Julius Caesar Study Guide (2023)

The work was probably premiered in the newly constructed London building.balloon theaterin September 1599. References to this date can be found in the diary of Thomas Platter the Younger, a Swiss physician and traveler. This is what he wrote:

First impression

Application

The prevailing tone of the work is eerie and foreboding. In the first scene of Act I, the tribune Marullus berates the merchants for giving up their jobs to join the crowd cheering Julius Caesar as he passes in a triumphant parade. (A tribune was an elected official charged with protecting the rights of ordinary citizens.) After the merchants left, Marulus' companion, a tribune named Flavius, criticized Caesar, saying: "Who else would care about the view?" of the people / And would keep us in slavish fear" (1.1.66-67). The applause of the crowd contrasts with the attitude of the tribunes, which establishes conflicting feelings towards Caesar and gives a small hint that the dictator's downfall is imminent Then, in Act II, a diviner warns Caesar of the danger as the parade goes on, saying, "Beware the Ides of March" (1.2.23) By now it is clear that Caesar will become a target for foul play Then Cassius, a prominent senator, reveals his hostility to Caesar and enlists Brutus, another prominent senator, to assassinate Caesar.Cassius and Brutus meet other Miscellaneous that night word. thunder cracks. The night is intense. Caesar's wife sees dire omens. The next day, the Ides of March, the bad mood continues and Caesar is assassinated.

Some time later, as Antony's troops pursue Brutus and Cassius, a "canopy" of ravens, ravens, and dragons flies over the heads of the two conspirators, heralding their fate, just as the fortune-teller did for Caesar.

characters

Protagonist: Brutus
Antagonists: Antonius, Caesar

Julius Caesar(Gaius Julius Caesar): Rome's triumphant general and political leader. While highly competent and versatile, he is also condescending and arrogant. In his conversations he often uses the third person "Caesar" instead of the first person "I" to refer to himself, and sometimes substitutes "I" for the actual "we". He presents himself as a man of unwavering determination, yet proudly and ruthlessly ignores warnings about his safety. There are many rumors that he plans to be crowned king. Historically, the evidence supporting the view that Caesar sought the throne is inconclusive.
rough(Marcus Junius Brutus the Younger) – Roman senator and praetor who helps plan and carry out Caesar's assassination. Historically, Marcus Junius Brutus (84-42 BC) enjoyed a reputation as a just and noble statesman among Roman republicans in his day. However, his opponents, mainly Caesar's supporters, considered him a traitor. Brutus first allied with Pompey the Great against Caesar when, in 49 B.C. the Roman civil war broke out. After Caesar 48 BC. C., having defeated Pompey at Pharsalus in Greece, pardoned Brutus and appointed him 46 BC. to governor of Cisalpine Gaul. and praetor of Rome in 44 BC. But Brutus turned on Caesar a second time and helped lead the conspiracy that began in 44 BC. led to Caesar's assassination. Brutus believed that action was needed to prevent Caesar from becoming dictator for life, which meant all power would rest with Caesar and not with the delegates representing the people. In Shakespeare's play, Brutus' nobility and idealism endear him to audiences. But in the ancient Roman world of political power, shaped by betrayal and pragmatism, it is his virtues that are his undoing. His fall and death is the real tragedy of the play, not Caesar's death.
Mark Antony(Marcus Antonius) - A member of the ruling triumvirate after the assassination of Julius Caesar. Marcus is also known as Mark Antony or simply Antony. Cunning and pragmatic, he is a meticulous politician who is as effective with words as with guns. Antony is the main character in another Shakespearean play, Antony and Cleopatra.
Cassius(Gaius Cassius Longinus): A cunning and manipulative senator who convinces Brutus to join the assassination plan. Unlike Brutus, Cassius is not an idealist; his main motivation for conspiring against Caesar appears to be jealousy. Although petty and petty at the beginning of the play, he later shows courage and a little honor on the battlefield.
Calpurnia: the wife of Julius Caesar.
Part: the wife of Brutus.
Caesar Octavian(Birth name: Gaius Octavius) - Great-nephew of Julius Caesar and member of the ruling triumvirate after the assassination of Julius Caesar. In his will, Julius Caesar named Octavian his adopted son and heir. Octavius, also referred to as Octavian in the history books, later became Emperor of Rome as Augustus Caesar.
Lindo(Marcus Aemilius Lepidus): Member of the ruling triumvirate after the assassination of Julius Caesar. Because it's weak, it's easy to put aside.
Cicero,Publius, OfLena is more popular: Roman Senators. Cicero, a supporter of the republican government, is assassinated by Caesar's supporters after Caesar's assassination. However, Cicero had no part in the planning or execution of the murder.
hit(Publius Servilius Casca): One of the main conspirators against Caesar. According to the Greek biographer Plutarch (AD 46?-120), Casca was the first of the conspirators to stab Caesar in the back with a dagger. The historical casca was a tribune of the people, a chosen one who represented the commoners or commoners.
Treponisation,a bandage,Decius Gross,Metelo Cimber,Lucius Cornelius Cinna: Citizens who join Cassius and Brutus as conspirators. (Note: At least 59 conspirators were involved in the actual assassination of Caesar in 44 BC.)
Publius Cimber: Exiled brother of the conspirator Metullus Cimber. There is talk of Publius, but he does not appear in the play.
Flavio,marulo: Tribunes suspicious of Julius Caesar. They drive off the commoners as Caesar marches triumphantly through Rome in the first act of the play. A tribune was an elected official tasked with protecting the rights of ordinary citizens.
Artemidoro: Professor of Rhetoric tries to warn Caesar that Brutus, Cassius and others have turned against him.
fortune teller: Seer warning Caesar to beware of the Ides of March (March 15). Shakespeare does not name the soothsayer. However, in ancient texts by Plutarch and Suetonius (AD 75-150), the diviner is identified as an astrologer named Spurinna.
Zinn(Gaius Helvius Cinna) - A poet unrelated to Cinna the conspirator. However, mistaking him for Cinna the conspirator, the Roman citizens kill him.
nameless poet
Lucilius,Titinius,Tempo,young cactus,Voluntarily: Friends of Brutus and Cassius.
pike for: Acquaintance with Cassius, who accepted bribes. Cássio talks about him, but Pella does not appear in the play.
servant of Brutus: Varro, Clitus, Claudius, Stratus, Lucius, Dardanius.
Diener des Cassius: pindar
secondary character: Senators, Citizens, Citizens, Soldiers, Guards, Assistants, Messengers.

