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The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare
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Introduction
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Characters
of Julius Caesar
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Summary
of the Play
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Themes
of the Play
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Famous Quotes from Julius Caesar
Introduction
William Shakespeare wrote The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, a five-act play, between 1599 and 1600. It was originally printed in 1623 from a prompt book transcription.
Characters of Julius Caesar
Julius Caesar
Calpurnia
Brutus
Cassius
This person is responsible for the assassination of Caesar. a vengeful and envious man who wants to use extreme tactics to deny Caesar any additional power and to usurp any power that Caesar may have already possessed.Antony
Octavius
Portia
Portia is Brutus's steadfast and loving wife. The play's most memorable instance of her is when she tells her spouse that she intentionally hurt herself to show her resolve and bravery. She killed herself when civil war broke out and she saw how powerful Brutus' adversary was. She sealed her mouth while putting hot coals in it, choking to death.Other Conspirators
Casca
Decius Brutus
Cinna
Metellus Cimber
Trebonius
Caius Ligarius
Summary of Julius Caesar
Brutus,
Cassius, and Caesar were close friends for a very long period. As a result,
Cassius and Brutus spoke to one another during the parade. At the same time,
Brutus told Cassius that he worries that the public would overthrow the
republic if Caesar were to become king. Cassius concurred that although Caesar
is just a man, not even superior to Brutus or Cassius, he is worshipped like a
deity. Cassius also considers all of Caesar's physical flaws and wonders how
such a frail guy could be so strong. He simultaneously accuses Brutus and
himself of allowing Caesar to become powerful via our lack of will; the ascent
of such a man cannot be the result of fate. Caesar informs Antony that he has a
great deal of mistrust for Cassius after seeing him.
As Caesar
leaves, another politician, Casca, informs Brutus and Cassius that during the
celebration, Antony offered Caesar the crown three times while the crowd
applauded each time he declined. Then, as Cassius devises a scheme to entice
Brutus into a plot against Caesar, Brutus returns home to reflect on what
Cassius had said about Caesar's lack of suitability as a ruler.
Rome saw
erratic weather that evening, and a number of unfavourable omens and portents
occurred. Apparently written by Roman citizens concerned that Caesar has grown
too powerful, Brutus discovers letters at his home. In reality, Cassius planted
the letters because he knew Brutus would back the overthrow of Caesar if he
thought it was the people's will. Brutus, a fervent defender of the republic,
dreaded the prospect of an empire ruled by a dictator because he thought the
people would lose their voice. In essence, Cassius and his fellow conspirators
show up at Brutus' house, and everyone has decided to kill Caesar by luring him
out of his home. Brutus then says;
“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”.
Cassius also wants to murder
Antony, but Brutus is against it because he thinks that if too many people die,
their plot would become too unethical. The conspirators leave after deciding to
save Antony.
Caesar gets ready to address the
Senate. Calpurnia, his wife, begs him not to go, telling him of recent
nightmares she's had in which a statue of Caesar was streaming with blood and
happy men were dipping their hands in it. Caesar keeps on carrying out his
everyday activities and won't give in to dread. Consequently, the play
elaborates on it in these lines;
“Cowards
die many times before their deaths;
The
valiant never taste of death but once.”
After Calpurnia has finally
persuaded him to stay at home, Decius, one of the conspirators, shows up and
advises that Caesar go see Senet. Caesar, however, informs him of his wife's
dream;
“She
dreamt tonight she saw my statue,
Which,
like a fountain with an hundred spouts,
Did run
pure blood.”
Decius then persuades Caesar that
Calpurnia had erroneously interpreted her dreams and recent omens. In the
company of the conspirators, Caesar leaves for the Senate.
The oracle or soothsayer tries
once again but is unsuccessful in catching Caesar's notice as he makes his way
through the streets toward the Senate. Caesar is sent a letter from a citizen
alerting him of the conspirators, but he won't read it. The conspirators
address Caesar in front of the Senate while he is surrounded and they bow at
his feet. They stab him to death one by one. When Caesar recognises his close
friend Brutus among his killers, he gives up and passes away.
Caesar's assassins soaked their
hands and swords in his blood, making Calpurnia's vision a reality. After being
brought away, Antony sobs over Caesar's body. When Antony inquires as to the
motive behind the killing of Caesar, Brutus responds that he would outline it
in a funeral oration. Brutus agrees to Antony's request to speak over the
corpse as well, despite Cassius' continued mistrust of Antony. The conspirators
leave, leaving Antony alone, who makes a solemn proclamation about avenging
Caesar's death.
To address the crowd, Brutus and
Cassius travel to the Forum. To address a different section of the crowd,
Cassius leaves. Brutus tells the populace that while he adored Caesar, he loved
Rome more and that Caesar's ambition threatened Roman liberty. The speaker
calmed the audience. When Antony shows up with Caesar's body, Brutus surrenders
to him and leaves. As he keeps referring to Brutus as "an honourable
man," Antony's speech starts to sound more and more scornful. He questions
Brutus' claims that Caesar only acted out of ambition, pointing out that Caesar
brought Rome tremendous wealth and grandeur and turned down offers of the
throne three times. Then Antony reads the will of Caesar, which commands that
his private gardens be turned public and leaves a certain amount of money to
each citizen. The people are outraged that this kind man is dead and decide to
expel Brutus and Cassius from the city by labelling them, traitors.
In the meantime, Antony, Lepidus,
and Octavius, Caesar's adoptive son and chosen heir arrive in Rome and
establish a three-person alignment. They get ready to battle Brutus and
Cassius, who have been banished
and are assembling armies outside the city. After a contentious disagreement
about money and honour in the conspirators' camp, Brutus and Cassius make up
and continue to get ready for war with Antony and Octavius. The Ghost of Caesar
appears to Brutus that evening and tells him they will clash once again on the
battlefield.
