Ceasar Charater Analysis Essay, Research Paper

Character Analysis

Antony-

What Cassius says about Antony: ?You know not what?that which he will utter?? Pg. 582 lines 233-236.

This shows that the conspirators are afraid of what Antony will say in his oration to the mob. Cassius is trying to make Brutus see what Antony is really up to, but Brutus is too caught up in honor to notice.

What Antony does: He speaks to the crowd making them feel sorry for him, ashamed of themselves, and hate the conspirators. He causes them to go into an angry rage in scene 3.

What Antony feels: ?O pardon me thou?gentle with these butchers.? Pg. 582 lines 254-236.

Antony has made a deal with the conspirators that have killed his best friend. This quote is after the conspirators have left, and he is talking to the corpse of Caesar. He spills his true intentions and gives word of his counter conspiracy. He feels that even though the men are honorable, that they have butchered a man that could have been reasoned with and brought out of what it was he did wrong.

What Antony says: ?Let each man render me his bloody hand?My credit now stands on such slippery ground that one of two bad ways you must conceit me?.? Pg. 580 lines 184-194

He leads the conspirators on to trust him, when in fact, he wants to be able to speak to the mob. He uses a vicious pun so that he knows what he is talking about, but the conspirators think that he is simply talking about the blood on the ground being slippery.

Caesar-

What Caesar says: ?Et t? Brute? Then fall Caesar!? Pg. 577 line 77

Caesar is shocked that Brutus, his most loyal friend would do this. His mask comes off at this point and shows his personal face. Throughout the play, he has put himself as an arrogant official, and only when he is around his friends does he show his true identity. This is so important because marks the point when Caesar?s spirit enters Antony?s revenge. The play comes to its climax in this line.

What Caesar does: Caesar refuses to let Publius Cimber back into Rome. He, in a way, kills himself by the way he responds. He puts himself up as a god-like man and almost says he is in control of his own destiny. This gives the conspirators final reason to kill him, and they do.

What Antony says about Caesar: Through his oration, Antony shows all of Caesar?s good traits, and attacks the ?bad? ones. He says that Caesar was generous, using the will as a testament to that, and he states that Caesar would weep with the people if ever the people wept.

The Mob

What the mob says: ?It is no matter, his name is Cinna. Pluck but his name out of his heart, and turn him going.? Pg. 593 lines 30-31

The mob does not care that Cinna is not a conspirator. He just is unfortunately and ironically the first they stumble upon. More ironic is that his name is the same as one of the conspirators. The mix up of names can be deadly, and this is proof of it.

What the mob does: ?Tear him, tear him! Come, brands. Ho, firebrands-to Brutus?, to Cassius?! Burn all. Burn Decius? house and some to Casca?s, some to Ligarius?. Away, go!? Pg. 593 lines 32-33.

They murder the innocent Cinna because he, tragically, has the same name as a conspirator. The mob treats him indecently and unfairly, and he is killed as a result.

Antony had riled the mob up, before this tragic scene. They were made to feel sorry for Antony and ashamed they had revoked Caesar. They were after the conspirators. When they confront Cinna, Shakespeare shows them as an intelligent Roman mob. Even the best of people can be horrible in large groups. They brutally murder Cinna and have no remorse afterward.

What Brutus thinks of the mob: Brutus conceives the mob as an intelligent group of Romans.

This is his flaw. He thinks that the citizens will accept his intellectual approach to the murder. He has put it on a higher plane that the mob cannot understand, so they are left confused and vulnerable to Antony?s speech.

Brutus

What Brutus says: ??not that I loved Caesar less, but I loved Rome more.?

Brutus is addressing the angry crowd after the murder, trying to calm them with reasons. These reasons, however, are not only for the crowd. Brutus is attempting to convince himself that the murdering was a just cause. He uses Caesar?s ambition as another excuse, only trying to convince himself more.

What Brutus does: Brutus gives the last blow to Caesar before he falls over in a lifeless lump on the floor. Brutus has betrayed his best friend, for an ideal. Caesar cannot believe this and takes off the mask of arrogance for just one moment before his death. We find it ironic that such a noble man, as Brutus would kill his most beloved friend and leader.

What Antony says about Brutus: ?O, pardon me, thou bleeding piece of earth, that I am meek and gentle with these butchers!?

Antony, himself, can hardly believe what Brutus has done with the other conspirators, and talks to the bloody corpse in a strange confusion. He is implying, most undoubtedly, that Brutus was the worst of them all, and Antony was kindest to him.

Cinna (the poet)

What Cinna says: ?I dreamt tonight that I did feast with Caesar, and things unluckily charge my fantasy. I have no will to wander forth of doors, yet something leads me forth.? Pg. 592 lines 1-4.

Cinna knows that something is brewing amongst the gods, but he is still compelled to go forth with the day. Not only does this prediction foreshadow the bloody scenes of the following acts but also symbolizes Brutus in that his mind did not want to continue. Rome was the ?something? that was leading him forth.

What citizen 1 says about Cinna: ?Tear him to pieces. He is a conspirator.? Pg. 593 line 26.

The citizens have no remorse for the innocent poet and kill him quickly. This foreshadows the upcoming battle of Romans fighting Romans.

Cassius

What Cassius says: ?I fear our purpose is discovered.? Pg. 575 line 17 and ?Be sudden for we fear prevention. Brutus, what shall be done? If this be known?I will slay myself.? Pg. 575 lines 19-22.

Cassius shows his paranoia and his fear of what Antony will do when he finds out. He shows how suicidal he is and that he will eventually kill himself due to stress. He is a weak man when he is under pressure, but he seeks change in his ?dull? life as a Senator. To rid himself of some of the stress, he suggests that they also kill Antony.

What Brutus says to Cassius: ?Cassius, be constant. Popilius Lena speaks not of our purposes?.? Pg. 575 lines 23-24

Brutus acknoledges Cassius? paranoia, and tries to comfort him. This is very na?ve of him to try and bring Cassius? defenses at a very crucial moment.

What Cassius does: ?Stoop then, and wash. How many eyes hence shall this our lofty scene be acted over?.? Lines 111-112.

Cassius says this to get support and love from Brutus. His line marks the transition form true reasons for killing Caesar and Roman honor to the primitive and bloody act they had just committed. Brutus does not realize this transition and continues with what he had come to do. The act of washing the blood symbolizes, to Cassius, that Brutus is washing his love for Caesar away, leaving room for Cassius.

Casca

While Casca himself does not play a large role in this act, he plays a large role later in the play because he was the first to strike Caesar, and in the back is even more significant.

Bibliography

Barron’s footnotes