Act 3, Scene 2 Summary and Analysis
Summary
A crowd gathers in the marketplace, demanding an answer for Caesar’s death. Assuring the citizens that he is planning to address them and make good his cause, Brutus asks Cassius to address another street. Cassius exits with some citizens. Brutus begins his powerful speech by urging the citizens to “be patient till the last” and hear him out fully. He tells the people that he had to assassinate Caesar, because as great as his love for Caesar was, his love for Rome was even greater. Would the people rather Caesar lived and they died slaves, or would they prefer things the other way around? Brutus says anyone who loves his country will understand the reason Caesar needed to be slain, adding that he will always cherish Caesar’s good qualities and criticize his ambition.
As Antony enters with Caesar’s shrouded body, the crowd, moved by Brutus’s speech, demand he “be Caesar” and be crowned. Brutus asks the citizens to hear out Antony, who is being allowed to speak with his permission. Brutus leaves, and Antony takes the pulpit. Antony begins his speech with the powerful exhortation
Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears.
Antony says he is not at the pulpit to praise Caesar. After all, those who killed him were honorable men. Describing the “noble Brutus,” Antony says that Brutus claimed Caesar was ambitious, but Caesar’s three-time refusal of the crown does not appear to be the act of an ambitious man. Yet they must believe what Brutus and the conspirators say since they are all honorable men. While technically adhering to Brutus’s stipulation to refrain from disclaiming the conspirators, Antony’s vividly illustrative speech achieves that very purpose. Next, he tells the citizens about reading out Caesar’s will, which he says he dares not read aloud, because it would rouse the citizens to great emotions, as "[they] are not wood, [they] are not stones, but men.” When the citizens implore him repeatedly to read out the will, Antony asks them to gather around Caesar’s body so he can read his will in its presence. Showing them Caesar’s rent and blood-stained mantle, and then his stabbed body, Antony rouses the crowd to a fever pitch of emotion. Bloodthirsty by now, the crowd demands the death of Brutus and the other conspirators. Antony asks them to stay until he has read out Caesar’s will. The revelation that Caesar has given each Roman citizen 75 drachmas and left all his property to become public parks fans the fire. The enraged mob disperses in search of Caesar’s killers. Antony learns that Octavius is already in Rome, while Brutus and Cassius have fled the city.
Analysis
The speeches of Brutus and Anthony, each masterful in their own way, illuminate their speakers’ individual natures, as well as different aspects of human nature. Even before the speeches are delivered, the very decision to let Antony into the proceedings casts a long shadow on Brutus’s fate. Brutus’s inability to assess Antony and the danger he represents is a mistake he is bound to repeat over the course of the play. Perhaps Brutus, an intellectual, underestimates Antony, a soldier and man of action.
Brutus’s speech to the audience is built on the assumption that if only they understood why he did what he did, his deed would appear commendable to them. To this end, Brutus lays out his reasons for thwarting Caesar's growing ambition and delivers a defense of freedom, which he considers indispensable to Romans. Brutus’s tone is measured, his arguments rational and straightforward. Though the crowd agrees with Brutus, their choric “yes” and “no” responses to his speech suggest mindless acquiescence rather than a thoughtful engagement with his speech.
Unlike Brutus, who addresses a largely friendly crowd, Antony encounters a hostile group swayed by Brutus’s words. Yet, he begins to control the crowd from his very address, which urges them to action. Antony is a natural orator, a master of rhetoric who uses not only his words but his entire body to affect his audience. He jumps down from the pulpit to deliver his speech surrounded by people, weeps openly, uses props such as Caesar’s rent garment to move them, and deploys language rich with hypnotic repetitions.
The phrase “Brutus is an honorable man,” repeated throughout, begins to underscore Brutus’s dishonorable acts, while the conjunction between Caesar and ambition begins to undo that association. Shakespeare’s assessment of the dangerous power of political oratory prefigures the popular dictators of the twentieth century. By the end of Antony’s speech, the crowd is howling to kill the conspirators. The crowd’s volatile, aggressive mood offers a prescient commentary on the pitfalls of missing nuance and existing in an echo chamber.
