, in effect, "I should be the boss!" This kind of power struggle frequently takes
place in partnerships--including in many marriages! Cassius goes as far as threatening
to kill Brutus, but Brutus cannot be intimidated. And Cassius realizes that he can't kill
Brutus without losing half of their combined armies, in which case he would be certain
to be defeated by Antony and Octavius and end up being killed himself. What does
Cassius mean by "to make conditions"? The word "conditions" seems to cover
everything connected with government and not just military matters. Cassius has been
thinking all along that he wants to be the man who does most of the thinking and
planning for the present as well as for the future--assuming, of course, that they can
defeat Antony and Octavius.
BRUTUS:
Go to, you are not, Cassius.(35)
CASSIUS:
I am.
BRUTUS:

I say you are not.

CASSIUS:

Urge me no more, I shall forget myself;

Have mind upon your health, tempt me no farther.

BRUTUS:

Away, slight man!(40)

CASSIUS:

Is't possible?
 BRUTUS:

Hear me, for I will speak.

Must I give way and room to your rash choler?

Page | 166
Shall I be frighted when a madman stares?

CASSIUS:

O gods, ye gods! Must I endure all this?(45)

BRUTUS:

All this? Ay, more. Fret till your proud heart break.

Go show your slaves how choleric you are,

And make your bondmen tremble. Must I bouge?

Must I observe you? Must I stand and crouch

Under your testy humor? By the gods,(50)

You shall digest the venom of your spleen,

Though it do split you, for, from this day forth,

I'll use you for my mirth, yea, for my laughter,

When you are waspish.

CASSIUS:

Is it come to this?(55)

BRUTUS:
You say you are a better soldier:
Let it appear so, make your vaunting true,
And it shall please me well. For mine own part,
I shall be glad to learn of noble men.
CASSIUS:
You wrong me every way, you wrong me, Brutus.(60)
I said, an elder soldier, not a better.
Did I say “better”?
 BRUTUS:

If you did, I care not.

CASSIUS:
Page | 167
When Caesar lived, he durst not thus have moved me.

BRUTUS:

Peace, peace! You durst not so have tempted him.(65)

CASSIUS:
I durst not?
BRUTUS:
No.
CASSIUS:
What, durst not tempt him?
BRUTUS:
For your life you durst not.
CASSIUS:
Do not presume too much upon my love;(70)
I may do that I shall be sorry for.
BRUTUS:

You have done that you should be sorry for.

There is no terror, Cassius, in your threats,

For I am arm'd so strong in honesty,

That they pass by me as the idle wind(75)

Which I respect not. I did send to you

For certain sums of gold, which you denied me,

For I can raise no money by vile means.

By heaven, I had rather coin my heart

And drop my blood for drachmas than to wring(80)

From the hard hands of peasants their vile trash

 By any indirection. I did send

To you for gold to pay my legions,

Which you denied me. Was that done like Cassius?

Page | 168
Should I have answer'd Caius Cassius so?(85)

When Marcus Brutus grows so covetous

To lock such rascal counters from his friends,

Be ready, gods, with all your thunderbolts,

Dash him to pieces!

CASSIUS:

I denied you not.(90)

BRUTUS:

You did.

CASSIUS:

I did not. He was but a fool

That brought my answer back. Brutus hath rived my heart.

A friend should bear his friend's infirmities,

But Brutus makes mine greater than they are.(95)

BRUTUS:

I do not, till you practise them on me.

CASSIUS:
 You love me not.

BRUTUS:

I do not like your faults.

Page | 169

CASSIUS:

A friendly eye could never see such faults.

BRUTUS:
A flatterer's would not, though they do appear(100)
As huge as high Olympus.
CASSIUS:
Come, Antony, and young Octavius, come,
Revenge yourselves alone on Cassius,
For Cassius is aweary of the world:
Hated by one he loves; braved by his brother;(105)
Check'd like a bondman; all his faults observed,
Set in a notebook, learn'd and conn'd by rote,
To cast into my teeth. O, I could weep
My spirit from mine eyes! There is my dagger,
And here my naked breast; within, a heart(110)
Dearer than Pluto's mine, richer than gold.
If that thou best a Roman, take it forth;
I, that denied thee gold, will give my heart.
Strike, as thou didst at Caesar, for I know,
When thou didst hate him worst, thou lovedst him better(115)
Than ever thou lovedst Cassius.
BRUTUS:

Sheathe your dagger.

Be angry when you will, it shall have scope;

Do what you will, dishonour shall be humor.

O Cassius, you are yoked with a lamb,(120)

That carries anger as the flint bears fire,

Who, much enforced, shows a hasty spark

 And straight is cold again.

CASSIUS:

Hath Cassius lived

Page | 170
To be but mirth and laughter to his Brutus,(125)

When grief and blood ill-temper'd vexeth him?

BRUTUS:

When I spoke that, I was ill-temper'd too.

CASSIUS:
Do you confess so much? Give me your hand.
BRUTUS:
And my heart too.
CASSIUS:
O Brutus!(130)
BRUTUS:
What's the matter?
CASSIUS:
Have not you love enough to bear with me,
When that rash humour which my mother gave me
Makes me forgetful?
BRUTUS:
Yes, Cassius, and from henceforth,(135)
When you are overearnest with your Brutus,
He'll think your mother chides, and leave you so.
Enter a Poet.
POET:
Let me go in to see the generals.
There is some grudge between 'em, 'tis not meet
They be alone.(140)
LUCILIUS:
You shall not come to them.
POET:
Nothing but death shall stay me.
 CASSIUS:
How now, what's the matter?
POET:
For shame, you generals! What do you mean?
Page | 171 Love, and be friends, as two such men should be;(145)
For I have seen more years, I'm sure, than ye.
CASSIUS:
Ha, ha! How vilely doth this cynic rhyme!
BRUTUS:
Get you hence, sirrah; saucy fellow, hence!
CASSIUS:
Bear with him, Brutus; 'tis his fashion.
BRUTUS:
I'll know his humor when he knows his time.(150)
What should the wars do with these jigging fools?
Companion, hence!
CASSIUS:
Away, away, be gone!
Exit Poet.
BRUTUS:
[Calling out]
Lucilius and Titinius, bid the commanders
Prepare to lodge their companies tonight.(155)
CASSIUS:
And come yourselves and bring Messala with you Immediately to us.
BRUTUS:
[Calling out]
Lucius, a bowl of wine!
CASSIUS:
I did not think you could have been so angry.
BRUTUS:
O Cassius, I am sick of many griefs.(160)
CASSIUS:
Of your philosophy you make no use,
If you give place to accidental evils.
BRUTUS:
No man bears sorrow better. Portia is dead.
 CASSIUS:
Ha? Portia?
BRUTUS:
She is dead.(165)
Page | 172
CASSIUS:
How's caped killing when I cross'd you so?
O insupportable and touching loss!
Upon what sickness?
BRUTUS:
Impatient of my absence,
And grief that young Octavius with Mark Antony(170)
Have made themselves so strong: for with her death
That tidings came: with this she fell distract,
And, her attendants absent, swallow'd fire.
CASSIUS:
And died so?
BRUTUS:
Even so.(175)
CASSIUS:
O ye immortal gods!
Enter [Lucius] with wine, and tapers.
BRUTUS:

Speak no more of her. Give me a bowl of wine.

In this I bury all unkindness, Cassius.

Drinks.

CASSIUS:

My heart is thirsty for that noble pledge.

Fill, Lucius, till the wine o'erswell the cup;(180)

I cannot drink too much of Brutus' love.

[Exit Lucius.]

Enter Titinius and Messala.

 BRUTUS:

Come in, Titinius!

Page | 173
Welcome, good Messala.

Now sit we close about this taper here,

And call in question our necessities.(185)

CASSIUS:
Portia, art thou gone?
BRUTUS:
No more, I pray you.
Messala, I have here received letters
That young Octavius and Mark Antony
Come down upon us with a mighty power,(190)
Bending their expedition toward Philippi.
MESSALA:
Myself have letters of the selfsame tenure.
BRUTUS:
With what addition?
MESSALA:
That by proscription and bills of outlawry
Octavius, Antony, and Lepidus(195)
Have put to death an hundred senators.
BRUTUS:
Therein our letters do not well agree;
Mine speak of seventy senators that died
By their proscriptions, Cicero being one.
CASSIUS:
Cicero one!(200)
MESSALA:
Cicero is dead,
And by that order of proscription.
Had you your letters from your wife, my lord?
BRUTUS:
No, Messala.
 MESSALA:
Nor nothing in your letters writ of her?(205)
BRUTUS:
Nothing, Messala.
Page | 174
MESSALA:
That, methinks, is strange.
BRUTUS:
Why ask you? Hear you ought of her in yours?
MESSALA:
No, my lord.
BRUTUS:
Now, as you are a Roman, tell me true.(210)
MESSALA:
Then like a Roman bear the truth I tell:
For certain she is dead, and by strange manner.
BRUTUS:
Why, farewell, Portia. We must die, Messala.
With meditating that she must die once
I have the patience to endure it now.(215)
MESSALA:
Even so great men great losses should endure.
CASSIUS:
I have as much of this in art as you,
But yet my nature could not bear it so.
BRUTUS:
Well, to our work alive. What do you think
Of marching to Philippi presently?(220)
CASSIUS:
I do not think it good.
BRUTUS:
Your reason?
CASSIUS:
This it is:
'Tis better that the enemy seek us;
So shall he waste his means, weary his soldiers,(225)
Doing himself offense, whilst we lying still
Are full of rest, defense, and nimbleness.
 BRUTUS:
Good reasons must of force give place to better.
The people 'twixt Philippi and this ground
Do stand but in a forced affection,(230)
For they have grudged us contribution.
Page | 175
The enemy, marching along by them,
By them shall make a fuller number up,
Come on refresh'd, new-added, and encouraged;
From which advantage shall we cut him off(235)
If at Philippi we do face him there,
These people at our back.
CASSIUS:
Hear me, good brother.
BRUTUS:
Under your pardon. You must note beside
That we have tried the utmost of our friends,(240)
Our legions are brim-full, our cause is ripe:
The enemy increaseth every day;
We, at the height, are ready to decline.
There is a tide in the affairs of men
Which taken at the flood leads on to fortune;(245)
Omitted, all the voyage of their life
Is bound in shallows and in miseries.
On such a full sea are we now afloat,
And we must take the current when it serves,
Or lose our ventures.(250)
CASSIUS:
Then, with your will, go on;
We'll along ourselves and meet them at Philippi.
BRUTUS:
The deep of night is crept upon our talk,
And nature must obey necessity,
Which we will niggard with a little rest.(255)
There is no more to say?
CASSIUS:
No more. Good night.
Early tomorrow will we rise and hence.
BRUTUS:
Lucius! Enter Lucius. My gown.
 [Exit Lucius.]
Farewell, good Messala;(260)
Good night, Titinius; noble, noble Cassius,
Good night and good repose.
Page | 176 CASSIUS:
O my dear brother!
This was an ill beginning of the night.
Never come such division 'tween our souls!(265)
Let it not, Brutus.
Enter Lucius, with the gown.
BRUTUS:
Every thing is well.
CASSIUS:
Good night, my lord.
BRUTUS:
Good night, good brother.
TITINIUS AND MESSALA:
Good night, Lord Brutus.(270)
BRUTUS:
Farewell, everyone.

Exeunt [all but Brutus.]

Give me the gown. Where is thy instrument?
LUCIUS:
Here in the tent.
BRUTUS:
What, thou speak'st drowsily?
Poor knave, I blame thee not, thou art o'erwatch'd.(275)
Call Claudius and some other of my men,
I'll have them sleep on cushions in my tent.
LUCIUS:
Varro and Claudio!
Enter Varro and Claudio.
VARRO:
Calls my lord?
BRUTUS:
I pray you, sirs, lie in my tent and sleep;(280)
 It may be I shall raise you by and by
On business to my brother Cassius.
VARRO:
So please you, we will stand and watch your pleasure.
Page | 177
BRUTUS:
I will not have it so. Lie down, good sirs.
It may be I shall otherwise bethink me.(285)

[Varro and Claudio lie down.]

Look, Lucius, here's the book I sought for so;
I put it in the pocket of my gown.
LUCIUS:
I was sure your lordship did not give it me.
BRUTUS:
Bear with me, good boy, I am much forgetful.
Canst thou hold up thy heavy eyes a while,(290)
And touch thy instrument a strain or two?
LUCIUS:
Ay, my lord, an't please you.
BRUTUS:
It does, my boy.
I trouble thee too much, but thou art willing.
LUCIUS:
It is my duty, sir.(295)
BRUTUS:
I should not urge thy duty past thy might;
I know young bloods look for a time of rest.
LUCIUS:
I have slept, my lord, already.
BRUTUS:
It was well done, and thou shalt sleep again;
I will not hold thee long. If I do live,(300)
I will be good to thee.

Music, and a song.

This is a sleepy tune. O murderous slumber,

Layest thou thy leaden mace upon my boy
[Lucius falls asleep]
 That plays thee music? Gentle knave, good night.
I will not do thee so much wrong to wake thee.(305)
If thou dost nod, thou break'st thy instrument;
I'll take it from thee; and, good boy, good night.
Let me see, let me see; is not the leaf turn'd down
Page | 178 Where I left reading? Here it is, I think.

Enter the Ghost of Caesar.

How ill this taper burns! Ha, who comes here?(310)

I think it is the weakness of mine eyes
That shapes this monstrous apparition.
It comes upon me. Art thou any thing?
Art thou some god, some angel, or some devil
That makest my blood cold, and my hair to stare?(315)
Speak to me what thou art.

GHOST:
Thy evil spirit, Brutus.
BRUTUS:
Why comest thou?
GHOST:
To tell thee thou shalt see me at Philippi.
BRUTUS:
Well, then I shall see thee again?(320)
GHOST:
Ay, at Philippi.
BRUTUS:
Why, I will see thee at Philippi then.

[Exit Ghost.]
Now I have taken heart thou vanishest.
Ill spirit, I would hold more talk with thee.
Boy, Lucius! Varro! Claudius! Sirs, awake!(325)
Claudius!
LUCIUS:
The strings, my lord, are false.
BRUTUS:
He thinks he still is at his instrument.
Lucius, awake!
LUCIUS:
My lord?(330)
BRUTUS:
Didst thou dream, Lucius, that thou so criedst out?
 LUCIUS:
My lord, I do not know that I did cry.
BRUTUS:
Yes, that thou didst. Didst thou see any thing?
Page | 179 LUCIUS:
Nothing, my lord.
BRUTUS:
Sleep again, Lucius. Sirrah Claudius!(335)

[To Varro.]
Fellow thou, awake!
VARRO:
My lord?
CLAUDIUS:
My lord?
BRUTUS:
Why did you so cry out, sirs, in your sleep?
VARRO AND CLAUDIUS:
Did we, my lord?(340)
BRUTUS:
Ay, saw you any thing?
VARRO:
No, my lord, I saw nothing.
CLAUDIUS:
Nor I, my lord.
BRUTUS:
Go and commend me to my brother Cassius;
Bid him set on his powers betimes before,(345)
And we will follow.
VARRO AND CLAUDIUS:
It shall be done, my lord.
Exeunt.
Analysis
Portia is dead by her own hand. She's swallowed coals, a most painful — and some would say, fitting
— way of death. By her suicide she takes on the sins of the men and attempts to expiate them; that is,
in the manner of her suicide she, in metaphorical terms, internalizes the painful, rash, hot decisions
that have brought the state to civil unrest. But in doing so, she does not contain and remove the
difficulties facing Rome. She is ineffective, for this is not a play about what a woman could do, but a
play about men and men's affairs.

The news of her death to Brutus is delayed. For the first one hundred and forty-six lines of the scene,
the reader is unaware that Portia's death is probably the underlying motivation for Brutus' passionate
quarrel with Cassius. What is Shakespeare's purpose in delaying such news? Impact. The sudden
 realization of what has happened gives Cassius and the audience a sudden insight into Brutus: the
action of the scene and its real motivations and the change in Brutus' and Cassius' friendship. Moments
of impact such as these offer a pause, a catching of breath that reveals multitudes.

Note that the love that Brutus felt for Portia is transferred to the male, non-sexual sphere in his
Page | 180 friendship with Cassius. Loss and betrayal are essential elements of grief, but Brutus, unable to speak
these disloyal thoughts against his wife, transfers his feelings to Cassius. It is Cassius who has betrayed
him. It is Cassius who leaves him.

Having transferred his grief over Portia into a test of his friendship, Brutus feels that he can go on with
the military aspects of his life with stoicism, yet while the feminine is left behind (shown by Brutus
expelling the poet because his soft and rounded verses), Brutus still seeks and requires comfort. By
banishing thoughts of his wife, Brutus is left with his companions of war. He asks his loyal men to stay
with him and looks to Lucius for the calming and expressive quality of music.

They all fall asleep, however, and leave Brutus to face the ghost of Caesar alone. It is not without some
irony that, at this point in the play, Shakespeare allows a male character to experience what has so far
been a woman's realm — a prophetic dream. Women, the civilizing influences of art and intuition, have
been banned from this world of masculine violence and disruption. In their place, is a man who has put
himself in an untenable position by trying to live by reason alone, pushing emotion to one side.

The dream foreshadows — and Brutus realizes — that Brutus will die in the battles to come, and that
his death will not be the last. The events Brutus initiated with the murder of Caesar will continue to
result in more death.

Act V - Scene I
[The plains of Philippi.]
Enter Octavius, Antony, and their Army.
OCTAVIUS:
Now, Antony, our hopes are answered.
You said the enemy would not come down,
But keep the hills and upper regions.
It proves not so. Their battles are at hand;
They mean to warn us at Philippi here,(5)
Answering before we do demand of them.
ANTONY:
Tut, I am in their bosoms, and I know
Wherefore they do it. They could be content
To visit other places, and come down
With fearful bravery, thinking by this face(10)
To fasten in our thoughts that they have courage;
But 'tis not so.
Enter a Messenger.
 MESSALA:
Prepare you, generals.
The enemy comes on in gallant show;
Their bloody sign of battle is hung out,(15)
And something to be done immediately.
Page | 181
ANTONY:
Octavius, lead your battle softly on,
Upon the left hand of the even field.
OCTAVIUS:
Upon the right hand I, keep thou the left.
ANTONY:
Why do you cross me in this exigent?(20)
OCTAVIUS:
I do not cross you, but I will do so.
March.
Drum. Enter Brutus, Cassius, and their Army [Lucilius, Titinius, Messala, and others.]
BRUTUS:
They stand, and would have parley.
CASSIUS:
Stand fast, Titinius; we must out and talk.
OCTAVIUS:
Mark Antony, shall we give sign of battle?
ANTONY:

No, Caesar, we will answer on their charge.(25)

Make forth, the generals would have some words.

OCTAVIUS:

Stir not until the signal.

BRUTUS:

Words before blows. Is it so, countrymen?

OCTAVIUS:

Not that we love words better, as you do.

 BRUTUS:

Good words are better than bad strokes, Octavius.(30)

ANTONY:
Page | 182
In your bad strokes, Brutus, you give good words.

Witness the hole you made in Caesar's heart,

Crying “Long live! Hail, Caesar!”

CASSIUS:

Antony,

The posture of your blows are yet unknown;(35)

But for your words, they rob the Hybla bees,

And leave them honeyless.

ANTONY:

Not stingless too.

BRUTUS:

O, yes, and soundless too,

For you have stol'n their buzzing, Antony,(40)

And very wisely threat before you sting.

ANTONY:

Villains! You did not so when your vile daggers

Hack'd one another in the sides of Caesar.

You show'd your teeth like apes, and fawn'd like hounds,

And bow'd like bondmen, kissing Caesar's feet;(45)

Whilst damned Casca, like a cur, behind

Struck Caesar on the neck. O you flatterers!

 CASSIUS:

Flatterers? Now, Brutus, thank yourself.

This tongue had not offended so today,

Page | 183
If Cassius might have ruled.(50)

OCTAVIUS:

Come, come, the cause. If arguing make us sweat,

The proof of it will turn to redder drops.

Look, I draw a sword against conspirators;

When think you that the sword goes up again?

Never, till Caesar's three and thirty wounds(55)

Be well avenged, or till another Caesar

Have added slaughter to the sword of traitors.

BRUTUS:

Caesar, thou canst not die by traitors' hands,

Unless thou bring'st them with thee.

OCTAVIUS:

So I hope,(60)

I was not born to die on Brutus' sword.

BRUTUS:

O, if thou wert the noblest of thy strain,

Young man, thou couldst not die more honourable.

CASSIUS:

A peevish school boy, worthless of such honour,

 Join'd with a masker and a reveller!(65)

ANTONY:

Old Cassius still!

Page | 184

OCTAVIUS:

Come, Antony, away!

Defiance, traitors, hurl we in your teeth.

If you dare fight today, come to the field;

If not, when you have stomachs.(70)

Exeunt Octavius, Antony, and Army.

