The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare

The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare



Outline

Ø Introduction

Ø Characters of Julius Caesar

Ø Summary of the Play

Ø Themes of the Play

Ø 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


Famous Roman General Julius Caesar was. The faction of Caesar's opponent, Pompey, has just been vanquished at the start of the play. Despite the fact that he turned down Mark Antony's offer of the throne three times, his supporters still want to make him king. Others do not want this to happen because they are worried that Caesar will establish a tyranny over Rome and that Brutus, Cassius, and the other conspirators will have to murder him to prevent this. Caesar is a complicated person. Caesar has epilepsy and is deaf in one ear, which contradicts his reputation for strength. Despite the fact that his assassination is allegedly caused by his ambition.

Calpurnia

Calpurnia, Julius Caesar's wife, is one of a number of characters who frequently caution Caesar that he may be in grave danger as a result of different signs and omens. Only Calpurnia can convince Caesar to follow these cautions, even for a brief period of time, when she begs him to stay at home. She informs Caesar about a dream she had that foretold what would happen when he went to the Senate and was stabbed by the conspirators. In the dream, Caesar's statue was covered in blood.


Brutus

One of the play's main characters. A close friend of Caesar who feels that in order to protect Rome, he must rebel against Caesar. If that buddy asks me why I rose up against Caesar, I will respond, not because I love Caesar any less, but because I love Rome even more, as he declared in his speech.




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

Caesar's devoted friend and supporter. After Caesar's murder, he made a speech in Caesar's favour. In addition, he led the troops that overcame Brutus and the other conspirators.



Octavius

In Julius Caesar, Octavius is a little player. The heir and nephew of Julius Caesar. When Caesar died, he was a 19-year-old student in Athens. To beat Brutus on the Plains of Philippi, he fought alongside Antony. He triumphed over Cassius and Brutus.


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

Roman citizens were strolling the streets to see Julius Caesar's triumphal procession at the beginning of this tale. because Caesar had vanquished Pompey's sons, a fallen Roman general. Caesar arrived with Brutus, Cassius, and Antony, his military and political leaders. Sadly, Caesar disregarded the oracle and continued on with his ritual despite it when one of the prophesiers or oracles warned him to be cautious on March 15th.

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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