A STUDY ON JULIUS CAESAR BY SHAKESPEARE.
A STUDY ON JULIUS CAESAR BY SHAKESPEARE.
A SCAN ON THE DRAMA
1.TOTAL NO OF ACTS : FIVE.
2.TOTAL NO OF SCENES : EIGHTEEN
3.THE LONGEST ACT IN THE PLAY: ACT III
4. THE SHORTEST ACT IN THE PLAY: ACT V
5. MURDERS IN THE PLAY :
Julius Caesar
Cinna
6. SUICIDES IN THE PLAY
Portia
cassius
Titinius
Brutus
7. MAJOR MALE CHARACTERS:
Julius Caesar
Marcus Brutus
Cassius
Mark Antony
Casca
Flavius and Marullus
Octavius
Lepidus
8. FEMALE CHARACTERS :
Calpurnia , W/O Caesar .
Portia, W/O Brutus\
9.TOTAL NO OF SOLILOQUIES : SIXTEEN
10. THE FAMOUS SCENES :
the conspiracy
the murder
the storm scene
11.THE STORY TAKEN : PLUTARCH’S ‘‘ LIVES OF THE NOBLE GRECIANS AND ROMANCE’’ IN 1579
12. FIRST PUBLISH : IN 1923, THE CAMBRIDGE INTRODUCTION TO SHAKESPEARE’S TRAGEDIES.
13. FIRST STAGED : THE GLOBAL THEATER, IN 1599( MAY BE)
CHARACTER SKETCHES
Julius Caesar :
Everybody thinks that Julius Caesar is a historical character in the play ‘Julius Caesar’. But Shakespeare never considers so. Rather, he said that Caesar in his play is weak and infirm, and it is not any traditional character.
Caesar is a hero of Rome. He wins over the military power. Brutus says, “ ..the foremost man of the all this world.’’ In the beginning scene, Caesar is introduced as a great warrior whom Shakespeare shows as the darling of the common people. Antony refers to the dead body of Caesar as “the ruins of the noblest man that ever lived in the tide of times”. Cassius talks of Caesar as “ a Colossus the bestride the narrow worlds”.
Although Caesar is a man born to rule, an intellectual strength, he has a good many deficiencies of his character.
First, he has physical infirmities. From the mouth of Cassius, Caesar is a poor swimming contestant. At the time of swimming Caesar cried for help. After the swimming contest, he suffered from high fever in Spain. Says Cassius:
“ His coward lips did from their colour fly,
And that same eye whose bent doth awe the world
Did lose his luster; I did hear him groan.”
His physical infirmities prove well when Casca gives an account of the offer of a crown to Caesar and Caesar’s hesitating refusal to accept it. He fainted and fell down in the marketplace and became speechless and foamed at the mouth. Thus he has the weakness of physical stamina.
Caesar has a superstitious nature. It is found when Calpurnia is called by him and told to directly stand in Antony’s way when he is running a race. He says to Antony:
“Forget not in your speed, Antonius,
To touch Calpurnia; for our elders say,
the bareen, touched in this holy chase
Shake of their sterile curse”.
While on the other hand, he dismisses the soothsayer as a dreamer; therefore, shows that he does not believe in superstition. Again, in view of the uproaring of Nature and Calpurnia’s dream, he says to a servant to go and bid the priests offer a sacrifice so that he might know whether the circumstances are favorable to him.
Caesar shows him a man of changeful nature. It is found when Calpurnia appeals to him not to go out of the house in view of supernatural horrors, he say,
“Yet Caesar shall go forth; these predictions
Are to the world in general as to Caesar”
When the augurers send him word that he should stay that day, he does not accept their advice.
“ Danger knows full well
That Caesar is more dangerous than he.
We are two lions littered in one day,
And I the elder and more terrible;
And Caesar shall go forth.”
Shakespeare represents Caesar as a boastful and arrogant person. The person he lacks the virtue of humility, says to himself, “Speak ; Caesar shall turn to hear.’’ “Caesar shall forth.” “Yet Caesar shall go forth.’’
