Julius Caesar Study Sheet - Atharva

Character List
Brutus - A supporter of the republic who believes strongly in a government guided by
the votes of senators. While Brutus loves Caesar as a friend, he opposes the ascension
of any single man to the position of dictator, and he fears that Caesar aspires to such
power. Brutus’s inflexible sense of honor makes it easy for Caesar’s enemies to
manipulate him into believing that Caesar must die in order to preserve the republic.
While the other conspirators act out of envy and rivalry, only Brutus truly believes that
Caesar’s death will benefit Rome. Unlike Caesar, Brutus is able to separate completely
his public life from his private life; by giving priority to matters of state, he epitomizes
Roman virtue. Torn between his loyalty to Caesar and his allegiance to the state, Brutus
becomes the tragic hero of the play.

Julius Caesar -  A great Roman general and senator, recently returned to Rome in
triumph after a successful military campaign. While his good friend Brutus worries that
Caesar may aspire to dictatorship over the Roman republic, Caesar seems to show no
such inclination, declining the crown several times. Yet while Caesar may not be unduly
power-hungry, he does possess his share of flaws. He is unable to separate his public
life from his private life, and, seduced by the populace’s increasing idealization and
idolization of his image, he ignores ill omens and threats against his life, believing
himself as eternal as the North Star.

Antony - A friend of Caesar. Antony claims allegiance to Brutus and the conspirators
after Caesar’s death in order to save his own life. Later, however, when speaking a
funeral oration over Caesar’s body, he spectacularly persuades the audience to
withdraw its support of Brutus and instead condemn him as a traitor. With tears on his
cheeks and Caesar’s will in his hand, Antony engages masterful rhetoric to stir the
crowd to revolt against the conspirators. Antony’s desire to exclude Lepidus from the
power that Antony and Octavius intend to share hints at his own ambitious nature.

Cassius - A talented general and longtime acquaintance of Caesar. Cassius dislikes the
fact that Caesar has become godlike in the eyes of the Romans. He slyly leads Brutus
to believe that Caesar has become too powerful and must die, finally converting Brutus
to his cause by sending him forged letters claiming that the Roman people support the
death of Caesar. Impulsive and unscrupulous, Cassius harbors no illusions about the
way the political world works. A shrewd opportunist, he proves successful but lacks
integrity.

Octavius - Caesar’s adopted son and appointed successor. Octavius, who had been
traveling abroad, returns after Caesar’s death; he then joins with Antony and sets off to
fight Cassius and Brutus. Antony tries to control Octavius’s movements, but Octavius
follows his adopted father’s example and emerges as the authoritative figure, paving the
way for his eventual seizure of the reins of Roman government.

Casca - A public figure opposed to Caesar’s rise to power. Casca relates to Cassius and
Brutus how Antony offered the crown to Caesar three times and how each time Caesar
declined it. He believes, however, that Caesar is the consummate actor, lulling the
populace into believing that he has no personal ambition.

Calpurnia - Caesar’s wife. Calpurnia invests great authority in omens and portents. She
warns Caesar against going to the Senate on the Ides of March, since she has had
terrible nightmares and heard reports of many bad omens. Nevertheless, Caesar’s
ambition ultimately causes him to disregard her advice.
Portia - Brutus’s wife; the daughter of a noble Roman who took sides against Caesar.
Portia, accustomed to being Brutus’s confidante, is upset to find him so reluctant to
speak his mind when she finds him troubled. Brutus later hears that Portia has killed
herself out of grief that Antony and Octavius have become so powerful.

Flavius - A tribune (an official elected by the people to protect their rights). Flavius
condemns the plebeians for their fickleness in cheering Caesar, when once they
cheered for Caesar’s enemy Pompey. Flavius is punished along with Murellus for
removing the decorations from Caesar’s statues during Caesar’s triumphal parade.

Cicero - A Roman senator renowned for his oratorical skill. Cicero speaks at Caesar’s
triumphal parade. He later dies at the order of Antony, Octavius, and Lepidus.

Lepidus - The third member of Antony and Octavius’s coalition. Though Antony has a
low opinion of Lepidus, Octavius trusts his loyalty.