CASSIUS:
Why, now, blow and, swell billow, and swim bark!
The storm is up, and all is on the hazard.
BRUTUS:
Ho, Lucilius! Hark, a word with you.
LUCILIUS:
My lord?
Lucilius and Messala stand forth.
CASSIUS:
Messala!(75)
MESSALA:
What says my general?
CASSIUS:
Messala,
This is my birthday, as this very day
Was Cassius born. Give me thy hand, Messala.
Be thou my witness that, against my will,(80)
As Pompey was, am I compell'd to set
Upon one battle all our liberties.
You know that I held Epicurus strong,
And his opinion. Now I change my mind,
And partly credit things that do presage.(85)
Coming from Sardis, on our former ensign
Two mighty eagles fell, and there they perch'd,
Gorging and feeding from our soldiers' hands,
Who to Philippi here consorted us.
 This morning are they fled away and gone,(90)
And in their steads do ravens, crows, and kites
Fly o'er our heads and downward look on us,
As we were sickly prey. Their shadows seem
A canopy most fatal, under which
Page | 185 Our army lies, ready to give up the ghost.(95)
MESSALA:
Believe not so.
CASSIUS:
I but believe it partly,
For I am fresh of spirit and resolved
To meet all perils very constantly.
BRUTUS:
Even so, Lucilius.(100)
CASSIUS:
Now, most noble Brutus,
The gods today stand friendly, that we may,
Lovers in peace, lead on our days to age!

But, since the affairs of men rest 🤨 still incertain,

Let's reason with the worst that may befall.(105)
If we do lose this battle, then is this
The very last time we shall speak together.
What are you then determined to do?
BRUTUS:
Even by the rule of that philosophy
By which I did blame Cato for the death(110)
Which he did give himself: I know not how,
But I do find it cowardly and vile,
For fear of what might fall, so to prevent
The time of life: arming myself with patience
To stay the providence of some high powers(115)
That govern us below.
CASSIUS:
Then, if we lose this battle,
You are contented to be led in triumph
Thorough the streets of Rome?
BRUTUS:
No, Cassius, no. Think not, thou noble Roman,(120)
That ever Brutus will go bound to Rome;
He bears too great a mind. But this same day
Must end that work the ides of March begun.
And whether we shall meet again I know not.
Therefore our everlasting farewell take.(125)
 For ever, and for ever, farewell, Cassius!
If we do meet again, why, we shall smile;
If not, why then this parting was well made.
CASSIUS:
Page | 186 For ever and for ever farewell, Brutus!
If we do meet again, we'll smile indeed;(130)
If not, 'tis true this parting was well made.
BRUTUS:
Why then, lead on. O, that a man might know
The end of this day's business ere it come!
But it sufficeth that the day will end,
And then the end is known. Come, ho! Away!(135)
Exeunt.
Analysis
It is fitting that a battle of words should open the final act of the play. The previous four acts have been largely
about words, persuasion, the (mis)use and (mis)interpretation of words, and the power of language. It is no
surprise, then, that a power struggle opens the scene as (the younger) Octavius refuses to follow (the older)
Antony's orders. The real battle of words, however, occurs between the triumvirate and the conspirators. For
example,

"They . . . would have parley."

"We must out and talk."
"The generals would have some words."
"Words before blows."
"Not that we love words better."
"Good words are better than bad strokes."
These passages are taken from just eight lines and are only a small sampling.

Why does Shakespeare so purposefully draw the reader's attention to language? He does so because the
question of language and its power were important issues in Elizabethan times. During that period, the ultimate,
the most authoritative Word was God's. Human use of language, according to the Elizabethan way of thinking,
derived from that authority and thus had within it the potential for a tremendous power — one that human
beings both desired and feared. The characters and the action of this play express this desire and fear.

In Act V, by having the two opposing groups speak, Shakespeare tells his audience that, in fact, it is too late for
language. Language has already had its effect. It has precipitated violence and no amount of desire for
reconciliation (on Brutus' part) or accusation and insult meant to intimidate will change anything. War must
come.

Still, lest the readers be left with the impression that human use of language is inevitably all bad, the scene
finishes with the poignant parting of two friends, Cassius and Brutus, who know that they risk never seeing each
other again. Indeed, by the end of the scene, poignancy returns language to its divine source. Brutus' musing on
the end of the battle metaphorically evokes, in this classical pre-Christian context, a desire to know the "end" of
 all things and the purpose of life, and hints at the possibility of a Christian understanding of an end beyond this
life. Brutus' words return the audience to the Word, which in Elizabethan consciousness, informed any and all
contexts.

Page | 187 Act V - Scene II

[The field of battle.]
Alarum. Enter Brutus and Messala.
BRUTUS:
Ride, ride, Messala, ride, and give these bills
Unto the legions on the other side.

Loud alarum.
Let them set on at once, for I perceive
But cold demeanor in Octavius' wing,
And sudden push gives them the overthrow.(5)
Ride, ride, Messala. Let them all come down.
Exeunt.
Analysis
Brutus' actions in this scene embody both hope and the rashness born of having nothing more to lose. It
is a short scene, and the very quickness of its language is meant to heighten the tension of the battle for
the audience. Remember that in an Elizabethan theatre, there was no scenery to shift — the action was
fast as actors left and came back on stage, sometimes in a matter of seconds. Remember, also, that the
battle, for the most part, takes place offstage. The important action of this final act will lie in the fates of
the characters, not in their swordplay.

Act V - Scene III

[Another part of the field.]

Alarums. Enter Cassius and Titinius.

CASSIUS:
O, look, Titinius, look, the villains fly!
Myself have to mine own turn'd enemy.
This ensign here of mine was turning back;
I slew the coward, and did take it from him.

TITINIUS:
O Cassius, Brutus gave the word too early,(5)
 Who, having some advantage on Octavius,
Took it too eagerly. His soldiers fell to spoil,
Whilst we by Antony are all enclosed.

Enter Pindarus.
Page | 188
PINDARUS:
Fly further off, my lord, fly further off;
Mark Antony is in your tents, my lord;(10)
Fly, therefore, noble Cassius, fly far off.

CASSIUS:
This hill is far enough. Look, look, Titinius:
Are those my tents where I perceive the fire?

TITINIUS:
They are, my lord.

CASSIUS:
Titinius, if thou lovest me,(15)
Mount thou my horse and hide thy spurs in him,
Till he have brought thee up to yonder troops
And here again, that I may rest assured
Whether yond troops are friend or enemy.

TITINIUS:
I will be here again, even with a thought.(20)

Exit.

CASSIUS:
Go, Pindarus, get higher on that hill;
My sight was ever thick; regard Titinius,
And tell me what thou notest about the field.

[Pindarus ascends.]
This day I breathed first: time is come round,
And where I did begin, there shall I end;(25)
My life is run his compass. Sirrah, what news?

PINDARUS:
Above.
O my lord!

CASSIUS:
What news?
 PINDARUS:
[Above.]
Titinius is enclosed round about
With horsemen, that make to him on the spur;(30)
Page | 189 Yet he spurs on. Now they are almost on him.
Now, Titinius! Now some light. O, he lights too.
He's ta'en Shout. And, hark! They shout for joy.

CASSIUS:
Come down; behold no more.
O, coward that I am, to live so long,(35)
To see my best friend ta'en before my face!

Enter Pindarus [from above.]

Come hither, sirrah.

In Parthia did I take thee prisoner,
And then I swore thee, saving of thy life,
That whatsoever I did bid thee do,(40)
Thou shouldst attempt it. Come now, keep thine oath;
Now be a freeman, and with this good sword,
That ran through Caesar's bowels, search this bosom.
Stand not to answer: here, take thou the hilts;
And when my face is cover'd, as 'tis now,(45)
Guide thou the sword.

[Pindarus stabs him.]

Caesar, thou art revenged,

Even with the sword that kill'd thee.

[Dies.]

PINDARUS:
So, I am free, yet would not so have been,
Durst I have done my will. O Cassius!(50)
Far from this country Pindarus shall run,
Where never Roman shall take note of him.

[Exit.]

[Re-]Enter Titinius and Messala. [earing the laurels.]

 MESSALA:
It is but change, Titinius, for Octavius
Is overthrown by noble Brutus' power,
As Cassius' legions are by Antony.(55)
Page | 190 TITINIUS:
These tidings would well comfort Cassius.

MESSALA:
Where did you leave him?

TITINIUS:
All disconsolate,
With Pindarus his bondman, on this hill.

MESSALA:
Is not that he that lies upon the ground?(60)

TITINIUS:
He lies not like the living. O my heart!

MESSALA:
Is not that he?

TITINIUS:
No, this was he, Messala,
But Cassius is no more. O setting sun,
As in thy red rays thou dost sink to night,(65)
So in his red blood Cassius' day is set,
The sun of Rome is set! Our day is gone;
Clouds, dews, and dangers come; our deeds are done!
Mistrust of my success hath done this deed.

MESSALA:
Mistrust of good success hath done this deed.(70)
O hateful error, melancholy's child,
Why dost thou show to the apt thoughts of men
The things that are not? O error, soon conceived,
Thou never comest unto a happy birth,
But kill'st the mother that engender'd thee!(75)

TITINIUS:
What, Pindarus! Where art thou, Pindarus?

MESSALA:
Seek him, Titinius, whilst I go to meet
 The noble Brutus, thrusting this report
Into his ears. I may say “thrusting” it,
For piercing steel and darts envenomed(80)
Shall be as welcome to the ears of Brutus
Page | 191 As tidings of this sight.

TITINIUS:
Hie you, Messala,
And I will seek for Pindarus the while.

[Exit Messala.]
Why didst thou send me forth, brave Cassius?(85)
Did I not meet thy friends? And did not they
Put on my brows this wreath of victory,
And bid me give it thee? Didst thou not hear their shouts?
Alas, thou hast misconstrued every thing!
But, hold thee, take this garland on thy brow;(90)
Thy Brutus bid me give it thee, and I
Will do his bidding. Brutus, come apace,
And see how I regarded Caius Cassius.
By your leave, gods, this is a Roman's part.
Come, Cassius' sword, and find Titinius' heart.(95)

Dies.

[Alarum. Enter Brutus, Messala, young Cato, Strato, Volumnius, and Lucilius [Labeo, and
Flavius.]
BRUTUS:
Where, where, Messala, doth his body lie?

MESSALA:
Lo, yonder, and Titinius mourning it.

BRUTUS:
Titinius' face is upward.

CATO:
He is slain.

BRUTUS:
O Julius Caesar, thou art mighty yet!(100)
Thy spirit walks abroad, and turns our swords
In our own proper entrails.

Low alarums.
 CATO:
Brave Titinius!
Look whether he have not crown'd dead Cassius!

BRUTUS:
Page | 192 Are yet two Romans living such as these?(105)
The last of all the Romans, fare thee well!
It is impossible that ever Rome
Should breed thy fellow. Friends, I owe more tears
To this dead man than you shall see me pay.
I shall find time, Cassius, I shall find time.(110)
Come therefore, and to Thasos send his body;
His funerals shall not be in our camp,
Lest it discomfort us. Lucilius, come,
And come, young Cato; let us to the field.
Labeo and Flavius, set our battles on.(115)
'Tis three o'clock, and Romans, yet ere night
We shall try fortune in a second fight.
Exeunt.
Analysis
"Alas, thou hast misconstrued every thing." If earlier scenes were about misuse and misinterpretation
of language, this is a scene about miscommunication. Cassius dies because Pindarus misreads the
battle and Cassius despairs — a despair that began in Scene 1. Cassius grasps at Pindarus' words as
justification for what he desires: death. Titinius and Messala believe that Cassius killed himself
because he lost faith in the rightness of their cause and in Brutus' abilities. This interpretation of his
death will be all the more hurtful to Brutus.

What is interesting to note is the way in which the audience's views of these two characters has
changed since the beginning of the play. Cassius was a dark manipulator of language. His motives for
killing Caesar were murky — the readers knew there was more to Cassius' intentions than he
admitted. He was emotionless, clinical, and detached; not a friend to Brutus, but a suitor of his power
and reputation. At the end, Cassius is prepared to show his great love for his friend and, although this
love is noble in itself, it diminishes him to some degree. Note that Cassius' melancholy is the "mother"
to his death. In contrast to Brutus' virility in the face of his great friend's death, Cassius is less manly.

Brutus, who at the beginning of the play was passive and pursued by Cassius, is now a man of action.
In addition, any doubts that the audience may have had about Brutus' nobility are swept aside by the
sympathy gained for him through the powerful friendship he has developed with Cassius.
 Act V - Scene IV

[Another part of the field.]

Alarum. Enter Messala, Cato, Lucilius, and Flavius.]

Page | 193
BRUTUS:
Yet, countrymen, O, yet hold up your heads!

[Exit.]

CATO:
What bastard doth not? Who will go with me?
I will proclaim my name about the field.
I am the son of Marcus Cato, ho!
A foe to tyrants, and my country's friend.(5)
I am the son of Marcus Cato, ho!

Enter Soldiers and fight.

BRUTUS Lucilius :
And I am Brutus, Marcus Brutus, I;
Brutus, my country's friend; know me for Brutus!

[Young Cato is slain.]

O young and noble Cato, art thou down?
Why, now thou diest as bravely as Titinius,(10)
And mayst be honour'd, being Cato's son.

FIRST SOLDIER:
Yield, or thou diest.

LUCILIUS:
Only I yield to die.

[Offers money.]
There is so much that thou wilt kill me straight:
Kill Brutus, and be honour'd in his death.(15)

FIRST SOLDIER:
We must not. A noble prisoner!

Enter Antony.

SECOND SOLDIER:
Room, ho! Tell Antony, Brutus is ta'en.

FIRST SOLDIER:
 I'll tell the news. Here comes the general.
Brutus is ta'en, Brutus is ta'en, my lord.

ANTONY:
Page | 194 Where is he?(20)

LUCILIUS:
Safe, Antony, Brutus is safe enough.
I dare assure thee that no enemy
Shall ever take alive the noble Brutus;
The gods defend him from so great a shame!
When you do find him, or alive or dead,(25)
He will be found like Brutus, like himself.

ANTONY:
This is not Brutus, friend, but, I assure you,
A prize no less in worth. Keep this man safe,
Give him all kindness; I had rather have
Such men my friends than enemies. Go on,(30)
And see whether Brutus be alive or dead,
And bring us word unto Octavius' tent
How every thing is chanced.
Exeunt.
Analysis
The mistakes keep piling up. In this scene, Antony's soldiers mistake Lucilius for Brutus, the former
having taken on the latter's identity in order to protect him, hoping to convince the soldiers that they
have captured Brutus, and thus give up looking for him. Antony enters the scene, however, tells the
soldiers of their mistake, and robs Lucilius of a noble death.

Now that he is taken prisoner, and not killed, will Lucilius be as valuable a friend as Antony suggests?
Lucilius seems the least likely person to switch allegiances, and by the end of the play there is no clear
answer whether he will. Antony believes that soldiers will always choose what is best for themselves
without consideration for their principles and loyalty. This belief is an indication of the type of ruler he
will be — one who is willing to forget both principles and loyalties. Yet Antony gives a glimpse of the
decidedly unromantic realities of war. Loyalty lasts as long as the battle, and when faced with the reality
of life among the winners, one ought to change sides. These are Antony's perceptions of reality (and are
only partially right, as evidenced in the final scene). In fact, his views indicate, to some degree, that
when Antony and the triumvirate rule — for they surely will — they will rule a world devoid of the
nobility of men like Brutus and Lucilius.
 Act V - Scene V

[Another part of the field.]

Enter Brutus, Dardanius, Clitus, Strato, and Volumnius.

Page | 195
BRUTUS:
Come, poor remains of friends, rest on this rock.

CLITUS:
Statilius show'd the torch-light, but, my lord,
He came not back. He is or ta'en or slain.

BRUTUS:
Sit thee down, Clitus. Slaying is the word:
It is a deed in fashion. Hark thee, Clitus.(5)

CLITUS:
What, I, my lord? No, not for all the world.

BRUTUS:
Peace then, no words.

CLITUS:
I'll rather kill myself.

BRUTUS:
Hark thee, Dardanius.

DARDANIUS:
Shall I do such a deed?(10)
CLITUS:
O Dardanius!

DARDANIUS:
O Clitus!

CLITUS:
What ill request did Brutus make to thee?

DARDANIUS:
To kill him, Clitus. Look, he meditates.

CLITUS:
Now is that noble vessel full of grief,(15)
That it runs over even at his eyes.

BRUTUS:
 Come hither, good Volumnius, list a word.

VOLUMNIUS:
What says my lord?

Page BRUTUS:
| 196
Why, this, Volumnius:
The ghost of Caesar hath appear'd to me(20)
Two several times by night; at Sardis once,
And this last night here in Philippi fields.
I know my hour is come.

VOLUMNIUS:
Not so, my lord.

BRUTUS:
Nay, I am sure it is, Volumnius.(25)
Thou seest the world, Volumnius, how it goes;
Our enemies have beat us to the pit;

Low alarums.
It is more worthy to leap in ourselves
Than tarry till they push us. Good Volumnius,
Thou know'st that we two went to school together;(30)
Even for that our love of old, I prithee,
Hold thou my sword-hilts, whilst I run on it.

VOLUMNIUS:
That's not an office for a friend, my lord.

Alarum still.

CLITUS:
Fly, fly, my lord, there is no tarrying here.

BRUTUS:
Farewell to you, and you, and you, Volumnius.(35)
Strato, thou hast been all this while asleep;
Farewell to thee too, Strato. Countrymen,
My heart doth joy that yet in all my life
I found no man but he was true to me.
I shall have glory by this losing day,(40)
More than Octavius and Mark Antony
By this vile conquest shall attain unto.
So, fare you well at once, for Brutus' tongue
 Hath almost ended his life's history.
Night hangs upon mine eyes, my bones would rest(45)
That have but labor'd to attain this hour.

Alarum. Cry within, “Fly, fly, fly!”

Page | 197
CLITUS:
Fly, my lord, fly.

BRUTUS:
Hence! I will follow.

[Exeunt Clitus, Dardanius, and Volumnius.]

I prithee, Strato, stay thou by thy lord.
Thou art a fellow of a good respect;(50)
Thy life hath had some smatch of honour in it.
Hold then my sword, and turn away thy face,
While I do run upon it. Wilt thou, Strato?

STRATO:
Give me your hand first. Fare you well, my lord.

BRUTUS:
Farewell, good Strato.(55)

[Runs on his sword.]

Caesar, now be still;
I kill'd not thee with half so good a will.

Dies.

Alarum. Retreat. Enter Antony, Octavius, Messala, Lucilius, and the Army.

OCTAVIUS:
What man is that?

MESSALA:
My master's man. Strato, where is thy master?

STRATO:
Free from the bondage you are in, Messala:(60)
The conquerors can but make a fire of him;
For Brutus only overcame himself,
And no man else hath honour by his death.

LUCILIUS:
So Brutus should be found. I thank thee, Brutus,
 That thou hast proved Lucilius' saying true.(65)

OCTAVIUS:

All that served Brutus, I will entertain them.

Page | 198
Fellow, wilt thou bestow thy time with me?

STRATO:

Ay, if Messala will prefer me to you.

OCTAVIUS:

Do so, good Messala.

MESSALA:

How died my master, Strato?(70)

STRATO:

I held the sword, and he did run on it.

MESSALA:

Octavius, then take him to follow thee

That did the latest service to my master.

ANTONY:

This was the noblest Roman of them all.

All the conspirators, save only he,(75)

Did that they did in envy of great Caesar;

He only, in a general honest thought

And common good to all, made one of them.

His life was gentle, and the elements

So mix'd in him that Nature might stand up(80)

 And say to all the world, “This was a man!”

OCTAVIUS:

According to his virtue let us use him

Page | 199

With all respect and rites of burial.

Within my tent his bones tonight shall lie,

Most like a soldier, order'd honourably.(85)

So call the field to rest, and let's away,

To part the glories of this happy day.

Exeunt.
Analysis
At the opening of the scene, Brutus is frightened to state his wishes out loud — perhaps ashamed to state
his desire to die out loud because he is denying his lifetime philosophy, stoicism, which precludes suicide.
This shame would have been prevalent in an Elizabethan audience, to whom the act of suicide would be
abhorrent. Still, by running on his sword (note the difference between his death and that of and Cassius,
who has Pindarus run the sword through him), Brutus is heroic. To Shakespeare's audience, he would have
been a classical, sympathetic, tragic hero, ready to die rather than be conquered. In addition, with a slight
shift in perspective, he could also be a Christian hero, sacrificing his life as a result of his decision to fight for
the good of the people. (Audiences in Shakespeare's time expected to be able to get more than one meaning
from what they saw in the theatre and what they read on the page. It was part of the fun.)

In the final analysis, the narrative of both the Christian and the classical hero belong to Brutus and they
belong to him because it is "Brutus' tongue" that defines and tells the story. Even though Antony and
Octavius have the last word, their praises are, in fact, epilogue.

One addition: Note in Act V, Scene 5, the precariousness of the ending. Shakespeare's finales almost always
leave room for doubt, and this play is no exception. Caesar's reputation as a great ruler may have been
reclaimed, Cassius' cynical persuasion of the conspirators may have been converted into a great and noble
friendship with Brutus, and Brutus' faults may have been glossed over, but despite all the changes effected
in this drama, Julius Caesar ends as it began — with an uncertain future.
After Brutus’s death, Antony and Octavius give short speeches in praise of Brutus. Antony
characterizes Brutus as “the noblest Roman of them all,” indicating that he was the only
conspirator who acted for the good of Rome. Octavius echoes Antony, concluding that Brutus was
indeed an honourable man. Despite their celebration of Brutus’s honour, the two men still
implicitly condemn the murder to which Brutus’s commitment to Rome led him. The play’s ending
is therefore ambivalent, meaning that it registers mixed feelings about what has come to pass. For
anyone who knows Roman history, the ending also proves ironic. Following the events depicted in
the play, Octavius goes on to behave dishonourably toward Antony, which leads to a civil war that
results in Antony dying and Octavius becoming the first emperor of the Roman Empire. For men
 who hold honour so highly, it’s ironic that their own honour would fail and bring out the very thing
the conspirators had attempted to prevent: the crowning of an emperor.

