Line #129 Theatre/JuliusCaesar


1	!!As the play is OlderThanSteam and based on historical events, and as most twists in Shakespeare's plots are now [[ItWasHisSled widely known]], all spoilers on this page are [[Administrivia/SpoilersOff unmarked]].
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3	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Death_of_Caesar_9167.jpg]]
4	[[caption-width-right:350: I wonder what will happen next.]]
5
6	->''"Et tu, Brute? Then fall, Caesar."''
7
8	One of Creator/WilliamShakespeare's tragedies, the play is his take on the assassination of UsefulNotes/JuliusCaesar in AncientRome and its bloody aftermath.
9
10	The protagonist is UsefulNotes/MarcusJuniusBrutus, a scrupulously honest, loyal and patriotic statesman, who is nonetheless drawn by his friend Caius Cassius into a plot to assassinate the increasingly powerful Caesar. Brutus is torn between his love for Julius Caesar and what he believes to be his duty to Rome. He is eventually moved to the act only by his love of the republic; other characters in the conspiracy have less spotless motivations.
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12	{{Alternat\|iveCharacterInterpretation}}ely, the protagonist is Marcus Brutus, a self-centered patrician whom Cassius flatters into betraying his former patron Caesar. Take your pick.
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14	In either case, Brutus is intended to be the most sympathetic character in a cast of villains. The title character? An {{Ambitio\|nIsEvil}}us DecoyProtagonist. His other closest friend, UsefulNotes/MarkAntony? Uses his oratory skills to help woo the crowds to handing Caesar power, and when it comes to AvengingTheVillain he really gets nasty, all while acting the part of the FauxAffablyEvil VillainWithGoodPublicity. [[UsefulNotes/{{Augustus}} Octavian/Octavius/Augustus Caesar]]? Just as ambitious as his dear old uncle, but even smarter, smart enough in fact to maintain his [[VillainWithGoodPublicity good publicity]] throughout the events of the play so that it takes a knowledge of what actually happened afterwards historically (or in ''Theatre/AntonyAndCleopatra'') to realize his [[XanatosPlannedThisIndex villainy.]] Our actual protagonist's other best friend, Cassius? TheResenter to Caesar's power who gets Brutus involved in the conspiracy in the first place by being a ManipulativeBastard, with plans to set himself up as TheManBehindTheMan where Brutus is [[PuppetKing The Man]] whether he wants the job or not; in fact, the less Brutus actually wants the job the easier he thinks it will be. The rest of the conspirators all have their own selfish motivations as well. Oh and the rest of Rome? Anyone who isn't just a victim of one of the villains ends up in the mob formed by Mark Antony's speech due to their [[PowderKegCrowd fickle nature]].
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16	Following the assassination, Rome is plunged into civil war, and a number of characters from the first several acts of the play die during the conflict, mostly through suicide.
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18	The play was adapted to film several times. The most famous is [[Film/JuliusCaesar1953 the 1953 version]], which starred Creator/MarlonBrando as Mark Antony, Creator/JamesMason as Brutus, Creator/JohnGielgud as Cassius, Creator/GreerGarson as Calpurnia, and Creator/DeborahKerr as Portia. The [[Film/JuliusCaesar1970 1970 version]] stars Creator/CharltonHeston as Mark Antony ([[RoleReprise reprising the role]] from a lower budget 1950 film version), Creator/JasonRobards as Brutus and Gielgud again, as Caesar this time around, among others. The 2003 ''Series/{{Julius Caesar\|2003}}'' miniseries, meanwhile, is not based off Shakespeare.
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20	The play factors heavily into the movie ''Film/MeAndOrsonWelles''.
21	----
22	!!Tropes:
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24
25	* AdaptationNameChange: The figure of Decimus Brutus is mistakenly named Decius here.
26	* AmbitionIsEvil:
27	** Brutus kills Caesar because he fears Caesar will accept being made Emperor of Rome.
28	--->'''Brutus:''' As Caesar loved me, I weep for him; as he was fortunate, I rejoice at it; as he was valiant, I honour him; but, as he was ambitious, I slew him.
29	** Antony builds his rebuke of the conspirators around decontructing Brutus's claim, citing with some of Caesar's deeds that would imply otherwise.