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Plot summary

introduction

The work begins in 44 a. It's February 15, the day of the annual Lupercalia festival, named after Lupercus (also called Faunus), the Roman god of fertility. On this special day, the Romans performed rites to promote the fertility of farmland, forests, and women of childbearing age. The Romans also celebrated the legend of the she-wolf who nurtured the mythological founders of Rome: Romulus and Remus, twin sons of Mars, the god of war. In the cave of Lupercus on the Palatine Hill in Rome, the she-wolf suckled the twins. Interestingly, by glorifying the memory of the she-wolf during Lupercalia, the Romans also thanked Lupercus for protecting flocks from wolves. In Shakespeare's play, Lupercalia takes on even more significance as it is the day that the mighty Julius Caesar parades through the streets near the Palatine Hill in a triumphal procession to celebrate his victory over Pompey the Great in the Roman Civil War.

The history

On February 15, the day of the annual Lupercalia festival, merchants gather in the streets near the Palatine Hill in Rome to watch the mighty Caesar pass in a procession celebrating his triumph over Pompey the Great in the Roman Civil War. Two tribunes, Flavio and Marulo, accuse the merchants of worshiping the emperor. Marullus shouts: "Blocks, stones, worse than nonsense!" (1.1.27). Once upon a time, he says, the populace gathered to applaud Pompey as he passed in procession. Now, says Marullus, the same people are shutting down their businesses to honor a man who "triumphed the blood of Pompey" (1.1.43). Flavius ​​and Marullus then chase the merchants home. The two tribunes distrust Caesar, considering him ambitious and eager for royal power. However, their efforts against a handful of merchants do little to intimidate the thousands who have gathered to applaud the great general as he and his entourage make their way to the public games.

Mark Antony (also called Mark Antony), a military commander who fought against Pompey and later became Rome's consul, "walks the course," a Lupercal ritual in which the runner strips naked and wears a victim's cut loincloth through the streets runs goat. Along the way, the runner meets every woman he meets to boost his fertility. Caesar tells him to make sure he meets Calpurnia, Caesar's wife, and Antonio assures him he did. From somewhere in the crowd a soothsayer calls out to Caesar: "Beware of the Ides of March" (1.2.23). When Caesar calls him closer, the soothsayer repeats his warning. Caesar says: “He is a dreamer; let's go: let's go” (1.1.30). The fortune teller apparently knows what César and his close friends don't know: that prominent citizens have conspired against César and within a month, on the Idus of March (March 15), can take action against him to prevent him from taking all power to focus on yourself. .

Gaius Cassius Longinus, a former military leader, watches Caesar from afar. (According to historical accounts, he serves as praetor Perigrinus, a senior court official who decides legal cases involving foreigners.) He is a leader of the disillusioned Romans. Jealous of Caesar's power, Cassius tells another prominent citizen, Marcus Junius Brutus, a former military commander who now serves as Praetor Urbanus, a high-ranking magistrate who decides cases involving Roman citizens, that Caesar has become too powerful:

Why, man, ride through the narrow world
Like a colossus, and we little men
He walks on his huge legs and looks around.
To find us dishonorable graves. (1.2.143-146)

Among those accompanying César on vacation is Casio's friend Casca. As Caesar's entourage leaves the games, Cassius asks Brutus to take Casca aside and ask for an account of what Caesar and his friends did during the games. When Brutus does so, Casca gives the following account: Mark Antony offered Caesar a crown. Knowing that accepting him might anger the crowd, Caesar declined. Antony offered twice more, and Caesar twice more refused, each time with greater reluctance than before. He then suffered an epileptic seizure, but recovered moments later. Nearby, the Roman Senator Cicero (Caesar's political opponent) was discussing the incident with his friends, and they smiled and shook their heads. But his comment was in Greek and Casca didn't understand him. One thing, however, seems clear: Caesar wants to be crowned when the time is right.