Murellus - Like Flavius, a tribune who condemns the plebeians for their fickleness in
cheering Caesar, when once they cheered for Caesar’s enemy Pompey. Murellus and
Flavius are punished for removing the decorations from Caesar’s statues during
Caesar’s triumphal parade.

Decius - A member of the conspiracy. Decius convinces Caesar that Calpurnia

misinterpreted her dire nightmares and that, in fact, no danger awaits him at the Senate.
Decius leads Caesar right into the hands of the conspirators.
Plot Overview
Two tribunes, Flavius and Murellus, find scores of Roman citizens wandering the
streets, neglecting their work in order to watch Julius Caesar’s triumphal parade:
Caesar has defeated the sons of the deceased Roman general Pompey, his archrival,
in battle. The tribunes scold the citizens for abandoning their duties and remove
decorations from Caesar’s statues. Caesar enters with his entourage, including the
military and political figures Brutus, Cassius, and Antony. A Soothsayer calls out to
Caesar to “beware the Ides of March,” but Caesar ignores him and proceeds with his
victory celebration (I.ii.19, I.ii.25).
Cassius and Brutus, both longtime intimates of Caesar and each other, converse.
Cassius tells Brutus that he has seemed distant lately; Brutus replies that he has been
at war with himself. Cassius states that he wishes Brutus could see himself as others
see him, for then Brutus would realize how honored and respected he is. Brutus says
that he fears that the people want Caesar to become king, which would overturn the
republic. Cassius concurs that Caesar is treated like a god though he is merely a man,
no better than Brutus or Cassius. Cassius recalls incidents of Caesar’s physical
weakness and marvels that this fallible man has become so powerful. He blames his
and Brutus’s lack of will for allowing Caesar’s rise to power: surely the rise of such a
man cannot be the work of fate. Brutus considers Cassius’s words as Caesar returns.
Upon seeing Cassius, Caesar tells Antony that he deeply distrusts Cassius.
Caesar departs, and another politician, Casca, tells Brutus and Cassius that, during the
celebration, Antony offered the crown to Caesar three times and the people cheered,
but Caesar refused it each time. He reports that Caesar then fell to the ground and had
some kind of seizure before the crowd; his demonstration of weakness, however, did
not alter the plebeians’ devotion to him. Brutus goes home to consider Cassius’s words
regarding Caesar’s poor qualifications to rule, while Cassius hatches a plot to draw
Brutus into a conspiracy against Caesar.
That night, Rome is plagued with violent weather and a variety of bad omens and
portents. Brutus finds letters in his house apparently written by Roman citizens worried
that Caesar has become too powerful. The letters have in fact been forged and planted
by Cassius, who knows that if Brutus believes it is the people’s will, he will support a
plot to remove Caesar from power. A committed supporter of the republic, Brutus fears
the possibility of a dictator-led empire, worrying that the populace would lose its voice.
Cassius arrives at Brutus’s home with his conspirators, and Brutus, who has already
been won over by the letters, takes control of the meeting. The men agree to lure
Caesar from his house and kill him. Cassius wants to kill Antony too, for Antony will
surely try to hinder their plans, but Brutus disagrees, believing that too many deaths will
render their plot too bloody and dishonor them. Having agreed to spare Antony, the
conspirators depart. Portia, Brutus’s wife, observes that Brutus appears preoccupied.
She pleads with him to confide in her, but he rebuffs her.
Caesar prepares to go to the Senate. His wife, Calpurnia, begs him not to go, describing
recent nightmares she has had in which a statue of Caesar streamed with blood and
smiling men bathed their hands in the blood. Caesar refuses to yield to fear and insists
on going about his daily business. Finally, Calpurnia convinces him to stay home—if not
out of caution, then as a favor to her. But Decius, one of the conspirators, then arrives
and convinces Caesar that Calpurnia has misinterpreted her dreams and the recent
omens. Caesar departs for the Senate in the company of the conspirators.
As Caesar proceeds through the streets toward the Senate, the Soothsayer again tries
but fails to get his attention. The citizen Artemidorus hands him a letter warning him
about the conspirators, but Caesar refuses to read it, saying that his closest personal
