"I will this night,
In several hands, in at his windows throw,
As if they came from several citizens,
Writings all tending to the great opinion
That Rome holds of his name, wherein obscurely
Caesar’s ambition shall be glanced at." I.ii.311-316
Brutus is Cassius target because he is so close to Caesar. If Cassius can turn Brutus, then the assassination will go well for them. Of course, we know that Brutus will turn. The end result is going to be that these two men are Caesar's chief opponents. Cassius the shady corrupter and the noble Brutus who's been convinced that this is the best way to go about it.
On the other hand, perhaps taking Caesar down would be a good thing. He has incredible power and authority. Should he go bad, it might be impossible for anyone to stop him. These opening scenes have introduced three of the most important characters, and set them up in how they will be interacting. How do you think this will develop? Will Cassius' plan work on Brutus easily, or will Brutus find out but still choose to side with him anyways? What could the turning point for Brutus be?
Cassius continues to work out his master plan and seems to convince the powerful Brutus that the best way to get rid of Caesar is through assassination. Brutus does struggle with this thought at first but becomes more open to it once he realizes the power that Caesar has amassed and will amass because of his popularity. Even though the plot to kill Caesar on the outside is evil and wrong there is a reason. Rome had experienced its fair share of corrupt leaders that became corrupt because of their power or that were corrupt to begin with and then used their power to further hurt other people. Cassius and Brutus believe this could happen to Caesar and they think the best way to avoid another corrupt leader is to kill him before he becomes corrupt and in full control. The turning point for Brutus is when Mark Antony gives Caesar his crown and the people applaud Caesar when he puts it on. “Crown him that, and then I grant we put a sting in him/ That at his will he may do danger with. Th’ 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 more than his reason.” Brutus is afraid that Caesar is gaining too much power and that he may use his power for his personal gain rather than for the good of Rome. Is Brutus’ reasoning sound? He brings up a good point but is that truly enough to justify assassination? It will be interesting to see how Shakespeare describes the death and whether he writes in a way that favors the assassinators or that favors Caesar. Authors always have a way of revealing their opinion and Shakespeare will reveal his in the scenes to come.
ReplyDeleteBrutus' dilemma certainly is interesting to follow. He clearly doesn't want to kill Caesar, but he is planning to do so anyways. I noted that in that same scene with the conspirators they also plotted to kill Mark Antony because of his loyalty to Caesar, but Brutus convinced them not to. Brutus is clearly a noble man with an ignoble plan, and I suspect that his noble move their will come back to bite him. For what it's worth, I think his reasoning is valid but taken to an extreme. It isn't as if the Senate is all squeaky clean either, judging by the conspiracy immediately forming.
DeleteIn scene II.ii we get to spend some time with Caesar. Immediately he is receiving all the omens of his impending demise.
SERVANT
They would not have you to stir forth today.
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.
No, Caesar shall not. Danger knows full well
That Caesar is more dangerous than he.
We are two lions littered in one day,
And I the elder and more terrible.
And Caesar shall go forth.
Caesar is a proud man, obviously. His hubris is going to get him killed- a classic fatal flaw. A more interesting thing to notice is the completely different interpretations of all the omens that we have seen. Cassius was reveling in them, Calpurnia was terrified by them, and Caesar was dismissive of their threat to him. These omens and people reactions to them will be are a good source of characterization.
Decius easily convinces Caesar to yield to his pride by flattering him. What a surprise. Although we already knew it was going to happen, Caesar's decision to walk to his death is disappointing.
Scene three very briefly introduces a man looking to reveal the entire conspiracy to Caesar. What could Shakespeare be trying to accomplish with such a brief scene? Clearly he is setting up a coming scene, but how will he work a blatant list of the conspirators into the play without making it unbelievable? How will that letter be negated? Will it simply be too late?
Going back to Caesar himself, after watching him cast his wife's fears aside for Decius' flattery, does he even deserve to live? Is his willingness to ignore omens and his own wife evidence enough of his pride to justify the assassination?
Shakespeare’s motivation behind creating a short scene is to reveal that Caesar was not blindly assassinated. Multiple people tried to warn Caesar but Caesar’s hubris got in his way and blinded him to the truth. The way Shakespeare describes the death of Julius Caesar is interesting. He writes about how Caesar almost decides to avoid going into the Roman Senate but is eventually convinced by the fact that he may be crowned. He then avoids Artemidorus who was attempting to warn Caesar and walks right into the trap where he is stabbed to death. Shakespeare gives the examples of Caesar’s wife’s dream and Artemidorus as evidence that Caesar could have avoided his assassination. This reveals that Shakespeare may not be totally against the assassination of Caesar. He may not be one of the people who believe that Caesar’s assassination is one of the worst sins of all time. The aftermath of Caesar’s assassination portrays Brutus and Cassius believing they have done Rome a great favor in removing Caesar and giving the people of Rome freedom. They both are wary of how Mark Antony will address the death of Caesar. He at first seems to be persuaded by them but his monologue after Brutus and Cassius leave reveals what Mark Antony is truly thinking. “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 his costly blood! Over thy wounds now do I prophesy to beg a curse shall light the limbs of man.” Mark Antony believes that what Brutus and Cassius have done is evil and he believes they will be cursed because of their actions. What will Mark Antony do about the death of Caesar? Will he turn and side with Cassius and Brutus or will he stand up for what he believes the right thing to be?
ReplyDeleteMark Antony is going for revenge. He watched his hero be slain, and is certainly not going to take that sitting down.