Cassius urges Brutus to take part in an assassination attempt against Caesar. Meanwhile, the quick-witted Caesar senses Cassio's concerns as he looks at him. "This Cassius," he says to Mark Antony, "he looks thin and hungry. / He thinks too much: these men are dangerous” (1.2.204-205). Cassius works hard to lure Brutus to his deadly ways, eventually using thieves and hooks to convince him that Caesar must die. Brutus is an honest and respected man of principle; When he says Caesar must go, Cassius knows other disaffected Romans are sure to follow him. Casio is right. After other citizens learn that Brutus has sided with Caesar, they follow his example. On March 14, the conspirators gather in Brutus' garden to make final plans to kill the Great One in the Capitol the next day, the Ides of March. After the meeting, Portia, Brutus' wife, notices a change in her husband's behavior and says, "You have a sick offense on your mind" (2.1.288), prompting him to reveal his thoughts. But Lucius, Brutus' servant, interrupts the conversation to introduce a visitor, Ligarius, and Portia leaves the room. Ligarius then pledges his support for the conspiracy against Caesar.

The night is violent: thunder, thunder, lightning. Caesar's wife, Calpurnia, dreams that disaster will befall her husband and begs him not to go to the Capitol in the Ides. She tells him what she saw in the dream:

A lioness gave birth in the street;
and the tombs were opened, and they gave up their dead;
Wild warriors of fire fought above the clouds,
In ranks and squadrons and on the right track to war,
who sprinkled blood on the Capitol;
the noise of battle went through the air,
The horses whinnied and the dying groaned,
And the ghosts screamed and screamed through the streets.
O Caesar! These things are useless
And I'm afraid of them. (2.2.21-30)

Caesar says: “Cowards die many times before they die; / The brave taste death only once” (2.2.37-38). Because he is not a coward and because he is not afraid of death, of which he says: "It will come when it comes" (2.2.42), he refuses to change his plans. But after more persuasion from Calpurnia, César agrees to stay home, saying "Marco Antonio will say I'm not well" (2/2/63). However, one of the conspirators, Decius, arrives at Caesar's house at dawn and persuades him to go to the Capitol as planned, telling him that his wife's dream was misunderstood.

The image of the blood he saw, says Decius, means “that great Rome shall suck from you [Caesar] life-giving blood. . .” (2.2.97-98). Caesar says, "How foolish your fears seem now, Calpurnia!" (2.2.115). At eight o'clock, other conspirators, Cassius, Brutus, Ligarius, Metellus Cimber, Casca, Trebonius, and Cinna, come in to escort Caesar to the Capitol. Caesar tells them that he will be speaking at the Capitol for an hour and tells them: "Come to me that I may remember you" (2.2.138). Trebonius replies, "Caesar, I will go," then completes his statement with an aside, speaking loudly enough for the other conspirators to hear: "and I will be so close / Your best friends will wish I was further away." “ (2.2). .139-140).

On the street, Artemidorus, a rhetoric professor who found out about the conspiracy, is reading a newspaper. It says,

Caesar, beware of Brutus; take care of Cassio; stay away from Casca; keep an eye on Cinna; do not trust Trebonio; look closely at Metellus Cimber: Decius Brutus does not love you: you have wronged Gaius Ligarius. There is only one spirit in all these men, and it is directed against Caesar. If you're not immortal, look around: security gives way to conspiracy. (2.3.3)

Artemidorus then stands on the way to the Capitol to wait for Caesar. The fortune teller is nearby. As Caesar approaches, he tells the diviner that "the Ides of March have arrived" (3.1.3), as if to say that there is no need to "heed the Ides of March"; Everything is going well for Caesar. However, the fortune teller replies that the day is still young. In other words, Caesar is still in danger. Artemidorus then pesters Caesar to read his message. However, Decius Brutus also asks Caesar to read a document: a lament on behalf of Trebonius. When Artemidorus interrupts and tries to get Caesar's attention, Caesar is irritated and ignores him. Then enter the Senate building.

Inside, Metellus Cimber approaches him to beg mercy for his exiled brother, a pretext that allows him and the other conspirators to approach in apparent support of Cimber, but in reality remain at dagger distance. Caesar arrogantly dismisses Cimber's plea, saying the decree against Cimber's brother is final. Brutus, Cassius and Cinna also speak for Cimber's brother. But Caesar, comparing his own permanence to that of North Star (the brightest in the constellation of Ursa Minor) and his immobility to that of Mount Olympus, ignores their pleas. Casca then stabs Caesar and the other conspirators join in and stab him repeatedly. As he dies, Caesar looks up to see his old friend Brutus among the conspirators. "Is yours gross?" (1/3/87), he says. (The Latin words mean "What about you, Brutus?") Caesar is clearly heartbroken to learn that noble Brutus was among the invaders. After Caesar's death, Cinna screams, "Freedom! Freedom! Tyranny is dead! / Run away from here, woo, shout in the streets” (3.1.88-89). At Brutus's suggestion, the conspirators dip their hands in Caesar's blood to show the people of Rome that a tyrant is dead and liberty reigns. Cassius believes that generations to come will remember them as the heroes who liberated Rome.

