When finally they decide to stop at the town of Sardis, Cassius and Brutus quarrel bitterly over finances. Months pass, during which the conspirators and their armies are pursued relentlessly into the far reaches of Asia Minor. These three men, known as triumvirs, have formed a group called the Second Triumvirate to pursue the common goal of gaining control of the Roman Empire. At this point, Antony, together with Caesar's young grandnephew and adopted son, Octavius, and a wealthy banker, Lepidus, gathers an army to pursue and destroy Caesar's killers. Alarmed by the furor caused by Antony's speech, the conspirators and their supporters are forced to flee from Rome and finally, from Italy. Using every oratorical device known, however, Antony turns the audience into a howling mob, screaming for the blood of Caesar's murderers. The crowd has been swayed by Brutus' words, and it is an unsympathetic crowd that Antony addresses. After Brutus leaves, Antony begins to speak. Brutus grants this permission over the objections of Cassius and delivers his own speech first, confident that his words will convince the populace of the necessity for Caesar's death. Hearing of Caesar's murder, Mark Antony, Caesar's closest friend, begs permission to speak at Caesar's funeral. Purposely asking Caesar for a favor they know he will refuse, they move closer, as if begging a favor, and then, reaching for their hidden weapons, they kill him before the shocked eyes of the senators and spectators. Wasting no further time, the conspirators move into action. Unaware that he is surrounded by assassins and shrugging off Calphurnia's exhortations, Caesar goes with them.ĭespite the conspirators' best efforts, a warning is pressed into Caesar's hand on the very steps of the Capitol, but he refuses to read it. By prearrangement, Brutus and the other conspirators arrive to accompany Caesar, hoping to fend off any possible warnings until they have him totally in their power at the Senate. ![]() Caesar's wife, Calphurnia, terrified by horrible nightmares, persuades Caesar not to go to the Capitol, convinced that her dreams are portents of disaster. The preceding night has been a strange one - wild, stormy, and full of strange and unexplainable sights and happenings throughout the city of Rome. The time is the early morning the date, the fateful ides of March. The next scene takes place in Caesar's house. Touched by her love and devotion, Brutus promises to reveal his secret to her later. Caesar is to be murdered in the Senate chambers by the concealed daggers and swords of the assembled conspirators.Īfter the meeting is ended, Brutus' wife, Portia, suspecting something and fearing for her husband's safety, questions him. The date is set: It will be on the day known as the ides of March, the fifteenth day of the month. Shortly afterward, plans are made at a secret meeting in Brutus' orchard. ![]() Partly to gain the support of the respectable element of Roman society, Cassius persuades Brutus to head the conspiracy, and Brutus agrees to do so. ![]() He has gathered together a group of disgruntled and discredited aristocrats who are only too willing to assassinate Caesar. In the next scene, it is revealed that the conspiracy Cassius spoke of in veiled terms is already a reality. Cassius cautiously inquires about Brutus' feelings if a conspiracy were to unseat Caesar he finds Brutus not altogether against the notion that is, Brutus shares "some aim" with Cassius but does not wish "to be any further moved." The two men part, promising to meet again for further discussions. As a man of highest personal integrity, Brutus opposes Caesar on principle, despite his friendship with him. Envious of Caesar's power and prestige, Cassius cleverly probes to discover where Brutus' deepest sympathies lie. Both men are of aristocratic origin and see the end of their ancient privilege in Caesar's political reforms and conquests. It soon becomes apparent from their words that powerful and secret forces are working against Caesar.Ĭaesar appears, attended by a train of friends and supporters, and is warned by a soothsayer to "beware the ides of March," but he ignores the warning and leaves for the games and races marking the celebration of the feast of Lupercal.Īfter Caesar's departure, only two men remain behind - Marcus Brutus, a close personal friend of Caesar, and Cassius, a long time political foe of Caesar's. A spontaneous celebration has interrupted and been broken up by Flavius and Marullus, two political enemies of Caesar. Julius Caesar has just reentered Rome in triumph after a victory in Spain over the sons of his old enemy, Pompey the Great.
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