Julius Caesar Analysis=The Play NOT character.

Page | 200 Aristotle was perhaps the pioneer of modern day dramas, more specifically dramatic
tragedies. He first defined what a tragedy is: A drama which contained hubris, pathos
and/or bathos, and the most valued element in a tragedy, a tragic hero. This was usually
the main character who is noble in his deeds yet has one flaw which causes him to fall.
The tragic works of Shakespeare were no exception. In the drama Julius Caesar the reader
can clearly see many of the principles of a tragedy. That is all except for the tragic hero.
Ideas as to who is the tragic hero range from Cassius to Julius Caesar himself. The trouble is
all characters have material to prove and disprove them. However the hypothesis that
Marcus Brutus is the tragic hero is incorrect. ONE INTERPRETATION – NOT NECESSARILY
MINE. You need to come up with your own conclusions – as stated in the Rubric.
One element to a tragic hero is the hero has only one tragic flaw, and Brutus clearly has
more than one flaw in his character. The first flaws in Brutus character is his naivete and
the assumptions he makes about other characters. Throughout the entire story these two
flaws are reflected in many of his decisions and actions. A specific example is his view on the
Roman populace. Thinking all Romans are honourable and noble it is not only incorrect, but
it plagues him until the very end of the play. One instance occurred as the conspirators were
meeting. Brutus stated, Let’s kill him boldly, but not wrathfully...... This shall make our
purpose necessary and not envious.... (Shakespeare, Julius Caesar, 2.1. 172 & 177-178). He
honestly believed that all involved were going to kill Caesar for honourable reasons. Not
once did he question the motives of everyone, where, in reality Brutus probably was the
only involved for noble reasons. Brutus undoubtedly convinces the reader of his own
naivete when he states, ... let us bathe our hands in Caesars blood... Lets all cry ^Peace,
freedom, and liberty!! (3.1. 106 & 110) Just by his enthusiasm, Brutus is not aware of any
other motives. He simply believes that Peace, freedom, and liberty are the only motives.

Another example was during his speech at Caesars funeral. ... not that I loved Caesar less,
but that I loved Rome more (3.2. 18-20).

Addressing the nobility of his actions and his love for Rome, Brutus surmises that the
people understand him because of their equal love for their country. This assumption is
evident because he uses it as the sole reason for killing Caesar. A reason that Brutus
believes the people agree with,otherwise he would not use it to rationalize such a crime.
Lastly that same lack of insight is seen in when Brutus declares, ... I have done no more to
Caesar than you shall do to Brutus (3.2. 28-29) Paraphrased he says that the people would
do the same to him if he became ambitious, as he did to Caesar for becoming ambitious.
Yet the people hardly understand him. One citizen proves that! when he states, Caesars
better parts Shall be crowned in Brutus (3.2 39-40). The citizen completely misses the point
Brutus is trying to make, and blurts out a random, ignorant comment. Throughout
 all the naive decisions and assumptions Brutus still has another downfall. A flaw that is
closely related, but still different.

Page | 201 The second flaw seen in Brutus is his one sided perception of many things. His perceptions
of attitudes, values, beliefs, and more. This can be seen during his funeral speech. Focusing
only on the political aspects of the assassination, he not once stops to consider that Caesar
was more than a representation of the future Rome, but a person too. I slew my best lover
for the good of Rome ( 3.2. 33-34) says Brutus. He does not once grieve for Caesar, or show
remorse for Caesar. He innocently addresses only one side of the situation. This incorrect
perception is then used against him in Antony’s speech. Antony makes it plain to the
audience that Brutus did not view Caesar as a person, and therefore convincing the crowd
against Brutus.

A second example of Brutus poor perception was after the assassination. As Rome's
situation turned into civil war Brutus still speaks of honour and nobility. ... Did not great
Julius bleed for justice sake? ( 4.3. 19) , ... I am armed so strong in honesty(4.3. 67), our
legions are brimful, our cause is ripe (4.3. 214). On and on he goes focused on what he still
deems important.

Once again Brutus perception is incorrect and reality is much different. Not many still value
honestly, and most know that at those times, it would not help you move ahead. Rome
begins to fall, and what hopes of saving it do not centre around the honourable and noble
point of view Brutus clings on to. Yet it is his flaw that he is ignorant of such things. One
flaw, that are many within Brutus.

Brutus has two, maybe three, distinct flaws in his character, and many downfalls. Brutus
first is naive, and assumes to much about the people of Rome. He does listen to them, but
what he hears is either misinterpreted, or it is set aside because it does not agree with his
preconceived notions of what the populace should be saying. All of this makes it very clear
that Brutus is not the tragic hero. Who then is the hero? As stated before, there is concrete
evidence proving and disproving many other characters. But then is Julius Caesar truly a
tragedy? Does not a tragedy have a clear tragic hero? Nobody will ever know. But whether
Julius Caesar is a tragedy as most believe, or a historical account as others believe, it is a
beautiful work of art. Literature at its very best, something that will never be forgotten.

Analysis

It is proposed that Julius Caesar is not simply a historical interpretation about the life of the
Roman ruler but is more aptly a tragedy about the emphasis of the political
 corruption of morals. The play “is about the power of rhetoric — but…also about the
distinctive results of that power” (Stanivukovic 2). Brutus is the prime example of the
corruptive capabilities of power and the split in ethics within the domain of the general
public and those of the political sphere. The play follows Brutus even after the death of
Caesar, resulting in Caesar as the “dominating figure” but with Brutus serving as the “hero”
Page | 202 (Bradley 7). Marcus Brutus proves to be the tragic hero of the play since it focuses on his
internal struggle, or the “conflict of the hero’s soul” (Bradley 18). This is noted when he
states that he is “with himself at war” (1.2.48), the conflict that ultimately leads to his
downfall.
The audience gains a deep understanding of the workings of the inner mind through Brutus’s
soliloquy in the beginning of the second act. Shakespeare seems to have improved his
soliloquy writing over time (Greenblatt 301), allowing it to become more stream of
consciousness, providing insight to the speaker. Prior to this external monologue, Cassius
has tried to recruit Brutus to join him and Casca in preventing Caesar from taking the throne.
After this idea has been planted, Brutus cannot help but wonder what would happen if
Caesar were to become king. Marcus Brutus contends that his only concern is for the greater
good and although Caesar has served the good of the public thus far, Brutus wonders if
Caesar’s character would be changed by the crown:

“It must be by his death, and for my part

I know no personal cause to spurn at him
But for the general. He would be crowned.
How that might change his nature, there’s the question.
It is the bright day that brings forth the adder
And that craves wary walking. Crown him that,
And then I grant we put a sting in him
That at his will he may do danger with” (2.1.10–20).

Thus, Brutus determines that he will align with Cassius to prevent Caesar from being
corrupted by the crown and making Rome pay for it. The tragedy appears here, when Brutus
makes a single decision that will ultimately determine the fate of everyone in his world and
the outcome of the play as a whole. In making this choice, Brutus is not only decisively
ending the life of his then-friend Julius Caesar but he is also altering the lineage of the
crown. Brutus then explores his own desire for political power which, up to this point, has
seemingly lain dormant.

In a journal article, Daniel Juan Gil assesses the role politics play in the life of a civilian and
that of the politician. A key ethical question could be whether politics reveal the
morals of an individual or destroy them. Gil asserts that Shakespeare was attempting
to answer this question by writing anti-political works. Caesar is representative of the
political effort to bring order to social life and how sometimes even the best intentions are
skewed (Gil 3). Shakespeare’s answer to this question of ethics seems to be that power
corrupts and even those who seem noble, such as Caesar and Brutus, can be swayed.
Although Caesar does not directly show negative attributes, the conspirators certainly
believe it is possible and have concern for what Caesar would be capable of when given
power. Antony states that Caesar was noble, but that Cassius and Brutus are honest men so
 if they worry about Caesar’s actions then there must be good reason. This statement is clever
on Shakespeare’s part since Antony could deliver these lines somewhat facetiously and since
honesty is often lacking for politicians. Politics was actually a relatively new term for
Elizabethan England and Shakespeare toyed with the idea in his tragedies. One recalls the
scene in Hamlet when the Prince of Denmark ponders whether the skull he holds was “the
Page | 203 pate of a politician…one that would circumvent God,” (5.1.67–68). This evidences the lack of
trust people had in politicians and helps show the motivation for Cassius feeling vindicated in
his plans. It is now rational for him to explain to Brutus that he is unsure of Caesar’s resolve
as a noble man against the evils of politics (McEachern 115). In actuality, this is merely
justification for the heinous crime because Caesar was killed due to his popularity and the
greed of the conspirators (Parenti).

Caesar knows that something is about to happen, especially after having been warned by the
Soothsayer to “beware the Ides of March” (1.2.20). He announces to Antony, and the
audience, that he knows what kind of man Cassius is by proclaiming that men like that “be
never at heart’s ease/Whiles they behold a greater than themselves,/And therefore are they
very dangerous” (1.2.209–212). This reinforces the nobility of Caesar going to his end.
Perhaps it is because Caesar knew the quality of Cassius that he was not surprised by the
attack from those who wanted him dead. He was, however, surprised by Brutus’s
involvement which proves the point that Brutus may have been of noble qualities but has
since been tainted by the likes of Cassius.

Throughout the rest of the play, Brutus undergoes moral turmoil in trying to reconcile what
has happened as a result of his treachery. Not only is Caesar dead but now a revolt is
brewing, led by Marc Antony. Brutus takes on the blame for all these events and is then
haunted by the ghost of Caesar, driving his ethical dilemma even further. An article by Robert
McCutcheon proposes that Shakespeare was evaluating the Christian doctrine of vocation
which can “pit character against calling” and saw this as especially pertinent in the Roman
works. Brutus exemplifies this ideal where he must decide to become a traitor to his friend,
claiming it is for utilitarian purposes when it is actually self-serving (It benefits the
conspirators as they have more power and control). Brutus spends the play suspended in
inner battle, trying to discover what purpose he is meant to serve, and ultimately meets his
tragic finish (We can understand this from the fact that in Brutus’s first soliloquy, he was
able to determine that Caesar must be killed, but after the death he has inner turmoil
which can be represented by the ghost of Caesar). McCutcheon explains that vocation is
evident in Brutus’s moral break and may also extend to represent Shakespeare’s own
vocational predicament, caught between being a writer and an actor. Learning where one
belongs seems to be the eternal struggle of man, which Brutus epitomizes by showing that
who he was in the private eyes of Caesar is quite different from who he becomes publicly
after participating in the assassination.

Conclusion
Shakespeare has been a topic of conversation for generations and can be interpreted in a
variety of ways. As Shakespearian productions have been enacted over the years, the way
 the lines are delivered and the way the scene looks can change the overall meaning of the
play and is completely up to the company performing the play. Even reading the plays,
interpretation and context of just a single line can alter the way the work is received. This
gives immense power to the audience but it seems as though Shakespeare prepared for this.
Although the way a message is delivered may change, the overarching themes of plays
Page | 204 somehow stand firm. Julius Caesar has one of the least complicated textual history and a
message that is rather easy to point out even if it is not necessarily easy to comprehend. It
remains a prominent work of drama and literature, serving as a dominant
statement about politics as well as a character analysis in regard to social
roles.

Tragedy plays out through Brutus and how devastating his actions are. His inability to cope
with his guilt leads him and the other characters to the “inadequate…attempt to confine the
chaos they have unleashed to themselves” (Maurer 7). The take-away message is that
it does not matter how an individual starts out because all people are
susceptible to their innermost desires and deepest, darkest wishes. Cassius
offers power to Brutus and this awakens the dark side of an otherwise noble
man. The ineptitude to reach consolation of remorse lends a hand to Brutus’s
death and teaches audience members that, as demonstrated though the
existence of a private and public sphere of morality, there are two sides to
everything and everyone. Individuals can follow Caesar in trying to have both
sides, they can follow Brutus by denying that the other side exists, or they can
accept both aspects and find a balance.

Use of Rhetoric within JULIUS CAESAR

William Shakespeare’s famous play Julius Caesar utilizes the literary element of rhetoric
multiple times throughout to show the true power that words can hold. The rhetoric in
Caesar accompanies the play’s themes of betrayal, deception, and exaggeration. Brutus
uses rhetoric to persuade the crowd of plebeians that the murdering of Caesar was positive
and beneficial to all of Rome, winning their support and causing them to join his cause. Soon
after, Mark Antony gives a terrifically-persuasive speech that he claims to be a funeral
oration for Caesar but is truly a cleverly-shrouded undermining to Brutus’s speech. Antony’s
speech is able to not only gain him the crowd’s support but causes the crowd to completely
disregard what Brutus had said only moments earlier. The persuasion and manipulation
used by the characters throughout this piece of literature, shows how rhetorical modes of
persuasion, rhetorical devices, and cultural experiences can combine to forward the point of
view and purpose of the play.

The speech that Brutus gives to the plebeians convinces the angry crowd at first but fails to
do so permanently. His experience and reputation as a skilful orator cause the crowd to
want to listen to what he is saying, even if they disagree with what he has done. Brutus uses
two of the main forms of rhetoric in the lines at the beginning of his funeral speech:
 Romans, countrymen, and lovers! Hear me for my cause, and be silent, that you may hear:
believe me for mine honour, and have respect to mine honour, that you may believe: censure
me in your wisdom, and awake your senses, that you may the better judge . . . (3.2.13–17)

Brutus uses ethos in these lines by telling the plebeians to keep his honour in mind when
Page | 205 judging what he is about to say regarding the alleged tyrannicide of Julius Caesar. During
his speech, Brutus condemns Caesar for his ambition, making the plebeians believe that
Caesar only cared for himself. This is a sort of betrayal in itself. Not only does Brutus
actually kill Caesar, he slanders Caesar’s reputation as a noble leader after Caesar’s
murder. Another interesting aspect of Brutus’s speech that shows his skills of persuasive
and manipulative speaking is the fact that when speaking of Caesar’s traits, he pairs the
positive traits with his sympathetic reactions and the negative traits with his honourable,
“righteous” actions. This connects him with the crowd by being sympathetic when
speaking of the positive traits Caesar had, causing the plebeians to be saddened by his
death (Funeral Speech Analysis). When Brutus connects Caesar’s negative aspects with his
own honourable actions, he is using the negative feelings towards Caesar to promote how
his own motives for killing Caesar were positive. The crowd believes that Brutus is such a
noble Roman and a skilled orator, which helps Brutus win their favour, when prior to
Brutus’s speech they were in an uproar about Caesar’s murder. The crowd appears to be
more impressed with his passion about the murdering of Caesar than his explanation for
it. This is also part of the manipulation that is common throughout the play. He knows
that the plebeians are easily swayed, and uses this to his advantage. The end of Brutus’s
speech contains a verbal attack at any who oppose his motives. The crowd’s silence in
response shows that they are entirely on his side. Brutus’s speech mainly uses logos, which
does not work very effectively because he is speaking to an angry mob. Antony, however,
realized that he was speaking to an irate, restless crowd and also uses methods of rhetoric
to urge the plebeians to join his side.

Brutus’s speech gained him the support of the plebeians and caused them to trust his
reasons for killing Caesar, but the speech Mark Antony gives soon afterwards shifts the
trust and power of the Roman commoners to his side. In a sly, rhetoric-filled speech, he
convinces that Brutus and the other conspirators are traitors to Rome by killing Caesar.
Mark Antony’s funeral oration is a masterpiece of rhetoric. Even the starting line of his
oration is a powerful use of rhetoric. By referring to the plebeians as “friends” and
“Romans” he creates a sense of emotional connection with them and shapes a feeling of
citizen-like connection, which is use of pathos. Calling them “countrymen” creates the
feeling that Antony is simply a fellow Roman like the plebeians and he is alike to them.
Antony then uses the rhetoric device of conduplication in his speech, repeating that Brutus
is an honourable man. This is also a use of irony. He says in a sarcastic manner that Brutus
is honourable after pointing out contractions to what Brutus had said about Caesar and
why he needed to be murdered. Antony also mentions that Caesar’s declining of the crown
three times showed that he was not ambitious. Antony causes himself to appeal to the
crowd even more with another device of rhetoric— the understatement. He claims his
modesty and contrasts his speaking skills with those of Brutus, when his persuasive skills
are actually more powerful than Brutus’s in the lines:
 I come not, friends, to steal away your hearts. I am no orator, as Brutus is, But, as you
know me all, a plain blunt man That love my friend. And that they know full well That
gave me public leave to speak of him. (3.2.210-14)

Antony’s statement is ironic because he states that he is not an orator like Brutus, when is
Page | 206 actually a better orator and persuades the crowd more effectively than Brutus does. This
ironic understatement makes the plebeians feel as if Antony is a common Roman like they
are, and makes Brutus seem more distant. When Antony lifts the cloak of Caesar and
shows the crowd his gruesome wounds, he calls out each of the conspirators individually.
This pinpoints who was part of the conspiracy and shows the crowd that Caesar’s murder
was both cold and heart-wrenching. He explains that Brutus’s involvement was the most
harmful of all because of how much Caesar loved Brutus, emphasizing the betrayal that
Caesar faced. Antony pauses at first before he reads Caesar’s will, stirring up the
anticipation and curiosity of the plebeians. When he does finally read the will, the
plebeians are sent into an uproar. They speak of cremating Caesar’s body and using pieces
of the funeral pyre to burn down the conspirators’ homes (Gutenberg 112). Antony’s final
lines to the funeral speech show that his persuasion of the crowd was also a manipulation:
“Now let it work. Mischief, thou art afoot, Take thou what course thou wilt!” (3.2.258-59
This line is the epilogue of Antony’s funeral oration, and it greatly emphasizes the power
his words had over the crowd. He is able to completely change the crowd’s opinions and
feelings about the murder of Caesar through use of rhetoric.

Both Brutus and Mark Antony give successful speeches to the crowd of plebeians after
Caesar’s death that show the play’s themes of betrayal, deception, and exaggeration.
Their skills as orators allow them to manipulate the fickle crowd into believing what they
want them to believe. This is done by their use of rhetoric to persuade the crowd. The fact
that the crowd changes their minds from siding with Brutus and praising him to
condemning Brutus and wanting to burn his home after Antony gives his speech shows the
power that the use of rhetoric can hold. The point of view of the text is advanced by the
use of rhetoric in the way that both Brutus and Antony can be called both the protagonist
and antagonist, always pitted against each other. Throughout their speeches immediately
following the murder of Caesar, they use rhetorical devices to persuade the crowd. Their
powerful manipulations of the masses show how rhetoric and cultural experiences can
advance the themes of betrayal, deception, and exaggeration in a piece of literature.

Literary Devices in Julius Caesar

Allusion in Julius Caesar
An allusion is when a writer makes a reference to something about which they expect the
audience should already know. For example, if someone says, 'He is the Snape of our
school,' the person listening is expected to know who Snape is. Snape is the name of a
professor at the fictional Hogwarts School of Magic from the Harry Potter books. The
listener is expected to be able to reference Snape in their minds and know that the person
 in question may be unfriendly and grumpy. Allusion allows the audience some freedom to
create their own understanding of the reference, saves time, and prevents an explanation
from breaking the flow of speech.
In Act III Scene i of Julius Caesar, Antony has just discovered that his best friend, Julius
Caesar, has been killed. After Antony pretends to make peace with Caesar's killers, he kneels
Page | 207 at Caesar's side and delivers a soliloquy about how the world is going to crumble because of
Caesar's death. He says that Caesar will ride with 'Ate' by his side. Antony does not explain
who Ate is; instead, he expects the audience to know that Ate is the goddess of mischief,
pain, and hostility. Through allusion, the audience imagines Caesar as a companion to grief
and pain though it is not said directly. The image of Ate is more interesting than simply
saying that Caesar's ghost will be unhappy.

Hyperbole in Julius Caesar

A hyperbole is an exaggeration used to make a point. If someone says, 'I've been waiting
forever,' we know that they have not literally been waiting since the beginning of time. The
hyperbole is used to show that the person has been waiting for a very long time. The
exaggerated nature of hyperbole in a play also tells the audience how the speaker feels. In
our example, the person is not factually stating that she waited a long time; she is
complaining about it.
In Act I Scene i of Julius Caesar, two Roman generals are attempting to persuade a group of
people to go home. The people are celebrating Caesar's victory over Pompey. These same
people once loved Pompey and are now celebrating his defeat. One of the generals, Flavius,
tells the crowd that they should not be celebrating. Instead, they should go to the Tiber
River and 'weep into it until it overflows.' This example of hyperbole provides far more
imagery than simply saying, 'You should be sad.' Flavius uses hyperbole to express how very
sad they should be.

Allegory in Julius Caesar

An allegory is when an event, character, or idea is used to represent something larger. It is
different from symbolism because a symbol can be a single item and can represent many
different ideas. An allegory usually represents a single idea and is typically more than a
simple object. For example, a wedding ring can be a symbol of marriage, love, ownership,
and even oppression. On the other hand, a story where the main character has the last
name of Love and who spends his life doing good for others is an allegory. Allegories are
often events or stories rather than items.
One of Shakespeare's most commonly used allegories is bad weather. In Julius Caesar, as
the conspirators are plotting Caesar's murder, a storm breaks out. The storm is so severe
that the thunder shakes the ground and fire drops to the earth. The conspirators see these
events as a sign that if Caesar is named king, the world will be in turmoil. As it turns out, and
as the audience later discovers, the storm is actually an allegory for the civil war that will
break out if they kill Caesar. Note that the storm is a series of events rather than a single
word or action. Because it extends throughout Act I Scene iii, it is an allegory.

