Julius Caesar Act II

Setting: Brutus is in his orchard. He took his garden as a place for conspirators to meet.

Page 17
BRUTUS
“Lucius, I say!— I would it were my fault to sleep so soundly.—
When, Lucius, when? Awake, I say! What, Lucius!”
I wish I had the weakness of sleeping too deeply. Come, Lucius, come! Wake up, I say! Lucius!

BRUTUS
“It must be by his death,…..shell”
Killing Caesar is the only way. As for me, I have no personal reason to harm him other than the
common good of the people. If we crown him king, then—I admit—we’d be giving him a power
that he could use to do evil things. To be honest about Caesar, it's a basic truth that an ambitious
young man uses humility as a tool to move up the ladder, then, when he gets to the top rung, he
turns his back on those beneath him. Caesar might do the same. If he got more power, his
character would be transformed into the extreme. Therefore, we should think of him as a serpent’s
egg—which, once it's hatched, grows dangerous, just as all serpents do. So we must kill him
while he’s still in the shell
Analysis
This soliloquy reflects his inner conflict. As Brutus paces back and forth in his garden, he comes
to the realization that Caesar must die. He shares his thoughts with the audience through a
soliloquy.
Brutus feels that murder is wrong and so must find a way to justify his actions. It's not for
personal reasons that he will do it, but for the general; that is, for the good of the people of Rome.
Figurative language:
Simile: Brutus compares Caesar to the egg of a serpent “which, hatched, would as his kind grow
mischievous”; thus, he determines to “kill him in the shell”
Page 18
“Brutus, thou sleep’st……“Brutus, thou sleep’st. Awake.”

1
Brutus reads the letter, which accuses him of sleeping while Rome is threatened. All letters stress
on Brutus taking an action against Caesar’s tyranny.

Page 19
BRUTUS
They are the faction. O conspiracy, Shamest thou to show thy dangerous brow by night
When evils are most free?
It’s the group that wants to kill Caesar. Oh, conspiracy, are you ashamed to show your face even
at night, when evil things appear?
Analysis:
Although Brutus has decided to be one of the conspirators, he knows that what they plan is
wrong. He knows very well that their intentions are different from his.
Page 20
CASSIUS
“And let us swear our resolution.”
Now we should swear to our plan.
Brutus
No, not an oath……And every man hence to his idle bed.
No, no swearing. If the unhappy faces of the men around us, and the corruption of our current
time aren’t motivating enough, then we should break it off now and each one of us of us go back
and rest in bed.
Analysis
Brutus stops them, and begins by a sort of negative persuasion to fix their resolve and establish
himself as leader. He takes away what Cassius says, and then fills it with his own voice.
Page 21
DECIUS
“Shall no man else be touched but only Caesar?”
Should Caesar be the only one we target?
CASSIUS
“Decius, well urged. I think it is not meet …. Let Antony and Caesar fall together.”
2
Good point, Decius. I think it would be a bad idea to allow Mark Antony to outlive Caesar, since
Caesar loves Antony so dearly. We’ll find that he is a cunning schemer. And, as you know, if he
took advantage of his wealth and reputation, he could hurt us all. To prevent this, let Antony die
along with Caesar.

BRUTUS
“Our course will seem too bloody, Caius Cassius…. Let us be sacrificers but not butchers,
Caius.”
Caius Cassius, it will seem too bloody if we cut off Caesar’s head and then also hack off his arms
and legs—because Mark Antony is just one of Caesar’s arms. We want to be sacrificers of Caesar
out of necessity, not butchers who are just out for blood.
“And for Mark Antony, think not of him, For he can do no more than Caesar’s arm
When Caesar’s head is off.”q
As for Mark Antony—don’t think about him. He'll be able to do nothing more as Caesar's right-
hand man once Caesar’s head is cut off.
Figurative language:
Meiosis: underestimating Antony’s power, he compared him to a limb that won’t have any
importance once the head of the body is removed.
This image can also be a metaphor; comparing Antony to a body limb to show that he is just a
follower to Caesar.
Page 22
CASSIUS
“But it is doubtful yet……May hold him from the Capitol today.”
But it's still not certain that Caesar will leave his house today. He’s become superstitious lately—
a total shift from the opinions he used to hold about fortune-tellers, dream interpreters, and rites
meant to tell the future. It might be that these strange omens, the unusual terror of this night, and
the advice of his fortune-tellers will stop him from coming to the Capitol today.
DECIUS
“Never fear that. If he be so resolved, and men with flatterers.”
Don’t worry about that. If that's what he's planning, I can persuade him otherwise. He loves to
hear me tell him how unicorns can be captured with trickery around trees, bears with glasses,
elephants in holes, and lions with nets—just as men can be tricked by flattering his bravery.

3
Analysis
Decious decided to play on Caesar’s ego.
Figurative language:
Metaphor: Caesar is compared to unicorns can be captured with trickery around trees, bears with
glasses, elephants in holes, and lions with nets—Caesar can be tricked by flatterers.

The conspirators depart, Brutus suggesting that they try to behave like actors and hide
their true feelings and intentions.
Page 23
Brutus’s wife, Portia, enters the garden. She wonders what has been worrying Brutus, for his
behavior has been strange. He says that he has felt unwell. She asks why he refuses to tell her his
concerns, insisting that, as his wife, she should be told about his problems and assuring him that
she will keep his secrets. Brutus replies that he wishes he were worthy of such an honorable wife.
They hear a knock at the door, and Brutus sends her away with a promise to talk to her later.
Character Analysis of:
Brutus
 Ironically, Brutus is the first character in the play to explicitly state that Caesar must be
killed.
 Unlike the other conspirators, he isn’t concerned about the personal repercussions of the
act, but about whether killing Caesar is the right thing to do for Rome.
 Brutus’s commitment to killing Caesar is motivated by his sense of moral duty, so he is
disturbed by the secretive, underhanded behavior of his co-conspirators.
 However, Brutus’s objection to have Cicero with them, shows that he’s emerging as a
leader of the conspirators. It also further illustrates his commitment to principle rather than
mere populism.
 Brutus rejects the idea of murdering Mark Antony on the grounds that it’s motivated not by
duty to Rome (like their murder of Caesar), but by blind wrath and bloodthirst.
 Brutus is not a politician by nature, he is an idealist, even when he turns to a conspirator, he
shows nobility and self-denial. His main concern is the welfare of Rome.