Expert Q&A
Explain the quote from Julius Caesar, Act 3, Scene 2: "O judgement, thou art fled to brutish beasts and men have lost their reason!"
In Act 3, Scene 2 of Julius Caesar, Marc Antony's line, "O judgement, thou art fled to brutish beasts and men have lost their reason!" is an appeal to the public's sense of reason. Antony suggests that judgment has deserted people, leading them to act like beasts. This happens in the wake of Caesar's assassination, which Antony argues was a result of poor judgment and has caused further chaos. Antony mourns Caesar and urges the Roman populace to do the same.
In Act 3, Scene 2 of Julius Caesar, how does Antony's audience knowledge influence his persuasive effectiveness?
In Julius Caesar, Antony knows the crowd is easily swayed and that by speaking to them after Brutus, he can bring them to his side. He also knows they loved Caesar, so he points out the ways Caesar cared for them. He reads them Caesar's will, in which Caesar generously leaves the common people money, and he shows them Caesar's mutilated corpse. By rousing their emotions to a high pitch, Antony turns the crowd utterly against the conspirators.
What does Antony mean in his speech in Act 3, Scene 2 of Julius Caesar, and is there irony in his self-assessment?
I am no orator, as Brutus is, But, as you know me all, a plain blunt man That love my friend. And that they know full well That gave me public leave to speak of him. For I have neither wit nor words nor worth, Action nor utterance nor the power of speech, To stir men’s blood. I only speak right on.
In his speech in Act 3, Scene 2 of Julius Caesar, Antony ironically claims he is not an orator like Brutus, suggesting he can only speak plainly as a man who loved Caesar. This understatement is a rhetorical strategy to incite the crowd against the conspirators while appearing humble and relatable. Thus, Antony demonstrates his skillful oratory despite his self-assessment.
Summary of Events in Julius Caesar Up to Act 3, Scene 2
In Julius Caesar, the events up to Act 3, Scene 2 include Caesar's victorious return to Rome, his growing power, and the conspirators' plot to assassinate him. Key figures like Brutus and Cassius grapple with their loyalty and morals. The climax in Act 3, Scene 1, is Caesar's assassination, and the scene ends with Brutus addressing the public to justify the killing.
What does Brutus mean by "a place in the commonwealth" in act 3, scene 2 of Julius Caesar?
In Act 3, Scene 2 of Julius Caesar, "a place in the commonwealth" refers to Brutus's vision for a Roman republic where no single person holds excessive power. Brutus believes Caesar's death benefits Rome, including Caesar's allies like Mark Antony. He emphasizes his lack of self-interest, claiming he would sacrifice himself for the common good. Brutus's idealism and attempt to include Antony in this vision ultimately fail, leading to public backlash against the conspirators.
What does Brutus's dagger speech in act 3, scene 2 of Julius Caesar foreshadow?
Brutus's dagger speech foreshadows his own suicide by expressing his willingness to die for Rome if necessary. In the speech, he defends his actions in killing Caesar, claiming it was for the greater good of Rome. By stating he would use the same dagger on himself if Rome required his death, Brutus hints at his eventual suicide, which occurs after his military defeat to avoid capture and humiliation.
In Julius Caesar, Act 3, Scene 2, what strategy does Antony use in his speech?
In Act 3, Scene 2 of Julius Caesar, Antony uses strategic rhetoric to sway the public against the conspirators. He employs repetition, praising Caesar's virtues and questioning his alleged ambition, while ironically labeling Brutus as "honorable." Antony subtly incites emotion by appearing grief-stricken, pausing to regain composure, which stirs the crowd's sympathy. His careful manipulation of words and emotions ultimately turns the populace against the conspirators.
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