Irony in Julius Caesar

 Why Use Irony?
Irony helps a reader or viewer stay engaged. Dramatic, verbal and situational irony surprise
readers or allow the audience to feel they are one step ahead of the characters. In Julius
Caesar, each type of irony plays an important role in keeping the audience interested and
entertained. Using irony helps reveal a character's true motives. Shakespeare used irony to
Page | 208 help reveal a character's feelings and also to give the audience knowledge.

Verbal Irony
Verbal irony is when a character says something that we know means the opposite. By
saying one thing, while meaning another, a character can make a point without being too
aggressive. One of the first examples of verbal irony in Julius Caesar is when Cassius is
speaking to Brutus in Act I scene ii. Cassius tries to convince Brutus that Caesar is not worthy
to be the leader of Rome. He describes three times when Caesar was weak. One of those
times was in Spain during a battle. Caesar came down with a fever and was so sick that he
was shaking. Cassius calls Caesar a god while describing how weak he was. Since we know
that Caesar is not a god and that Cassius does not see Caesar as a god, it is a prime example
of verbal irony. Cassius says one thing while we know something else to be true.
Cassius's irony emphasizes the fact that Cesar was not a god. After describing his physical
weaknesses, Cassius knows that Brutus cannot possibly see Caesar as a god. However, if
Cassius had blatantly stated that Caesar was simply another human, Brutus's reaction, as a
loyal friend to Caesar, may have been to defend him. When Cassius ironically uses the word
'god' to describe Caesar, Brutus can only have one train of thought; Caesar is not a god.
Cassius's ironic statement is a tool for manipulating Brutus into joining the conspiracy to kill
Caesar. The effect of this irony is that it reveals Cassius's motives.

Overstatement and Sarcasm

One of the first examples of verbal irony is when Cassius is speaking to Brutus in Act I scene
ii. Cassius tells Brutus about the times when Caesar came across as a weak man. He even
says that one time when Caesar was sick, he begged for a glass of water and cried like a
young girl. Caesar was so ill that he was shaking, explains Cassius. He tells Brutus, 'Tis true,
this god did shake.' Cassius spends most of the conversation painting a very weak picture of
Caesar. So, when he labels Caesar a god, he is using verbal irony as we know that Cassius
absolutely does not think of Caesar as a god. Since Cassius exaggerates Caesar's character,
this type of verbal irony is called overstatement.
Another example of overstatement is during Caesar's funeral. Mark Antony, who is one of
Caesar's closest friends, speaks at the funeral. Mark Antony's speech contains two examples
of verbal irony. The first example is when he refers to Brutus and the other murderers as
'honorable men.' We know that Mark Antony does not think Brutus or the other assassins
are honorable; he planned for his speech to cause outrage about the murder of his friend.
Since he is insulting Brutus, this type of verbal irony may be seen as sarcasm depending on
the way it is read. Because Mark Antony is also overstating or exaggerating his opinion of
the conspirators, calling them honorable is also an example of overstatement.

Understatement
Another example of verbal irony is seen in Act I Scene ii. Cassius attempts to convince Brutus
to turn against Caesar, and he is successful in fanning the fire of Brutus's feelings. By the end
 of the conversation, Brutus tells Cassius that he will think over his plan. Cassius says he is
glad his weak words have moved Brutus. It is very clear to Cassius that his words were not
weak as they succeeded in convincing Caesar's own friend to join a plot to kill him. Cassius
calling his powerful words 'weak' then is an example of verbal irony in the form
of understatement.
Page | 209 Another example of understatement occurs when Mark Antony is wrapping up his speech at
Caesar's funeral. Mark Antony's speech incites rage among the listeners and they are ready
to take to the streets and cause mayhem in protest against Caesar's death. Mark Antony
tells the crowd that he knows he is not a good speaker like Brutus, but that if he were, he
would be able to convince the crowd to become angry. Since his speech was powerful
enough that the crowd talks about ripping wooden windowsills off houses and burning
them, we know that Mark Antony's speech was actually very powerful. He proved himself to
be a good speaker while claiming that he is not, making this another example of
understatement.

Situational Irony
Situational irony is when we expect one thing to happen, but the opposite happens instead.
William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar contains many examples of situational irony. The
conspirators expect their assassination of Caesar to result in peace, but instead it causes
war, and Caesar's hope to be king is destroyed along with his life. Mark Antony's cunning
deception of the assassins and the public's back-and-forth reaction to Caesar's death are all
examples of situations that are unexpected.
After the conspirators kill Julius Caesar, his friend, Mark Antony, asks to speak at his funeral.
The conspirators discuss it and agree that Mark Antony speaking at the funeral will make
them look good and help the people understand their motives for murder. Since Mark
Antony was Caesar's friend, having his support could only benefit them. The conspirators
expect his speech to garner support from the public. Instead, Mark Antony arouses the
public into anger against the conspirators. Since the conspirators expected Antony's action
to help, but it actually hurt them, Mark Antony's speech is a good example of situational
irony in Julius Caesar.
The unexpected outcome of Mark Antony's speech gives the audience a chance to feel
surprised. Since the play is based on historical events, the audience knows the most
important details - namely, that Caesar dies, and Brutus stabs him. Less dramatic details,
including Mark Antony's speech, are more mysterious. By suggesting that Mark Antony may
support the conspirators in his speech, Shakespeare builds an atmosphere of suspense and
interest.
A Battle Story
Two men march toward one another on a battlefield, with weapons aimed to kill. As they
draw closer to each other, they begin to see something familiar in the other's steps. The
closer they come, the lower their weapons fall. Within feet from one another, they realize
they are brothers. They drop their weapons and embrace as bullets whiz around them.
Two brothers meeting on opposite sides of a battlefield is unexpected, and is an example of
situational irony. Situational irony is when a situation turns out differently than expected.
This technique surprises the audience and makes a story more entertaining, and is used to
great effect in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar.
 War, Peace and Irony
One example of situational irony is that the group of conspirators, especially Brutus, believe
that assassinating Caesar will save Rome from declining into civil war. Brutus believes that if
Caesar takes power as king, he will abuse his glory and become a tyrant. Brutus even
compares Julius Caesar to a snake egg: The egg itself is not dangerous, but once it hatches, it
Page | 210 becomes just as deadly as any other poisonous snake, Brutus explains.
Brutus's own expectations of the future lead him to kill Caesar. Instead of saving Rome,
however, Caesar's assassination ultimately brings about war, not the peace the conspirators
expected.
He Should Have Listened to His Wife
On the morning of his murder, Caesar is initially hesitant to leave his house because a
psychic had told him to be aware of this particular day -- the 15th of March. His wife also
tries to convince him to stay home after she has a dream in which a statue of Caesar is
stabbed, and then bleeds while people smile and wash their hands in the blood.
Decius, who is plotting Caesar's death, convinces Caesar that the dream is actually a sign
that Caesar's kinghood will improve Rome. He tells Caesar that the senate plans to crown
him as king, but the senators might change their minds if he stays home. Caesar's ambition
and his deceitful friend get the best of him and he continues to the meeting. Rather than
being crowned the king, however, Caesar is stabbed to death.

The Handshake
After the conspirators kill Caesar, Mark Antony later finds them standing over Caesar's dead
body. Antony, one of Caesar's closest friends, had offered Caesar a crown in the beginning
of the play. We might expect Caesar's friend to immediately seek vengeance, but he does
not. Antony runs away when Caesar is stabbed, and sends his servant to ask the men if they
plan to kill him. When they say that they will let him live, Antony comes back and shakes the
hand of each murderer. He explains that he loves them all and that each man is his friend.
Antony becomes as cunning as the murderers and beats them at their own game. He even
tells the men that he will only speak well of them, if they will allow him to give Caesar a
proper burial and deliver a speech at Caesar's funeral. The men agree under the condition
that Antony only speak in support of the assassination of Caesar.

The Crowd's Reaction

We might expect the public to be outraged about the murder of their potential leader.
Instead, Brutus convinces them that Caesar was killed for the good of Rome. He tells the
audience that he loved Caesar, but Caesar was ambitious, and his ambition caused him to
lose sight of morality and chase the crown. Brutus tells the crowd that if Caesar had become
king, they would all be slaves. Brutus says that if any man is sad that Caesar is dead, then he
is sad because he wanted to be a slave. The crowd cheers for Brutus and supports the
conspirators.
Antony then arrives with Caesar's body, and Brutus implores the crowd to listen to Antony's
speech, then departs. Antony begins speaking, and turns Brutus's speech upside down.
Antony tells the crowd that Caesar was not ambitious. He explains that he offered a
symbolic crown to Caesar three times, and Caesar pushed the crown away out of modesty.
He also shows them Caesar's brutalized body. The commoners are then outraged and side
with Antony.
 This part of Julius Caesar provides a strong example of situational irony. The initial reaction
of the crowd in support of the conspirators, followed by the reaction elicited by Antony,
results in the audience and the characters being surprised by the final outcome.

Dramatic Irony
Page | 211 Dramatic irony is when the audience understands the character's actions more than the
character's themselves or when the audience knows something that a character on stage
does not. An example from Julius Caesar is when Caesar is on his way to the senate and
Artemidorus asks Caesar to read a letter. We know that the letter contains a warning for
Caesar. If Caesar accepts the letter, he will be able to prepare for the threat against his life.
He refuses to read it, though, believing that the letter is simply a request or a schedule. Even
after Artemidorus asks him three times to read it, Caesar still refuses. Since we all know that
the letter could save his life, but Caesar does not, it is an example of dramatic irony.
Before attempting to deliver the letter to Caesar, Artemidorus reads it aloud for the
audience to hear. This builds suspense and increases the audience's emotional investment.
'If he had only opened the letter,' the audience may think. The audience also feels a sense of
privilege in having knowledge that Caesar himself does not.

The Plot Against Caesar

The entire plot to kill Caesar is an overarching element of dramatic irony rather than a single
event. The audience is allowed to see the conspirators' plot, but Caesar himself is not aware
of the peril he is in. Despite multiple attempts to inform him, he remains unaware, and
crushes every chance he is given to discover it himself. Throughout the play, the audience
waits to see if Caesar will have even the slightest suspicion about the plot to kill him.

Calpurnia's Dream
In Act 2 Scene 2, Caesar's wife, Calpurnia, has a dream in which Caesar is killed and spouts
blood like a fountain. She tells Caesar not to leave the house because her dream could be a
bad sign. The audience knows that there is truth to Calpurnia's dream: a group of
conspirators is planning Caesar's assassination.
However, one of the conspirators convinces Caesar that Calpurnia's dream is not a sign of
danger. Decius explains to Caesar that the image of him spouting blood actually means that
his life force will be like water, pouring life into all corners of Rome. Caesar believes Decius
rather than his wife, and continues to his meeting.

The Warning Letter

In Act 3 Scene 1, a character named Artemidorus tries to deliver a letter of warning to
Caesar. Artemidorus had read the letter aloud previously, so the audience knows that the
contents could save Caesar's life. As Artemidorus tries to get Caesar to read his letter,
Decius interrupts and hands Caesar a different letter.
Artemidorus becomes more desperate and tells Caesar to read his letter immediately.
Caesar, who thinks Artemidorus is pressuring him to read a request, is put off by
Artemidorus's desperation and ignores him. He continues on his way to the senate, where
his assassins have planned his death. The letter was Caesar's last chance to accept a
warning, and he fails to recognize it. He is killed later in the scene.
 Irony in Mark Antony's Speech
After Caesar's death, the conspirators decide to allow his friend, Mark Antony, to speak to
the public about it. Because the play is based on historical events, the more informed
members of the audience will know that when Mark Antony gives his speech at the funeral,
he causes the townspeople to turn against the conspirators.
Page | 212 However, the conspirators discuss it and are convinced that Mark Antony's speech could
actually gain them support for their actions. Since Caesar and Mark Antony were close, they
believe that if he speaks to the people he can help them understand why the assassins killed
Caesar. What they also don't know, but the audience does, is that when Mark Antony is
alone, he vows to avenge Caesar's death.

Antony's Speech
Some of the most famous words from Julius Caesar, by William Shakespeare, are spoken in
Act III, Scene 2 as Marc Antony, a loyal friend of Julius Caesar, eulogizes his lost mentor.

'Friends, Romans, Countrymen, lend me your ears!', he starts in one of the most
remembered parts of the whole play. Of course, Marc Antony wants to be remembered
when he says those words, as he is essentially throwing down the gauntlet against those
who assassinated Julius Caesar. In doing so, Marc Antony employs a great deal of irony,
making it clear to those targeted that they are on notice, while appealing to the masses that
loved Caesar so greatly.

Verbal Irony
The most obvious use of verbal irony, when a character says one thing but means another, is
the seeming defence of Brutus. Throughout the speech, Marc Antony repeats several times
that Brutus is an honourable man. However, if the reader could gain a glimpse into Marc
Antony's mind, it is very clear that he does not believe that. Instead, he is mocking the idea
of Brutus having honour, perpetually reminding people of what Caesar had done for them
and how that was considered to be cause for assassination by Brutus and others. With every
one of Caesar's virtues that Marc Antony lists, he provides a counter view from Brutus, then
seemingly defends Brutus. For example:

He was my friend, faithful and just to me:

But Brutus says he was ambitious;
And Brutus is an honourable man.

For the Love of Caesar

Another example of irony is found when Marc Antony says that, the good men do is often
interred with their bones, then he proceeds to remind the masses of all the great things that
Julius Caesar did for them. If Caesar's greatness is buried with him then why talk about it?
Well, the plebeians all still love Caesar, dead or not, and Marc Antony is trying to convince
them that through their love of Caesar, they can grow to love him.

More than just verbal irony, Marc Antony also seeks to downplay his own abilities in order
to help motivate the crowd. He claims to not be an orator, but it's clear that he is
exceptionally talented. He wants to disabuse the masses of the idea that he is somehow just
another rich person trying to convince them to do something.
 Who is Marc Antony's Target?
In his speech, March Antony really has two different targets: senators and plebeians. He
wants to put the senators, such as Brutus, on notice that he is aware of their betrayal. But,
Marc Antony knows that he cannot act without the people. He treats them as peers, exciting
Page | 213 them to action. In doing so, he is trying to remind them of how Julius Caesar once sacrificed
so much to help them, and in some way, he shames them, saying that they should be doing
more to honor the man. In reality, Marc Antony sees the plebeians with contempt. They are
just a mass of people that act as a means to an end.

Marc Antony's Ultimate Goal

Obviously, Marc Antony wants to incite the people to act out against the actions of the
senators, and in many ways to thoroughly shame the assassins for acting in the way that
they did. However, there's another goal at play here. While Marc Antony may mourn the
death of Julius Caesar, it does give him the opportunity to gain power among the people.
Ironically, his tears of loss are what Marc Antony would hope grants him the ability to be
even more powerful within the Roman World.

Personification in Julius Caesar

Personification is a powerful tool that a writer can use to convey emotions to the audience.
In Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, there are several examples of personification. When Mark
Antony says that Caesar's gaping, bloody stab wounds are like open mouths, the result is an
emotional connection to the wounds as well as to Caesar himself.

Shout Until Her Shores Tremble

The first example of personification in Julius Caesar occurs in Act I Scene ii. In this scene, two
Roman officials are scolding a crowd of men. The officials ask the men why they are out in
the street and not in their shops working. The men explain that they are out celebrating
Julius Caesar's defeat over Pompey. The officials are upset because these same commoners
used to climb onto their roofs and balconies to see Pompey. When they saw him, they
would shout until the 'Tiber (river) trembled underneath her banks' and the sound was
heard at her shores. In this exchange, the officials personify the ocean as a woman by calling
it 'her.' One effect of personifying the river as 'her' is that it sends a message that even the
river is emotionally affected by the commoners' actions.

Caesar's Star
Another example of personification in Julius Caesar comes just before Caesar's death. He is
in a meeting when the other members ask him to have mercy and pardon a man who was
recently exiled. Caesar's response is to say that he cannot be moved to mercy because he is
constant - like the stars. He further explains that he shares qualities with one particular star.
Caesar tells the other men that there are many stars in the sky, but there is only one star
that is strong enough to hold its place forever. This star, continues Caesar, is not moved by
emotion and does not change its course. By portraying the star like a human, Caesar
 strengthens his argument that he has much more in common with the star then he does
with other people.

Hurricane Casca
In Act 1 scene iii, another example of personification occurs when Casca describes a storm.
Page | 214 He tells his friend that the 'ambitious oceans well and rage and foam.' He also says that the
wind is scolding. Casca is terrified of the bad weather and by personifying it, he successfully
shares that fear with the audience. By giving emotions to the ocean and the wind, Casca
paints a more dangerous picture of the storm. It is not simply a body of water with rough
waves, it is a raging and ambitious creature looking to destroy.

The Bite of Jealousy

Another example of personification is when Artemidorus tries to warn Caesar about his
impending assassination. Artemidorus writes a letter to Caesar and reads it aloud so the
audience can hear. After he finishes reading the letter he says that he regrets the fact that
virtue cannot escape the teeth of jealousy. Since Artemidorus describes jealousy as having
teeth, he is personifying an abstract concept. This instance of personification helps portray
the aggressive and attacking nature of jealousy.

Caesar's Bloody Lips

After Mark Antony confronts Caesar's killers, he kneels by Caesar's body and speaks to him.
He apologizes for pretending to be friends with his assassins. Mark Antony then describes
Caesar's wounds as red lips that are parted and begging him to speak. This powerful
example of personification packs more emotion into an already devastating moment.
Caesar's wounds are no longer the cause of his death, they are a dozen people, begging
Mark Antony to avenge Caesar.

Symbols in Julius Caesar

Omens and Portents
Throughout the play, omens and portents manifest themselves, each serving to crystallize
the larger themes of fate and misinterpretation of signs. Until Caesar’s death, each time an
omen or nightmare is reported, the audience is reminded of Caesar’s impending demise.
The audience wonders whether these portents simply announce what is fated to occur or
whether they serve as warnings for what might occur if the characters do not take active
steps to change their behaviour. Whether or not individuals can affect their destinies,
characters repeatedly fail to interpret the omens correctly. In a larger sense, the omens in
Julius Caesar thus imply the dangers of failing to perceive and analyze the details of one’s
world.

Caesar's Feathers
One of the first symbols in Julius Caesar appears when two Roman officials decide to tear
the decorations off of Caesar's statues. The officials break up a celebration for Caesar's war
victory and then decide to march around the neighborhood and pull decorations down
wherever they find them. This act is symbolic of their desire to pull Caesar from power and
 at the very least, squash some of his support. Flavius, one of the officials, even says that the
decorations are like feathers that have allowed Caesar to fly too high. By plucking the
feathers, Caesar will have to come back to Earth.

The Crown
Page | 215 Another symbol in Julius Caesar is the symbol of a crown. One of the reasons why the
conspirators want to kill Caesar is because they believe he is about to become king. If this
happens, they believe he will become too powerful and destroy Rome. Throughout the play,
the idea of a crown being offered Caesar is repeated. In Act I Scene II, Caesar's friend offers
him a simple crown. Caesar refuses it three times. Since the crown was not an actual crown,
it in itself symbolizes a larger crown. Then, the concept of the crown symbolizes a position
of power for Caesar.

The Storm and Weather as a Major Symbol

The evening after the conspirators start their plan, a storm begins to rage. One character in
particular, Casca is very afraid of the storm. He is not so much worried about the effects of
the storm, but rather what the storm symbolizes. Casca believes the storm is a warning from
the gods because people have become too arrogant. Cassius, the master mind of the
assassination plan, convinces Casca that the storm is warning that Caesar is a dangerous
man and should not be named king. The storm can also be seen as a raging warning against
the plotter's devious plan to murder their leader. By using the storm as a symbol,
Shakespeare presents at least three different ideas at once.

On the eve of the Ides of March a storm is raging in Rome (Act I, Scene 3). It's a storm unlike
any other. Fire falls from the skies, bodies spontaneously combust, lions roam the capital,
ghostly women walk the streets, and the night owl was seen shrieking in the daylight.
Shakespeare uses storms to create a mood of darkness and foreboding, but here he takes it
one step further. The turmoil of the heavens is directly representative of the turmoil present
in the state and in the minds of men. The raging storm, coupled with the eerie sights that
Casca describes, are signs of disharmony in heaven and on earth.

Letters
The motif of letters represents an interesting counterpart to the force of oral rhetoric in the
play. Oral rhetoric depends upon a direct, dialogic interaction between speaker and
audience: depending on how the listeners respond to a certain statement, the orator can
alter his or her speech and intonations accordingly. In contrast, the power of a written letter
depends more fully on the addressee; whereas an orator must read the emotions of the
crowd, the act of reading is undertaken solely by the recipient of the letter. Thus, when
Brutus receives the forged letter from Cassius in Act II, scene i, the letter has an effect
because Brutus allows it to do so; it is he who grants it its full power. In contrast, Caesar
refuses to read the letter that Artemidorus tries to hand him in Act III, scene i, as he is
heading to the Senate. Predisposed to ignore personal affairs, Caesar denies the letter any
reading at all and thus negates the potential power of the words written inside.

The Public
After Caesar is killed, his friend, Mark Antony, brings his body to the marketplace. Brutus,
one of the murderers, plans to speak to the common people about why he and the other
 men killed Caesar. When Brutus arrives, the crowd is outraged. After Brutus speaks, they
support him. Brutus leaves, and Mark Antony takes his turn speaking to the crowd. He turns
the crowd against the conspirators, and the public returns to being angry again. The
fickleness of the crowd in Julius Caesar symbolizes the fickleness of the public in real life.
Shakespeare is revealing to the audience how easily the public is swayed from one extreme
Page | 216 to another with just a few words.