Mark Antony's servant comes with a message: although Antonius loved Caesar and served him, he does not love Caesar the dead; loves Brutus, the living man. Brutus, believing the message was sent in good faith, sends the messenger back to tell Antonio that Brutus holds no grudges; Antonio can move freely without taking damage. Antonio himself appears at the scene soon after, shaking the conspirators' bloodied hands and saying:

Friends I am with you all and I love you all.
About this hope that you give me reasons
Warum und worin Caesar gefährlich war. (3.1.241-243)

However, Clever Antonio has no intention of allying himself with Brutus and Cassio. Later, on the street, Brutus wins a crowd with a speech in which he explains that while Caesar had his good points, he suffered from a fatal flaw, ambition, lust for power, which would have enslaved the citizens. Brutus says he had no choice but to rid Rome of Caesar and thus gain liberty for all. Antony leaves with Caesar's body and Brutus invites the crowd to listen to what he has to say, no doubt hoping that Antony will support the conspirators' action. Antony's speech begins as if he actually approves of Caesar's assassination: he acknowledges that Caesar was ambitious and praises Brutus as a nobleman. But Antonio then begins to praise Caesar as a man who worked for the good of the people:

He brought many prisoners to Rome
Whose ransoms filled the general coffers:
Does this Caesar thing sound ambitious?
When the poor wept, Caesar wept:
Ambition must be made for harder things. (3.2.67-71)

Antonio shows the people the bloody cloak Caesar wore when he died and points out the grooves of the daggers. He then reveals the terms of the will: Caesar bequeathed the people seventy-five drachmae (ancient monetary unit) each, leaving his private walkways, pergolas, and orchards to be used for their pleasure. A citizen shouts: "Noble Caesar! We will avenge your death" (3.2.222). After losing mob support, Brutus and Cassius flee the city. Civil war breaks out. On the street, angry citizens attack a poet unfortunate enough to bear the same name, Cinna, as one of the conspirators. When he informs them that he is Cinna the Poet, not Cinna the Conspirator, one commoner yells, "Rip him up for his bad lines, rip him up for his bad lines."

Antonio forms a new government with two other leaders, Octavio and Lépido; All three share power. While Brutus and Cassius raised armies of faithful and camped at Sardis (in modern-day Turkey) on the Aegean coast, Antony and Octavius ​​led their forces to Philippi (modern-day Filippoi) near the Aegean coast to the north. Greece.

Meanwhile, Brutus received word that his wife Portia, believing all was lost for her and her husband, had committed suicide by swallowing embers. Messala, a soldier under Brutus, then reports that he received news that Antony, Octavian, and Lepidus had purged Rome of its political enemies by killing a hundred senators, including one of the greatest orators and statesmen of the Senate , Cicero, a supporter of a reigning republican Cicero did not take part in the conspiracy against Caesar; he was just unlucky to be on the wrong side of Roman politics.

As Brutus and Cassius confer on war plans, Cassius argues for waiting until Antony and Octavian's forces reach Sardis. the march will tire them and make them easy prey. But Brutus pleads for the attack, recalling that the enemy is increasing his forces daily, while Cassius' and Brutus' forces are already at their peak and can only dwindle. Brutus says: "There is a tide in the affairs of men, / Which, carried by the current, leads to happiness" (4.3.249-250). Cassius relents and agrees to attack Philippi, and the two men retire for the night. During the night, Brutus sees Caesar's ghost, but Brutus recognizes him as such. The spirit identifies itself as "Thy evil spirit" (4.3.327) and says that Brutus will see him again in Philippi.

At Philippi, Casio and Brutus ride and meet Octavio and Antonio to negotiate, but only insults come out. Cassio later tells Messala that he saw bad omens. Cassio says so

crows, crows and dragons,
Fly over our heads and look at us
As if we were sick prey: their shadows shine
A deadly canopy under which
Our army stands ready to free the spirit. (5.1.97-101)

The armies clash and Antonio and Octavio's forces eventually win. When Cassius' friend Titinius is captured, Cassius decides it is time to end the battle and orders another soldier, Pindar, to kill him with the same weapon Cassius used against Caesar. Elsewhere on the battlefield, Brutus orders Clitus to kill him, but he refuses to do so. Brutus gives Dardanius the same command; he is retiring too. Before asking a third man, Volumnius, to help him die, Brutus tells him that the spirit of Caesar appeared to him, first in Sardis, then at night on the battlefield of Philippi, an omen that means everything to him goes well. He then asks Volumnius to hold his sword as he steps over it, but Volumnius also refuses to have any part in his commander's death. Finally, Brutus convinces a fourth soldier, Strato, to hold the sword at the right angle. Brutus falls on top of him and dies. After finding her body, Antonio and Octavio honor her:

ANTONIO: That was the noblest Roman of all:
All conspirators except him.
They did this out of envy of the great Caesar;
He just has honest thinking in general
And pretty much all in common, made one of them.
His life was peaceful, and the elements
so mixed that nature could stand
And tell everyone: 'That was a man!'
OCTAVIO Let us use him according to his virtue,
With all due respect and funeral rites.
In my tent your bones will rest tonight
Almost like a soldier, ordained with honor.
So call the field to rest; and let's go
To separate the glories of this happy day. (5.5.76-89)

Conflict

For centuries Rome was a republic governed by an elected Senate and consuls. But when Julius Caesar, after his military conquests between 59 and 45 BC. C. the politically ambitious Caesar had consolidated his power. In the year 44 BC C., it seemed that the republican representative government was doomed and that Caesar would become the absolute ruler of Rome. As a result, a conflict developed between supporters of the republican government and Caesar. In Shakespeare's play, Cassius and Brutus are the main antagonists of Caesar and his followers. Together with other senators, they form a conspiracy to assassinate Caesar. After he is killed, the conflict continues as Mark Antony takes up Caesar's banner and eventually defeats Brutus and Cassius, the point in the story where Shakespeare's play ends. Unfortunately, the damage was already done. Rome became an empire ruled by one man, Augustus Caesar (Octavian in Shakespeare's play).

subjects

The high price of idealism

Brutus has respect, a comfortable home, a loving wife, friends. However, he willingly risks everything and eventually loses everything, including his life, to live up to his ideals. This motif is important in history and literature. The Greek philosopher Socrates (470-399 BC) accepted the death penalty (poisoning) instead of renouncing his beliefs; Christ suffered crucifixion after spreading his message of love and peace. The French mystic and soldier Joan of Arc (1412?-1431) was burned at the stake for heresy and witchcraft after upholding her ideals in a mock trial. The English statesman Thomas More (1478-1535) was beheaded after refusing to support King Henry VIII's divorce from Catherine of Aragon. at ShakespeareRei Lear, the noblest character, Cordelia, is hanged by the villain Edgar. With Charles DickensA fairy tale about two cities, Sidney Carton goes to the guillotine to save the life of the husband of the woman Carton loves.

