In the field, Lucillius pretends that he is Brutus, and the Romans capture him. Antony orders his men to go see if the real Brutus is alive or dead and to treat their prisoner well. Brutus sits with his few remaining men. He asks them to hold his sword so that he may run against it and kill himself. The Ghost of Caesar has appeared to him on the battlefield, he says, and he believes that the time has come for him to die.
His men urge him to flee; he demurs, telling them to begin the retreat, and that he will catch up later. He then asks one of his men to stay behind and hold the sword so that he may yet die honorably. Antony enters with Octavius, Messala, Lucillius, and the rest of their army. Brutus was a worthy citizen, a rare example of a real man. Octavius adds that they should bury him in the most honorable way and orders the body to be taken to his tent. The men depart to celebrate their victory.
Brutus preserves his noble bravery to the end: unlike the cowardly Cassius, who has his slave stab him while he, Cassius, covers his face, Brutus decides calmly on his death and impales himself on his own sword.
Additionally, whereas the dead Cassius is immediately abandoned by a lowly slave, the dead Brutus is almost immediately celebrated by his enemy as the noblest of Romans. Notably, Brutus is also the only character in the play to interpret correctly the signs auguring his death. When the Ghost of Caesar appears to him on the battlefield, he unflinchingly accepts his defeat and the inevitability of his death.
How does Antony use irony in his funeral speech? What is the pun Antony uses in line of Scene 3? How does Antony say that Caesar died? What is the news that the messenger brings to Antony at the end of the scene? Why is Cinna out on the streets? What is the excuse the mob uses to kill Cinna? Act IV, Scene Why are Antony, Octavius, and Lepidus together in the scene? How does Shakespeare show their callousness? Why did Antony pick Lepidus as one of the new leaders of Rome?
What does Antony compare Lepidus to? What news does Antony tell Octavius about Brutus and Cassius? Act IV, Scenes 2 and 3. Why does Brutus tell Cassius to come into his tent? Why is Cassius angry with Brutus? Why is Brutus angry with Cassius? What is the advice given to Cassius and Brutus by the poet? What is the news from Rome? What reasons does Brutus give for his plan?
What does the ghost of Caesar tell Brutus? Act V, Scene What does Octavius report to Antony in the opening lines of the scene? What is the cause of the disagreement between Antony and Octavius?
How does Antony insult Cassius and Brutus? Why is Cassius reluctant to fight the battle? What are the omens he has observed? Why would it be ironic if Cassius dies in the battle? Why is Brutus anxious for the battle to begin? Act V, Scenes 2 and 3. What order does Brutus give Messala in the battle? How does Cassius try to prevent the retreat? What news does Pindarus bring the retreating Cassius? What does Pindarus describe? What request does Cassius make of Pindarus? What is ironic about the way Cassius dies?
What is the message Titinius has for Cassius? How does Titinius show his high regard for Cassius? Act V, Scenes 4 and What happens to young Cato? Cassius speaks of the noble eagles being replaced by kites and ravens, a change considered to be a very bad sign.
This superstition leads him to believe that he will lose the battle, and he remarks, "Our army lies ready to give the ghost" 5. The ghost, of course, is that of Caesar, whose presence and memory is the reason for battle. The deaths of Cassius and Brutus demonstrate that Caesar, even in death, is as strong as ever. His spirit dominates in the battle. Brutus also invokes the image of Caesar, not only when dying, but also when he sees Cassius dead on the ground. He says, "Oh Julius Caesar , thou art mighty yet" 5.
As he commits suicide he again mentions Caesar, saying, "Caesar, now be still. Titinius, when he discovers Cassius, recalls the words of Cicero in the beginning about men construing the plot as they saw fit. He speaks to Cassius and says, "Alas, thou hast misconstrued everything" 5. This remark, meant to imply that Cassius killed himself because he was too quick to assume defeat, also is a comment on the fact that Cassius killed Caesar.
It can easily be interpreted as stating that Cassius misconstrued the facts about Caesar, allowing him to convince Brutus to join the conspirators through his plots. This further implies that even the necessity of killing Caesar was misconstrued, thus giving it a literal meaning, "thou hast misconstrued everything. At Brutus' death, Strato comments, "For Brutus only overcame himself" 5. This represents the fact that for Brutus this play is a tragedy, a play about dealing with the internal struggle of whether to support Caesar as a friend or kill him as a dictator.
It is this internal struggle which causes the civil war between Brutus and Antony, and the deaths of so many Romans. Brutus' inability to overcome his internal struggle allows Antony to say, "This was the noblest Roman of them all" 5. He is implying that only Brutus really believed that he was killing Caesar to uphold the Roman Republic.
However, the audienve must remember how easily Cassius manipulated Brutus into murdering Caesar. Despite his seeming eagerness to achieve power, Brutus is the only conspirator to maintain his humanity and dignity throughout the play.
He stands as a symbol of honor against the dishonorable Cassius who lies, manipulates, and wishes to take bribes, and Brutus' rhetoric implies that he would never have killed Caesar except to defend the Roman Republic. Brutus' tragic ending is, however, mirrored by the ascension of Octavius. Thus, the play's conclusion combines the sad defeat of the "noblest Roman" with the victorious emergence of a new Caesar. Happy is hardly the words the audience would use to describe what has taken place.
Yet, for Octavius, this is the day that begins his rule over Rome and is worthy of celebration. The Question and Answer section for Julius Caesar is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.
How does Popilius Lena cause tension and suspense at the beginning of the scene? Caesar is headed to the Senate House with all of the conspirators surrounding him.
He sees the soothsayer and tells the man that the ides of March have come. The soothsayer responds with, "Ay, Caesar, but not gone" 3. However, Caesar is not In act 3 scene 1 of Julius Caesar what does Antony say about the possibility of being killed by the conspirators? What are Caesars 5 warnings durning acts I and II? Julius Caesar study guide contains a biography of William Shakespeare, literature essays, a complete e-text, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.
Julius Caesar literature essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of Julius Caesar.
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