30	--->'''Antony''': But Brutus says he was ambitious, and Brutus is an honorable man.
31	* AnachronismStew: The characters refer to many things that didn't exist in Ancient Rome, but did exist in Elizabethan England. Most egregiously, at one point, a clock tolls the hour.
32	* AntagonistInMourning: After Brutus dies, Antony calls him "the noblest Roman of them all" and says that the others conspired against Caesar out of jealousy, but Brutus did it because he thought it was the right thing. He and Octavian agree to give him [[DueToTheDead a respectful burial]].
33	* AntiVillain: Brutus -- consider how honourable and idealistic Brutus is in the play; then remember, the widespread idea used in Dante's ''Inferno'' which considered him one of the worst traitors in history along with Cassius and Judas.
34	* ArbitrarySkepticism: Caesar accepts superstition regarding the Lupercalia festival as fact, and then refuses to believe a soothsayer warning him to beware the Ides of March.
35	* ArcWords: "Beware the Ides of March..."
36	* ArtisticLicenseHistory: Although this play is much more historically accurate than other Shakespeare plays, he did take some liberties so as to curtail time and compress the facts so that the play could be staged more easily:
37	** Shakespeare made Caesar's triumph take place on the day of Lupercalia (February 15) instead of six months earlier.
38	** For dramatic effect, Shakespeare made the Capitol the venue of Caesar's death rather than the Curia Pompeia (Curia of Pompey).
39	** Shakespeare has Caesar say "Et tu, Brute?" ("And you, Brutus?") before he dies. Plutarch and Suetonius each report that he said nothing, with Plutarch adding that he pulled his toga over his head when he saw Brutus among the conspirators, although Suetonius does record other reports that Caesar said in Latin, "Ista quidem vis est" ("This is violence").
40	** Caesar's murder, the funeral, Antony's oration, the reading of the will, and the arrival of Octavius all take place on the same day in the play. However, historically, the assassination took place on March 15 (The Ides of March), the will was published on March 18, the funeral was on March 20, and Octavius arrived only in May.
41	** Shakespeare had the Triumvirs first meet in Rome instead of near Bononia to avoid an additional locale.
42	** There were actually two battles of Philippi over two weeks apart, with Cassius committing suicide after the first one, incorrectly thinking the Liberators had been defeated, and Brutus committing suicide after the second one in which the Liberators really were defeated.
43	* AstroTurf: Cassius pulls this on Brutus:
44	-->I will this night,
45	-->In several hands, in at his windows throw,
46	-->As if they came from several citizens,
47	-->Writings all tending to the great opinion
48	-->That Rome holds of his name; wherein obscurely
49	-->Caesar's ambition shall be glanced at
50	* AsYouKnow: Caesar explains a famous superstition about Lupercalia to Antony, lest the audience be confused.
51	* AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther: Platonic example with Brutus and Cassius. Despite their [[WithFriendsLikeThese difficulties with each other]], their final scene together at Philippi has them affectionately saying goodbye to one another while re-affirming their friendship.
52	* BasedOnATrueStory: Mostly. Shakespeare got all his historical information from [[Literature/ParallelLives Plutarch]], and ''Julius Caesar'' is much more historically accurate than many of his other plays.
53	* BetterToDieThanBeKilled: Hence the suicides. TruthInTelevision; this was fairly common among patrician Romans.
54	* BloodOnTheDebateFloor: The most famous example, as Caesar is turned into a pincushion during a session of the Senate.
55	* CassandraTruth: The soothsayer's warning. Lampshaded by Caesar as he meets the soothsayer on the Ides of March. The soothsayer [[{{Foreshadowing}} reminds him the day isn't over yet]].
56	* ChewingTheScenery: Several good scenes for it.
57	** Caesar, whenever he talks about himself. "Speak! CAESAR is turned to hear."
58	** Mark Antony: "Cry HAVOC! And let slip the dogs of war!"
59	* CouldHaveAvoidedThisPlot: Part of the grief of this play is the ''sheer number'' of warnings that go ignored, both for Caesar to avoid his assassination and for Brutus and company to avoid violent reprisal for it.
60	* CouldSayItBut: Antony in his funeral speech, when talking about why he won't read Caesar's will to the crowd.