Pride: an omen of destruction

"Pay attention to the Ides of March," says a fortune teller to Caesar (2/1/23). But Caesar ignores the warning. Then Cesare notices Cassio in the crowd and says to Antonio, “This Cassio looks thin and hungry. / He thinks too much: these men are dangerous” (1.2.204-205). In other words, Casio hungers for revolution, for vengeance against the man he envies; would ruin Caesar. However, Caesar says he is not afraid of Cassius "because I am always Caesar" (1.2.222), meaning that he is the greatest of men and therefore invincible. He later ignores the warnings of his wife, who tells him many bad omens for him when he leaves home to go to the Senate on March 15 (the Ides of March). Apparently, Caesar considers himself invulnerable in his arrogance; He is an Achilles without weakness. And so, in the plumage of his pride, Caesar becomes an easy target for Casio and his other enemies.

Destiny vs. Free Will

What force drives the action of work, fate, or free will? What caused the fall of Caesar, Brutus, and Cassius? On the one hand, omens, prophecies, dreams and seemingly supernatural events suggest that fate determines the destiny of people. On the other hand, the decisions of Caesar and his enemies suggest that free will determines their fates.

The work presents the theme of fate versus free will as Caesar triumphantly marches through Rome. A fortune teller tells him: "Beware of the Ides of March" (1.2.23). The seer's warning has a double meaning. First, it suggests that dangers await him in the Ides, as if fate had destined Caesar for misfortune or treachery. However, the reference also suggests – with the wordbeware— that Caesar can act to prevent or thwart the threatening event. But Caesar dismisses the warning, saying: “He is a dreamer; let's go: let's go” (1.2.30). As Cassius and Brutus watch Caesar pass in triumph, Cassius suggests that Caesar plans to become the autocratic ruler of Rome. But Cassius does not attribute Caesar's rise to fate. Instead, he attributes it to the failure of the citizens, including himself, to take action against Caesar. He says:

Men . . They are masters of their destiny:
The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars,
But in ourselves we are subordinate. (2.1.147)

Cassius then persuades Brutus to take part in a conspiracy to assassinate Caesar.

Later, a raging thunderstorm sweeps through Rome and the earth trembles.

hit, another prominent citizen, is at a loss. He tells Cicero, a senator, that during the storm he "saw the ambitious ocean swelling, roaring, and foaming, / To be exalted with threatening clouds" (1.3.8-10). He also witnessed other gruesome scenes: a slave holding a burned hand without feeling pain, a lion roaming the streets, a night owl hooting in the market in broad daylight - all signs of impending catastrophe. . .

Later, when he meets Cassio, he says that Casca has nothing to fear from the omens he has seen since they are all aimed at one man: the overly ambitious Caesar. The only way to rid Rom of him is to kill him, he says. He then persuades Casca to join the conspiracy. It seems clear at this point that Cassius places little or no reliance on omens; He believes that only determined human action can bring about change.

At the beginning of Scene 3 of Act 2, Professor Artemidorus warns Caesar of a conspiracy against him involving Brutus, Cassius, Casca, Cinna, Trebonius and others as participants. It is unclear whether Artemidorus heard rumors of a conspiracy or somehow "guessed" the conspiracy. Hence the ambiguity directs more attention to the question of whether fate or free will ruled Rome.

At Caesar's, his wife Calpurnia screams three times in her sleep: "Help, oh! Caesar was murdered! (2.2.5). She later tells him of the "terrible sights" seen by the watch:

A lioness gave birth in the street;
and the tombs opened and gave up their dead;
Wild warriors of fire fought above the clouds,
In ranks and squadrons and on the right track to war,
Who shed blood on the Capitol? (2.2.21-25)

With these bad omens, she persuades Caesar to stay home in the Ides. But after speaking to Decius Brutus, he changes his mind and goes to the Senate, where he is killed by the conspirators.

After Antonio and Octavio track down Brutus and Cassius, the latter speaks of an omen that seemed to spell doom for him and Brutus. Messala advises him not to believe the omen. Cassio replies:

but I think partially
Because I'm fresh in my head and determined
Be very consistent with all hazards. (5.1.103-105)

So at the end of the play the question remains: does fate or free will determine the course of human events? Shakespeare seems to leave this question open, as did many people in Shakespeare's day. Some people still believe in fate today. Others, however, believe that inherited traits, home environment, the individual human psychological makeup, and free will combine to determine a person's destiny. There are also those who believe that only free will determines one's destiny.

