Julius Caesar Quotes

“Beware the ides of March.” -Soothsayer

The dramatic significance in the quote in Act 1, Scene 2, Line 21 foreshadows the plot and
shows dramatic irony. The context is that the Soothsayer calls for Caesar during the feast of
Lupercal and tells him, “Beware the ides of March,” Caesar forgets about what the Soothsayer
says and calls him a dreamer. The word “Beware” tells us that Caesar has to be cautious of
something dangerous, and “ides of March” tells us that it will happen on the fifteenth of March.
The statement from the Soothsayer foreshadows that something terrible will happen to Caesar on
the fifteenth of March. The quote also shows dramatic irony because the reader knows that
Caesar’s life will be at risk, but the Roman citizens and Caesar do not.

“Set honor in one eye and death i' th' other, And I will look on both indifferently, For let
the gods so speed me as I love The name of honor more than I fear death.” -Brutus

The quote by Brutus in Act 1, Scene 2, Lines 93-96 displays character development. Before
Cassius attempts to convince Brutus to help him kill Caesar, Brutus stops him and responds with
the quote above. When Brutus says, “Set honor in one eye and death i' th' other, And I will look
on both indifferently,” he tells Cassius that he will follow any path that leads to honor even if it
leads to death. In this quote, Brutus reinforces that he is an honorable person and isn’t afraid to
do the right thing even if it means his death.

“He had a fever when he was in Spain, 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 Did lose his lustre: I did hear him groan”
-Cassius

The dramatic significance in the quote in Act 1, Scene 2, Lines 126-131 shows imagery. When
Cassius is trying to convince Brutus, Cassius talks about a fever that Caesar had in Spain. He
tells Brutus that Caesar was shaking, his lips lost colour, and his eye lost lustre. These are all
qualities used to represent someone weak. Cassius uses imagery to describe a pathetic version of
Caesar to convince Brutus to join him in the conspiracy.

“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 refused the crown that it had almost choked Caesar, for he
swooned 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.” -Casca

The dramatic significance in the quote in Act 1, Scene 2, Lines 253-261 shows imagery. At this
time, Casca is telling Brutus and Cassius about how Caesar was offered a crown by Antony three
times. In this quote, Casca deeply describes Caesar’s audience and mentions that they were
sweaty, and their breath smelled. He also mentions that he didn’t dare laugh because he would
inhale the bad air, and Caesar almost choked because of the audience’s bad breath. Casca uses
imagery to help Cassius, Brutus, and the reader know that they wouldn’t want to be in the same
room with Caesar’s audience because of their poor hygiene. Casca’s imagery helps us imagine
and understand what it would be like if we were with them.