61	-->You are not wood, you are not stones, but men;\
62	And, being men, bearing the will of Caesar,\
63	It will inflame you, it will make you mad:\
64	'Tis good you know not that you are his heirs;\
65	For, if you should, O, what would come of it!
66	* DamnedByFaintPraise: Marc Antony calling the assassins "honorable" while eulogizing Caesar's death helps in turning the public consciousness against them.
67	* DecoyProtagonist: Caesar is the title character, but the real protagonist is Brutus.
68	* DefiantToTheEnd: Caesar is strongly resolved to attend the Senate meeting, in spite of Calpurnia's ominous nightmare of the bloody fountain and the dangers awaiting him:
69	-->'''Caesar''': Caesar should be a beast without a heart if he should stay at home today for fear.\
70	No, Caesar shall not; Danger knows full well that Caesar is more dangerous than he;\
71	We are two lions littered in one day, and I the elder and more terrible: And Caesar shall go forth.
72	* DemocracyIsBad: The citizens are continually shown as highly fickle.
73	* DespairEventHorizon: Learning that his trusted friend Brutus is among the assassins ranged against him causes Caesar to lose heart and cease struggling.
74	* DidNotThinkThisThrough: In spite of Cassius' objections, Brutus permits Antony to speak, unsupervised, at Caesar's funeral, asking only that he not speak ill of the assassins. Needless to say, the more experienced Antony quickly turns the crowd, causing them to form a mob and seek vengeance on the conspirators.
75	* DiedOnTheirBirthday: Cassius mentions on the day of the Battle of Philippi that it's his birthday. He ends up committing suicide when his side loses.
76	* DisabledInTheAdaptation: Caesar is depicted as being deaf in one ear, even though there's no evidence that he had any kind of hearing impairment in RealLife.
77	* DiseaseByAnyOtherName: Brutus mentions that Caesar has "falling sickness," aka epilepsy. ([[TruthInTelevision Many historians say he did]].)
78	* DispenseWithThePleasantries: Caesar is proud of his hatred of attempts to flatter him.
79	-->'''Brutus:''' I can o'ersway him; for he loves to hear\
80	That unicorns may be betray'd with trees,\
81	And bears with glasses, elephants with holes,\
82	Lions with toils and men with flatterers;\
83	But when I tell him he hates flatterers,\
84	He says he does, being then most flattered.
85	* DisproportionateRetribution: When the angry mob surrounds Cinna the poet, this exchange occurs:
86	-->'''Cinna:''' Truly, my name is Cinna.
87	-->'''First citizen:''' Tear him to pieces, he's a conspirator!
88	-->'''Cinna:''' I am Cinna the poet, I am Cinna the poet!
89	-->'''First citizen:''' Tear him for his bad verses, tear him for his bad verses![[note]]In other words: "Well, you shouldn't have named yourself after Cinna."[[/note]]
90	* DownerEnding: Instead of preserving the Roman Republic, the assassins end up setting the stage for its slow and destructive collapse, and almost all of them are dead after the events at Philippi. That's not even talking about the slew of innocents, such as Cinna the poet, getting killed throughout the story. Making matters worse, the relationship between Antony and Octavian starts to show strains, hinting at [[Theatre/AntonyAndCleopatra even more instability to follow]].
91	* DramaticIrony: It's very ironic to see Antony as a MagnificentBastard in the play as well as the seeds of his disagreement with Octavian, as both in history and in Shakespeare's own ''Antony and Cleopatra'', Octavian proved to be the greater MagnificentBastard of the two.
92	* DrivenToSuicide: Several characters after everything gets worse following the assassination, most notably Portia, Brutus' wife, [[spoiler: and ultimately Cassius and Brutus themselves]].
93	* DueToTheDead: Antony and Octavian give Brutus a proper burial after his suicide.
94	* DyingCurse: An alternative interpretation of Caesar's final words; Caesar is cursing Brutus to suffer the same fate as Caesar himself. Brutus does in fact suffer the same fate, and at the hand of the same man.
95	* EmpathicEnvironment: Crazy things happen in Rome during this time of turmoil.