Greed for power leads to turmoil

A conspiracy against the politically ambitious Caesar begins to form after he is perceived as power-hungry by other government leaders and prominent citizens. They believe that he will abolish representative government and rule like a tyrant and consolidate all power within himself.

coexistence

While pretending to be loyal to Caesar, Cassius and Brutus along with their followers ally themselves behind his back.

Words like guns

Daggers kill Caesar, but words sharpen weapons. Consider Cassius' skillful use of words to recruit Brutus as a conspirator. Consider also the flattery with which Decius Brutus persuaded Caesar to go before the Senate on March 15. Finally, consider Mark Antony's brilliant eulogy. Turns a mob sympathetic to the conspirators into an angry mob demanding the death of the conspirators.

One's hero is another's villain

Caesar and Brutus are each a villain and each a hero depending on the viewer's philosophical and moral views. As Barbara Mowat and Paul Werstine note:

Many Renaissance people were passionately interested in the story of Caesar's death through his friends and fellow politicians. There was a lot of debate about who were the villains and who were the heroes. According to the 14th-century Italian poet Dante, Brutus and Cassius, the main conspirators who killed Caesar, were traitors who deserved an eternity in Hell. But according to Shakespeare's contemporary Sir Philip Sydney, Caesar was a threat to Rome and Brutus the wisest senator. Shakespeare's dramatization of Caesar's assassination and its aftermath has kept this debate alive among generations of readers and viewers. — Mowat, Barbara and Paul Werstine, eds.Die New Folger Shakespeare-Bibliothek: Julius Caesar. . . . Nova York: Washington Square Press, Verlag Pocket Books, 1972 (S. ix).

climax and ending

The climax of a play or other literary work, such as a short story or novel, can be defined as (1) the turning point where the conflict begins to resolve for better or worse, or (2) the final and final point . most exciting event in a series of events. There are three key events inJulius Caesareach of which seems to qualify as a climax: first, the conspirators' meeting, at which they approve the plan to kill Caesar; second, the assassination of Caesar; and third, the deaths of Cassius and Brutus, ending all hopes of maintaining a republican government. However, only one of these events appears to meet the requirements of both parts of the climax definition: the assassination of Caesar. However, it is unreasonable to argue that either of the other two events is the climax, as many Shakespeare scholars have done.

The ending or resolution consists of the action that follows the climax.

Omen

Two prominent examples of foreboding occur in Act I. The first is the fortune teller's warning: "Beware of the Ides of March" (1.2.23 and 1.2.29). The second is Caesar's comment upon seeing Casio:

Yond Cassius looks thin and hungry;
He thinks too much: These men are dangerous. (1.2.204-205)

The fortune teller's warning and Caesar's remark foreshadow his assassination.

In Act II, Cassius' reservations about Antony foreshadow his campaign against the conspirators after Caesar's death:

I don't think you're answering
Marcus Antonius, Caesar so lieb,
Must Survive Caesar: Let's find him
A crafty craftsman; and, you know, your means,
If you improve them, you can stretch so far.
As to piss us all off; what to prevent
May Antonio and Caesar fall together. (2.1.170-176)

Another example of foreboding occurs after Brutus agreed to Antony's request to speak at Caesar's funeral. Cassius protests the decision, saying that Antony's speech could inspire sympathy for Caesar and enmity against the conspirators. Cassius says to Brutus,

You don't know what you're doing; I do not agree
Let Antonio speak at his funeral:
Do you know how far humans can move?
Because what will he say? (3.1.255-258)

Description of the assassination of Plutarch

A Greek-born Roman biographer and historian named Plutarch (AD 46-120) wrote the following passage (translated by M.H. Chambers) about Caesar's assassination inLives of Greek and Roman Nobles(calls tooparallel livesjPlutarch lives).

Papel fundamental von Decius

After dire forebodings, Calpurnia persuades Caesar to remain indoors during the Ides of March. When Decius Brutus (one of the conspirators) arrives at Caesar's residence to escort him to the Senate house, Caesar informs him of his decision to stay at home, saying:

[Calpurnia] dreamed that night that she saw my statue,
who, like a fountain with a hundred spouts,
He raced thoroughbred; and many lustful Romans
They came smiling and bathed their hands in it:
And that applies to warnings and omens,
and impending evils; and on the knee
He asked me to stay home today. (2.2.86-92)

If Decius doesn't change Caesar's mind, the conspirators lose their chance to carry out their plan, increasing the chances that Caesar will find out and the main conspirators will lose their nerve and decide not to go along with the plan. Thinking quickly, Décio appeals to the big guy's ego and says:

This dream is misinterpreted;
It was a beautiful and happy sight:
Your statue spits blood in many spouts,
where so many smiling Romans bathed,
This means that the great Rome will suck you in
Revival of the blood, and that will press the big men
For dyes, mordants, relics and traditions.
This is represented by Calphurnia's dream. (2.2.93-100)

When Caesar appears to accept this interpretation, Decius further appeals to Caesar's ego:

The Senate closed
To give a crown to the mighty Caesar on this day.
If you tell them, you won't come
Your mind may change. Besides, it was a joke.
Suitable for borrowing to tell someone
Share the Senate until another time,
When Cesar's wife finds better dreams.
If Caesar hides, they won't whisper
'See! Is Caesar afraid?' (2.2.103-111)

And so the mighty Caesar falls victim to Decius' clever psychology and rhetoric, and later to the relentless onslaught of conspiratorial knives.

idioms

Julius Caesarit is among Shakespeare's best works, in part because of its highly effective imagery. Among the many and varied idioms in the work are the following.

