ACT III

ACT III, 1: THE NORTHERN STAR AND OLYMPUS

The most intense moment of action in the play occurs in the first scene of Act III. This is the assassination scene. As noted previously, a protagonist in a tragedy falls (or perhaps dies) late in the fourth act or in the fifth act of the play. Caesar dies before the play is even half over. Caesar thus becomes a lesser character in the play that is named for him. And Brutus thus becomes the sole protagonist of the drama.

The first part of this scene also serves to show the pretense, the stubbornness, and the godlike ambition of Caesar. Brutus is correct in evaluating Caesar as the serpent in the egg. Brutus is right in seeing how dangerous Caesar would be for Rome. But even though Brutus, the tragic hero, is right and even though he has only noble and pure intentions, he will nevertheless encounter disaster.

The force of fate seems to overpower both Caesar and Brutus. As the scene opens, both the Soothsayer (the fortune teller) and Artemidorus (who knows about the conspiracy) attempt to warn Caesar. But Caesar ignores them. His desire to appear fearless and his pretense to be unselfish do not serve him well. When Artemidorus attempts to hand him a note of warning, Caesar responds, “What touches ourself shall be last served” (8). Caesar is saying that he puts the needs of Rome above his own. Of course, that is not true. But because Caesar wants others to believe that it is true, he refuses to read the note.

In the Senate, Caesar, as leader of Rome, sits to hear petitions – to hear the requests or pleas of the Roman people. Metellus Cimber, who is one of the conspirators, then goes to Caesar and petitions that Caesar remove the banishment placed on his brother (Publius Cimber) and allow his brother to return to Rome. Caesar refuses and tells Metellus that no amount of begging or flattery (“sweet words” in line 42) can get him to change his mind. Then both Brutus (in line 52) and Cassius (in line 55) join Metellus; and all three of them kneel before Caesar and ask Caesar to allow Publius Cimber to return. Of course, all of this is part of the scheme or plot. This action allows the conspirators to move closer to Caesar in a group.

Caesar’s stubborn refusal continues. He tells the men, “I am as constant as the Northern Star” (60). The North Star or Polestar was invaluable to sailors. They could always find their direction at night by finding the North Star. Other stars move in the sky. But the North Star never changes. Thus, the star became the symbol of constancy (firmness or resoluteness). But this simile here also has an added meaning. It also suggests Caesar seeing himself as belonging to the heavens, as belonging among the gods. When other conspirators join Metellus and Brutus and similarly kneel before Caesar, Caesar asks them, “Wilt thou lift up Olympus?” This is a metaphor that also has a double meaning. Olympus is an extremely high mountain in Greece, and the ancient Greeks believed that the gods lived on the top of the mountain. Caesar is stating that getting him to change him mind is as impossible as lifting up this extremely huge mountain. But the word also suggests that Caesar places himself with the gods. It symbolically suggests that Caesar sees himself as a god.

But this Roman god does not live long, for at this point in the play the conspirators, now gathered closely around Caesar, move in on him and stab him to death (line 76). Brutus is the last to stab him, and the dying Caesar asks, “Et tu, Bruté?” (76). This is “And you, Brutus” in Latin. Caesar knows that Brutus is a noble and virtuous Roman, and he is shocked that Brutus could betray him. But Caesar dies immediately before Brutus can respond. Brutus is deeply troubled and bothered at this moment, but he has no time to think about his deed now. Most of the senators and officials did not know about the conspiracy, and shock and panic afflict the people.

ACT III, 1: MARK ANTONY

Mark Antony similarly is shocked by the murder of Caesar, and he also is aware that he could be killed himself. So, he quickly leaves the senate building (line 97). The conspirators now need to explain their actions to the public. Mark Antony’s servant then comes up to Brutus, and the servant declares that Antony is willing to serve Brutus now that Caesar is dead if Brutus will explain why Caesar deserved to die (lines 131-38). Brutus tells the servant that Antony may return without fear, and Antony soon appears before Brutus and the others at the senate building (line 148).

Antony is emotionally upset at seeing the bloody corpse of Caesar. Brutus assures Antony that he is safe, and Cassius even tells Antony that they will include him in the creation of the new government that they will need to establish (lines 178-79). Antony is still emotionally upset by the death of Caesar, his friend. But he tells the conspirators that if they can explain their actions, he will join them: “Friends I am with you all, and love you all” (222). These words, as events will show later, are lies.

      Antony then makes a request. He asks Brutus

if he can make a speech at Caesar’s funeral (line 232). Brutus agrees. Cassius however, is not happy with this idea. He whispers to Brutus (in an aside – dialogue not heard by Antony) that Antony may provoke or move the listeners to do harm against the conspirators. But Brutus whispers that Cassius has no need to worry because Brutus will make a speech first “and show the reason of our Caesar’s death” (239). Brutus is convinced that if the people understand their reasons for killing Caesar, then those reasons will be sufficient. He expects the people of Rome to be reasonable and logical. But the people of Rome are really quite fickle, as noted previously.

They are not always logical.

