Julius Caesar Acts 2/3 Study Guide
Quote | Who says it? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
“Make me acquainted with the cause of your grief” | Portia to Brutus | Portia wants to know what is troubling Brutus as his wife and confidante |
“For Antony is but a limb of Caesar” | Brutus to Conspirators | Brutus is convincing the conspirators to spare Antony in the name of justice since he is just a pawn of Caesar’s, killing Caesar will fix him. |
“When beggars die, there are no comets seen, the heavens themselves blaze forth the death of princes” | Calpurnia, to Caesar | When a simple plebeian dies, nobody cares, but if someone as important as Caesar dies, havoc ensues (used to justify that her dream/bad omens are about Caesar) |
“Given to sports, wildness, and much company” | Brutus -- describing Antony, to Conspirators | Again, Brutus convinces the Conspirators that Antony is just a pawn of Caesar’s who does not cause much harm for the conspiracy |
Ides of march-- Brutus has been up all night worried
Talks to his servant Lucius
Brutus makes many things clear:
They will not stain the conspiracy with any type of oath, the strength of their cause will hold them together
They will not involve Cicero to their plan because he is too individualistic and may do his own thing
Does not want to kill Mark Antony-- Antony is just a pawn of Caesar’s (Antony will be powerless without Caesar)
Portia enters, upset that Brutus hasn’t confided in her-- as his wife, she should know his secrets.
She cuts her thigh to prove her faithfulness and commitment
Brutus promises to tell her the details later
Caesar is determined to go to the senate
Calpurnia cries out in the middle of the night-- “They murder Caesar!”
Dreams that his statue ran with blood, the romans bathing in it, finding no heart in the beast (the storm is also raging)
Caesar decides to stay home
Decius arrives to get Caesar-- Decius rereads the dream as a sign that Caesar’s blood is nourishing and changing rome
Also says that the senators will taunt him for listening to his wife and staying home instead of working-- using misogyny
Caesar changes his mind and goes
This scene details Artimedorus’s letter
Names each conspirator and warns Caesar of them
Portia sends Lucius to senate to get info on how Brutus and Caesar are -- hates that she cannot do anything about it
“I have a man’s mind, but a woman’s might.”
She has resolve but has limitations as a woman
Portia calls a soothsayer, who like Artimedorus, says he will wait on the side of the road and warn Caesar that it is the ides of march
She knows the conspiracy and supports it (or at least does not want to stop it)
Quote | Analysis |
|---|---|
“Come I to speak in Caesar’s funeral.He was my friend, faithful and just to me,But Brutus says he was ambitious,And Brutus is an honorable man.He hath brought many captives home to Rome,Whose ransoms did the general coffers fill.Did this in Caesar seem ambitious?When that the poor have cried, Caesar hath wept;Ambition should be made of sterner stuff.Yet Brutus says he was ambitious,And Brutus is an honorable man”(III.ii.93-103). | Verbal Irony -- says he thinks Brutus is an honorable man, but contradicts all of Brutus’s ideas throughout the speech |
“Judge, O you gods, how dearly Caesar loved him! | Pathos -- Sways the plebeians using emotional word choice (dearly, unkindest, ingratitude, traitors) to paint Brutus in a bad light |
“Who is here so base that would be a bondsman? If any, speak, for him have I offended. Who here is so rude that would not be Roman? If any, speak, for him have I offended. Who here so vile that will not love his country? If any, speak, for him have I offended. I pause for a reply” (III. ii. 30-36). | Parallel structure, repetition, the rhetorical question-- parallel structure/repetition creates a good chronology, and the rhetorical questions convey his point |
“Good friends, go in and taste some wine with me, And we, like friends, will straightaway go together” (II.ii.134-135). | Dramatic irony -- we know these so-called “friends” are planning to kill Caesar |
“Good friends, sweet friends, let me not stir you up to such a sudden flood of mutiny [...] I am no orator, as Brutus is, But as you know me all, a plain blunt man that love my friend, and that they know full well that gave me public leave to speak of him” (III. ii. 222-233). | Verbal irony -- wants to create a civil war but acts like he is all peaceful, creates tension, lies about his permissions to speak |
Caesar enters capitol, prepares to commence with senate stuff
Artimedorus asks if his letter can be read first-- Caesar refuses
He first hears Metullus cimber, who distracts Caesar by asking for his banished brother, Publius, to be returned
Brutus and Cassius repeat the appeal, and kneel before Caesar-- Caesar refuses to reverse the banishment
Casca then stabs Caesar and everyone falls too
Caesar’s final words -- et tu, brute? (you too, brutus)
Antony pledges his loyalty to Brutus now
Antony shakes everyone’s bloody hands at an ally, asks if he can take Caesar’s body and speak at the funeral
Brutus agrees, but Cassius does not want Antony speaking in fear that he will paint the conspirators in a bad light
Brutus makes his agreement conditional: you can speak only if you don’t badmouth the conspiracy
Octavius is coming (adopted son of Caesar)
Antony sends word that Octavius should wait until rome is safe
Romans want ANSWERS!