Since he was Caesar's heir and
the forthcoming ruler of Rome, Octavius and Antony advanced their army in the direction of Brutus and Cassius.
Cassius heard that Brutus' troops weren't working hard enough and saw his own
men fleeing. Pindarus, one of Cassius's men, is dispatched to ascertain the
situation's status. Pindarus observes one of their leaders, Titinius, Cassius's
close friend, from a distance and deduces that he has been taken, prisoner. In
his desperation, Cassius gives Pindarus the order to kill him with his own
sword. He passes away saying that Caesar has been avenged. The individuals
surrounding him were actually his buddies, who were celebrating a victory he
had gained. At that point, Titinius himself shows there. When Titinius sees
Cassius's body, he kills himself out of grief for his friend.
With a heavy heart, Brutus learns
of Cassius and Titinius' deaths and gets ready to fight the Romans once more.
Brutus requests one of his soldiers to hold his sword while he impales himself
on it when his army is defeated. Arriving are Octavius and Antony. Brutus,
according to Antony, was the most honourable Roman ever. He notes that while
the other conspirators acted out of jealousy, Brutus genuinely thought his
actions were in the interests of Rome. Brutus is to be buried in the most
respectable manner, per Octavius' directive. The men then leave to enjoy their
success.
Themes of the Play
Ø Role of Fate
The
play's role of fate is yet another major element. Caesar is informed of an
impending disaster, which brings fate into the drama. Actually, Caesar's fate
is what the play is all about, despite the fact that he does little to prevent
it. The opposite is true for Cassius, who thinks he can alter his destiny. But until
he is forced to accept his fate, the chain of events he sets off doesn't come
to an end. Like Portia, the conspirators must meet their demise either on the
battlefield or by taking their own lives. As a result, it appears that the play
is more about the conflict between fate and people's free will, with most of
the characters being seen as playthings in the hands of fate.
Ø Omens
Another
important issue in the play is the significance of omens in Roman society at
the time it takes place. Shakespeare has demonstrated how much Romans believed
in omens and how they used such signs and symbols to predict their futures.
However, the aristocracy frequently overlooks these indications and castigates
the lower classes for their stupidity. Caesar dismisses the soothsayer's
warning to avoid the Ides of March and even forgets about it until his wife
Calpurnia informs him that she had a very horrible dream about him. Caesar
chooses to acknowledge his wife in some way by delaying his trip to the Senate.
Even Casca notices several omens and thinks they are indicators of Caesar's
imminent dictatorship.
Ø Power of Speech
The power
of communication is one of the play's secondary themes, illustrating how those
who talk persuasively have the ability to alter public attitudes. Once Brutus
has been persuaded, the conspirators feel their numbers have increased thanks
to Cassius's oratory skills, who persuades everyone that killing Caesar is the
appropriate thing to do in order to get rid of the tyrant and that the
plebeians would be pleased to do it. However, after they are finished, Mark
Antony demonstrates through his address at Caesar's burial that he has the
ability to alter public opinion just by his power of speech or eloquence.
Ø Identity
Another
tangential element of the play is identity. A person has a private identity in
addition to their public identity, and another identity is created by others
through manipulating both their public and private perceptions. Due to Caesar's
quick ascent to power, Cassius turns him into a despot. This makes it easier
for other conspirators to recruit Brutus and facilitates their task. Similar to
how Brutus does, Mark Antony presents Caesar as an ordinary person, erasing his
despotic image and replacing it with that of a wise leader.
Ø War and Ambition
War
fosters ambition, and wars stimulate ambition. Alongside peace and honour, this
theme also runs. Caesar's military tactics stoked the nation's war frenzy.
Every other Roman soldier is as ambitious as Caesar because he has triumphed in
so many battles and displayed bravery on so many different fronts. Therefore,
in order to gain more prestige, more wars are becoming necessary. The plotters'
desire to overthrow Caesar is what motivates them to do so.
Ø Limits of Human Understanding
The
limits of human knowledge become clear when a person like Caesar disregarded
signs and warnings that his life was in danger, despite his honour, courage,
boldness, and knowledge of things. He begins by disobeying the March Ides, the
soothsayer's foreboding. Then he mostly disregards his wife's cries. Even
Brutus makes the same error in interpreting the future as Mark Antony, which
has serious consequences for him.
Famous Quotes from Julius Caesar
1. “Cowards die many times before their
deaths;
The valiant never taste of death but once.”
Julius Caesar, Act 2, Scene 2.
2. “She dreamt tonight she saw my statue,
Which, like a fountain with an hundred spouts,
Did run pure blood.”
Caesar, Act 2, Scene 2.
3. “Men at some time are masters of their
fates;
The fault, dear Brutus, is not in stars,
But in ourselves, that we are underlings.”
Cassius, Act 1, Scene 2.
4. “You blocks, you stones, you worse than
senseless things,
O you hard hearts, you cruel men of Rome.
Knew you not Pompey?”
Murellus, Act 1, Scene 1.
5. “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.
6. “When beggars die there are no comets seen:
The heavens themselves blaze forth the death of prince.”
Calphurnia, Act 2, Scene 2.
7. “Seeing that death, a necessary end,
Will come when it will come.”
Caesar, Act 2, Scene 2.
8. “But I am constant as the Northern Star,
Of whose true fixed and resting quality
There is no fellow in the firmament.”
Caesar, Act 3, Scene 1.
9. “Let’s carve him as a dish fit for the
gods”. Brutus, Act 2, Scene 1.
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