JULIUS CAESAR ACT III NOTES
SCENE 1
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Additional Notes from Teacher
 The scene begins with Caesar approaching the Capitol
on the ides of March
 Remember Artemidorus has written a warning letter to
Caesar about the conspiracy
 Ln. 1-2: Caesar shows his ego in his boastful attitude,
and the soothsayser warns to not let his guard down
just yet
 Ln. 8: Caesar gives us a false sense of being humble
by refusing to look at Artemidorus’s plea since it deals
with Caesar – this is a BIG mistake. There is irony
here as Caesar chooses public concerns over private
when really he’s just going to the Capitol to be
crowned.
 The conspirators intercept Artemidorus to make sure
they can get Caesar to the Capitol
 Ln. 16-17: Cassius acts very jumpy as compared to
the very composed and calm Brutus
 Ln. 19-21: urges Casca to be ready to strike the first
blow in case they are discovered
 Ln. 25-26: Trebonius’s job in the conspiracy is to
make sure Mark Antony is out of the way
 Ln. 27-28: Metellus Cimber’s job is to present Caesar
with a petition which gives the conspirators a reason
to crowd around Caesar
 Ln. 30: Casca’s job in the conspiracy is to strike the
first blow
 Ln. 36-37: Caesar tells them that the flattery is being
laid on a little thick – he’s not moved by it
 Ln. 47-48: Caesar expresses that he makes no
mistakes
 Ln. 58-74: Does this speech make the reader want to
feel sorry for Caesar?
 Ln. 60: uses a simile to compare himself to the
Northern Star, which never moves in the sky and is
used to provide direction
 Ln. 74: allusion to Mount Olympus and hyperbole
saying that changing his mind is a great feat like lifting
up a mountain
 Ln. 76: Casca strikes
 Ln. 77: Caesar’s dying words are to Brutus – who
could saying it differently change the meaning of the
lines?
 Once he is dead, celebration and confusion break out
 Ln. 98-99: chaos and disorder in Rome – the chain
has been broken
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 Ln. 103-105: Brutus says they have been friends to
Caesar because they have done away with all the
years Caesar might have lived in fear of death
 Ln. 105-110: very much like Calphurnia’s dream –
they are washing themselves in Caesar’s blood like
the are sacrificers and intend to walk about the streets
like this
 Ln. 111-113: Cassius shows his ego in proclaiming
that their deed in so great that it will be reenacted for
centuries to come (ironic that this is a play)
 Ln. 116-117: Cassius believes they will be
remembered as heroes
 Ln. 126-129: Antony’s servant comes with a message
– notice how he compares/contrasts Brutus and
Caesar (foreshadowing of Antony’s speech to come)
 Ln. 130-134: Wants to know why Caesar deserved to
die, and then he shall be loyal to Brutus – is this a
ploy?
 Ln. 138-139: Does Brutus suspect anything?
 Ln. 144-146: Cassius echoes his warning against
Mark Antony
 Ln. 148: Begins his speech with an apostrophe
talking to Caesar’s dead body
 Ln. 152: puns on the words “let blood” (a common
cure or to kill) and “rank” (swollen with power or
swollen with disease)
 Ln. 159-163: Antony says if it is in their plan to take
his life, than there is no nobler place to die than next
to Caesar
 Ln. 165-169: Brutus says don’t judge us by our
actions, judge us by our motives and intentions – are
those any better?
 Ln. 173-176: Brutus welcomes Antony as a brother
and sees him as a good man (appeals to his ethos)
 Ln. 177-178: Cassius assures Antony that he will
have a share of power too in the new Rome – makes
sure Antony is fully satisfied
 Ln. 184: Shakes each bloody hand – dramatic irony
– the conspirators take it as a sign he agrees with
their actions, a blood bond, but Antony is secretly
noting whom he will seek revenge against
 Ln. 191-193: Pun on slippery ground – the ground he
is standing on is literally slippery with Caesar’s blood,
but he is also on uncertain terms with the conspirators
– he says they must see him as a coward or a flatterer
 Ln. 204-210: use of apostrophe again and a hunting
metaphor
 Ln. 215-217: Cassius questions Antony’s devotion to
their cause because of his moving and tender speech
to Caesar’s corpse
 Ln. 218-220: Antony realizing his error, assures them
that he is on their side, and that he was only
temporarily swayed by the sight of Caesar’s body
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 Ln. 226-230: Antony wants to take Caesar’s body to
the public and speak at the funeral – do you think this
is a good idea?
 Cassius’s warnings here against it act as
foreshadowing
 Brutus’s mistake is again underestimating Antony by
agreeing to his request
 Ln. 235-242 & 243-251 : Brutus’s great plan is to tell
the audience first that Antony has the conspirators’
permission and that he shall not say anything bad
about them
 In Antony’s soliloquy, he addresses Caesar’s dead
body again using apostrophe
 Ln. 254 marks a great shift in Antony’s behavior – he
is not on the conspirators’ side truly
 Ln. 262-275: use of chaos imagery again
 Ln. 265, 270, & 273: all examples of foreshadowing
of what is to come
 Antony sends message that it is not safe for Octavius
(Caesar’s heir by blood) to come in to Rome
 By the end of the scene, Antony’s plan for revenge is
in full swing.
SCENE 2
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Additional Notes from Teacher
 The scene opens in the forum or Roman public
square – used to conduct business
 Brutus’s speech is spoken in prose not blank verse –
speech of the common people, but makes it almost
sound less elegant or persuasive.