BRUTUS’S SPEECH:
This is not a matter of whether I like caesar or not- it’s a matter of what’s best for rome
Would you rather be slaves? Do you love your country?
Slewed Caesar because of his ambition
Uses logos, ethos, rhetorical questions, and parallel structure/repition a lot
Gets the crowd engaged
ANTONY’S SPEECH:
Argues that Caesar was sympathetic, friendly, provided for Rome, and refused the crown 3 times -- is this ambition?
Stops to cry- uses pathos to get the audience feeling like Caesar’s death was an injustice
Uses the will, says he can’t read it because he wants to obey the “honorable” senators
Crowd is on Antony’s side-- calls conspirators traitors
Antony tells everyone to wait -- revealed that Caesar left his land to the people and left money for conspirators
Uses pathos, ethos, parallel structure, and repetition
Cinna the Poet dreams of eating with Caesar on his way to the funeral-- is it an omen?
Runs into 4 plebeians -- asks for name, says Cinna, the plebeians yell to kill him because he’s a conspirator
Cinna defends himself, saying he is Cinna the poet, not Cinna the conspirator
Plebeians kill him anyway since the name Cinna is stained
“Tear him to pieces for his bad verses”
Depicts the results of Antony’s speech
Quote | Who says it? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
“Make me acquainted with the cause of your grief” | Portia to Brutus | Portia wants to know what is troubling Brutus as his wife and confidante |
“For Antony is but a limb of Caesar” | Brutus to Conspirators | Brutus is convincing the conspirators to spare Antony in the name of justice since he is just a pawn of Caesar’s, killing Caesar will fix him. |
“When beggars die, there are no comets seen, the heavens themselves blaze forth the death of princes” | Calpurnia, to Caesar | When a simple plebeian dies, nobody cares, but if someone as important as Caesar dies, havoc ensues (used to justify that her dream/bad omens are about Caesar) |
“Given to sports, wildness, and much company” | Brutus -- describing Antony, to Conspirators | Again, Brutus convinces the Conspirators that Antony is just a pawn of Caesar’s who does not cause much harm for the conspiracy |
Ides of march-- Brutus has been up all night worried
Talks to his servant Lucius
Brutus makes many things clear:
They will not stain the conspiracy with any type of oath, the strength of their cause will hold them together
They will not involve Cicero to their plan because he is too individualistic and may do his own thing
Does not want to kill Mark Antony-- Antony is just a pawn of Caesar’s (Antony will be powerless without Caesar)
Portia enters, upset that Brutus hasn’t confided in her-- as his wife, she should know his secrets.
She cuts her thigh to prove her faithfulness and commitment
Brutus promises to tell her the details later
Caesar is determined to go to the senate
Calpurnia cries out in the middle of the night-- “They murder Caesar!”
Dreams that his statue ran with blood, the romans bathing in it, finding no heart in the beast (the storm is also raging)
Caesar decides to stay home
Decius arrives to get Caesar-- Decius rereads the dream as a sign that Caesar’s blood is nourishing and changing rome
Also says that the senators will taunt him for listening to his wife and staying home instead of working-- using misogyny
Caesar changes his mind and goes
This scene details Artimedorus’s letter
Names each conspirator and warns Caesar of them
Portia sends Lucius to senate to get info on how Brutus and Caesar are -- hates that she cannot do anything about it
“I have a man’s mind, but a woman’s might.”
