Caesar

Shakespeare wrote The Tragedy of Julius Caesar in 1599. Like Romeo and Juliet, this play is a tragedy. You do not feel pity for the death of Caesar like you do for the two lovers, though. Caesar isn't an innocent man and his power has become corrupt. The play still captures human interest, but it is not for the sentimental romance of Romeo and Juliet. It is because the issues that the characters face are so applicable today. Julius Caesar deals with corrupt governments, one's conscience, doing what will be good for everyone rather than thinking about one's self, and the ability to change the populace's minds. It also reaches into the area of grandness and becoming too ambitious.

The title is a bit misleading because the play's focus is not really Caesar. Caesar is killed about halfway through the play. Most people will agree that Brutus is the true hero in Julius Caesar. The play is about the internal conflict in Brutus over whether or not he should kill a friend for the good of the Roman people. Brutus is someone who remains good from the beginning to the end of the play. In the final scene, Mark Antony even says, "This was the noblest Roman of them all," when looking down at Brutus.

Julius Caesar may seem a little slow and not as interesting as Romeo and Juliet, since it is not about teenagers or love. But Julius Caesar is considered one of the greatest tragedies, and you will realize that it is very moving in a different way. It would be wise to make a character list because there are many different people in the play. The play opens in Rome, 44 B.C. Caesar is at the height of his career, ruler of most of the known world.

[For some background on Julius Caesar, see this page on the history of Rome or a page on Caesar's life, Hero or Villain?]

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Summary

Assassination, war, ghosts, and (of course) suicide. What more can you want from a play? Those are the basics of Julius Caesar, believe it or not. The play opens in Rome, at a parade for the great Caesar who has defeated the enemies in battle. Two working men are interrupted by Marullus (tribune), who scolds them for celebrating Caesar, a man who has killed Pompey's sons. This is the first symbol that some of the populace is unhappy with Caesar.

While Caesar is parading through the streets, a soothsayer warns him, "Beware the Ides of March." Caesar dismisses this warning. Caesar is offered the crown three times (he is dictator for life not king), refusing it to the applause of the people. Meanwhile, Cassius is plotting to assassinate Caesar out of fear that Caesar is becoming to powerful.

Casca, Cinna, Decius Brutus, Trebonius, and Metellus Cimber join Cassius in his plot. Cassius wishes to convince Marcus Brutus to join the conspirators because Brutus is a well-respected man. Brutus does not want to because he thinks that Caesar is a good man and friend. However, his conscience keeps him awake during the night and forged letters from the conspirators urging him to join the plot finally convince Brutus that killing Caesar would be best for the people.

The next day, Calpurnia (Caesar's wife) urges Caesar not to go to the Capitol because she has had bad dreams. The priests also suggest that Caesar remain home because they did not find a heart in the beast. When Caesar finally agrees to remain at home, Decius Brutus reinterprets the dreams and tells Caesar to go. Caesar leaves for the Capitol with his "friends."

The soothsayer warns Caesar again that the Ides of March (March 15) has come. Caesar almost receives a warning about the conspiracy from Artemidorus, but Caesar refuses to read it. Setting up a fake plea, the conspirators kill Caesar. (This is the assassination part.) Cassius stabs him first and Brutus last. Caesar, seeing his friend Brutus among the conspirators, says his famous words, "Et tu, Brute?" This means "And you, Brutus?" He can't believe that even his good friend betrayed him.

Freedom is what the conspirators wanted. Freedom is not what they got. Mark Antony, Caesar's faithful friend, was not killed under Brutus' orders ("Our course will seem too bloody, Caius Cassius"). Pretending to be the conspirators' friend, Antony is even allowed to speak at Caesar's funeral. Brutus delivers the first speech at the funeral. He is honest and wins the peoples' hearts and voices quickly. In a matter of minutes, the populace has forgotten their devotion to Caesar. They now exalt Brutus as their leader.

And then Antony speaks. Almost everyone knows at least the beginning of Antony's famous speech. "Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears; I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him." In his speech, he stirs the people up to love Caesar once again and hate the conspirators. The people rise up in mutiny, causing civil war in Rome. (This is the war part.) They go through the streets looking to murder the conspirators, even killing a poor poet who happened to have the same name as Cinna the conspirator. Brutus and Cassius flee Rome. Octavius and Lepidus join Antony to form the Second Triumvirate. They make a list of people that they must kill.

While Brutus and Cassius are forming armies to fight those of Antony and Octavius, Brutus learns that his wife has committed suicide. (Suicide #1) Being a Stoic, he does not show much emotion. Brutus and Cassius also get into a few fights. During the night, Brutus has a difficult time falling asleep. He encounters Caesar's ghost who says that he is "thy evil spirit." (The ghost part.)

Insults and fighting between Brutus/Cassius and Antony/Octavius. Since Brutus' forces defeated Octavius' forces, Brutus' servant Titinius is sent off. Cassius' servant mistakenly takes Titinius' celebration as capture by the enemy. Cassius makes his servant stab him. (Suicide #2) Titinius arrives at Cassius' place to tell him the good news and finds him dead. So, Titinius commits suicide. (Suicide #3)

Next, some of Brutus' friends are killed. Brutus believes that he is to die soon since Caesar's ghost appeared to him again. He tries to get his servants to kill him, but they refuse. As the enemies approach, Strato agrees to hold Brutus' sword out. Brutus runs into the sword and dies, but not before addressing Caesar one last time. His last words are "Caesar, now be still." (Suicide #4)

Antony and his men find the dead Brutus. Antony looks at him and believes that Brutus was truly a man. Unlike the others, he did