At the meeting of the senate, we clearly see his arrogance. To Metellus, he says:
“Be not fond,
To think that Caesar bears such rebel blood,
That would be thaw’d from the true quality,
with that which melteth fools-”
Above all, Yet Caesar assassination is so great a crime , and the words of Antony so Moving in ghis gavour, that he becomes more domianting in death than in life.
2.MARCUS BRUTUS:
Brutus is called a dramatic hero of the play ‘Julius Caesar’. Almost always he grows our interest. His thoughts, actions and decisions are all interesting.He is a man of sound judgment, and so he is loved and esteemed by the countrymen. He is very trusted to Caesar and for which Caesar fails to understand him. When he is first introduced, he is known to be interested in the holy race, a part of celebrations of Lupercalia. In view of the opinion of Cassius, he is the most respectable and honorable man in Rome. There are so many reasons behind the joining of the conspiracy against Caesar. Instead of being jealous of Caesar, he told Cassius that he loves Caesar. Shakespeare’s Brutus is not as same as Plutarch’s Brutus. Plutarch’s Brutus is a man of goodness, whereas Shakespeare’s Brutush is a good man but has a set of faults.
That Brutus is a noble and honorable man is learnt from the people and Brutus himself. Cassius says,
“ well, Brutus, thou art noble; yet I see
Thy honorable mettle may be wrought
From that it is dispos’d.”
Again Casca Praises him:
“O, he sits high in all the people’s hearts:
And that which would appear offense in us,
His countenance, like richest alchemy,
Will change to virtue and to worthiness.”
Brutus’ republicanism is expressed by his soliloquy : he gets into conflict regarding his affection for Caesar and his love for liberty.
“Since Cassius first did whet me against Caesar
I have not slept.
Between the acting of a dreadful thing
And the first motion, all the interim is
Like a phantasma, or a hideous dream.”
It is noteworthy that it his love of liberty for which he has joined the conspiracy for the murder of Caesar. After caesar’s assassination, he says,
“Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome More.”
From the mouth of Antony it is clear that Brutus has an unselfish love for republicanism:
“This was the noblest of them all.
All the conspirators save only he
Did that they did in envy of great Caesar;
He only, in a general honest thought,
And common good to all, made one of them.”
He is a man of fine conscience that is seen when he is taking the decision to join conspiracy to murder Caesar. He said to himself, “ O Conspiracy, shamest thou to show thy dangerous brow by night”
After hearing that Cassius has looted money from the poor pleasants although this money is highly needed, he has quarreled with him like this:
“What , shall one of us,
That struck the foremost man of all this world
But for supporting robbers, shall we now
Contaminate our fingers with base bribes,
And sell the mighty space of our large honours
For so much trash as may be grasped thus?
I had rather be a dog, and bay the moon,
Than such a Roman”
In the play he seems to be stoic and calm.He stands firm and resolute in the face of happening, good and evil.He could bear the death of Portia and also remain unmoved at the defeat. His teaching of Philosophy is great when he said to himself:
The carries anger as the flaint bears fire
Who is much enforced, shows a hasty spark, and straight is cold.”
His gentleness nature is found when he has said to his boy servant, Lucius:
“Boy! Lucius! Fast asleep? It is no matter;
Enjoy the honey-heavy dew of slumber.”
He is the politician in the play, though not artful. After the conspirators execute the crime, Brutus gives a moving speech to convince the Plebeians that Caesar’s death is necessary but he was interrupted by Antony's arrival.
Shakespeare’s Brutus is very similar to the historical Brutus. According to Victorian critic M. Guizot:
“ That dreamy spirit ever busied in self- examination, that disturbance of a stern conscience at the first indications of a duty that is still doubtful, that calm and resolute firmness as soon as the duty becomes certain, that profound and almost painful sensibility, ever restrained by the rigour of the most austere principles, that gentleness of soul which never disappears for a single moment amid the most cruel offices of virtue - in fine, the character of Brutus, as its idea is present to us all, proceeds animate and in changing through the different scenes of life in which we meet it and in which we cannot doubt that it appeared under the very aspect with which the poet has clothed it’’
3. CASSIUS:
Cassius is another important character of the play. He is a contrast to Brutus. Brutus is an idealistic and impractical man but Cassius is practical and crafty. He maneuvers Brutus to join the conspiracy of murdering Caesar. In his first dialogue with Brutus, he is in the hold of the devilish power. We find him to entice the noble Brutus. He says that Caesar is unfit because he does not have a sound health that is important to a leader: he has heard him growing. He tries to rankle him against Caesar by saying:
What should be in that “Caesar”?
