JULIUS CAESAR : Act 1
Scene 1 : [ Sets on A Street in Rome ]
Flavius and Murellus, both tribunes who find out that peoples (commoners) of
Rome gathering on the Street, celebrating the triumph of Julius Caesar’s
winning over Pompey’s son, while not so long ago, they cheering on Pompey’s
side. The conversations at this scene, between Flavius, Murellus and commoners
potray by a carpenter, a cobler and several unclear commoners. Most of the
senate, against Julius Caesar act, they argue that all His victory not yet
proven as Caesar greatness because He is not conquer some foreign land, he just
elimanated his opponent and starting a civil war. After ordering all the
commoners to go home, both tribunes undress all the decoration in Caesar’s statue.
[ Murellus ]
Wherefore
rejoice? What conquest brings he home?
What
tributaries follow him to Rome
To grace in
captive bonds his chariot wheels?
You blocks,
you stones, you worse than senseless things,
O you hard
hearts, you cruèl men of Rome,
Knew you not
Pompey? Many a time and oft
Have you
climbed up to walls and battlements,
To towers
and windows, yea, to chimney tops,
Your infants
in your arms, and there have sat
The livelong
day with patient expectation
To see great
Pompey pass the streets of Rome.
And when you
saw his chariot but appear,
Have you not
made an universal shout
That Tiber
trembled underneath her banks
To hear the
replication of your sounds
Made in her
concave shores?
And do you
now put on your best attire?
And do you
now cull out a holiday?
And do you
now strew flowers in his way
That comes
in triumph over Pompey’s blood?
Be gone!
Run to your
houses, fall upon your knees,
Pray to the
gods to intermit the plague
That needs
must light on this ingratitude.
Scene 2 : [
Sets on Public Place ]
Caesar
finally enter with His parade, start with Antony (loyal to Caesar), Calphurnia
(Caesar’s wife), Portia, Decius, Cicero. Brutus, Casius, and Casca. They all
followed by a large crowd of citizens, among them there is Soothsayer, also
followed by Flavius and Murellus. Antony (also called Antonius) act as Caesar’s
representative in the holy race. Caesar also ordering Antony to touch
Calphurnia when he left to the race, because the prophet says, this act will
bless an infertile woman to fertile. While the sound of the crowd and the
trumpets surrounding those place, Caesar still hear when one of the Sootsayer
say His name. Then the sootsayer declare that Caesar should be beware on day of
March 15th (known as the Ides of march), but Caesar choose to ignore the
prophecy. Meanwhile when everybody looking forward and goes to watch the race,
Butus remains to stay, accompany by Cassius. In this time, the seed of
conspiracy starting, when Cassius persueade and approaching Brutus to act
bravely and elimanated the enemy of Rome it self and stopping Caesar from being
awarded the throne and becoming absolute king. At the other end, Caesar already
suspicious with the act of several tribunes, and He order Antony secretly to
prepare the secure guard around Him and stay closely to others like Cassius –
someone who can making a plot against Caesar. In this episode also describe
when Caesar ‘refuse’ the throne – act, that being offer by Antony in front of
the crowd. While commoners believe His act, and applaude to His nobleness and
falling for His Illness (describe as an epilepsy), most of the senate sees this
as an ‘alert’ about how ambituois Caesar was.
[ Cassius ]
Men at some
time are masters of their fates.
The fault,
dear Brutus, is not in our stars
But in ourselves,
that we are underlings.
Brutus and
Caesar—what should be in that “Caesar”?
Why should
that name be sounded more than yours?
Write them
together, yours is as fair a name.
Sound 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.”
Now in the
names of all the gods at once,
Upon what
meat doth this our Caesar feed
That he is
grown so great? Age, thou art shamed!
Rome, thou
hast lost the breed of noble bloods!
When went
there by an age, since the great flood,
But it was
famed with more than with one man?
When could
they say till now, that talked of Rome,
That her
wide walks encompassed but one man?
Now is it
Rome indeed, and room enough,
When there
is in it but one only man.
Oh, you and
I have heard our fathers say,
There was a
Brutus once that would have brooked
Th' eternal
devil to keep his state in Rome
As easily as
a king.
[ Brutus ]
That you do
love me, I am nothing jealous.
What you
would work me to, I have some aim.
How I have
thought of this and of these times
I shall
recount hereafter. For this present,
I would not,
so with love I might entreat you,
Be any
further moved. What you have said
I will
consider, what you have to say
I will with
patience hear, and find a time
Both meet to
hear and answer such high things.
Till then,
my noble friend, chew upon this:
Brutus had
rather be a villager
Than to
repute himself a son of Rome
Under these
hard conditions as this time
Is like to
lay upon us.
[ Caesar ]
(aside to ANTONY) Would he were
fatter! But I fear him not.
Yet if my
name were liable to fear,
I do not
know the man I should avoid
So soon as
that spare Cassius. He reads much.
He is a
great observer, and he looks
Quite
through the deeds of men. He loves no plays,
As thou
dost, Antony. He hears no music.
Seldom he
smiles, and smiles in such a sort
As if he
mocked himself and scorned his spirit
That could
be moved to smile at anything.
Such men as
he be never at heart’s ease
Whiles they
behold a greater than themselves,
And
therefore are they very dangerous.
I rather
tell thee what is to be feared
Than what I
fear, for always I am Caesar.
Come on my
right hand, for this ear is deaf,
And tell me
truly what thou think’st of him.
Scene 3 :
[
Sets on Street of Rome, surrounding with thunder and lightning ]
 |
| The plot & conspirators [ source ] |
Casca
still intrigued by the story behind Cicero’s comment on the early scene. He
belive something Cicero said (it was in Greek, that many of them doesn’t
understand clearly) while Caesar’s act in refuse the throne, indeed makes a
point to declare, which side Cicero was. Yet Cicero reluctant to satisfy
Casca and only respond due the questions by answering only ‘about-the-weather’
questions. Then the scene move into the secret meeting and quick disscusion and
a little bit arguement between Cassius and Casca, followed by Cisna who seeking
for Cassius, and remind him about their assignment for ‘the-big-day’ for
Caesar. In this part, Cassius also mention that Brutus can be used to fight
Caesar, then the plot must keep secret until its ready to be done.
[ Cassius ]
And why
should Caesar be a tyrant then?
Poor man! I
know he would not be a wolf
But that he
sees the Romans are but sheep.
He were no
lion were not Romans hinds.
Those that
with haste will make a mighty fire
Begin it
with weak straws. What trash is Rome,
What rubbish
and what offal, when it serves
For the base
matter to illuminate
So vile a
thing as Caesar! But, O grief,
Where hast
thou led me? I perhaps speak this
Before a
willing bondman. Then I know
My answer
must be made. But I am armed,
And dangers
are to me indifferent.
In this quote, we can see how clever and manipulated person Cassius is, he
can twisted-words so everyone would agree and thinking they are in the same
page, and fighting the same reason, but the truth lies beneath the jelaousy and
un-secure feelings.
Books : JULIUS CÆSAR
By William Shakespeare
Edited by Cedric Watts
© by Wordsworth Classics Editions Limited 1992 and 2004
Cover design by Robert Mathias
Cover Illustration Julius Cæsar (100-44 BC)
Receiving the Germanic
Ambassador, c.1450
By Jean Fouquet ( c. 1420-80 ) [ school of ] Musee Marmottan, Paris, France
/ Giraudon / Bridġeman Art Library, London
Best Regards,