concerns are his last priority. At the Senate, the conspirators speak to Caesar, bowing
at his feet and encircling him. One by one, they stab him to death. When Caesar sees
his dear friend Brutus among his murderers, he gives up his struggle and dies.
The murderers bathe their hands and swords in Caesar’s blood, thus bringing
Calpurnia’s premonition to fruition. Antony, having been led away on a false pretext,
returns and pledges allegiance to Brutus but weeps over Caesar’s body. He shakes
hands with the conspirators, thus marking them all as guilty while appearing to make a
gesture of conciliation. When Antony asks why they killed Caesar, Brutus replies that he
will explain their purpose in a funeral oration. Antony asks to be allowed to speak over
the body as well; Brutus grants his permission, though Cassius remains suspicious of
Antony. The conspirators depart, and Antony, alone now, swears that Caesar’s death
shall be avenged.
Brutus and Cassius go to the Forum to speak to the public. Cassius exits to address
another part of the crowd. Brutus declares to the masses that though he loved Caesar,
he loves Rome more, and Caesar’s ambition posed a danger to Roman liberty. The
speech placates the crowd. Antony appears with Caesar’s body, and Brutus departs
after turning the pulpit over to Antony. Repeatedly referring to Brutus as “an honorable
man,” Antony’s speech becomes increasingly sarcastic; questioning the claims that
Brutus made in his speech that Caesar acted only out of ambition, Antony points out
that Caesar brought much wealth and glory to Rome, and three times turned down
offers of the crown. Antony then produces Caesar’s will but announces that he will not
read it for it would upset the people inordinately. The crowd nevertheless begs him to
read the will, so he descends from the pulpit to stand next to Caesar’s body. He
describes Caesar’s horrible death and shows Caesar’s wounded body to the crowd. He
then reads Caesar’s will, which bequeaths a sum of money to every citizen and orders
that his private gardens be made public. The crowd becomes enraged that this
generous man lies dead; calling Brutus and Cassius traitors, the masses set off to drive
them from the city.
Meanwhile, Caesar’s adopted son and appointed successor, Octavius, arrives in Rome
and forms a three-person coalition with Antony and Lepidus. They prepare to fight
Cassius and Brutus, who have been driven into exile and are raising armies outside the
city. At the conspirators’ camp, Brutus and Cassius have a heated argument regarding
matters of money and honor, but they ultimately reconcile. Brutus reveals that he is sick
with grief, for in his absence Portia has killed herself. The two continue to prepare for
battle with Antony and Octavius. That night, the Ghost of Caesar appears to Brutus,
announcing that Brutus will meet him again on the battlefield.
Octavius and Antony march their army toward Brutus and Cassius. Antony tells
Octavius where to attack, but Octavius says that he will make his own orders; he is
already asserting his authority as the heir of Caesar and the next ruler of Rome. The
opposing generals meet on the battlefield and exchange insults before beginning
combat.
Cassius witnesses his own men fleeing and hears that Brutus’s men are not performing
effectively. Cassius sends one of his men, Pindarus, to see how matters are
progressing. From afar, Pindarus sees one of their leaders, Cassius’s best friend,
Titinius, being surrounded by cheering troops and concludes that he has been captured.
Cassius despairs and orders Pindarus to kill him with his own sword. He dies
proclaiming that Caesar is avenged. Titinius himself then arrives—the men encircling
him were actually his comrades, cheering a victory he had earned. Titinius sees
Cassius’s corpse and, mourning the death of his friend, kills himself.
Brutus learns of the deaths of Cassius and Titinius with a heavy heart, and prepares to
take on the Romans again. When his army loses, doom appears imminent. Brutus asks
one of his men to hold his sword while he impales himself on it. Finally, Caesar can rest
satisfied, he says as he dies. Octavius and Antony arrive. Antony speaks over Brutus’s
body, calling him the noblest Roman of all. While the other conspirators acted out of
envy and ambition, he observes, Brutus genuinely believed that he acted for the benefit
of Rome. Octavius orders that Brutus be buried in the most honorable way. The men
then depart to celebrate their victory.