Julius Caesar: Act One, Scene One Study Notes

Julius Caesar: Act One, Scene One

Characters Introduced

  • Tribunes: Flavius and Marullus
  • Citizens: Various unnamed citizens, including a carpenter and a cobbler.

Setting

  • Location: A street in Rome during a laboring day, noted by Flavius and Marullus.
  • Time Context: The citizens are celebrating a holiday while Flavius and Marullus express anger towards them.

Key Dialogue and Themes

Flavius' Opening Remarks

  • Flavius: "Hence! Home, you idle creatures get you home:"

    • Interpretation: Flavius commands the citizens to return home, labeling them as idle and suggesting their presence in the street is inappropriate for a workday.

  • Flavius: "Is this a holiday? What! Know you not, -"

    • Meaning: He is incredulous that the citizens do not recognize the significance of the day.
Occupations of Citizens

  • Flavius Inquires: "What trade art thou?"

    • Context: He questions the first citizen to understand why they are not working.

  • First Citizen's Response: "Why, sir, a carpenter."

  • Marullus' Follow-Up: "Where is thy leather apron and thy rule? What dost thou with thy best apparel on?"

    • Interpretation: Marullus challenges the first citizen on the appropriateness of his attire as a carpenter, expecting him to wear work clothes.
Exchanging occupations and Words

  • Second Citizen: "Truly, sir, in respect of a fine workman, I am but, as you would say, a cobbler."

    • Context: He identifies himself as a cobbler but downplays his profession in comparison to the skilled carpenter.

  • Marullus Commands: "But what trade art thou? answer me directly."

  • Second Citizen's Playful Response: "A trade, sir, that, I hope, I may use with a safe conscience; which is, indeed, sir, a mender of bad soles."

    • Pun Explanation: The citizen makes a pun on 'soles' (the soles of shoes) and 'souls', indicating his profession as a cobbler while humorously suggesting a moral character (mending souls).
Dialogical Tension

  • Marullus' Frustration: "What meanest thou by that? mend me, thou saucy fellow!"

    • Analysis: Marullus feels insulted and provoked by the citizen's clever banter, showcasing the socioeconomic divide and the lower class's cleverness despite their station.

  • Second Citizen's Retort: "Nay, I beseech you, sir, be not out with me: yet, if you be out, sir, I can mend you."

    • Context: The citizen humorously implies that he can mend both shoes and perhaps Marullus's temperament, sustaining the pun.

Analysis of Language and Themes

  • Mechanical vs. Non-Mechanical, Social Status: The citizens' attire and their profession become symbols of social status, work ethics, and the expectations of society. The tribunes express contempt for the citizens’ idleness during a workday.
  • Pun and Wit: The exchanges show a use of pun which highlights the cleverness of the common folk even in the face of authority, and it adds depth to the interactions.
Footnotes on Terms and Puns
  • Mechanical: Referring to ordinary manual workers, highlighting the distinction between different societal roles.
  • Sign of your Profession: Indicates a broader commentary on identity and the visibility of one’s work or trade in public life.
  • Naughty: Used to describe a good-for-nothing individual, referencing the state's control over citizen behavior.
  • Out: Implies annoyance or anger, when the second citizen humorously attempts to twist this meaning into something less hostile.

Conclusion

This opening scene establishes the tension between the ruling class and the common citizens, sets the tone for the political discourse in the play, and introduces critical themes of class, identity, and social commentary through witty dialogue.