Alliteration

Alliteration is the repetition of a consonant at the beginning of words or syllables, as in the examples below.

He killed

Anaphora is the repetition of a word, phrase, or sentence at the beginning of groups of words that occur one after the other. Here are examples.

Apostrophe

The apostrophe is the address of an abstraction or thing, present or absent; a missing entity or person; or a deceased person. Here is an example where Brutus addresses conspiracy, an abstraction.

O conspiracy!
Are you ashamed to show your dangerous forehead at night
When is evil most free? oh so during the day
Where can you find a cave that is dark enough?
To mask your monstrous face? seek nothing, conspiracy;
Hide it in smiles and pleasantries (2.1.86-91)

Hyperbel

Hyperbole is hyperbole, usually extreme. The following are examples.

Irony, verbally and situationally

Verbal irony says one thing but means the opposite. Situational irony is an outcome or ending that is contrary to what was expected.

An example of verbal irony is the lines Cassius says as Caesar parades like a god in triumph to celebrate his victory over Pompey the Great in the Roman Civil War.

He had a fever when he was in Spain
And when was the seizure [epileptic seizure] yes I planned
how it trembled; It is true this god trembled;
His playful lips made her color fly. (1.2.127-130)

Here Cassius uses "god" ironically, saying that the divine Caesar is actually an imperfect human suffering from epilepsy and cowardice.

Situational irony occurs in Mark Antony's eulogy of 3/2/52. For example, Antony tells the Roman citizens that he does not wish to praise Caesar, but only to preside over his burial. However, he continues to do what he wouldn't do: praise Caesar. He praises him for increasing Rome's wealth, sympathizing with the common people and refusing a royal crown. Surprisingly, he also praises Brutus as an honorable man. A moment later, however, he condemns Brutus when he says: “O judgment! Wordbrutaloccurs after Antony mentions Brutus by name nine times. Looksbrutalis a not-so-indirect reference to Brutus.

Another example of situational irony occurs in the Roman Senate when Caesar says "I am constant like the North Star (1/3/68)", meaning that he is as constant, fixed and unchanging as the North Star (a bright star final year ). do cabo da Ursa Menor). Moments later, therefore, the conspirators or they are killed, ending their permanence and permanence.

ironic, dramatic

Dramatic irony is a situation in which a character in a play or other literary work is unaware of a circumstance, event, development, condition, activity, etc. of which the audience and often other characters are aware. Perhaps the most striking example of dramatic irony inJulius Caesaris that Caesar ignores the plan of his friend Brutus, as well as other prominent citizens supposedly loyal to Caesar, to assassinate him. Consider, for example, the visit of Decius Brutus, a conspirator, to Caesar's house on the Ides of March. Decius generously flatters Caesar by posing as a friend to persuade him to go to the Senate and accept the royal crown rather than stay at home as urged by Caesar's wife (2.2.65-114). Caesar, unaware that Decius and his henchmen plan to kill him, agrees to go to the Senate. Another example of dramatic irony occurs in the first scene of Act 3 from verse 39, when the conspirators surround Caesar and speak to him respectfully. Little does he know they are about to draw their daggers and kill him. The public now knows that Caesar is doomed.

metaphor

A metaphor is a comparison between one thing and another without the use ofif,if, ÖWasto make the comparison.John is a volcano ready to explodeis an example of a metaphor.John isifa volcano about to eruptit's not a metaphor. Aside from that,John isifnervousifa volcano about to eruptIt's not a metaphor. Both comparisons are examples of

parables. Here are examples of metaphors in Julius Caesar.

me, your cup,
to be modestly discovered
That of you that you don't know yet. (1.2.75-77)
Cassius likens himself to a mirror ("glass"), reflecting the good qualities of Brutus.

For the Lautmaler

Onomatopoeia is a word that imitates a sound. examples areBuzz, Bang, Explosion, Ofspinning route. Here is a working example.

the exhalationsthe sumno are
They give off enough light that I can read through them. (2.1.48-49)

Paradox

A paradox is a contradiction that expresses a truth. Example: The salad dressing was sweet and sour. In the example below, Brutus describes death as a buff.

BARK: Well, the one that cuts off twenty years of life
Cut out so many years of fear of death.
BRUTUS: Grant it, and then death is a blessing. (3.1.115-117)

parable

A simile is a comparison between different things usingif,if, ÖWas. Examples are (1) Mary runs like a deer, (2) Mary runs as fast as a deer, and (3) Mary runs faster than a deer. Here are examples from work.

Why, man, ride through the narrow world
Like a colossus, and we little men
He walks on his huge legs and looks around.
To find us dishonorable graves. (1.2.143-146)
(Casio compares Caesar to a giant).

What would seem an insult to us
His countenance, like the richest alchemy, 170
It will turn into virtue and dignity. (1.3.169-171)
(Cassius likens the visage of Brutus, including his face and character, to alchemy.)

You are my faithful and honorable wife,
As sweet as reddish drops
Visiting my sad heart (2.1.309-311)
(Brutus compares his wife Portia to the life-giving blood that flows in his heart.)

humorous opening

Although the play is a tragedy, Shakespeare begins with humor, particularly with the pun on the second commoner, a shoemaker, when questioned by Marullus and Flavius.