Imagery in Julius Caesar

A Raging River
One of the first examples comes in Act 1, Scene 1 when Cassius speaks to Brutus. In this
scene, Cassius is speaking to Brutus in an attempt to turn him against Caesar. Cassius talks
about a time when he raced Caesar across the Tiber river. Cassius uses vivid imagery, telling
Brutus that it was a cold, stormy day and the waves were crashing against the banks.
''The torrent roar'd, and we did buffet it with lusty sinews, throwing it aside and stemming it
with hearts of controversy.'' The two men fought the wave with their sinewy arms. One of
the reasons why the imagery is important here is because Cassius desperately needs Brutus
to believe him. The more details Cassius offers, the more believable his story is.

The Crowd's Reaction

The next example of imagery comes in Act 1, Scene 2 when a character named Casca is
describing the crowd's reaction to Caesar. Caesar was offered a crown and refused it. When
Caesar refuses the crown, the commoners cheered. Casca tells his friends that the
commoners cheered and clapped.
''The rabblement hooted and clapped their chapped hands and threw up their sweaty night-
caps and uttered such a deal of stinking breath because Caesar refused the crown that it had
almost choked Caesar. . . I durst not laugh, for fear of opening my lips and receiving the bad
air.'' The crowd's breath was so bad that he was afraid to laugh because he would have to
breathe in the ''stinking air.'' This example of imagery appeals to the audience's senses of
smell, sight, sound, and even taste. Casca's details bring the audience into the crowd.

A Bloody Fountain
In Act 2, Scene 2, we see another warning sign with vivid description when Caesar describes
his wife's dream. ''She dreamt to-night she saw my statua, which, like a fountain with an
hundred spouts, did run pure blood: and many lusty Romans came smiling, and did bathe
their hands in it.''
 In Calpurnia's dream, she sees a statue of Caesar that has been stabbed one hundred times.
Blood pours from the statue as Romans happily wash their hands in it. This descriptive
passage from the play draws the audience in, appealing to their sense of sight and touch.
The vivid imagery of blood and the people washing in it makes the threat to Caesar very
clear to the audience, and yet, somehow, Caesar just does not see it.
Page | 217
The Storm of Fire
Another example of detailed imagery is in Act 1, Scene 3 when Casca describes the storm.
He does not simply say that there is a big storm outside. Casca uses imagery, telling his
friend, Cicero, that he has seen storms where the wind splits trees in half and storms where
the ocean rages so hard that it seems like the waves will reach the sky. He says, ''It is the
part of men to fear and tremble when the most mighty gods by tokens send such dreadful
heralds to astonish us.''
None of these storms compare to this one, explains Casca. This storm causes fire to shoot
from the sky. The imagery highlights Casca's fears. The audience can see the trees being split
in half and the ocean raging. Without these details, the audience may have a harder time
relating to Casca's reaction.

Anachronism in Julius Caesar

An anachronism is something that appears to be in the wrong time. Whether an author uses
anachronisms as a tool or simply as a mistake as a matter of debate. In Julius Caesar there
are several interesting anachronisms.

The Clock in Julius Caesar

Clocks that could move like the one mentioned in Act 2, Scene 1 had not been invented.
Cassius tells the other conspirators that the clock struck three. Since clocks that could move
and ''strike'' were not yet invented, this reference is out of place. This anachronism may
have been intentionally included as humor or even as reference to striking as an attack.
People in Caesar's day told time by measuring the amount of water dropped into a bowl by
a rotating wheel. Measuring droplets of water is far less dramatic than a clock striking.
While there's no way to know if it was on purpose, choosing to include this anachronism in
the play enhances the dramatic effect of the scene.

Clothing in Julius Caesar

Another example of an anachronism in Julius Caesar comes in Act 1, Scene 2. In this scene,
Caesar is interacting with the common people. His friend, Mark Antony, offers him a crown
as a symbol of the people's wish for him to become king. Caesar refuses to take the crown,
and Mark Antony offers it a total of three times. Every time that Caesar refuses to take the
crown, the common people cheer and are excited. When he sees how happy the crowd is,
Shakespeare writes that Caesar opens his ''doublet'' and asks the crowd to cut his throat
 open if they did not love him. A doublet was a type of shirt worn by men during
Shakespeare's time. The men of Caesar's day did not have doublets; they wore robes. The
character who played Caesar would have worn a doublet, and, if included on purpose, this
anachronism would make the costumes easier to create and work into the play.
In the same scene as the doublet anachronism, we find another one related to clothing. The
Page | 218 men in the crowd who were cheering for Caesar threw their nightcaps into the air to show
their excitement and support for Caesar. Since nightcaps were not worn in ancient Rome,
this is out of place and not accurate to the time.
The Book in Julius Caesar
If you have ever read a book and not had a bookmark, you may have left the corner of the
page folded down so you could pick up where you left off. According to Shakespeare, Brutus
did the same thing in Act 4, Scene 3. The only problem is that books were not invented at
the time of Julius Caesar. The people of Rome read scrolls, not books. This means that there
was nothing for Brutus to fold down or return to. Interestingly, in the play, opening the book
is what causes Caesar's ghost to appear. So the book, which is ''from the future,'' is a portal
to Caesar, whose time has passed.

Figurative Language in Julius Caesar

In Act 2 Scene 1, Brutus receives a letter at night and opens it up to read it. There is a
meteor shower, and Brutus notes that the meteors ''whizzing'' by are so bright that he can
read by them. The letter implores Brutus to take action against Caesar. In it, the word
''whizzing'' is an onomatopoeia since it imitates the sound an object might make if it was
speeding past someone at a fast rate. The meteor shower and the storm are important to
this play because they signify the danger and drama to come with Caesar's assassination.

Apostrophe
Another type of figurative language is called an apostrophe. You may think you already
know all about apostrophes. This is not the same apostrophe as the punctuation you find in
words like: 'don't,' 'isn't,' and 'wasn't.' When thinking in terms of figurative language,
an apostrophe is when a character speaks to one group of people and then abruptly
addresses another group, usually one that is dead or absent. In Act 3 Scene 2, Mark Antony
speaks to a crowd of people about Caesar's murder. He says ''For Brutus, as you know, was
Caesar's angel. Judge, O you gods, how dearly Caesar loved him!'' In the first sentence, Mark
Antony reminds the common people that Brutus and Caesar were close friends. In the
second sentence, he reminds the gods of how much Caesar loved the man who killed him.
This abrupt shift in address adds to the intensity of the scene and is an example of
apostrophe.

Personification
Personification is another example of figurative language in Julius Caesar. This is when a
non-human object is given human characteristics. In Act 3 Scene 4, Cassius and Brutus are
drinking together in Brutus' tent. Eventually, they realize that it's getting late, and Brutus
says ''The deep of night is crept upon our talk.'' He portrays the night as something that
 consciously chooses to sneak up on the two men. Since he lends the concept of night human
characteristics, he speaks figuratively and uses personification.

Antithesis
Antithesis is another type of figurative language. An antithesis is when two opposing ideas
Page | 219 are presented in one sentence. For example, in Act 3 Scene 2, after Brutus and the other
conspirators assassinate Caesar, they address the public and explain why they committed
the murder. Brutus, who was closest to Caesar of all the assassins, tells the public that he
murdered Caesar in order to protect Rome. He says it was ''not that I loved Caesar less, but
that I loved Rome more.'' Using the ideas of love and hate in a single sentence, Brutus
employs antithesis to tell the audience that he loves both Caesar and Rome.

Metaphors in Julius Caesar

Dumber than a Box of Rocks
In Act 1 Scene 1, Flavius and Murellus, two Roman officials, are clearing a party out of the
streets of Rome. The party is celebrating the fact that Julius Caesar has defeated Pompey in
battle. The officials believe that the celebration is unwarranted, since the people had
previously loved and adored Pompey. Upon seeing this, Murellus strikes out, saying 'You
blocks, you stones, you worse than senseless things.' In this example, he compares the
commoners to rocks. Since rocks are not capable of sense, Murellus uses the metaphor to
illustrate how thoughtless the people are.
Another example of metaphor comes in Act 1 Scene 2, when Cassius attempts to convince
Brutus that Caesar is not worthy to become king. Cassius asks him if he can see himself.
Brutus responds that he cannot see himself unless he is looking in a mirror. Cassius says:
And since you know you cannot see yourself
So well as by reflection, I, your glass,
Will modestly discover to yourself.

In other words, Cassius tells Brutus that he will be a mirror and show him how great he
could be if it were not for Caesar. In this metaphor, Cassius compares himself directly to a
mirror.
In the same conversation, Cassius tells Brutus that it is unfair for Caesar to be god while
Cassius himself 'is a wretched creature and must bend his body' and bow if Caesar merely
glances at him. In this passage, Cassius compares himself to a wretched creature. This
metaphor shows how dissatisfied he is with the fact that Caesar is king, and that he must be
subservient to him.

Cassius and Caesar the Wolf

We can find another metaphor in Act 1 Scene 3. In this scene, there is a wild storm raging
and Casca and Cassius are discussing what life will be like if Caesar is allowed to become
king. Cassius points out that if Caesar does become king, it will be their fault for letting him.
 They are choosing to be slaves, Cassius explains. He tells Casca that he sympathizes with
Caesar, saying that Caesar is a wolf, and all the people of Rome are sheep. Cassius says:
Poor man! I know he would not be a wolf
But that he sees the Romans are but sheep.
This metaphor directly compares Caesar to a wolf and the people to sheep. Cassius makes it
Page | 220 clear that they must be sheep no longer if they are to stop Caesar.

Caesar the Snake

As the play progresses, Brutus has to decide whether or not he will join the conspiracy to
assassinate Caesar. One night, he is walking in his orchard trying to make a decision. He tells
himself that Caesar is not a dangerous man. He then thinks of a snake, which is not
dangerous until it hatches. People destroy snake eggs to prevent them from growing into
treacherous creatures. Brutus says, 'It is the bright day that brings forth the adder and
creates a metaphor by comparing Caesar to an unhatched snake, and decides to kill him
before he rises to power.

Simile in Julius Caesar

Cassius and his Smack Talk
One of the first similes in Julius Caesar comes when Cassius is bad-mouthing Caesar. He
wants to convince Brutus that Caesar does not deserve to be the leader of Rome. Cassius
tells of a time that he and Caesar jumped into a raging river and raced across the current
together. Cassius said that they both fought the waves until Caesar asked Cassius to help
him cross the river or else he would sink. Cassius says:
I, as Aeneas, our great ancestor, / Did from the flames of Troy upon his shoulder / The old
Anchises bear, so from the waves of Tiber Did I the tired Caesar.
In other words, Cassius emerged from the river carrying Caesar, just as Aeneas, a Trojan
hero, carried his elderly father from the flames of a burning city. With this simile, Cassius
paints Caesar as an old feeble man and himself as a hero.
As Cassius continues to talk smack about Caesar, he tells Brutus of a time that Caesar had a
fever. He explains that Caesar was weak, sick and pale. He was thirsty and asked for some
water. When Caesar called out for water, his voice was shrill and weak 'as a sick girl.' This
descriptive simile works to further portray Caesar as someone who is not fit to become king.

Casca's Fears
In act 1 scene 3, Casca is extremely frightened after seeing a number of disturbing events.
As a storm rages outside, he sees many supernatural signs that he cannot explain. Cicero
finds Casca stumbling around in a panic with his sword drawn. Cicero asks him why he is so
worried and Casca responds by asking Cicero if he would be afraid when the earth shakes
like an unfirm thing. Cicero dismisses this, asking if he has seen anything other than a simple
earthquake. Casca continues to explain that he has also seen a slave who:
Held up his left hand, which did flame and burn Like twenty torches joined.
Casca uses similes in this passage to explain how serious and disturbing the events of the
night were.
 Cassius and his Similes Return
Later in act 1 scene 3, Cicero leaves Casca alone and then Cassius enters. Cassius listens to
Casca continue his anxiety-ridden tale of the storm. According to Casca, the storm has
caused graves to open and spit out the corpses. There is lightning shooting all over the sky
Page | 221 and fire is flaming down from the heavens, causing everyone to worry and fret. Cassius
takes the opportunity to insult Caesar and win the nervous Casca over to the side of the
conspirators. He tells Casca:
Now could I, Casca, name to thee a man / Most like this dreadful night.
He is referring to Caesar, and playing on Casca's deep-seated fear of the storm. The simile
seals the deal, and Cassius wins Casca over.

Rhetorical Devices in Julius Caesar

A Play About Rhetoric
William Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar, about the assassination of the great Roman leader,
has often been used as a textbook on rhetoric, or the art of persuasive speech. In particular,
the duelling speeches between Brutus and Mark Antony in Julius Caesar, in which they
debate the justification for Caesar's assassination, exemplify the rhetorical appeals of logos
and pathos and the rhetorical devices parallelism and repetition. Brutus tries to calm his
audience using logos expressed in parallel structure, while Antony inflames their emotions
with his use of pathos and repetition of the word 'honourable,' calling Brutus' honour into
question.
Brutus' speech, in which he argues for people to set aside their emotions and think about
what is best for Rome, exemplifies the rhetorical appeal of logos, while Antony's emotional
speech about his dead friend employs pathos. Both speeches also use the devices of
parallelism and repetition to make their arguments stick in the mind of their listeners. We'll
cover exactly what those terms mean throughout the lesson.

Rhetoric
Perhaps Julius Caesar's most famous and important scene is Act III, Scene 2, in which Brutus
defends the decision to kill Caesar, arguing that it is best for Rome. Antony turns the crowd
against him in an emotional tribute to his dead friend. Both speeches are examples of
rhetoric, as the speakers try to use their words to make the crowd agree with their point of
view. Rhetoric was first discussed by the Greek philosopher Aristotle in his book On
Rhetoric, which identifies various rhetorical appeals, or ways to appeal to an audience, such
as logos, pathos, and ethos. Since Aristotle's time, people have identified other rhetorical
devices, two of which are on display in the speeches in Julius Caesar: parallelism and
repetition.

Logos and Parallelism

Brutus speaks first and tries to defend the actions of the assassins by explaining that they
killed Caesar not because they wanted to, but because it was best for Rome, as Caesar
 would have become a tyrant. His logical speech tries to calm the emotions of the citizens
who are outraged by Caesar's death.
Aristotle identifies logos as one of the key rhetorical appeals. It is the appeal to logic and
rationality. When a doctor tells you not to smoke because a large amount of medical
research says smoking is bad for you, he is using logos. Logos is present throughout Brutus'
Page | 222 speech. He is urging the audience to look past their emotional outrage to see that Caesar's
assassination was best for Rome. He claims he put his personal affection for Caesar aside:
'Not that I loved Caesar less, But that I loved Rome more' (III.ii.21-22).
Brutus attempts to hammer home his logical argument with multiple uses of parallelism, in
which two or more sentences or phrases deliberately resemble each other in their structure.
He uses parallelism to reinforce his point that the audience must separate their emotions
from logic to realize that Caesar's assassination was necessary. An example of this is when
Brutus opposes the fates of Caesar and his audience: 'Had you rather Caesar were living,
and die all slaves, than that Caesar were dead, to live all freemen'(III.ii.22-23)? Similarly, he
explains how he separated his love for Caesar from his duty to Rome in a parallel structure,
'As Caesar lov'd me, I weep for him; as he was fortunate, I rejoice at it; as he was valiant, I
honor him; but, as he was ambitious, I slew him' (III.ii.23-26).

Pathos and Repetition

While Brutus wants to calm the audience's emotions, Mark Antony wants to inflame them,
and he does this through the use of pathos and his repetition of the word 'honorable.'
In some ways, pathos, also identified by Aristotle, is the opposite of logos. Instead of
appealing to logic, pathos appeals explicitly to emotions. When a TV ad tries to get you to
stop smoking by grossing you out with disgusting pictures of diseased lungs, it is using
pathos.
Antony repeatedly reminds the audience that Caesar was a person and a friend: 'He was my
friend, faithful and just to me' (III.ii.86-87). Antony then points out that Caesar helped the
poor: 'When that the poor have cried, Caesar hath wept' (III.ii.92). Opposing Brutus'
argument to set aside personal emotions, he tells the audience that no one should tell them
how to feel: 'You all did love him once, not without cause; What cause withholds you then
to mourn for him' (III.ii.101-102)? The speech ends with Antony seemingly so overcome with
emotion he cannot continue: 'Bear with me, My heart is in the coffin there with Caesar, And
I must pause till it come back to me' (III.ii.105-107).
Like Brutus, Antony repeats phrases throughout his speech. Unlike Brutus' parallelism,
meant to show the divide between Caesar the man and Caesar the potential tyrant, Antony
gives multiple examples of what a good man Caesar was, including his care for the poor.
After each one, he repeats the phrase, 'But Brutus says he was ambitious, And Brutus is an
honorable man' (III.ii.87-88). Each time he does this, Brutus seems slightly less honorable. By
the end of the speech, Antony has totally undone Brutus' call for a cold, logical analysis of
the situation and inflamed the audience's emotions.

Alliteration in Julius Caesar

Flavius and Murellus
 'Hence! Home you idle creatures, get you home.' This is the first line from Julius Caesar, and
it contains alliteration. In the opening scene, Flavius and Murellus, tribunes of Rome, are
trying to clear out a group of people who have abandoned their work to celebrate their love
for Caesar. When Flavius says 'Hence!' and 'home' in the same sentence, he creates
alliteration by repeating the 'h' sound. Since this is the first line of the play, it must capture
Page | 223 the audience's attention and convince them to listen. The use of alliteration helps achieve
this goal.
As Flavius and Murellus continue to harass the celebrators, they zero in on one man. They
ask him what his profession is, and he gives them a sarcastic answer. Murellus is not pleased
with the sarcasm and asks again, saying 'What trade, though knave? Though naughty knave,
what trade?' This alliteration is a good example of how the sounds can repeat without being
spelled with the same letter. The 'n' sound is repeated in 'naughty knave' even thought
'knave' is spelled with 'kn.'

Brutus Quietly Considers his Conscience

In Act 2 Scene 1, Brutus is at home trying to convince himself that killing Caesar is the right
thing to do. He talks aloud for a while and tells himself that even though Caesar is not
dangerous yet, he will become dangerous if he is given power. Brutus draws on the
similarities between snakes who come out in the daytime and people who are more
aggressive after they become powerful. He tells himself 'It is the bright day that brings forth
the adder / And that craves wary walking' Since the last two words of this sentence have the
same 'w' sound, it is an example of alliteration.
Later in Act 2, the conspirators come to visit Brutus. Brutus's servant, Lucius, tells him that
he cannot identify the men because their cloaks are covering their faces. Brutus asks himself
'Where wilt thou find a cavern dark enough / To mask thy monstrous visage?' In this
sentence, there are two examples of alliteration. The phrase 'Where wilt' shares the 'w'
sound, and 'mask thy monstrous visage' shares the 'm' sound. The last part of the previous
sentence illustrates an example of interrupted alliteration, where there is a small word
placed between the alliterative words. Since the word 'thy' is small and does not distract
from the alliteration, it is acceptable.

Cassius the Conspirator

Act 3 is when the conspirators murder Caesar. They meet him in the Senate and are nervous
that their plan will be discovered. Like anyone breaking the rules, the men are worried they
will be discovered. Cassius in particular is nervous and worried. Brutus says, 'Cassius, be
constant.' in this alliteration, the word 'be' separates the two 'C' sounds in the sentence.

Foreshadowing in Julius Caesar

Caesar's Statue
One of the first examples of foreshadowing in Julius Caesar is in Act 1, Scene 1 when two
Roman tribunes, a type of official, named Flavius and Marrulus decide to pull decorations off
 of Caesar's statues. The tribunes are angry that the commoners are celebrating Caesar and
believe that the celebrations will go to Caesar's head.
Flavius says 'These growing feathers pluck'd from Caesar's wing. Will make him fly an
ordinary pitch. Who else would soar above the view of men.' The idea of taking Caesar
down and stopping him from flying foreshadows the conspiracy to kill him.
Page | 224
The Soothsayer
Another example of foreshadowing is in Act 1, Scene 2, when a soothsayer, a person who
can see the future, shouts out to Caesar to beware of the 15th of March. 'Beware the ides of
March' shouts the soothsayer. Caesar calls the soothsayer forward and asks him to repeat
himself. The soothsayer tells him again to beware of the ides of March. Caesar decides to
ignore this warning and is killed on the 15th of March.

Calpurnia's Dream
Caesar's wife, Calpurnia, has a hand in foreshadowing in the play. The night before Caesar is
killed, she dreams that a statue of Caesar has been stabbed a hundred times. In her dream,
the statue is bleeding, the blood, 'In which so many smiling Romans bathed, Signifies that
from you great Rome shall suck. Reviving blood, and that great men shall press.' She tries to
warn him 'Do not go forth today', but very soon after, Caesar is stabbed by the conspirators.
Calpurnia's dream hints very directly at what is to come.

Brutus and Cassius Are Warned

After Caesar is murdered, war breaks out across Rome. One evening Brutus is reading in his
tent the night before a big battle. While he is relaxed, Caesar's ghost visits him. Brutus asks
why he has come into his tent. Caesar's ghost replies that he wanted to tell Brutus they will
meet again at the battle of Philippi. Caesar's spirit says, 'To tell thee thou shalt see me at
Philippi.' Just as quickly as it appeared, the ghost leaves. The next day, at the battle in
Phillippi, Brutus kills himself. Caesar's visit foreshadows Brutus's death by suggesting that
Brutus will join him in the afterworld.
In addition to Brutus's death, Cassius, another one of the conspirators, sees birds circling his
troops. In Act 5, Scene 1, Cassius says the birds 'Fly o'er our heads and downward look on us
/As we were sickly prey. Their shadows seem /A canopy most fatal.' Cassius's observation of
the birds and his interpretation of what they mean foreshadows his defeat and death on the
battlefield.

