1. Act III – Murder, Monologues and Mayhem
Julius Caesar
Act III – Murder, Monologues and Mayhem

2. Act III, scene i - Recap
Caesar goes to the capitol despite warnings from the Soothsayer, Artemidorus and his wife, Calpurnia
Artemidorus tries to pass Caesar a note warning him – Caesar refuses to read it.
As the entourage enters the Senate, Cassius fears his plot has been discovered.
Metullus asks Caesar to pardon his brother; he refuses.
The conspirators, one by one, kneel at Caesar’s feet.
Casca stabs first, the others follow; Brutus is the last to stab Caesar (“Et tu, Brute?” – you too, Brutus?)
They perform sacrificial ritual by bathing in Caesar’s blood.
They walk into the market place and declare they have restored “peace, liberty and freedom” by slaying Caesar.
Antony quickly claims loyalty to Brutus, asks permission to speak at Caesar’s funeral – Brutus grants the request, Cassius thinks it’s a bad idea.
Antony predicts a civil war - Caesar’s spirit will seek revenge against the conspirators.
Antony sends a message to Octavius, warning him to steer clear of Rome.

3. Act III – scene ii – 2 Funeral Orations
Objective – To discuss/understand the logic, language and meaning of the funeral orations of Brutus and Antony ***Complete your handouts after reading each speech.

4. Intro to Act III, scene ii
One of the most famous scenes in Shakespeare.
During the scene, Brutus, in a calm and eloquent style, appeals to the crowd’s intellect and reason in informing them that Caesar was slain to free Rome.
At the end of his speech, the crowd cheers Brutus and ironically states that Brutus should now become king.
Antony is then permitted to speak and in a masterful speech turns the crowd into an angry mob against the conspirators.
Brutus and Cassisus flee Rome to escape the mob, while Antony prepares to meet with Octavius.

5. Brutus’ Speech
It is a short speech – less than ¼ of the length of Antony’s speech.
It is written in prose.
Brutus has 3 objectives:
To prove that Caesar was ambitious
To prove that the murder was done for the good of Rome
To prove that the murderers were honorable men
First part of the speech deals with 4 cause/effect relationships:
Brutus admits Caesar’s good qualities but states that Caesar’s ambition to be king was what caused his death
Asks 3 rhetorical questions (questions that we already know the answer to). These questions are abstract/philosophical in nature.
At the end of the speech, Brutus leaves the forum, believing that he has convinced the crowd that Caesar’s death was justified.
However, love of freedom and love of country fail as convincing reasons for Caesar’s death when compared to Antony’s argument.

6. Discussion Questions
Why is Brutus’ speech given in prose? What purpose does prose serve?
What tone is used in Brutus’ speech? What feelings does his speech leave you with?
Does Brutus seem sincere?
What fatal error does Brutus make by being the first to speak at Caesar’s funeral?

7. Antony’s Speech http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Q7apiYunEU
In his opening lines, Antony tries to banish the suspicions the crowd has of him and gain their confidence.
He refutes Brutus’ claim that Caesar was ambitious – offers 3 proofs:
Caesar refused the crown 3 times when Antony offered it to him
Changes the pace of the speech by pausing, interrupting the crowd, using repetitions and persuasion.
A commoner “plebian” notes that Antony is weeping, remarks made by members of the crowd show that Antony has won them over.
“There’s not a nobler man in Rome than Antony.”
Antony makes Caesar a national hero.
Hints that he has Caesar’s will – describes to the audience what their reactions would be if he read the will to them.
Leaves the pulpit during speech – uses Caesar’s corpse/cloak to emphasis the closeness of their relationship / military victories.
Then contrasts strength of those victories to Caesar’s mutilated body / republic.
Crowd is won over – they scream “traitor” and demand revenge.
Antony holds back the crowd – then plays his trump card – Caesar’s will – reads it in full to the crowd.
Citizens realize what Caesar has left them – public gardens and money for each citizen. Crowd vows revenge against the conspirators.
Full scale mutiny/chaos ensues – murder of Cinna the poet act of mayhem.

8. Discussion Questions
Antony chooses his words carefully in his speech. Of what importance are the words honorable and ambition in the speech? Why are they used so many times in his speech?
Antony uses the following refrain several times in his speech. What purpose does this refrain serve? What effect did it have on the crowd? What effect does it have on you?
Yet Brutus says he was ambitious,
And Brutus is an honorable man.
Antony uses emotional appeals to the audience throughout his speech. List examples from the speech, and show what emotion Antony is appealing to.
In several places during the speech, Antony pauses. What is Antony’s purpose behind these pauses? Is his intended effect achieved?