 Ln. 13-15: Gives them orders to be quiet – look at how
his tone from the start is very emotionless
 Ln. 13-16: Hear me, Believe me, Censure me uses
parallel structure – which is a logical appeal (logos)
 Ln. 15: References his “honor” – character appeal
(ethos) His first mistake in his speech is that he
believes that honor alone is enough to excuse murder
 Ln. 21-22: Caesar has been murdered for Rome’s
sake – I did it for you!
 Ln. 24-29: use of parallel structure (logos) – “as
Caesar
,I
.
 Ln. 29-30: Caesar receives death for ambition – Brutus
has not offered any proof of this ambition – so he
builds on the crowd’s fear of enslavement (bondman)
and tyranny
 Ln. 33-35: Gives the people the power to speak out
against him, if they think he has been false
 Ln. 38-41:again he relies on parallel structure
(logos)
 The crowd is swayed by Brutus’s appeal to honor
(ethos) because they do not understand his logical
appeals (logos)
 Ln. 53: the plebian’s cry shows that they do not really
understand Brutus, his cause or Caesar’s supposed
wrongdoings
 Leaving Mark Antony alone to speak to the crowd
shows that Brutus is too sure of himself and misreads
the plebeians thinking that they have understood him
and that he is too trusting of Antony
 Antony speaks in blank verse which makes his
speech more passionate sounding
 Antony knows he cannot directly speak badly about
Brutus and the conspirators, so he must do it in a
devious way using repetitive verbal irony to say the
opposite of what he really means
 Ln. 77-78: evil lives on after death – the good is often
buried with you – does Antony really want that to
happen to Caesar?
 Ln. 78-81: Antony reintroduces the thesis of Brutus’s
speech – which we will see him break down – logical
appeal (logos)
 Ln 81: notice he says “If it were true…” were is a
conditional verb, like may or might
 Ln. 84-85: Antony reminds the audience that these
are “honorable men” (remember verbal irony)
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 Ln. 87-89: Gives proof of how Caesar is good, but then
repeats the phrase “But Brutus says he was ambitious
/ And Brutus is an honorable man” – the repetitive
verbal irony makes the phrases seem less and less
true to the audience as Antony offers up more proof
 Ln. 87: also shows that Antony knows he must proof
that Caesar loved the Romans too
 Ln. 90-101: presents them with external/physical
proof of Caesar’s non-ambitious behavior always
followed by the statement about Brutus, which is the
use of logical appeal (logos)
 External proofs:
o Brought captives home and gave their ransom
money to the public
o Wept for the poor
o Refused to take the crown three times
 Ln. 99: use of rhetorical question
 Ln. 104-105: where has the love gone? an emotional
appeal (pathos)
 Ln. 106-107: uses an apostrophe to say good
judgment has left
 Ln. 107-109: uses an emotional appeal (pathos) as
he states he must pause because his heart has died
along with Caesar
 Ln. 110: Notice the plebeians initial response is
hesitant, but turning towards Antony
 Antony will often use nonverbal rhetoric to persuade
the commoners by using Caesar’s body as a symbol
 Ln. 123: uses verbal irony to say it’s a good thing my
words are meant to blame Brutus and Cassius and
not will not cause you to rebel – but secretly they are
 Ln. 130-139: Antony mentions the will to the plebeians,
but says he won’t read it – but hints that it would cause
them to praise Caesar
 The will can be seen as a symbol of Caesar’s love for
the people
 Ln. 142-147: words echo Marullus and Flavius’s words
at the beginning – only this time, he is saying because
you are not objects, reading the will will only stir your
passion (use of nonverbal rhetoric)
 Ln. 153-154: strong verbal irony as he contrasts the
words honorable men and the image of daggers
 Ln. 160: Uses Caesar’s body as a gathering point, a
symbol for Antony’s cause, and he comes physically
down to their level to show them how Caesar was on
their side
 Ln. 171: emotional appeal (pathos)
 Ln. 172: Uses Caesar’s cloak/toga as a symbol of the
conspirator’s deed (nonverbal rhetoric)
 Ln. 176:-180: uses an emotional appeal and
dramatic irony to “murder” Caesar again by pointing
out where each conspirator stabbed Caesar –
something he would not actually know
 Ln 83-88: Brutus was Caesar’s most beloved and
Caesar’s heart burst when Brutus turned against him
(use of emotional appeal – pathos)
 Ln. 98-99: Look at how badly Caesar’s body is
wounded – it speaks for itself
 Ln. 100-105: see how the plebeians are already
moved to violence
 Ln. 210: notice the plebeian uses parallel structure
just like Antony does in his speech – sign of loyalty to
Antony
 Ln. 214-215: They are honorable – but they might
have private reasons for doing this – a direct contrast
to Brutus saying that they did it for Rome
 Ln.218-220: use of verbal irony as Antony says he is
not a good public speaker – he is appearing humble
 Ln. 227-232: uses personification when talking about
Caesar’s wounds – he hopes they do the talking for
him – notice the use of the word “stones” again
 Mutiny – a popular uprising against lawful authority
 Ln. 240: reminds them of the will so that they will not
run straight off to mutiny
 Ln. 244: Caesar leaves 75 drachmas (silver coins) to
every man
 Ln. 249-253: Caesar leaves his private gardens for the
public to use
 The plebeians now want to honor Caesar body and
desecrate the conspirators’
 Ln. 262-263: apostrophe to mischief – saying he is
run amok in Rome
 Ln. 270-271: Cassius and Brutus have fled the city of
Rome
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SCENE 3
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Additional Notes from Teacher
 This scene is built on the idea of confusion and mob
mentality
 Ln. 1-2: Cinna’s dream foreshadows his doom
 Cinna the poet ≠ Cinna the conspirator
 Cinna’s death here symbolizes the fall of Rome into
utter moral chaos as the citizens act without
consideration of what is wrong and what is right