Omens in Julius Caesar

Omens are unusual occurrences used to symbolize impending events and are a plot device
Shakespeare uses in his play The Tragedy of Julius Caesar. The omens foreshadow important events,
which will occur later in the play. Lions and birds appear as omens, as do strange sights such as men
on fire.

The Soothsayer
Twice in the play, Caesar encounters a soothsayer, a kind of fortune teller. He tells him repeatedly,
''Beware the Ides of March.'' The soothsayer repeats the phrase seven times over the course of both
 encounters and means for Caesar to be careful on March 15, serving as an omen that something bad
is supposed to happen that day. Caesar rejects the warning every time. ''He is a dreamer,'' Caesar
says, ''Let us leave him.''
We don't know much about this soothsayer, although he does appear in Plutarch's Life of Caesar,
the historical record Shakespeare used for research for the play. In reality, he may have been
Page | 225 someone who suspected what the conspirators had planned. Shakespeare uses the soothsayer
character to not only add foreshadowing but build suspense.

Animals and Eerie Images

The conspirators gather on a stormy night to plot Caesar's assassination. During the storm,
several odd sights portend calamity. Casca, one of the conspirators, reports seeing a slave
with his hand on fire but not feeling the pain, and he meets women who also claim to see
men on fire walking the streets. He describes a previous encounter when a night bird of
some sort showed up screeching in the market during daytime. Casca believes these omens
appear because there is something evil in the air.
Calpurnia, Caesar's wife, agrees that the omens point to something rotten in Rome. The
same night Casca sees a parade of omens in the street, she dreams of Caesar's death. She
tries to convince Caesar not to leave home the next day, the infamous Ides of March. She
tells him about other strange sights in Rome that night, including a lioness giving birth in the
street, flaming warriors fighting in the sky, opening graves, and ghosts walking around.
In Shakespearean plays, as in other dramas, storms frequently foreshadow great upheaval.
Both Casca and Calpurnia report additional omens that may represent a disruption in the
natural order that occurs as a result of the plot to kill Caesar and the civil war that will
follow.

Great Caesar's Ghost

Brutus is a rational character who is drawn reluctantly into the conspiracy against Caesar
because he fears a dictator ruling Rome. Another omen in the play occurs when Brutus gets
a visit from Caesar's ghost. The ghost appears in Brutus's tent at night to tell him that they
will meet again at Philippi, a battle site in Greece. One could interpret the appearance to be
a dream Brutus has symbolizing his guilt over killing Caesar. On the other hand, the ghost
could be an omen of the retribution that awaits Brutus in Philippi.

Puns in Julius Caesar

Fixing a Broken Soul
One of the first puns in Julius Caesar comes in Act II scene i. Two tribunes (a type of
government official during Caesar's time) are patrolling the streets and attempting to clear
out the crowds of people who are celebrating Caesar's recent victory. Since all the workers
have taken a holiday to celebrate, the tribunes ask the men who they are and why they are
not in their shops. One man responds by saying 'I am a mender of bad soles.' The officials
press him further and he tells them to not be angry with him, but if their soles are worn out,
he can fix them. When the word 'sole' is spoken, it could be interpreted as 'soul.' The
cobbler is playing on the fact that sole has more than one meaning, depending on the
context.
 I Only Work With My All / I Can Recover Your Sole
In that same exchange, the cobbler tells the officials that he does not deal with political
matters and he does not chase women. He only deals with his awl. He tells them ...but
withal I am, indeed, sir, a surgeon to old shoes…. While less apparent than the pun on
Page | 226 'soles,' the cobbler is playing on the double meaning of 'with awl' and 'withal' (or 'indeed').
The cobbler continues in his joking manner as the officials ask him to explain what he does
more directly. He finally tells them that when soles are worn out he recovers them. Again,
he is punning on how the phrase 're-covering a sole' sounds like 'recovering a soul'.
The exchange with the cobbler reveals the common people's attitude of disrespect towards
the government at the time of Caesar. The cobbler pokes fun at the officials by giving them
confusing answers that could be interpreted in multiple ways.
Penny for Your Hair
Another pun comes in Act II scene I when the conspirators are discussing who should be
included in their plot against Caesar. Cassius asks whether they should include an older man
named Cicero. Another of the conspirators says that since he is old and has 'silver hair', they
can use his presence to purchase a good opinion from others about their actions. The pun is
on the word 'silver', since it refers to a silver coin used to buy goods and also the color of
Cicero's hair. While the pun itself is not as strong as the puns used by the cobbler, it is more
powerful because it shows how willing the conspirators are to use another person for their
own gain. They see Cicero as a tool, like currency, to get what they want.

Mark Antony's Sad Hart

Another pun in Julius Caesar comes during Mark Antony's speech at Caesar's funeral. Mark
Antony calls Caesar a brave 'hart' who was killed by hunters. 'Hart' is another word for deer,
and it sounds just like 'heart'. It is interesting to note that while the cobbler's puns where
meant to be entertaining, Mark Antony's are not. He is kneeling over the body of his dead
friend. The pun conveys two meanings at once. Mark Antony is expressing his love of
Caesar's noble heart, and at the same time comparing him to an innocent deer.

Parallelism in Julius Caesar

Parallelism refers to sentences that repeat a certain phrase. 'It was the best of times, it was
the worse of times' is an example pf parallelism in action.

Murellus Uses Parallelism

In act 1 scene 1 of Julius Caesar, the commoners are in the street celebrating Caesar's
victory in battle. Two Roman officials enter the scene and try to break up the crowd. The
officials are unhappy at how quickly the people have rushed to support Caesar. Until
recently, they had all loved and supported the man Caesar recently defeated, Pompey.
Murellus tells the people, 'Run to your houses, fall upon your knees, / Pray to the gods to
 intermit the plague.' This sentence contains parallel structure in its verbs.' Run,' 'fall' and
'pray' keep the sentence structure parallel and add to the intensity of the scene.

Cassius Attacks Caesar with Parallelism

Later in scene 2, a character named Cassius is attempting to convince Brutus to join a plot to
Page | 227 murder Caesar. One of Cassius's chief arguments is that Caesar is no better than anyone else
and does not deserve to be king anymore than Brutus. Cassius asks Brutus to consider 'what
is in a name.' He further urges Brutus to 'Write them together, yours is as fair a name. /
Sound them, it doth become the mouth as well. / Weigh them, it is as heavy. Conjure with
'em, / Brutus will start a spirit as soon as Caesar.'
In this passage, the parallel structure is in 'write them,' 'sound them,' 'weigh them' and
'Conjure with 'em.' Cassius's main goal is to show Brutus that there is no reason for Caesar
to rise to power -- that the name 'Caesar' is really no different than the name 'Brutus,' and
therefore, the men are no different as well. By creating a long parallel list of similarities
between Caesar and Brutus, he strengthens his argument.
Brutus Defends Himself with Parallelism
The conspirators are successful, and they kill Caesar. Brutus decide to give a speech to the
public to help explain why they assassinated Caesar. Brutus explains, 'As Caesar loved me, I
weep for him. As he was fortunate, I rejoice at it. As he was valiant, I honor him. But, as he
was ambitious, I slew him.' Brutus using parallelism by repeating the phrase 'as he was.' By
doing this, Brutus emphasizes the fact that he saw all the good in Caesar, but he could not
ignore the fact that he was ambitious.

Famous Quotes from Shakespeare's Play

Julius Caesar Crown Quotes: Analysis
What Does Caesar's Crown Represent?
The 16th-century Shakespearean tragedy Julius Caesar conveys Caesar's ultimate downfall
through the representation and symbolic use of the crown. Historically, and in this play,
Caesar is depicted wearing a crown of bay leaves called Laurus nobilis. Many authors,
including Shakespeare, utilize a crown to personify human qualities and convey larger
universal meanings. In this play, the crown represents Caesar's ambitions and is a symbol of
absolute power and corruption. It was Caesar's ambition and public fear that led to his
dramatic death. This lesson will dive deeper into how Shakespeare uses the crown for
representation and its symbolic portrayal to convey overarching themes.

Caesar's Crown as Absolute Power

A crown is traditionally associated with kings and queens, monarchy, and absolute power.
To fully understand and appreciate the symbolism of the crown in the play Julius Caesar, it is
important to acknowledge some Roman history. This play takes place between 44–42 B.C.E.
The Roman Republic had been established on the conviction that absolute power leads to
corruption. The tyrannical rule of the last Roman king, Tarquins, ultimately forced the
radical shift in government from absolute power to the ideals of the Roman Republic. For
Romans, a crown was a visual reminder of the abuse of power Rome had fought to
 overcome. In Act 1.2, Cassius, a Roman senator that is a conspirator against Caesar, alludes
to the power struggle with this monarch in lines 159–161. In this scene, Cassius is speaking
to Brutus, an officiant of the Roman court that is known to be just and honorable. These
lines are used as a reminder to Brutus of the role that the heroic ancestor, coincidentally
named Brutus, had played in ending the last monarch. Cassius says the following to Brutus
Page | 228 in an effort to persuade Brutus to support the plot to kill Caesar:
_____

CASSIUS

159 There was a Brutus once that would have brook'd

160 The eternal devil to keep his state in Rome

161 As easily as a king.

_____

Romans would never live under the rule of a monarch again. The establishment and
maintenance of the Roman Republic was a source of pride for the people of Rome. The
purpose of the Roman Senate was to ensure that no one person held absolute power, but
rather the power would be shared among the Senate members. It is Caesar's growing
political and military power that creates conflict within the play. The crown represents the
fear the Roman people had of returning to such a government. Further, in Act 1.2, Brutus
and Cassius meet up with Casca. Casca, an influential citizen and conspirator, recounts the
events at the marketplace with Caesar:
_____
CASCA

221 Why, there was a crown offered him: and being

222 offered him, he put it by with the back of his hand,

223 thus; and then the people fell a-shouting.

BRUTUS

224 What was the second noise for?

CASCA

225 Why, for that too.

CASSIUS

226 They shouted thrice: what was the last cry for?

CASCA
 227 Why, for that too.

BRUTUS

Page | 229 228 Was the crown offered him thrice?

CASCA

229 Ay, marry, was't, and he put it by thrice, every

230 time gentler than other, and at every putting-by

231 mine honest neighbours shouted.

_____

CASCA

235 I can as well be hanged as tell the manner of it:

236 it was mere foolery; I did not mark it. I saw Mark.

237 Antony offer him a crown; - yet 'twas not a crown

238 neither, 'twas one of these coronets;

_____
A coronet is a small wreath created from Laurus nobilis (bay leaves)

Laurel Wreath

Analysis of the Crown as Absolute Power

In lines 221–231, Casca infers a great deal about Caesar's motives. It is in these lines that the
fear of absolute power is apparent. Casca is suspicious of Caesar's true intent. He believes
that Caesar and his friend Marc Antony have staged the event to portray the image of being
humble and selfless, traits not associated with absolute power. This conversation shows
how the crown is used to symbolize absolute power and represent the fears people have of
that power. Casca is laying seeds of doubt in Brutus's mind.

Casca begins to frame his argument that Caesar is a threat to the Republic. To analyze the
use of the crown in line 238, it is important to recognize the significance of the type of
crown Caesar was presented with. Casca was quick to point out that it was not a traditional
crown but a coronet. A coronet was traditionally worn by the god Apollo, and laurel wreaths
were awarded to winners of the ancient Pythian games and symbolized Roman virtues:
strength, honor, and integrity. This type of crown visually put to rest images of a dictator
and reminded the crowd of true Roman virtues.
 Caesar's Crown Grants Power to Only One
Caesar was a proud Roman and strategic military leader. He knew that the crowd in the
marketplace would immediately reject a traditional crown, and he would never suggest a
monarchy. Instead, he was presented with a less threatening crown, a laurel wreath. Casca
Page | 230 believes this is an intentional manipulation of the connotations of a crown. Casca continues
to describe the events, hoping to persuade Brutus:
_____

CASCA
239 ...he put it by once: but, for all that, to my

240 thinking, he would fain have had it. Then he

241 offered it to him again; then he put it by again:

242 but, to my thinking, he was very loath to lay his

243 fingers off it. And then he offered it the third

244 time; he put it the third time by: and still as he

245 refused it,..

_____
Casca does not think that Caesar's refusal of the crown is genuine; he thinks Caesar's
ambition is growing. In lines 242–243, Casca states that he saw Caesar's fingers lingering,
implying that Caesar wanted to keep the crown and that with each presentation of the
crown it became harder to resist. Casca is hoping that Brutus will join the conspirators and
end Caesar's reign before he corrupts Rome.

Analysis of Caesar's Crown Grants Power to Only One

Just after Caesar refused the crown for the third time, Casca described how Caesar fell to
the ground and ''foamed at the mouth.'' Casca thinks that Caesar was just acting and that it
was rather comical. Brutus views the incident differently, offering that Caesar may actually
have a ''sickness.'' It is believed that Julius Caesar suffered from epilepsy, and lines 254–255
may refer to an epileptic seizure.
_____

CASCA
253 He fell down in the market-place, and foamed at

254 mouth, and was speechless.

BRUTUS
255 'Tis very like: he hath the failing sickness.
 CASSIUS
256 No, Caesar hath it not; but you and I,

257 And honest Casca, we have the falling sickness.

Page | 231
CASCA
258 I know not what you mean by that; but, I am sure,

259 Caesar fell down. If the tag-rag people did not

260 clap him and hiss him, according as he pleased and

261 displeased them, as they use to do the players in

262 the theatre, I am no true man.

_____

Lines 256–257 challenge Brutus's thinking and compare Caesar's ambition and charm to a
''sickness,'' a sickness that has infected all of Rome. Cassius points out that their power is
lessened as Caesar gains power, contradicting the founding principles of the Roman
Republic. This conversation provides important insight into how rumors were spread to
create distrust in Caesar.

Caesar's Crown as Corruption

In Act II, Brutus goes home to contemplate the situation with Caesar. He does this through a
soliloquy. A soliloquy is a common way for a character to share their thoughts with an
audience.
_____

BRUTUS
10 It must be by his death: and for my part,

11 I know no personal cause to spurn at him,

12 But for the general. He would be crown'd:

13 How that might change his nature, there's the question.

_____

Brutus begins by admitting he has no personal knowledge of Caesar's wrongdoings. Brutus

wants to do what is best for Rome. He hears what others are saying, and this leads him to
be suspicious. This is what Brutus fears most: corruption. With one man having so much
power, Caesar will undoubtedly change.
_____

14 It is the bright day that brings forth the adder;

 15 And that craves wary walking. Crown him that,

16 And then, I grant, we put a sting in him,

Page | 232 17 That at his will he may do danger with.

18 The abuse of greatness is, when it disjoin

19 Remorse from power: and, to speak truth of Caesar,

20 I have not known when his affections sway'd

21 More than his reason. But 'tis a common proof,

22 That lowliness is young ambition's ladder,

23 Whereto the climber-upward turns his face;

24 But when he once attains the upmost round.

25 He then unto the ladder turns his back,

26 Looks in the clouds, scorning the base degrees

27 By which he did ascend. So Caesar may.

_____

Brutus creates a visual metaphor for Caesar's ascent to power as if he had climbed a ladder,
and now that Caesar is at the top, he will forget the supporters on the rungs below.

Analysis of the Crown as Corruption

The soliloquy embraces the deep-rooted beliefs and fears of the
Romans at the time. No man can be trusted with so much power;
corruption is inevitable.
_____

28 Then, lest he may, prevent. And, since the quarrel

29 Will bear no colour for the thing he is,

30 Fashion it thus; that what he is, augmented,

31 Would run to these and these extremities:

32 And therefore think him as a serpent's egg

 33 Which, hatch'd, would, as his kind, grow mischievous,

34 And kill him in the shell.

_____
Page | 233
Brutus insists that ambition, by nature, is corrupt and is to be
expected, and therefore it must be stopped — the earlier the better,
according to the metaphor in lines 32–34.
Summary
In the play Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, the crown symbolizes absolute power and
corruption while representing ambition and fear. In Act I.2 of the play, Marc Antony
attempts to crown Caesar with a coronet (1.2.238), a small wreath made of laurel leaves.
Casca describes the scene at the marketplace to Cassius and Brutus, stating that Caesar's
refusal was a facade and Caesar does, in fact, desire the crown (1.2.240). After witnessing an
episode of Caesar's '' sickness,'' Cassius sarcastically responds that Caesar is just an actor
putting on a show for the people and that all of Rome has fallen ill to his charms; in other
words, as Caesar gains power, the Republic's power, and that of its senators, is weakened
(1.2.257). In Act II, Brutus contemplates his position on the power Caesar has gained. In his
soliloquy, Brutus discloses that he fears how Caesar will change once he is crowned. Brutus
compares Caesar's rise to power to that of climbing a ladder with the supporters below
becoming smaller and more insignificant. Ultimately, Brutus concludes that the crowning of
Caesar means absolute power and will lead to corruption of the Roman Republic.

Julius Caesar: Famous Quotes from Shakespeare's Play

Julius Caesar Important Quotes: Act I
 "Beware the Ides of March." (Soothsayer, Act 1, Scene 2)
A soothsayer approaches Caesar in the streets of Rome and warns him to "beware the Ides
of March," foreshadowing Caesar's assassination on March fifteenth. This is the first of many
bad omens that Caesar chooses to ignore, and his hubris eventually leads to his death.
 "Men at some times are masters of their fates. The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our
stars but in ourselves that we are underlings." (Cassius, Act 1, Scene 2)
Cassius broaches the topic of killing Caesar with Brutus. He insists that they need to shape
their own destiny rather than leaving things to fate or chance. He employs hyperbole while
making his point to Brutus, referring to himself and Brutus as "underlings," even though
they are both wealthy senators from powerful families.
 "For who so firm that cannot be seduced?" (Cassius, Act 1, Scene 2)
After Brutus leaves, Cassius expresses his thoughts in the form of a soliloquy. He believes
that Brutus can be convinced to help assassinate Caesar. Cassius is a pragmatic person, and
believes that even Brutus, known to be an honourable man, can be convinced to adjust his
principles given the correct motivation.
 Julius Caesar Quotes: Act II
 "It must be by his death; and, for my part / I know no personal cause to spurn at
him / But for the general. He would be crowned / How that might change his nature,
there's the question." (Brutus, Act 2, Scene 1)
Brutus delivers a soliloquy at night in his own home. He decides to participate in the plot to
Page | 234 kill Caesar and justifies that decision to himself. Even though he considers Caesar a friend,
Brutus fears that Caesar might become a tyrant if he is allowed to continue consolidating
power. Therefore, Brutus reasons, the honorable thing to do is to kill Caesar.
 "Cowards die many times before their deaths; / The valiant never taste of death but
once." (Caesar, Act 2, Scene 2)
The Ides of March have arrived, and Calpurnia pleads with Caesar to stay home because
there have been omens that he will die if he goes to the senate. Caesar insists that brave
men do not fear death. Again we see examples of dramatic irony and also of Caesar's hubris;
if he had been more cautious, he might have survived.
 "Caesar, beware of Brutus. Take heed of Cassius. Come not near Casca. Have an eye
to Cinna. Trust not Trebonius...There is but one mind in all these men, and it is bent
against Caesar." (Artemidorus, Act 2, Scene 3)
A man named Artemidorus writes a letter to Caesar, attempting to warn him about the
conspirators' intentions toward him. This represents one final attempt by one final character
to save Caesar from his fate.

Julius Caesar Quotes: Act III

 "Et tu, Brute? -- Then fall, Caesar!" (Caesar, Act 3, Scene 1)
This is perhaps the most famous quote in the entire play. The senators involved in the
conspiracy each stab Caesar. Brutus is the last to do so. These are Caesar's last words. It is
implied that Caesar loses the will to fight back after Brutus's betrayal.
 "If there be any in this assembly, any dear friend of Caesar's, to him I say that Brutus'
love to Caesar was no less than his. If then that friend demand why Brutus rose
against Caesar, this is my answer: not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome
more." (Brutus, Act 3, Scene 2)
At Caesar's funeral, Brutus speaks first, defending his reasons for killing Caesar. He says that
he was Caesar's friend, and that he participated in the assassination out of a sense of love
and civic responsibility for Rome. He momentarily succeeds at winning over the listeners.
 "Yet Brutus says he was ambitious, / And sure he is an honourable man." (Antony,
Act 3, Scene 2)
Antony is allowed to speak at Caesar's funeral, on the condition that Antony not say
anything negative about the men who killed Caesar. Antony technically follows Brutus's
conditions, but engenders violent anger against Caesar's killers by reminding the assembled
crowd of Caesar's virtues, while sarcastically repeating that "Brutus is an honourable man."
While Brutus's speech was in prose, Antony's is in verse, symbolizing the fact that Antony
does a better job making his point than Brutus did.