Why should that name be sounded more than yours?
Write them together, yours is as fair a name:
Sounded them, it doth become the mouth as well
Weigh them, it is as heavy; conjure with’em
“Brutus’’, will start a spirit as soon as “Caesar”
We see him move Brutus in the name of Rome. He tells him that if the ancestors are alive they will never bear the ruthless state of Rome. He asserts:
There was a Brutus once that would have brook’d
Th’ eternal devil to keep his State in Rome
As easily as a king.
He is the actual skilled schemer of the conspiracy to destroy Caesarian state. He craftily points out to Brutus that Caesar is not better than he:
Now could I, Casca, name to them a man
Most like this dreadful night
That thunders, lightens, opens graves, and roars
As doth the lion in the Capitol:
A man no mightier than thyself or me,
In personal action, yet prodigious grown,
And fearful, as these strange eruptions are.
He tries to excite not only Brutus but to Casca also. He tells Casca about the spirit of Roman fathers who are now dead. He says:
But, woe the while! our father’s minds are dead’
And we are govern’d with our mother’s spirit;
Our yoke and sufferance show us womanish.
Hearing this, Casca says that he will go to any length for the downfall of Caesar. Thus Cassius is a master-mind in assassinating Caesar.
The character of Cassius is also analyzed by Caesar. According to Caesar, Cassius is a dangerous man. He thinks about plenty of things. He is fond of reading and a great observer. He did not like music and plays. He smiles little:
Yond Cassius has a lean and hungry;
He thinks too much; such men are dangerous.
Yes, it is true. He is a great observer. He sees men through their deeds. Before beginning to entice on Brutus, he has collected the clear picture of his moods of thoughtfulness and melancholy. He recognized Casca by his voice and Cinna by his manner of walking. What he says about the character of Casca is noteworthy. He says to Brutus about Casca:
However, he puts on this tardy form
This rudeness is a sauce to his good wit,
Which gives men stomach to digest his words
With better appetite.
That is to say that no man is wholly bad is found when Shakespeare ennobles the character of Cassius in the second half of the play. He is not so firm and steadfast as Brutus. He loses himself hearing that Popilius Lena comes to Caesar. After the murder of Caesare, we see that there comes much changeability in his character. In lieu of his personal malice he becomes keen on liberty and fraternity. At first he scorns superstitions, but when at Philippi he believes in omens.
He makes a powerful speech:
Therein, Ye gods, you make the weak most strong;
Therein, ye gods, you tyrants do defeat.
Nor stony tower, nor walls of brass,
Nor air of dungeon, nor strong links of iron,
Can be retentive to the strength of spirit;
But life, being weary of these worldly bars,
Never lacks power to dismiss itself.
He is a practical man, that is, he is a man of action. He says, “ Some to the common pulpits, and cry out
Liberty, freedom and enfranchisement.”
Lastly, he is neither a Villain, nor a hero. He has a genuine feeling for friends. In the quarreling scene he wins not only our sympathy but also admiration. His love for Brutus is clearly seen when we see Brutus use insulting language towards him, but he does not do so. Being despair, he cries;
Come, Antony, and young Octavius, come,
Revenge yourself alone on Cassius,
For Cassius is aweary of the world:
Hated by one he loves;brav’d by his brother;
Check like a bondman; all his faults observ’d
In the light of all this, Cassius is an immortal character of Shakespeare, both good and evil.
4. MARK ANTONY:
Mark Antony is another important character in the play. We are first introduced to him at the celebration of Lupercalia. He is going to participate in the race of this celebration. He is told by Caesar to touch the barren Calpurnia for the chance to free from the curse of barrenness. His bosomness to Caesar is known to all. But Cassius says that he may be a ‘shrewd contriver’ and should be murdered along with Caesar. In the play we find him enough potential for statesmanship. He is potent enough for planning and manipulating men. He is a great orator and public man.