96	* EtTuBrute: As the assassins attack, Caesar defends himself... but when he sees Brutus, his best friend, among the assassins, he gives up and lets himself be murdered - he didn't care about a bunch of strangers armed with pointy things, but having his buddy stab him is another story entirely. The full quote is: "Et tu, Brute? Then fall, Caesar." Marc Antony during Caesar's funeral would say of Brutus's betrayal that his was "the most unkindest cut of all."
97	* ExactWords: Brutus requires Antony to credit the assassins for giving him permission to speak at Caesar's funeral and to not lay blame on them. He keeps to the letter of those stipulations... and still [[PowderKegCrowd agitates the audience into an angry mob]] howling for the assassins' blood.
98	* FaceDeathWithDignity: Julius Caesar, in spite of Calpurnia's attempts to keep him home:
99	-->'''Caesar''': Cowards die many times before their deaths;\
100	The valiant never taste of death but once.\
101	And of all the wonders that I yet have heard,\
102	It seems to me most strange that men should fear,\
103	Seeing that death, a necessary end,\
104	Will come when it will come.
105	* ForgedLetter: Cassius sends multiple letters "from the citizens of Rome" to Brutus in order to win him over to their conspiracy.
106	* GetOut: When the poet barges into Brutus' and Cassius' tent, they promptly send him on his way:
107	-->'''Brutus''': [[LampshadeHanging Get you hence, sirrah! Saucy fellow, hence!]]\
108	'''Cassius''': Bear with him, Brutus. 'Tis his fashion.\
109	'''Brutus''': I'll know his humor when he knows his time.\
110	What should the wars do with these jigging fools? Companion, hence!\
111	'''Cassius''': Away, away, begone!
112	* GoodIsDumb: Brutus is portrayed as far-and-away the best-intentioned of the conspirators, but every time he overrules Cassius it's for something [[HonorBeforeReason mind-bogglingly stupid]].
113	** Brutus nixes a suggestion to kill Antony along with Caesar, resulting in Antony becoming one of their greatest threats.
114	** Brutus overrules Cassius and insists they allow Antony to speak at Caesar's funeral, and Antony incites the crowd to riot with his speech, decisively swinging public opinion against the assassins.
115	** Brutus again overrules Cassius and says they must advance and give battle at Phillipi, rather than bide their time as Cassius suggests, resulting in their final, total defeat.
116	* GreenEyedMonster: Every conspirator except (maybe) Brutus is motivated by this.
117	* GuiltByCoincidence: Cinna the Poet gets killed by the Mob because he unfortunately shared a name with one of Caesar's murderers. An added irony is that the murdered Cinna was a good friend of Caesar.
118	* HauntingTheGuilty: Brutus sees the ghost of Caesar, who ominously warns him of his fate in the upcoming battle.
119	* HaveAGayOldTime: Everywhere. Words like "lovers" are used between men (with the old meaning of "good friend"), resulting in snickers in high school English classes everywhere.
120	* HeelRealization: One interpretation of "Then fall, Caesar." That is, Caesar realizes that if his closest friend thinks his death is necessary, then maybe he's not the hero he thought he was.
121	* TheHeroDies: The eponymous character himself midway through the play. Brutus, the true protagonist, dies at the end.
122	* HistoricalHeroUpgrade: Shakespeare's play has done much to make Marcus Junius Brutus into a Republican hero InternalReformist torn by ConflictingLoyalty. This characterization is entirely Shakespeare's invention and it's very compelling as an aesthetic achievement but the real Brutus as per Creator/{{Cicero}}'s letters was a corrupt optimate and LoanShark who extorted interest from the poor by sending goon squads to make them pay up and there's much debate among historians, such as Mary Beard, if Brutus was really going to restore the Republic or merely angling to be another warlord dictator out for his own power[[note]]As historians point out, one of the signs of autocracy and decay of traditions in Ancient Rome is generals casting coins with their likeness. The first to do this was UsefulNotes/PompeyTheGreat, and Caesar was following suit. If Brutus and Cassius intended to restore the Republic, them casting coins in ''their'' likeness is NotHelpingYourCase, nor is them putting daggers on the obverse, more or less gloating about killing Caesar, which goes against the whole IDidWhatIHadToDo reluctance that has become PopCulturalOsmosis[[/note]].
