Julius Caesar Group

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cantine
cantine
Student
High School - 10th Grade

In "Julius Caesar," Act II, what ominous gathering closes Scene 2?

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Posted by cantine on Friday November 21, 2008 at 11:33 PM and tagged with brutus, cassius, characters, julius caesar.

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  1. lit24
    lit24 Teacher
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    Best answer as selected by question asker.

    At the end of ActII sc2, Decius reinterprets Calpurnia's horrific dream in a positive manner and convinces Caesar to go to the Senate: "How foolish do your fears seem now, Calpurnia!...Give me my robe, for I will go."

    Just then all the other conspirators {Brutus, Ligarius, Metellus, Casca, Cinna, Trebonius,and Publius} arrive to accompany Caesar to the Senate. The scene is pregnant with dramatic irony because we know of the evil conspiracy and what will happen to Caesar once he arrives at the Senate, whereas Caesar himself is blissfully ignorant of the plans of the conspirators. It is very ominous and ironical that Caesar should graciously greet and welcome and be hospitable to the very same people who are going to murder him in cold blood within the next few hours,"good friends, go in and taste some wine with me."

    When Trebonius one of the conspirators is greeted by Caesar and is requested by him to stay close to him, because Caesar has something important to discuss with him, Trebonius whispers 'Aside'  menacingly that Caesar's closest friends would wish that he had not been so close to Caesar, "and so near will I be/That your best friends shall wish I had been further." Trebonius' role in the conspiracy is to lead Antony, Caesar's only defence and protector, out of the Senate when Caesar is stabbed to death by the other conspirators.

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/jc/character-analysis
    http://www.enotes.com/jc/criticism
    http://www.enotes.com/jc/themes

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    Posted by lit24 on Saturday November 22, 2008 at 4:13 AM