She has resolve but has limitations as a woman
Portia calls a soothsayer, who like Artimedorus, says he will wait on the side of the road and warn Caesar that it is the ides of march
She knows the conspiracy and supports it (or at least does not want to stop it)
Quote | Analysis |
|---|---|
“Come I to speak in Caesar’s funeral.He was my friend, faithful and just to me,But Brutus says he was ambitious,And Brutus is an honorable man.He hath brought many captives home to Rome,Whose ransoms did the general coffers fill.Did this in Caesar seem ambitious?When that the poor have cried, Caesar hath wept;Ambition should be made of sterner stuff.Yet Brutus says he was ambitious,And Brutus is an honorable man”(III.ii.93-103). | Verbal Irony -- says he thinks Brutus is an honorable man, but contradicts all of Brutus’s ideas throughout the speech |
“Judge, O you gods, how dearly Caesar loved him! | Pathos -- Sways the plebeians using emotional word choice (dearly, unkindest, ingratitude, traitors) to paint Brutus in a bad light |
“Who is here so base that would be a bondsman? If any, speak, for him have I offended. Who here is so rude that would not be Roman? If any, speak, for him have I offended. Who here so vile that will not love his country? If any, speak, for him have I offended. I pause for a reply” (III. ii. 30-36). | Parallel structure, repetition, the rhetorical question-- parallel structure/repetition creates a good chronology, and the rhetorical questions convey his point |
“Good friends, go in and taste some wine with me, And we, like friends, will straightaway go together” (II.ii.134-135). | Dramatic irony -- we know these so-called “friends” are planning to kill Caesar |
“Good friends, sweet friends, let me not stir you up to such a sudden flood of mutiny [...] I am no orator, as Brutus is, But as you know me all, a plain blunt man that love my friend, and that they know full well that gave me public leave to speak of him” (III. ii. 222-233). | Verbal irony -- wants to create a civil war but acts like he is all peaceful, creates tension, lies about his permissions to speak |
Caesar enters capitol, prepares to commence with senate stuff
Artimedorus asks if his letter can be read first-- Caesar refuses
He first hears Metullus cimber, who distracts Caesar by asking for his banished brother, Publius, to be returned
Brutus and Cassius repeat the appeal, and kneel before Caesar-- Caesar refuses to reverse the banishment
Casca then stabs Caesar and everyone falls too
Caesar’s final words -- et tu, brute? (you too, brutus)
Antony pledges his loyalty to Brutus now
Antony shakes everyone’s bloody hands at an ally, asks if he can take Caesar’s body and speak at the funeral
Brutus agrees, but Cassius does not want Antony speaking in fear that he will paint the conspirators in a bad light
Brutus makes his agreement conditional: you can speak only if you don’t badmouth the conspiracy
Octavius is coming (adopted son of Caesar)
Antony sends word that Octavius should wait until rome is safe
Romans want ANSWERS!
BRUTUS’S SPEECH:
This is not a matter of whether I like caesar or not- it’s a matter of what’s best for rome
Would you rather be slaves? Do you love your country?
Slewed Caesar because of his ambition
Uses logos, ethos, rhetorical questions, and parallel structure/repition a lot
Gets the crowd engaged
ANTONY’S SPEECH:
Argues that Caesar was sympathetic, friendly, provided for Rome, and refused the crown 3 times -- is this ambition?
Stops to cry- uses pathos to get the audience feeling like Caesar’s death was an injustice
Uses the will, says he can’t read it because he wants to obey the “honorable” senators
Crowd is on Antony’s side-- calls conspirators traitors
Antony tells everyone to wait -- revealed that Caesar left his land to the people and left money for conspirators
Uses pathos, ethos, parallel structure, and repetition
Cinna the Poet dreams of eating with Caesar on his way to the funeral-- is it an omen?
Runs into 4 plebeians -- asks for name, says Cinna, the plebeians yell to kill him because he’s a conspirator
Cinna defends himself, saying he is Cinna the poet, not Cinna the conspirator
Plebeians kill him anyway since the name Cinna is stained
“Tear him to pieces for his bad verses”
Depicts the results of Antony’s speech