123	* HonourBeforeReason: Brutus's downfall comes from this, especially in regards to Antony.
124	* HopeSpot: After the conspirators have killed Caesar, Publius Cimber, who was facing banishment, believes this to be a day of freedom:
125	-->'''Brutus''': Publius, good cheer. There is no harm intended to your person, nor to no Roman else. So tell them, Publius.
126	** Unfortunately, after the conspirators flee Rome when Antony has swayed the crowd to sympathize with Caesar, Antony, Octavius, and Lepidus are marking Publius Cimber among those to be executed.
127	* HurricaneOfPuns: Oh god the cobbler scene. Shakespeare was a big fan of puns.
128	* IAmSpartacus: [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]] when Lucilius pretends to be Brutus after he is captured by Antony:
129	-->'''Antony''': Where is he?
130	-->'''Lucilius''': Safe, Antony, Brutus is safe enough.
131	-->I dare assure thee that no enemy shall ever take alive the noble Brutus.
132	-->The gods defend him from so great a shame!
133	-->When you do find him, or alive or dead,
134	-->He will be found like Brutus, like himself.
135	* ICannotSelfTerminate: Brutus' philosophy will not let him directly kill himself, so he gets someone to help. Cassius likewise. Although, Brutus's suicide is more honorable (in their society's norms) than Cassius's because Brutus [[InertialImpalement has his servant hold his sword while he runs himself on it]], while Cassius makes his servant kill him while he looks away.
136	* IdiotBall: Brutus permits Marc Antony to speak at Caesar's funeral, provided he speaks all the good he can of Caesar and not to blame the conspirators. This backfires when Antony extols Caesar's generosity and humility while calling Brutus and the conspirators "honorable men", and once he tells the crowds of Caesar's will, they start to ransack the conspirators' houses.
137	* IKnowYouKnowIKnow: As everybody is headed into the Senate on March 15, a random Senator named Popilius says "I wish today your enterprise may thrive."
138	* ImGoingToHellForThis: After Casca tells Cassius and Brutus the events of the Lupercal, including when Caesar offered Casca a chance to slit his throat:
139	-->'''Casca''': Marry, before he fell down, when he perceived the common herd was glad he refused the crown,\
140	He plucked me ope his doublet and offered them his throat to cut.\
141	An I had been a man of any occupation, if I would not have taken him at a word,\
142	I would I might go to hell among the rogues.
143	* InertialImpalement: How Brutus' servant kills Brutus.
144	* InsaneTrollLogic: Put briefly:
145	-->'''Mob:''' Die, Cinna!\
146	'''Cinna:''' I'm the poet Cinna, not the Senator Cinna!\
147	'''Mob:''' Die for having the same name as Cinna!
148	* KarmicDeath: Cassius is killed by the same sword he used to kill Caesar.
149	* LargeHam: Even from just reading the play, it seems like Caesar is intended to be played as one:
150	--> Danger knows full well
151	--> That Caesar is more dangerous than he:
152	--> We are two lions littered in one day,
153	--> And I the elder and more terrible.
154	* LeaningOnTheFourthWall
155	--> '''Cassius''': How many ages hence shall this our lofty scene be acted over in states unborn and accents yet unknown!
156	* LifeOfTheParty: Mark Antony is seen as a frivolous party animal and Brutus has little respect for him, doubting he even cares that much about Caesar, [[UnderestimatingBadassery which turns out to be completely wrong]].
157	* ManipulativeBastard: Depending on portrayal, Cassius can easily be this. It is left ambiguous whether Cassius is merely jealous of Caesar's newfound power even though both Brutus and himself are just as honourable, and has contracted the world's most traitorous form of tall poppy syndrome:
158	-->Why, man, he doth bestride the narrow world
159	-->Like a Colossus, and we petty men
160	-->Walk under his huge legs and peep about
161	-->To find ourselves dishonorable graves.
162	-->Men at some time are masters of their fates.
163	-->The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars
164	-->But in ourselves, that we are underlings.
165	-->Brutus and Caesar—what should be in that “Caesar”?
166	-->Why should that name be sounded more than yours?
167	-->Write them together, yours is as fair a name.
168	-->Sound them, it doth become the mouth as well.
169	-->Weigh them, it is as heavy.