Here again Brutus is making another fatal error or mistake (hamartia). Brutus underestimates the emotional nature of men in general. More importantly, he also underestimates the ability of Antony to move or affect the people of Rome.

Cassius was right all along. Antony is dangerous, and Antony is a “shrewd contriver” (Act II, 1: 158). Antony is a clever and malicious schemer.

After Brutus and Cassius leave the senate, Antony is alone on stage and delivers a soliloquy (a speech indicating his thoughts). In this speech Antony declares his intentions to get revenge against Brutus, Cassius, and the other conspirators:

A curse shall light upon the limbs of men;

Domestic fury and fierce civil strife

Shall cumber all the parts of Italy. (265-67)

Antony (actually Shakespeare) foreshadows the civil war that will afflict the Roman Empire, the events of which form the subject matter of the last two acts of the play. Antony will not rest until he brings the conspirators to justice, and the Roman Empire will become torn apart as the forces of Antony will wage war against the forces of Brutus and Cassius. After the soliloquy, the servant of Octavius

Caesar enters.

Octavius (also known as Augustus Caesar) is a nephew (actually grand-nephew) of Julius Caesar. Octavius will later rule Rome from 27 BC until his death in 14 AD. But when Caesar was killed in 44 BC, Octavius was about 19 years of age. But even then he was a man of wealth and power.

Antony warns the servant that Rome is not safe for Octavius and that he will get a message to Octavius later after he makes his speech to the people of Rome.

In history, and in this play, Octavius will join forces with Antony in the war against the conspirators. Actually, a new Triumvirate will form: Antony, Octavius, and a Roman named Lepidus. They will become the new leaders of the Roman Empire.

ACT III, 2: LEND ME YOUR EARS

The actual centerpiece or outstanding attraction of this play is the speech given by Mark Antony in the second scene of Act III. This speech is not only a splendid example of rhetoric (persuasive speaking), but it is also one of the finest speeches written by Shakespeare. The speech is full of irony and dissembling (lies, false statements). Antony is attempting to persuade and urge the people to take vengeance against the conspirators, and he is most successful in accomplishing that goal.

The greatness of the speech is enhanced by its relationship to theme of fickleness set up in Act I and, more importantly, by the contrast to Brutus and the speech Brutus makes just before Antony presents his own. As mentioned earlier, Brutus had decided to present a speech before Antony gave his so that the crowd would not be influenced by anything that Antony might say. Unfortunately for him, Brutus completely underestimates the feelings of the crowd and the ability of Antony to move or persuade them according to his will. The following chart highlights the differences in the two speeches:

Shakespeare definitely wanted his audience to compare and contrast the two speeches. Thus, the reader should note that the playwright sets up a dialogic contrast. That is, the meaning of one speech functions to comment upon the other. Shakespeare even uses semiotic devices (or signs) to suggest the relationship between the two scenes. The first sign he uses is the opening address to the public:

BRUTUS:       Romans, countrymen, and lovers,              hear me for my cause. (13) ANTONY: Friends, Romans, countrymen,

             lend me your ears. (70)

“Lend me your ears” is another way of saying “hear me” or listen to me. The word lover was often used as a synonym for friend. Thus, both Brutus and Antony begin their speeches in exactly the same way.

But the similarity ends there.

A second semiotic device that connects the two speeches is the inclusion of the word honour or honourable. But although both speakers use the word, they use it in far different ways. Brutus is sincere when he attributes his action to his honorable desire to serve Rome, but Antony uses the word ironically. Antony calls Brutus and Cassius honorable men, but the other lines of his speech hint or suggest that that they are actually extremely dishonorable for killing Caesar.

Brutus is a stoic. In other words, Brutus strongly believed in the philosophy of stoicism. Stoicism was extremely popular in Roman times. It taught the development of self-control as a means of overcoming destructive emotions. Thus, Brutus relied on his reason and logic to determine his course of actions, and (in his speech) he similarly assumes that other Romans also value the stoical approach. Here, of course, is where Brutus makes another big mistake. In many of his plays and poems, Shakespeare often develops a theme concerning the conflict of Reason vs. Emotion. Although Christian leaders taught the idea that Reason is a gift from God by which man can control his emotions and passions, Shakespeare (and other poets, like Sidney, for example) indicates that on occasion the emotions can take control over a person no matter how hard that person struggles to be reasonable or logical. And when the emotions take control, even the noblest and strongest of men can become wild and irrational. Shakespeare understood that emotions can overpower reason. Antony also understands this, but Brutus does not.

In his appeal to his listeners, Brutus is logical and rational. He tells the people that his actions were done so that they would not become slaves (line 22) under the tyrant that Caesar would become once he gained absolute power. The appeal is a good one. The Romans respond positively to Brutus. They do not want to be slaves, and they do not want a tyrant ruling them. However, this appeal to logic is not good enough.

As the first scene in Act I reveals, the Roman crowds are fickle. People are emotional creatures, and their love for a man can easily turn to hate (as it did for Pompey the Great). Antony not only knows this, but he depends upon it to accomplish his goal.