The real and firm Antony comes to us after the murder of Caesar. In order to his safety, he has sent a word through a servant that he loves the living Brutus more than the dead Caesar. He is a technically skillful gamesome player. He is a master of oratory. He has a total perspective and a complete understanding about the common people’s psychology. While Brutus validates Caesar’s murder in balance of values of repulblicnism, freedom and liberty to the people, Antopny, showing them deadbody of Caesar, delivers his most significant speech calling them, “ Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears… .” He pretends to speak like one of them and thus easily establishes a rapport with his audience. His oratory is noteworthy when he contradicts Brutus step by step yet ends the sentence with “honorable man”. In this way he makes the crowd emotional and rouses their passion. Soon the people begin to see a deeply distorted meaning.
Mark Antony is also a cold and calculative politician. He tells Octavious that Lepidus, the third member of triumvirate is good for nothing, but he has kept Lepidus there to receive the blame for their sins of omission and commision. His love for Caesar’s death is doubtless. He fights to avenge Caesar's death and then usurp the power of the State from the conspirators. He is not inspired by any fine ideals about liberty and freedom of people. When he gains control over the situation he changes his will. It is also noteworthy of his unmitigated self-seeking nature: As soon as he defeats conspirators, he has said that Brutus is the noblest Roman of them all. Thus, Antony is an immortal character of Shakespeare. He has a wholly attractive and sympathetic personality, a mixture of both good and bad traits.
5. OCTAVIUS CAESAR:
Octavius Caesar is Caesar’s nephew. He is the heir of his property and power.He comes to Rome after Caesar’s murder. On hearing that Octavius comes to Rome, Antony becomes comfortable and considers that his presence happens at the right time. Octavius is very calm and calculative. He is a statesman. He is a businessman as well. The murder of Caesar to him proves an unexpected gain. He is of an imperious nature, and it is proved when in the battlefield of Philippi he makes the challenge to the general of the opposite side:
“Confinace, traitors, hurl we in your teeth:
If you dare fight to-day, come to the field,
If not, when you have stomachs.”
He was an independent and self-confident man. He allows Antony to make major decisions, but sometimes, only he interferes with his decisions if he considers them necessary. Antony asks to lead the army from the left side of the field. But he says, “ Upon the right hand I ; keep thou the left.” When Antony asks him why he is going to cross his in such an urgency, with gentleness says to him, “ I do not cross you; but I will do so.”
He is sympathetic towards the people of Brutus’s camp. He makes the decision to give due respect to the body of Brutus. He is esteemed enough for the honorable burial of Brutus. As a military officer, he gives dead Brutus the same kind of honor and respect as a soldier.
6. PORTIA:
In the play ‘Julius Caesar’, two women characters are found. One is Portia, the wife of Brutus, and the other is Calpurnia, the wife of Caesar. Portia comes in only two scenes in the play. She claims to be a woman of patience. She is very worried about her husband’s strange and unnatural behaviour. She insists on the reason for her husband’s worriedness. She wants to know the secret of it. She is meant to remind her dearest Brutus of the marriage vows that united them of having all the right to share the joys and sorrows. Being his wife and not being his harlot, she goes upon her knees and says:
“I charm you, by my once commended beauty;
By all your vows of love and that great vow
Which did incorporate and make us one,
That you unfold to me, yourself, your half,
Why you are heavy….”
Later in the play Portia denies her own statement of bravery and says that she is an ordinary woman having no unnatural strength. Concerned much about the health of Brutus, he sends Lucius, her boy-servant to the capitol to observe the occurrences in the Capitol.
It is noteworthy that she imagines that she hears from the direction of the Capitol ‘ a bustling rumor, like a fray.’ Overwhelming with grief and anxiety, she confess her own weakness :
“ Ay me, how weak a thing
The heart of a woman is!...
O, I grow faint.”
The manner that she commits suicide that we learn from Brutus’s talk with Cassius shows very puzzling. Not being capable of enduring disaster and weakening of mental stability, she commits suicide by swallowing burnt coals. She chooses her death to be best for she can not bear the long absence of Brutus from Rome and becomes frightened about Brutus’s defeat.
She is so husbanded and so loved. For her softness and self-discipline, she loses her life. She is a noble woman and thinks and worried about her husband’s safety.
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