Julius Caesar Quotes: Act IV

 "This is a slight unmeritable man...The threefold world divided, he should stand / One
of the three to share it?" (Antony, Act 4, Scene 1)
 Antony, Octavius, and Lepidus form an alliance known as the Second Triumvirate to fight a
civil war against Brutus and Cassius. However, Antony privately expresses to Octavius that
he does not consider Lepidus worthy to lead the Roman Republic alongside them.
 "Remember March, the Ides of March remember. / Did not great Julius bleed for
justice' sake? / What villain touched his body, that did stab, / And not for justice?"
Page | 235 (Brutus, Act 4, Scene 2)
Brutus and Cassius argue at the military encampment where their troops are stationed.
Cassius has been accepting bribes, in order to maintain his army; Brutus believes that
accepting bribes sullies their cause. Once again, we see Cassius's pragmatism in conflict with
Brutus's notions of honor.
 "How ill this taper burns! Ha! who comes here? / I think it is the weakness of mine
eyes / That shapes this monstrous apparition." (Brutus, Act 4, Scene 2)
At night, Brutus sees an apparition of Caesar, who identifies himself as "thy evil spirit,
Brutus." Caesar's ghost says that they will meet again at Philippi, foreshadowing Brutus's
death at the Battle of Philippi.

Julius Caesar Quotes: Act V

 "You know that I held Epicurus strong, / And his opinion; now I change my mind, /
And partly credit things that do presage." (Cassius, Act 5, Scene 1,)
As Cassius prepares to do battle, he confesses that he has started to believe in omens. This
is a significant departure from the beginning of the play when he was very insistent on his
ability to control his own destiny. Here, Cassius finally acknowledges that certain things are
beyond his control.
 "I shall have glory by this losing day, / More than Octavius and Mark Antony / By this
vile conquest shall attain unto." (Brutus, Act 5, Scene 5)
After Cassius's death, Brutus reflects on his own impending death, and the life he has led.
He concludes that he is satisfied with his life because it was honorable.
 "This was the noblest Roman of them all. / All the conspirators save only he / Did
that they did in envy of great Caesar. / He only, in a general honest thought / And
common good to all, made one of them." (Antony, Act 5, Scene 5)
After Brutus's death and the discovery of his body by Antony and Octavius, Antony reveals
his true opinion of Brutus: that he was, in fact, an honorable man who acted for the
common good.

Julius Caesar: Famous Quotes

 "Et tu, Brute? -- Then fall, Caesar!" (Caesar, Act 3, Scene 1)
This is possibly the most well-known quote in the play, sometimes used facetiously in
modern times in response to a perceived betrayal.
 "Friends, Romans, Countrymen, lend me your ears." (Antony, Act 3, Scene 2)
This is the beginning of Antony's monologue at Caesar's funeral, which turns public opinion
against the conspirators. It is strongly implied that Brutus underestimated Antony's skill as
an orator.

Oh, Julius Caesar, Thou Art Mighty Yet: Meaning & Analysis
Act 5, Scene 3
 The famous quote, 'O Julius Caesar, thou art mighty yet,' is uttered by Marcus Brutus as he
stands over the dead bodies of Cassius and Titinius, another soldier who was fighting on
their side. When the tide of battle turned against them, Cassius ordered his slave, Pindarus,
to stab him. Titinius saw the body of Cassius and also committed suicide.

Page | 236 This is the scene Brutus walks in to. He stares at the bodies, then utters the famous line:
'O Julius Caesar, thou art mighty yet!
Thy spirit walks abroad and turns our swords in our own proper entrails.'
Then, Brutus mourns the loss of Cassius and Titinius. He says they are the last true Romans,
and that the entire world will be poorer for their loss. Brutus knows that he should do more
than weep at their loss, but the battle is still raging around them and he needs to go and
fight. There will be time later for their funerals.
Importance of 'O Julius Caesar, thou art mighty yet'
Brutus was initially convinced that Julius Caesar had to die because he was too mighty, too
powerful. He would take over Rome and forget that power was meant to be shared. This is
Brutus's biggest fear, and Cassius plays off it when he convinces Brutus to kill Caesar, who
was his good friend.
When Brutus finally decides that he must help the conspirators kill Caesar, he hopes that he
is putting an end to Caesar's power, but this is not the case at all.
It turns out that even in death, Caesar has quite a lot of power. Caesar's loyal followers
gather troops and prepare to meet the conspirators head on. All of the leaders of the
conspirators end up dead, and Caesar's friends carry the day, and the future of Rome.

Summary
The line, 'Oh Julius Caesar, thou art mighty yet,' is the single most important phrase in the
entire play. It shows that what Brutus feared has come to be, and that even death has not
stopped Caesar's power, but instead has increased it.
In trying to avoid Caesar having too much power, Brutus has brought it about. All of
them: Cassius, Titinius, and even the noble Brutus himself, have quite literally had their
swords turned in their own 'proper entrails,' as each stabs himself in the stomach in the
Roman way. The irony is that if Brutus hadn't acted and killed Caesar, perhaps Caesar would
not have had the power he did. The quote, 'O Julius Caesar, thou art mighty yet,' highlights
that irony, and shows that Brutus himself helped to bring about that which he most feared.

Aside Examples from Julius Caesar

Asides
 An aside is only for the audience to hear. Sometimes an aside is meant for another character
as well as the audience.
Trebonius' Aside
In Act 2, Scene 2, Trebonius and the other conspirators are gearing up for their
Page | 237 assassination of Caesar. They are with Caesar when he tells Trebonius, Cinna and Metellus
to stay near him because he has something to speak with them about. If they stay near him,
then he won't forget to have this discussion. As soon as Caesar asks them to stay close,
Trebonius says ''Caesar, I will.'' Then, to himself, he says ''and so near will I be, That your
best friends shall wish I had been further . '' In other words, Trebonius is going to make him
(and the people he who love him) regret asking him to stay close. Because he says this to
himself, it is an aside. Only he and the audience are meant to hear it. Since Trebonius
obviously doesn't want Caesar to know of his sinister plans, he says it in an aside.
Brutus' Aside
After Trebonius' aside, Caesar tells his companions that they should go have some wine
together. He tells them that ''We, like friends, will straightway go together.''
Brutus responds to this in an aside, saying ''That every like is not the same, O Caesar, The
heart of Brutus yearns to think upon!'' Translated into modern day language, Brutus is saying
that it hurts his heart to think that they are only ''like friends.'' This plays on Caesar's own
words that they will go ''like friends'' to drink. As with Trebonius' aside, Brutus cannot reveal
these thoughts to Caesar without blowing his cover. At the same time, the aside makes it
clear to the audience that Brutus is suffering and depressed about his role in the conspiracy.
Cassius and Brutus Talk Privately
After Caesar is murdered, Mark Antony asks if it would be okay to give him a proper funeral
speech. At first, Brutus says it is fine, but Cassius has second thoughts and pulls Brutus aside.
He speaks to him so that only he and the audience can hear. Cassius tells Brutus that Mark
Antony's speech will turn the public against the conspirators. Brutus responds equally
privately, telling Cassius to not worry and that he will introduce Mark Antony's speech and
make it look like they were all cooperating. For a final time, Cassius responds in an aside to
Brutus telling him that the plan seems flawed. The reason for this private conversation is
pretty natural. They want to talk about Mark Antony without him hearing.
Summary
An aside is when a character speaks so that not everyone can hear. Usually an aside is
meant for only the audience to hear, but sometimes an aside is directed at another
character. One example of an aside from William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar is
when Trebonius promises that Caesar will regret keeping him close. Brutus also delivers an
aside to express how saddened he is about having to assassinate Caesar. Cassius and Brutus
have a private conversation which excludes Mark Antony. The conversation is delivered as
aside even though they are speaking to each other.

Julius Caesar Betrayal Quotes: Meaning & Analysis

 Cassius' Ambition
If you've ever been betrayed by a friend, you know the pain such a betrayal causes. This kind
of betrayal is exactly what Caesar experiences with his friend Brutus in Julius Caesar by
William Shakespeare.

Page | 238 In Act I, Caesar tells his friend Antony that he is suspicious of Cassius, one of the Roman
Senators. Caesar confides in his friend Antony:
''Let me have men about me that are fat;
Sleek-headed men and such as sleep o' nights:
Yond Cassius has a lean and hungry look;
He thinks too much: such men are dangerous.''
Caesar is concerned that Cassius harbors political ambitions, and he recognizes the
possibility that Cassius' ambitions could drive him to betray Caesar.
Conspiracy
Caesar's suspicions of Cassius prove that he is an astute judge of human character, for
Cassius does indeed set out to betray Caesar. Cassius knows, however, that he needs
someone reputable to attract others to the conspiracy, so he turns his attention to Caesar's
friend, Brutus.
Cassius sends forged letters, purportedly from Roman Citizens, to encourage Brutus to join a
plot against Caesar's life. In one letter, Cassius writes,
''Brutus, thou sleep'st: awake, and see thyself.
Shall Rome, etc. Speak, strike, redress!''
Brutus becomes convinced that the citizens want to stop Caesar from becoming emperor of
Rome as a result of the fraudulent letters. Cassius betrays not only Caesar, but Brutus as
well, since Brutus joins the conspiracy as a result of the false impression of the citizens'
position that Cassius conveys in the letters.
Assassination
On the Ides of March, the conspirators make their way to the Senate. As planned, all the
conspirators stab Caesar. Caesar is most distressed by Brutus' participation since he believes
Brutus to be his friend. As Brutus stabs him, Caesar gives up. He dies brokenhearted at his
friend's betrayal, saying:
''Et tu, Brute? Then fall, Caesar.''
Caesar's Funeral
In his oration at Caesar's funeral, Brutus explains the reasons for Caesar's assassination to
the crowd.
''As Caesar loved me, I weep for him;
as he was fortunate, I rejoice at it; as he was
valiant, I honour him: but, as he was ambitious, I
slew him.''
 Brutus acknowledges in these lines the conflicting emotions he feels. He and Caesar were
friends, yet Brutus betrays him. Brutus attempts to justify this betrayal by saying that Caesar
was ambitious.
When Antony begins to speak, however, he is able to turn the crowd against Brutus and the
Page | 239 other conspirators. Because Brutus and Caesar have been friends, Antony terms Brutus'
participation in Caesar's death the ''unkindest cut of all.''
Caesar loved Brutus, and Antony points out how much Brutus' betrayal must have hurt
Caesar:
''For when the noble Caesar saw him stab,
Ingratitude, more strong than traitors' arms,
Quite vanquish'd him: then burst his mighty heart.''
The War
Antony raises an army to attack the men who have killed Caesar. Brutus soon learns that
Cassius is corrupt and greedy. Cassius, through his conception of the assassination plot, has
gotten Brutus into this battle with Antony, yet he refuses to provide financial support for
Brutus' army. Brutus says,
''I did send to you
For certain sums of gold, which you denied me.''
He is at last realizing the kind of man Cassius really is. While Brutus' belief in citizen self-
determination has led him to betray Caesar, Cassius is willing to betray Brutus for money.
Summary
Betrayal lies at the heart of the plot Julius Caesar. Cassius betrays Brutus' trust in him by
falsifying letters to prompt Brutus to join the conspiracy to kill Caesar. Later, Cassius (one of
the Roman senators) again betrays Caesar's friend Brutus by failing to support his army in
the battle against Antony. The ''unkindest cut of all'', however, occurs when Brutus stabs
Caesar. Caesar has loved Brutus, and he dies with the knowledge that his friend Brutus has
betrayed him, saying the famous line ''Et tu, Brute? Then fall, Caesar.''

Example of Soliloquy in Julius Caesar: Meaning & Analysis

Marc Antony Pretending
Marc Antony's soliloquy functions to reveal his true thoughts about the murder of Caesar
and contrast greatly with his dialogue with Brutus and Cassius earlier in the scene, where he
pretends to condone their actions. This soliloquy embodies the purpose of a soliloquy as it
differentiates between what a character says in front of others versus what he really thinks,
feels, and believes.
Antony is understandably shocked at the sight of Caesar's body in Act III, scene 1, but he has
to be careful about how he reacts, as the conspirators who murdered Caesar are all around
him and still covered in blood. Although Antony is deeply saddened by the death of Caesar,
 he must appear to go along with the attitudes of the conspirators. Antony, speaking to
Brutus, says, 'I doubt not of your wisdom' and then proceeds to shake the bloody hands of
all of the conspirators, as a sign of solidarity. However, after shaking their hands, Antony
looks upon Caesar's dead body and his true emotions begin to slip out.

Page | 240 'That I did love thee, Caesar, O 'tis true:

If then thy spirit look upon us now,
Shall it not grieve thee dearer than thy death
To see thy Antony making his peace,
Shaking the bloody fingers of thy foes?'
This makes Cassius skeptical of Antony, wondering if he will be loyal to the conspirators or
loyal to Caesar's memory. Cassius asks Antony:
'But what compact mean you to have with us?
Will you be pricked in number of our friends,
Or shall we on, and not depend on you?'
Posed with this question, Antony must pull himself together in this moment in order to
cover his true feelings and possibly save himself from a similar fate to that of Caesar, and
responds stating:
'Friends am I with you all, and love you all,
Upon this hope, that you shall give me reason
Why and wherein Caesar was dangerous.'
But is this how Antony really feels? Does he really consider Cassius, Brutus, and the other
conspirators friends? Or is he just pretending? Exploring his soliloquy helps to answer these
questions and define the true feelings of Marc Antony.
Antony's True Feelings
By looking at Antony's soliloquy, we can learn much about his true character.
'O pardon me, thou bleeding piece of earth,
That I am meek and gentle with these butchers.
Thou art the ruins of the noblest man
That ever lived in the tide of times.
Woe to the hand that shed this costly blood.
Over thy wounds now I do prophesy
(Which like dumb mouths do ope their ruby lips
To beg the voice and utterance of my tongue)
 A curse shall light upon the limbs of men:
Domestic fury and fierce civil strife
Shall cumber all the parts of Italy:

Page | 241
Blood and destruction shall be so in use,
And dreadful objects so familiar,
That mothers shall but smile when they behold
Their infants quartered with the hands of war:
All pity chocked with custom of fell deeds,
And Caesar's spirit, ranging for revenge,
With Ate by his side come hot from hell,
Shall in these confines, with a monarch's voice,
Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war,
That this foul deed shall smell above the earth
With carrion men, groaning for burial.'
There are three main points brought up here which address Antony's true thoughts. First,
we see that Antony does not truly consider the conspirators to be 'friends,' but rather
'butchers' and 'the ruins of the noblest man.' Before, he shook the bloody hands of the
conspirators, but now says, 'Woe to the hand that shed this costly blood.' Thus, this first
section of his soliloquy makes it very clear that he is deeply angered by the actions of the
conspirators and feels extremely guilty that he pretended to be their friends.
In the next section of the soliloquy, Antony begins to prophesy that Rome, its government
and its people, will fall to ruin, stating, 'Domestic fury and fierce civil strife shall cumber all
the parts of Italy.' This contrasts with his earlier statement that he would listen to reason as
to 'why and wherein Caesar was dangerous.' Clearly, he does not truly believe that Caesar
was dangerous, but rather, that Italy will become a dangerous place without Caesar in it.
Finally, he states that 'Caesar's spirit, ranging for revenge' will 'cry havoc and let slip the
dogs of war,' meaning his ghost will signal slaughter without mercy throughout Rome, and
that the 'foul deed' of his murder will 'smell above the earth.' This states clearly that Antony
does not condone the actions of the conspirators, but rather, thinks the murder will bring
more hardship onto Rome.
These statements confirm that Antony's true feelings are much different than what he
expresses to the conspirators. Thus, this soliloquy fulfills its function of informing the reader
of a character's innermost thoughts and help us to better understand the true character of
Marc Antony and his love of the slain Caesar.
 Ambition Quotes in Julius Caesar: Meaning & Analysis
Ambition
In William Shakespeare's 'Julius Caesar', the word ambitious means a desire for power.
While we may think it has more to do with being successful, in Caesar's time, an ambitious
Page | 242 person was more likely to crave power above all else. When Cassius is trying to convince
Brutus to join the plot against Caesar, he schemes to throw some forged notes into Brutus'
window that mention Caesar's ambitions. Brutus decides that ambition causes people to
turn their backs on others, and because of this, Caesar must be killed. When Caesar is finally
assassinated, Brutus explains to the commoners that Caesar has paid for the crime of
ambition with his life. But Mark Antony defends Caesar against the claim that he was
ambitious by pointing out that Caesar turned down a symbolic crown three times, and that
this is not the action of an ambitious man.
Being called ambitious is usually a compliment. An ambitious person wants to succeed, and
they manage to do so because they work hard. In Caesar's time, however, ''ambition'' took
on a whole different meaning. William Shakespeare used his play Julius Caesar to make it
perfectly clear that ambition was not a positive trait for Caesar. In the play, ''ambition''
really has more to do with a lust for power and success.
Cassius' Notes Mention Ambition
The first time ambition is mentioned in reference to Caesar is right after Cassius speaks to
Brutus about joining the plot to kill Caesar. Cassius knows that if he can get Brutus on board,
the assassination will be successful. Cassius convinces Brutus to consider joining the
conspirators and when he walks away, Cassius says to himself that he will write a few letters
and throw them through Brutus' window.
These letters will be written so that they seemed to come from many different citizens who
believe Brutus is better than Caesar. In these letters, ''Caesar's ambition shall be glanced at:
And after this let Caesar seat him sure; For we will shake him, or worse days endure.'' In
other words, the letters will also mention Caesar's ambition. The fact that Caesar's ambition
could be used to persuade Brutus to kill him is important here. The line that follows,
suggesting that they have to get rid of Caesar immediately, also makes it clear that Caesar's
ambition will be his downfall. If they do not ''shake'' him, the citizens will suffer even worse
than now.
Brutus Reacts to the Notes
After Brutus receives Cassius' notes, he begins to think about whether Caesar's ambition is
something to be concerned about. He walks through his garden trying to sort out his
feelings. He eventually decides that the only option is to kill Caesar. He states the following:
''But 'tis a common proof, That lowliness is young ambition's ladder, Whereto the climber-
upward turns his face; But when he once attains the upmost round. He then unto the ladder
turns his back, Looks in the clouds, scorning the base degrees By which he did ascend.''
 This is a long quote, but stick with me. Brutus is saying that people often pretend to be
humble to get ahead in life. Then when they achieve their ambitions (aw snap!), they ignore
and forget the people who helped them succeed.
The Cost of Ambition Is Death
Page | 243 After the conspirators kill Caesar, people understandably freak out. Shakespeare gives the
following stage directions ''Confusion. Exeunt some plebeians and senators.'' In other
words, some of the common people, and even some of the senators, run away. To help
them understand what is going on, Brutus says, ''People and senators, be not affrighted; Fly
not; stand stiff: ambition's debt is paid.'' He wants everyone to wait and let them explain
why they assassinated Caesar. Additionally, when he says that ambition's debt has been
paid, he is making it clear that Caesar (and only Caesar) had to die for his ambition. The cost
of ambition is death. The fact that the conspirators stated Caesar's ambition as good enough
reason to kill him, and then kept their word, makes it perfectly clear that wanting to get
ahead and being a leader simply out of desire for power was a grievous crime in Caesar's
time.
Mark Antony Makes His Point
After all the commotion dies down, one of Caesar's closest allies, Mark Antony, addresses
the people. At first, all the commoners side with the assassins, agreeing that Caesar was
ambitious. When Mark Antony speaks, he sarcastically points out that Brutus is an
''honorable'' man and that Brutus said Caesar is ambitious. However, he then tells the
commoners, ''I thrice presented him a kingly crown, Which he did thrice refuse: was this
ambition? Yet Brutus says he was ambitious; And, sure, he is an honourable man.'' In other
words, Mark Antony tried to give a crown to Caesar to suggest that he was king, but he
turned down the crown three times in a row. Does this look like ambition? Mark Antony has
a good point, and eventually turns the crowd against the conspirators and starts an all out
war to defend Caesar's name against the claim that he was ambitious.

Beware The Ides Of March: Quote & Meaning

In William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, the title character is
defined by his courage, but also by his hubris and lack of caution .
Caesar was beloved by the people of Rome because of his skill as a military leader, and
because he used his wealth and influence to build libraries and redistribute some property
from the patricians (aristocrats) to the plebeians (commoners). However, he was also
ambitious, and at a certain point became Dictator of Rome. Many of the Senators of Rome
became afraid that Caesar's popularity was a threat to their own power, and that he would
soon be crowned Emperor, so they conspired to assassinate him on the floor of the Senate.
In Act 1, Scene 2 of Julius Caesar, an anonymous soothsayer warns Caesar to "Beware the
Ides of March," meaning Caesar should beware of March 15th. Caesar ignores the warning.
The night before the Ides of March, many strange and ominous things happen in the streets
 of Rome, and Caesar's wife Calpurnia has a dream in which a statue of Caesar spouts blood
like a fountain, and the people of Rome bathe their hands in it. Calpurnia entreats Caesar
not to go to the Senate that day. Caesar insists that he is not afraid, and will still go to the
Senate. Calpurnia asks him to stay home for her sake. Caesar briefly agrees, but changes his
mind when his Senate colleagues arrive. When they arrive at the Senate, the conspirators
Page | 244 distract Caesar's most loyal ally, Mark Antony. Then the conspirators draw knives and
assassinate Caesar on the floor of the Senate.