DeleteAnd he most certainly does not. He uses the fact that the conspirators permitted him to speak at Caesar's funeral to turn the plebeians back to the side of the now dead Caesar and against the conspirators. Speaking of which, the plebeians are an interesting group. Every single time they hear one of the noble characters speak they decide to agree with them. That dynamic is what the conspirators counted on, and what Mark Antony used to turn it around. I think Shakespeare may have had something to say about the way the uneducated lower classes act and respond to pretty words.
Very quickly Antony's speech has brought utter chaos to Rome. While he may be "no orator" and "only a brute", he has successfully overturned Brutus' and Cassius' speeches to the plebeians. And now, his manipulation of the plebeians has fired them up to the point where people are getting torn apart and buildings burnt-
CINNA THE POET
I am not Cinna the conspirator.
FOURTH PLEBEIAN
It is no matter. His name’s Cinna. Pluck but his name out of his heart and turn him going.
THIRD PLEBEIAN
Tear him, tear him!
PLEBEIANS attack CINNA THE POET
ALL
Come, brands, ho, firebrands. To Brutus', to Cassius', burn all. Some to Decius' house and some to Casca’s. Some to Ligarius'. Away, go!
With Octavius in Rome as well, the scene is set for the city to burn down and heads to roll. Who will take the lead now? Will Brutus regret his actions beyond simple fear of death? Will Mark Antony and Octavius be able to catch all of the conspirators? Why does Shakespeare use the plebeians in the way he does, as simply minions for the orators to make use of?
The battle lines have been sent in stone. Brutus and Cassius versus Antony and Octavius. Antony is able to convince the Plebians very easily and Shakespeare is proving a point by portraying the common people as followers. He is portraying how the common man is unable to make his own decisions because he is not educated and is only exposed to what the government or whoever is in power tells him. The most interesting thing that happens in this passage is the relationship between Brutus and Cassius. They fight and disagree but then they make up and are able to unite to fight Mark Antony. Even though they are different and have different motives for killing Caesar they are able to create a friendship and respect that is odd for renowned villains to attain. They both are ready to fight Antony when a certain person or allusion appears to Brutus.
ReplyDeleteGHOST
Thy evil spirit, Brutus.
BRUTUS
Why com’st thou?
GHOST
To tell thee thou shalt see me at Philippi
Whenever a ghost appears in Shakespeare an important event is about to occur or take place. Caesar’s ghost telling Brutus that he will see him again seems to imply that Brutus will die at Phillipi. What is the significance of Caesar’s ghost? Brutus freaks out and believes that he was dreaming and proceeds to wake up his fellow soldiers. Will his fears come true or will he escape the danger of the dead and live on to see another day?
It is interesting to see the group dynamics between Brutus and Cassius as well as Antony and Octavius. Brutus and Cassius show themselves as beginning to fall apart in the face of their opponents, getting into a huge fight. Their differences in character have been brought to the fore, and Brutus' honor has rendered him unable to get enough money. Amusingly, he asks Cassius for money instead as if Cassius would have gotten the money honorably. Out of sight out of mind, I guess. They come together after some time due to the simple fact that they have no one else to turn to.
DeleteAntony is more experienced than Octavius, so he is attempting to run the show. Octavius is unhappy with that, so he attempts to take as much control as he can by doing things like switching which side of the battlefield he will be on. Antony and Octavius are bound together by honor and the need for revenge, while Brutus and Cassius are forced together even as total opposites because of their shared damning action.
When the leaders meet for the talks before the battle, each side makes interesting jabs at the other.
BRUTUS
Good words are better than bad strokes, Octavius.
ANTONY
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.
But for your words, they rob the Hybla bees
And leave them honeyless.
Antony and Octavius focus on how treasonous and wretched the other two are, while Brutus and Cassius' jabs return fire about how totally they manipulated the plebeians to give everything they had for Antony's cause. They actually go at this for quite some time, and due to the amount of vitriol flying from the very start its unclear why they even bothered. Shakespeare, however, is clearly using this to highlight the cruelty and evil deeds on both sides. Which do you think Shakespeare thought was worse? Did he think one was worse, even? How do you think the ghost is going to factor in to these final scenes?
Shakespeare believes each side has their reasons for the way they act and each character believes they are in fact doing the right thing. Shakespeare does not take a side thought. He lets the reader decide which side he or she agrees with. In the last couple of scenes the play comes to a classic, gruesome ending. Both Cassius and Brutus are killed before their armies are overrun. Cassius has his assistant kill him before his tent is captured. Brutus waits a bit longer before he finally kills himself as well. Questions arise of who is the true hero of this play? Antony and Brutus both have their flaws but they have both have some redeeming qualities. Brutus killed Caesar because he believed he was saving Rome. He was not trying to gain any power by doing so. Even though he ends up committing suicide and on the losing side his redeeming qualities make him somewhat of an antihero. Mark Antony sticks to Caesar throughout the play and goes to war over his death but it is clear that Antony believes he can gain political power by getting rid of the assassins and conspirators. Shakespeare sets this up for reader interpretation on who is the true hero or if there even is a hero. Brutus comes across as having the most heroic qualities in the end.
DeleteBRUTUS
Farewell, good Strato,
Caesar, now be still,
I killed not thee with half so good a will.
Brutus feels guilt about killing Caesar and realizes that it may not have been in Rome’s best interest. All Brutus wanted was the best for Rome and he believes he has failed and that is an admirable thought. According to Shakespeare Brutus and Cassius are not the ultimate sinners that history makes them out to be.