MARULLUS: But what is your job? answer me directly
SECOND COMMONITY: A trade, sir, that I hope I can practice with a clear conscience; who is indeed, sir, a repairman of bad soles.
MARULLUS: What job, villain? Naughty rascal, what business?
SECOND COMMON: No, sir, I beg you not to go out with me: but when you are gone, sir, I can heal you.
MARULLUS: What do you mean by that? Fix me, naughty man!
SECOND COMMON: Why, sir?
FLAVIO: You're a shoemaker, right?
SECOND COMMON: Indeed, sir, all I live for is punch: I am not concerned with merchant's business, nor with women's business, but with punch. I am indeed, sir, a surgeon of old shoes; If they're in great danger, I'll bring them back. The straightest men who ever walked in pure leather attended to my work. (1.1.13-20)

evil number three

The number three seems to symbolize ominous or terrible events. Consider the following:

The play takes place in three locations: Rome, Sardis and Philippi.
Marco Antonio offers Caesar the crown three times.
The soothsayer warns Caesar three times: twice in act 1 and once in act 3.
Cassius tells Casca that Brutus almost wins the conspiracy, saying "Three parts of him are already ours."
The conspirators finish their secret meeting at 3am.
Calpurnia, Caesar's wife, screams three times in her sleep, "Help, ho! Caesar is murdered!"
Caesar dies in March, the third month of the year.
After Caesar's death, Cinna shouts three exclamations: "Freedom! Freedom! Tyranny is dead! (1/3/88).
Three men succeeded Caesar as rulers: Octavian, Antony and Lepidus. Collectively, they are referred to in the history books as the triumvirate.
Antony, belittling Lepidus, says "Is it proper to divide the world into three parts, should there be one of the three who divides it?"
Octavius ​​comments at the end of the play that he will never raise his sword until Caesar's "thirty-three wounds" are avenged (5.1.60).

In ancient times, the number three was sometimes associated with Pluto (Greek: Hades), the god of death. Whether Shakespeare intentionally included references to the number three is disputed.

language pattern

Literary critic Mark Van Doren wrote the following about speech patterns in Julius Caesar:

Julius CaesarIt is the least notable of Shakespeare's best works for the distinctions of his language. All of your people tend to speak the same thing; Their training was forensic and therefore consistent, allowing them to say anything efficiently and easily. With Marullus' first speech in the opening scene, the play switches to his style: a style that will make it seem like nobody has the slightest difficulty speaking their mind. Oral phrasing is invariably impeccable; breathing is correct; No thought is too long to organize or too short to complete. Everything is said with brilliance and certainty; the effects are underlinedEU's trembled badly. Speeches have tangible outlines, like plastic objects, and the deviation from one to another should never be questioned, as it is clearly established.” —Van Doren, Mark. quoted inInterpretations of Julius Caesar in the 20th Century. Leonard F. Dean, Ed. Englewood Cliffs, Nova Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1968.

historical irony

It is believed that a surgical incision had to be made in Julius Caesar's mother's abdomen and uterus in order to remove them at birth. This belief gave rise to the term "C-section" (or "C-section"). So one knife was used to bring Caesar to life and many knives were used to end his life.

Study questions and essay topics

1. A fortune teller tells Caesar to beware of the Ides of March (March 15). What is a fortune teller? Does the seer really know the future? Or is he just a good political scientist (or psychologist) who sees trouble coming?
2. Is Antonio motivated more by personal ambition or love for Caesar?
3. Who is the villain of the play? is there a hero
4. If you are 44 B.C. C., Caesar's last year in power, would you have sided with Caesar or with Brutus?
5. In this technological age, if Antonio gave his eulogy, where would he do it?
6. Do you think the assassination of a head of state is justified?
7. Give examples of 20th century leaders killed by assassins. Explain why these leaders were attacked by assassins.
8. What was the everyday life of a simple citizen of Rome like?
9. The oratorio, especially Antony's eulogy, plays an important role in this work. How important was the ability to speak well in public with a politician in ancient Rome? Did young Roman nobles receive any special training in public speaking?
10. Caesar and Brutus respectfully ignore their wives' advice. Write an essay that explains the role and status of women in Caesar's day.
11. Was Brutus a villain or a hero? Although he led the conspiracy against Julius Caesar, Marcus Junius Brutus (84-42 BC) enjoyed a reputation among Roman republicans in his day as a just and noble statesman. However, his opponents, mainly Caesar's supporters, considered him a traitor. Brutus first allied with Pompey the Great against Caesar when, in 49 B.C. the Roman civil war broke out. After Caesar 48 BC. C., having defeated Pompey at Pharsalus in Greece, pardoned Brutus and appointed him 46 BC. to governor of Cisalpine Gaul. and praetor of Rome in 44 BC. But Brutus turned against Caesar a second time and helped organize and lead the conspiracy that began in 44 BC. led to Caesar's assassination. Brutus believed that action was needed to prevent Caesar from becoming dictator for life, which meant all power would rest with Caesar and not with the delegates representing the people. Was Brutus a treacherous villain or a selfless hero? Comment on this topic in an argumentative essay. Use the facts of the story and interpretations of those facts, including Shakespeare's account of Brutus, to support your thesis.
12. In one essay, compare and contrast the common people of ancient Rome with the common people of modern America, Britain, or any other country.
13. Compare and contrast Casio and Brutus in one essay.
14. Omens and vagaries of fate play a role in Julius Caesar. Write an explanatory (informative) essay that explains the typical ancient Roman's attitude toward spells, omens, gods, the vagaries of fate, and the supernatural in general.