![]() Meanwhile, Brutus has decided to go ahead and kill his friend Caesar because the man might become a complete tyrant if he gains more power. He sends someone to plant fake letters from Roman commoners urging Brutus to eliminate Caesar, and attends a meeting that night to plot Caesar's death. Cassius, who interprets these omens to mean that Caesar must be taken down, continues to plot against Caesar. ![]() This made the "stinking" crowd go nuts.Ī month passes, which means we're approaching the "Ides of March." (Cue the ominous music.) Casca and Cicero are running around in a violent thunderstorm and comment on all the crazy stuff that's been happening in Rome lately: a lion was roaming around and a bunch of men in flames were spotted walking around the streets. Not only that, but Caesar acted like a total drama queen and fainted (or pretended to) the third time Antony offered him the crown. Casca is mad, because each time Caesar pretended he didn't want the crown, which made the crowd of plebeians (common folk) love him even more. If you read the play closely, there's some evidence that Brutus has already been thinking about getting rid of Caesar, because he confesses that he's been "at war" with himself, meaning something's been bothering him.)īrutus and Cassius run into Casca, a conspirator, who reports that Antony just offered Caesar the crown three times. Brutus says he gets what Cassius is saying, but he is also good friends with Caesar, so he needs a little time to think about things before he makes any decisions. Without coming right out and saying so directly, Cassius (who has been plotting against Caesar with a group of conspirators) suggests that maybe Brutus should lead Rome. Cassius is all bent out of shape because he thinks Caesar is running around acting like a king. While Caesar parties with his fans, Brutus and Cassius huddle together and talk trash about him. Caesar looks at the soothsayer and is all "whatever man." Caesar is chilling at the festival with his entourage when a soothsayer runs up and says "beware the Ides of March" (meaning, "hey, watch your back on March 15"). Meanwhile, the festival of the Lupercal (a big party where people run around in goatskin g-strings in the middle of February) is in full swing. Caesar seems headed toward absolute power, which is a big no-no in the Roman Republic. ![]() Now back to the play.Īs Caesar parades through the streets of Rome like a rock star, the higher-ups in Rome are nervous about his growing power and his popularity with the commoners, who have abandoned their work to celebrate Caesar's triumphant return. So Caesar tracked down Pompey's sons in Spain and stomped them out at the Battle of Munda in 45 B.C. But Caesar still had a problem: Pompey's sons were determined to avenge their father's death and overthrow Caesar. When he tried to run away to Egypt in 48 B.C., he was assassinated. Then Caesar and Pompey got into a big fight. "Pompey the Great") was a member of the "first triumvirate," and he and Caesar used to share power over Rome. When the play opens, Julius Caesar has just returned to Rome after defeating the sons of Pompey in battle.īefore we go any further, let's pause for a brief Roman history lesson.
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