"Beware the Ides of March" Quote

"Beware the Ides of March" is one of the most famous quotes from William
Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. The meaning of the "Ides of March" is March 15th, the day on
which Julius Caesar was assassinated (both in reality and in the play). Prior to the
assassination of Caesar, in Act 1, Scene 2, the audience sees Julius Caesar's triumph after his
military defeat of his former friend Pompey. During Caesar's triumph, a Soothsayer (fortune-
teller) warns him to "Beware the Ides of March." Caesar is unconcerned, and dismissive of
the Soothsayer's warning. Unbeknownst to Caesar, Cassius is already plotting his
assassination, and starts trying to convince Brutus to participate in the plot against Caesar in
the very same scene. Both Cassius and Brutus think of Caesar as corrupt and ambitious, and
worry about his rapid ascent to power, though for different reasons. Brutus believes that
Caesar's consolidation of power is a threat to the Roman Republic; Cassius is more worried
about losing his own power as a Senator and a member of an aristocratic Roman family.
Calpurnia's Dream
The inevitability of fate is one of the strongest themes of Julius Caesar. Omens and
prophecies are recurring motifs throughout the play. During the night before Caesar's
assassination, his wife Calpurnia has a prophetic dream. On the Ides of March, Calpurnia
begs Caesar not to go to the senate, and to stay home instead. She talks about the ominous
and strange things that the watch reported seeing in the street the previous night: "A
lioness hath whelped in the streets/And graves have yawn'd and yielded up their
dead/Fierce fiery warrior fought upon the clouds/In ranks and squadrons and right form of
war/Which drizzled blood upon the Capitol."
Calpurnia says that even though she "never stood on ceremonies" she is afraid that these
events are omens of Caesar's death because "When beggars die, there are no comets
seen/The heavens themselves blaze forth the death of princes." Calpurnia also had a
prophetic dream, which Caesar describes to his colleagues in the Senate when they arrive:
"She dreamt to-night she saw my statua/Which, like a fountain with an hundred spouts/Did
run pure blood: and many lusty Romans/Came smiling, and did bathe their hands in it."
Before the Senators arrive to take Caesar to the Senate, Calpurnia asks him not to go,
fearing for his life if he leaves the house. Caesar refuses, saying that he is not afraid:
"Cowards die many times before their deaths/The valiant never taste of death but once."
Caesar's fatal flaw is his hubris and lack of caution. Calpurnia entreats him to stay home for
 her sake, and to say that it is because she is afraid. Caesar agrees to stay home. Decius
Brutus (a Senator who is also one of the conspirators against Caesar) arrives, and Caesar
tells him that he will not be going to the Senate that day. When Decius Brutus presses him
for a reason, Caesar says he is staying home at Calpurnia's behest, and relates the details of
her dream to Decius Brutus. Decius Brutus, however, claims that Calpurnia has
Page | 245 misinterpreted her own dream, and that the image of a fountain of Caesar spouting blood is
actually a good omen. Decius Brutus claims that Calpurnia's dream "Signifies that from you
great Rome shall suck/Reviving blood, and that great men shall press/For tinctures, stains,
relics and cognizance." (Because Decius Brutus is part of the conspiracy to assassinate
Caesar, it seems likely that there is a double meaning to his reference to Rome taking
"reviving blood" from Caesar, secretly implying that Rome will be revived by Caesar's death.)
Caesar decides that Decius Brutus is correct, and leaves for the Senate with Decius Brutus,
Publius, Brutus, Trebonius, and Mark Antony.
Ides of March Quotes
The quote "Beware the Ides of March" appears in Act 1, Scene 2. Caesar is travelling through
the streets of Rome with a retinue at his triumph. A Soothsayer calls out to Caesar; Caesar
stops, ready to listen even though he does not know who called out to him. (Caesar's
willingness to listen to the populace of Rome is one of his positive qualities.) The Soothsayer
then tells Caesar, "Beware the Ides of March." Caesar asks to see the man who spoke; once
the Soothsayer is in front of him, Caesar says, "What say'st thou to me now? Speak once
again." The Soothsayer repeats his warning, telling Caesar "Beware the Ides of March." This
is the first time, though not the last time, that a character warns Caesar about his eventual
fate on the Ides of March. However, Caesar does not heed this warning, nor any others.
After the Soothsayer repeats his warning, Caesar says, "He is a dreamer. Let us leave him.
Pass."

'Et Tu, Brute?' - Definition & Meaning

After he is brutally stabbed by political leaders of the Roman Republic, a group which was
led by Cassius, Julius Caesar casts his final gaze upon his close friend, Brutus, and says, "Et
tu, Brute?", which means "You too, Brutus?". After these final words, Caesar dies with the
heartbreaking revelation that those closest to him betrayed and killed him in the end.
Although the play Julius Caesar is written in English, Caesar's final words are written in
Latin; there are several reasons for this. First, the play is set in early Rome, where the
language was Latin. Secondly, Shakespeare knew the impact that the Latin language had
on his British audience, who associated Latin with intelligence, honor, and respect. Thirdly,
Shakespeare had a deep love and respect for Roman culture as 13 of his plays were set in
Rome. Finally, Shakespeare uses this Latin phrase as another omen but instead of an omen
 of Caesar's death, it acts as an omen of the eventual death of the Latin language and Roman
domination.
"Et tu, Brute"
Arguably, no three words in literature carry as much heartbreak and shock as do Caesar's
Page | 246 dying words, "Et tu, Brute?" from the Shakespearean classic tragedy Julius Caesar. Caesar
breathes his last breath while asking the man he had thought was his most loyal friend, "You
too, Brutus?" In other words, Caesar is asking his friend, "Even you, Brutus? Even you are
involved in this?"
This dying question, though, is not an accusation. It is a question asked in grief caused by the
betrayal of someone he loved dearly, not by sorrow caused by the approach of death.
Caesar is not surprised by anyone else's betrayal, especially not by the betrayal of Cassius,
who was the leading conspirator behind Caesar's assassination. In fact, Caesar had an idea
that his life was in danger due to several different omens. Ultimately, the heartbreak from
which Caesar suffers because of this betrayal serves as the final, fatal blow.
The phrase "Et tu, Brute" is written in Latin although the rest of the play is written in English.
This highlights the importance of this phrase by making these words stand out while also
serving as a reminder of Shakespeare's deep love and respect for Italian culture. Out of his
38 plays, 13 are set in Rome or Italy, including the infamous Romeo and Juliet. In fact, many
of his plays are based on Italian stories and poems. For example, the characters Romeo and
Juliet are said to be named after characters from a novel written by Luigi da Porto,
titled Novellamente Ritrovata.
The Context of the Words "Et tu, Brute"
In Shakespeare's play, during the moments leading up to Caesar's assassination, Cassius,
who has known Julius Caesar for a long time, does not believe him to be a capable ruler.
Though Caesar had just successfully won the battle against Pompey, Cassius fears that
Caesar is physically weak and overly ambitious, a deadly combination for an early republic.
The character of Cassius then recounts many instances in which he saved Caesar's life as he
was suffering from seizures, which modern scholars think may have been caused by
epilepsy. Knowing that Brutus is a staunch believer in the republic, Cassius begins to turn
Brutus against Caesar using forged written complaints from the Roman people concerning
Caesar's lust for power, even though both men have heard Caesar publicly refuse the crown
three times. Brutus' main loyalty is to the citizens of Rome, so when he reads these letters of
objection, he knows he must follow the desires of the people and prevent Caesar from
gaining more power.
So, the assassination plot is devised with Cassius as the leading conspirator. When the
assassination finally takes place, however, Caesar is not taken completely off-guard by the
coup. This is because, in the days leading up to the assassination, Caesar received numerous
omens:
 A soothsayer's warning to "beware the ides of March"
  Lions stalking through Rome
 His wife's dream of a bloody Caesar statue
 Priest's animal sacrifices which unexplainably did not have hearts

Page | 247  A letter from Artemidorus, a Roman citizen who pleads with Caesar to be cautious of
his upcoming death
Caesar does not dismiss these forewarnings, so he is aware that his life may be in danger
even as the assassination is being plotted. However, Caesar is shocked by the betrayal of
one of his murderers; his shock is solely aimed at Brutus, whom he never would have
believed to be capable of betraying him.

Latin as a Prestige Language

While Shakespeare wrote Julius Caesar in late 16th century England, the play's events take
place in Rome, whose native tongue was Latin, during the early first century. Although
Shakespeare wrote the play in English for his English audience, it is important to note his
incorporation of Latin at the pivotal moment in the play when Caesar utters Et tu, Brute. At
this moment in history, Rome was still venturing to become a superpower as it struggled to
claim ownership of lands in what is now Spain and Italy.
When reading about ancient Rome, modern readers may forget how feeble the Roman
republic was in its earliest days since it was much later that Rome became the birthplace of
democracy. Shakespeare's choice to write Caesar's final words in Latin reminds his readers
that the potential consequences of this assassination would fall on the entire nation. In
other words, by assassinating this respected leader, the conspirators were not only
jeopardizing their reputations as leaders in Rome but also the stability of their infant nation.
Ironically, these men chose to assassinate Caesar to protect the forming democracy.
However, in doing so, these men only proved themselves to be against democracy, as they
did not trust the people to decide Caesar's merit on their own.
In fact, in early Rome Latin was a basic tool for communication. It was not until after the
Romans invaded and conquered Greece that they began to use the language in a creative,
artistic way. Through the assimilation of Greek culture, Romans began to write their plays,
literature, and poetry, creating the Classical Latin language that we know today. The impact
of Roman law and culture can still be seen in Western religions and governments. In the
American legal system, lawyers must be acquainted with several Latin terms used to define
several laws. Here are some, to name a few: A priori ("from what comes before"), In re ("in
the matter of"), and Jus Terti ("third party standing"). Additionally, the Roman Catholic
Church still announces all major decisions or proclamations in Latin, reiterating the long-
lasting impact that Latin has had on the Roman Empire, both religiously and politically.
Ultimately, it can be argued that Shakespeare wanted Caesar's dying words to be in Latin as
a final omen of the eventual death of this vibrant culture and language.
 THEMES FROM SPARKNOTES
Fate versus Free Will
Julius Caesar raises many questions about the force of fate in life versus the capacity for free
will. Cassius refuses to accept Caesar’s rising power and deems a belief in fate to be nothing
more than a form of passivity or cowardice. He says to Brutus: “Men at sometime were
Page | 248
masters of their fates. / The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, / But in ourselves, that we
are underlings” (I.ii.140–142). Cassius urges a return to a more noble, self-possessed
attitude toward life, blaming his and Brutus’s submissive stance not on a predestined plan
but on their failure to assert themselves.
Ultimately, the play seems to support a philosophy in which fate and freedom maintain a
delicate coexistence. Thus Caesar declares: “It seems to me most strange that men should
fear, / Seeing that death, a necessary end, / Will come when it will come” (II.ii.35–37). In
other words, Caesar recognizes that certain events lie beyond human control; to crouch in
fear of them is to enter a paralysis equal to, if not worse than, death. It is to surrender any
capacity for freedom and agency that one might actually possess. Indeed, perhaps to face
death head-on, to die bravely and honourably, is Caesar’s best course: in the end, Brutus
interprets his and Cassius’s defeat as the work of Caesar’s ghost—not just his apparition, but
also the force of the people’s devotion to him, the strong legacy of a man who refused any
fear of fate and, in his disregard of fate, seems to have transcended it.

Public Self versus Private Self

Much of the play’s tragedy stems from the characters’ neglect of private feelings and
loyalties in favor of what they believe to be the public good. Similarly, characters confuse
their private selves with their public selves, hardening and dehumanizing themselves or
transforming themselves into ruthless political machines. Brutus rebuffs his wife, Portia,
when she pleads with him to confide in her; believing himself to be acting on the people’s
will, he forges ahead with the murder of Caesar, despite their close friendship. Brutus puts
aside his personal loyalties and shuns thoughts of Caesar the man, his friend; instead, he
acts on what he believes to be the public’s wishes and kills Caesar the leader, the imminent
dictator. Cassius can be seen as a man who has gone to the extreme in cultivating his public
persona. Caesar, describing his distrust of Cassius, tells Antony that the problem with
Cassius is his lack of a private life—his seeming refusal to acknowledge his own sensibilities
or to nurture his own spirit. Such a man, Caesar fears, will let nothing interfere with his
ambition. Indeed, Cassius lacks all sense of personal honour and shows himself to be a
ruthless schemer.

Ultimately, neglecting private sentiments to follow public concerns brings Caesar to his
death. Although Caesar does briefly agree to stay home from the Senate in order to please
Calpurnia, who has dreamed of his murder, he gives way to ambition when Decius tells him
that the senators plan to offer him the crown. -Caesar’s public self again takes precedence.
Tragically, he no longer sees the difference between his omnipotent, immortal public image
and his vulnerable human body. Just preceding his death, Caesar refuses Artemidorus’s
pleas to speak with him, saying that he gives last priority to his most personal concerns. He
thus endangers himself by believing that the strength of his public self will protect his
private self.
 Misinterpretations and Misreading
Much of the play deals with the characters’ failures to interpret correctly the omens that
they encounter. As Cicero says, “Men may construe things after their fashion, / Clean from
the purpose of the things themselves” (I.iii.34–35). Thus, the night preceding Caesar’s
appearance at the Senate is full of portents, but no one reads them accurately: Cassius takes
Page | 249 them to signify the danger that Caesar’s impending coronation would bring to the state,
when, if anything, they warn of the destruction that Cassius himself threatens. There are
calculated misreadings as well: Cassius manipulates Brutus into joining the conspiracy by
means of forged letters, knowing that Brutus’s trusting nature will cause him to accept the
letters as authentic pleas from the Roman people.

The circumstances of Cassius’s death represent another instance of misinterpretation.

Pindarus’s erroneous conclusion that Titinius has been captured by the enemy, when in fact
Titinius has reunited with friendly forces, is the piece of misinformation that prompts
Cassius to seek death. Thus, in the world of politics portrayed in Julius Caesar, the inability
to read people and events leads to downfall; conversely, the ability to do so is the key to
survival. With so much ambition and rivalry, the ability to gauge the public’s opinion as well
as the resentment or loyalty of one’s fellow politicians can guide one to success. Antony
proves masterful at recognizing his situation, and his accurate reading of the crowd’s
emotions during his funeral oration for Caesar allows him to win the masses over to his side.

Inflexibility versus Compromise

Both Brutus and Caesar are stubborn, rather inflexible people who ultimately suffer fatally
for it. In the play’s aggressive political landscape, individuals succeed through adaptability,
bargaining, and compromise. Brutus’s rigid though honourable ideals leave him open for
manipulation by Cassius. He believes so thoroughly in the purpose of the assassination that
he does not perceive the need for excessive political manoeuvring to justify the murder.
Equally resolute, Caesar prides himself on his steadfastness; yet this constancy helps bring
about his death, as he refuses to heed ill omens and goes willingly to the Senate, into the
hands of his murderers.

Antony proves perhaps the most adaptable of all of the politicians: while his speech to the
Roman citizens centres on Caesar’s generosity toward each citizen, he later searches for
ways to turn these funds into cash in order to raise an army against Brutus and Cassius.
Although he gains power by offering to honour Caesar’s will and provide the citizens their
rightful money, it becomes clear that ethical concerns will not prevent him from using the
funds in a more politically expedient manner. Antony is a successful politician—yet the
question of morality remains. There seems to be no way to reconcile firm moral principles
with success in politics in Shakespeare’s rendition of ancient Rome; thus each character
struggles toward a different solution.

Rhetoric and Power

Julius Caesar gives detailed consideration to the relationship between rhetoric and power.
The ability to make things happen by words alone is the most powerful type of authority.
Early in the play, it is established that Caesar has this type of absolute authority: “When
Caesar says ‘Do this,’ it is performed,” says Antony, who attaches a similar weight to
 Octavius’s words toward the end of the play (I.ii.12). Words also serve to move hearts and
minds, as Act III evidences. Antony cleverly convinces the conspirators of his desire to side
with them: “Let each man render me with his bloody hand” (III.i.185). Under the guise of a
gesture of friendship, Antony actually marks the conspirators for vengeance. In the Forum,
Brutus speaks to the crowd and appeals to its love of liberty in order to justify the killing of
Page | 250 Caesar. He also makes ample reference to the honour in which he is generally esteemed so
as to validate further his explanation of the deed. Antony likewise wins the crowd’s favour,
using persuasive rhetoric to whip the masses into a frenzy so great that they don’t even
realize the fickleness of their favour.
Ethics versus Politics
The tension in Julius Caesar comes from the question of whether Caesar’s position in power
is ethically acceptable or not, and whether men of good conscience can allow a man like
Caesar to hold such power over the Roman citizens. Caesar wins victories for Rome and
becomes popular both with the common masses and the wealthy families. Politically,
Caesar’s position appears beyond reproach, but the conspirators in the play—namely,
Brutus—conclude that they are ethically impelled to stop Caesar before his ambition grows
and he becomes unstoppable.
The play directly addresses the conflict between ethics and politics when Brutus and Antony
deliver speeches after Caesar’s assassination. Brutus has one opportunity to explain to the
Romans that the murder of Caesar was ethically necessary. Tellingly, while Brutus convinces
the crowd that he was ethically correct in killing Caesar before he enslaved the people,
Antony is able to instantaneously undo Brutus’s claims with his own speech. For Brutus,
inviting Antony to speak at Caesar’s funeral was the right and honourable gesture, but he
grossly overestimates the public’s respect for these sorts of ethical decisions. In this
instance, Antony proves to be the better politician, capable of swaying the crowd with his
rhetoric and passion, while Brutus’s rigid morality limits his ability to be a powerful politician
and understand the fickle nature of the Roman citizens.

Tyranny
Julius Caesar revolves around the question of what constitutes a tyrant. Before Brutus can
convince himself to kill Caesar, he must believe that Caesar is either a tyrant, or that he will
inevitably become one. For Brutus, this question depends on whether Caesar wants power
for himself or whether the senators and citizens are thrusting that power upon him. In Act I,
Casca tells Brutus and Cassius that Antony offered Caesar a crown three times and that
three times Caesar refused to accept it. Caesar’s initial refusal of the crown suggests he
doesn’t want total power for himself, but the people are trying to thrust power upon him.
However, Cassius suggests Caesar will become a tyrant if he’s given absolute power, even if
he doesn’t start out as a tyrant: “I know he would not be a wolf / But that he sees the
Romans are but sheep” (I.iii).
The question of tyranny is also at the heart of the crucial scene in Act IV when Brutus and
Antony speak over Caesar’s dead body. Brutus claims that he was justified in killing Caesar,
and Antony claims that Brutus was not justified. The two men disagree about whether
Caesar was a tyrant or not. Ultimately, Antony is able to demonstrate how Caesar rejected
opportunities to seize personal power, shared his victories with the Roman people, and
included all the citizens of Rome in his will. For the public, these assertions establish that
Caesar was not a tyrant, and therefore Brutus and the other conspirators are not only
murderers, but enemies of Rome. The success of Antony’s speech suggests that tyranny
 must, in some respect, be in the eye of the beholder. The Caesar that Brutus describes in his
speech and the Caesar that Antony describes are the same man, but Antony is better able to
make the audience see Caesar as someone who would never have resorted to tyranny.

Honour
Page | 251 In the Roman world of Julius Caesar, honour is a matter of selflessness, rationality, and
pride. No character in the play more clearly embodies the virtue of honour than Brutus.
Nearly every character recognizes Brutus’s reputation for honour. For instance, Cassius
exploits this reputation when he recruits Brutus into the assassination conspiracy, hoping
that Brutus’s renowned honour will legitimize the conspiracy. Even at the end of the play,
after he has caused so much strife, Brutus retains his honourable reputation. As Antony
explains, “All the conspirators save only he / Did that they did in envy of great Caesar.”
Brutus acted honourably because he killed Caesar for the greater benefit of Rome, not
because of his own jealousy. Brutus further demonstrates honour through his commitment
to rationality. Although initially horrified by the idea of killing Caesar, Brutus weighs the
matter and concludes that, despite his emotional revulsion at the idea, assassination is
nevertheless justified. Finally, Brutus exhibits honour when he chooses to take his own life
rather than let himself be captured. Capture would imply weakness, and Brutus’s desire to
appear strong and preserve his pride leads him to die on his own terms.
Another key element of honour in Julius Caesar relates to loyalty, a matter that proves
somewhat complicated in a play where excessive loyalty leads to much political strife.
Shakespeare constructed his play around two central friendships: one between Brutus and
Cassius, and another between Caesar and Antony. Although the profound loyalty that
defines each of these friendships is touching, that same loyalty also proves dangerous. For
example, Cassius leverages his devotion to Brutus to convince his friend to join the
assassination plot. Brutus in turn allows his love for Cassius to lead him into errors of
judgment that ultimately result in both of their deaths. Just as Cassius and Brutus act out of
mutual loyalty, Antony also acts out of a deep devotion to Caesar and, later, to Octavius.
Although Antony initially claims the justness of the conspirators’ cause, he demonstrates his
ongoing loyalty to Caesar when he turns the Roman public against the conspirators at
Caesar’s funeral—an act that instigates rioting and war. These characters demonstrate
honour through friendship, and yet their loyalty also destroys the Republic.

1. The play is a typical Shakespearean assertion of stability and support

for monarchy.
2. The play treats the disruption of this order as a result of the
vices/shortcomings of man. Specifically in the context of Julius Caesar,
this is manifest in the obsession with self-image that dominated
Shakespeare’s conception of the Roman Republic. Brutus’ hamartia is
born of becoming too infatuated with his public self (blinding him to
Antony’s threat in his assurance that ‘honour’/dignity and reason
would prevail), likewise Caesar takes his public identity of
intractability, strength of will etc. to extreme resulting in hubris.
Etc. [Framed differently - the Roman Republic's obsession with image
 creates a toxic/self-destructive environment. Perhaps there is a
warning and parallel here to the aristocratic classes of Elizabethan
England?]
3. Additionally, Shakespeare examines rhetoric and the power of
Page | 252 emotional appeal. While we can (and will) analyse this with respect to
the recruitment of the conspirators and the character of Cassius, Mark
Antony also can be discussed in relation to the Plebians as a sign of this
taken to its logical extreme, and reflecting Shakespeare's scorn for the
fickle political nature of man.