Themes
 Theme of conspiracy is extended in act II scene I, yet it takes a bloody image. This image
of nobility disappears rather abruptly as the conspirators return to the details of the plan.
 The conspirators are up to no good, yet they attempt to lend credibility to what they do by
calling on their noble Roman ancestry — their blood — in order to spill Caesar's blood.

4
Nobility:
 Brutus thinks only cowards and deceivers would swear, and to swear would be to taint
what they do. This is how Brutus convinces his men.
 Brutus opposes the idea of killing Caesar’s close confidant, Antony, on the grounds that
this would make the conspirators mere butchers. This suggests that it’s difficult for morality
to withstand political ambitions of any kind.

Scene II
Page 26
Setting: Caesar's house during a night of thunder and lightning.
CAESAR
“Nor heaven nor earth have been at peace tonight. Help, ho! They murder Caesar!”
Neither the sky nor the earth have been at peace tonight. Three times Calphurnia cried out in her
sleep, “Help, help! They’re murdering Caesar!
Analysis
 Omens continue to fill the sky. Calpurnia's apparent gift for prophecy aligns her with the
supernatural elements of the play.
 Calpurnia dreams that Caesar’s statue spurts blood, in which Romans happily bathe
themselves.
Page 27
CAESAR
“What can be avoided……Are to the world in general as to Caesar.”
Who can avoid what the gods want to happen? Still, Caesar will go out. These omens have to do
with the world in general as much as they have to do with Caesar.
Analysis
 Caesar suspects that the omens are for him and that Calpurnia is right, but he wants to
appear powerful, so he has to venture out of the house anyway.
 He is trapped by his strong self-image. He justifies his behavior by claiming that fate is
inevitable, and that the signs don’t necessarily apply to him.
Calpurnia
5
Alas, my lord,
“Your wisdom is consumed in confidence…..Let me, upon my knee, prevail in this.”
Alas, my lord, your arrogance is overwhelming your wisdom. Don’t go out today. Say that it’s my
fear that keeps you inside, and not your own. We’ll send Mark Antony to the Senate, and he’ll say
that you’re not feeling well today. [She kneels] Here on my knees, let me convince you.

Page 28
DECIUS
“This dream is all amiss interpreted…..This by Calphurnia’s dream is signified.”
This dream has been interpreted all wrong. It was a wonderful, lucky vision. Your statue spouting
fountains of blood, in which so many smiling Romans bathed, means that you will give great
Rome the blood that will keep it alive. And it means that great men will beg you to give your
blood to them as signs of your approval. This is what Calphurnia’s dream means.
Analysis
Decius picks up on Caesar’s superstition and fear by offering a flattering interpretation of the
dream that will compel Caesar to go anyway.
Themes
Fate versus free will
Decius persuades Caesar to leave the house despite Calpurnia’s warnings—suggesting that he was
determined to do so anyway.

6
Questions:
1) Compare and contrast between Portia and Calpurnia’s characters.
Portia and Calpurnia were both noble women during Julius Caesar's time period. Yet, they
have their own similarities and differences.

Calpurnia is not so well-husbanded. She is fearful, and sets her opinion on her fears. Her
ability to convince him to stay at home serves to show him weak and superstitious. She appeals to
Caesar with dreams and omens. Still, there is truth in Calphurnia's dreams and real caring for her
husband in her attempts to keep him from going to the Capitol. Her fault lies in her shrewish
nature.

On the contrary, Portia is much braver. She is quick to ask her husband about his worries
Portia relationship with her husband is clearly one of intimacy and respect. She speaks openly and
forces him to speak to her. Her conversation with Brutus offers the audience a view of Brutus’s
doubts about the plan to assassinate Caesar. Her strength appears when she her case with logic.

However, they are similar in one aspect. Both are not key factors in the lives of their
husbands. They represent the roles of wives during that time. Their influence on their husbands
are the same. They are women, and women are to stay at home, and men take the decisions.

7
 The two female characters feel terrified not for themselves, but for their husbands’ sake. In
brief, they In short, they are two minor characters in Shakespeare’s play.

2) Explain the theme of fate versus man’s will.

“Julius Caesar” raises many questions about the force of fate in life versus the capacity for free
will.

When Calphurnia implores Caesar not to leave home for the day, Caesar replies that no one can
alter the plans of the gods and that he will go out. He contends that the fear of death is senseless
because men cannot avoid it. He believes cowards die many times before their deaths, but brave
ones only die once.

Cassius refuses to accept Caesar’s rising power and deems a belief in fate to be nothing more than
a form of passivity or cowardice. He says to Brutus men can be masters of their fate. Their
problem is not destiny, but themselves.

As far as the conspirators are concerned, everything depends upon them. Decius suggests that the
senate will ridicule Caesar for being governed by his wife's dreams, Caesar expresses shame for
having been swayed by Calphurnia's foolish fears. He declares that he will go to the Capitol.
Decius reinterprets the dream for him and convinces him that it is a good omen.

8
This suggests a world where events come about as a result of free will.