170	** Or whether he genuinely fears that Caesar will be crowned king and therefore be a threat to the very anti-monarchy Roman ideology:
171	-->Age, thou art shamed!
172	-->Rome, thou hast lost the breed of noble bloods!
173	-->When went there by an age, since the great flood,
174	-->But it was famed with more than with one man?
175	-->When could they say till now, that talked of Rome,
176	-->That her wide walks encompassed but one man?
177	-->Now is it Rome indeed, and room enough,
178	-->When there is in it but one only man.
179	-->Oh, you and I have heard our fathers say,
180	-->There was a Brutus once that would have brooked
181	-->Th' eternal devil to keep his state in Rome
182	-->As easily as a king.
183	** Decius Brutus rather cleverly observes that the best way to flatter Caesar is to praise him for being so immune to flattery.
184	* NiceJobBreakingItHero / NiceJobFixingItVillain: Brutus decides to let Mark Antony speak on condition he doesn't say anything bad about the conspirators. Antony goes on to prove what a ManipulativeBastard he truly is and gets the people of Rome to riot against them. Good going.
185	** Brutus assassinated Caesar because he was afraid that Caesar would crown himself monarch of Rome and do away with Roman democracy. Brutus's actions in killing Julius Caesar paved the way for Julius's heir Gaius Octavius to become Augustus, the first Emperor of Rome. Good going.
186	* NotAfraidToDie: Caesar shows no fear when he's killed. Earlier in the play he tells his wife Calpurnia:
187	-->Cowards die many times before their deaths,\
188	The valiant never taste of death but once.\
189	Of all the wonders that I yet have heard.\
190	It seems to me most strange that men should fear;\
191	Seeing that death, a necessary end,\
192	Will come when it will come.
193	* ObfuscatingStupidity:
194	** Antony is the master at this; his appearing stupid is what ultimately convinces Brutus not to kill him. Because of this, he has the chance to rile up the crowd and convince them to kill the conspirators.
195	** Casca pretends to be less intelligent around people he mistrusts.
196	* OfferedTheCrown: Antony tries to put one on Caesar's head three times; Caesar refuses it three times. Antony later brings this up in his eulogy for Caesar.
197	-->You all did see that on the Lupercal\
198	I thrice presented him a kingly crown,\
199	Which he did thrice refuse: was this ambition?
200	* OneSteveLimit: Averted, since the Romans had a very small pool of personal names. Marcus Junius Brutus shares the stage with Decius Brutus (who in RealLife was his distant cousin), and also with Marcus Lepidus, Marcus Tullius Cicero, and Mark Antony (Marcus Antonius). Then there are Cinna the conspirator and Cinna the poet, which turns out badly for the latter.
201	* TheOnlyBeliever: The main interpretation of the play, as well as the opinion of Anthony in universe, is that Brutus is this. The conspiracy to kill Caesar, despite the fact that it's supposedly about stopping Caesar from overthrowing the Republic and turning into a dictator, mostly consists of power-hungry nobles opposing Caesar because they want that power for themselves. Brutus, on the other hand is genuinely distressed at the thought of Caesar being crowned. Mark Anthony's line eulogizing Brutus is the page quote.
202	-->[[SympathyForTheHero This was the noblest Roman of them all]].\
203	All the conspirators save only he\
204	Did that they did in envy of great Caesar.\
205	He only in a general honest thought\
206	And common good to all, made one of them.
207	* OpenShirtTaunt: Cassius becomes so worked up during an argument with Brutus in Act IV, Scene III that he throws open his toga, presents Brutus with a dagger, and all but dares Brutus to kill him. It's not entirely clear whether this is [[StrikeMeDownWithAllOfYourHatred cynical manipulation]] or [[PleaseKillMeIfItSatisfiesYou he's sincerely aggrieved]], and the interpretation frequently varies between productions.
208	%% * PoorCommunicationKills: Lots of people. Dammit, Titinius!
209	* PortentOfDoom: Calpurnia urges Caesar not to go to the Senate because of the various omens she's either witnessed or heard about from reliable sources. Caesar pooh-poohs it and goes anyway.
210	* PowderKegCrowd: They start out angry at the assassination. Within 5 minutes they're cheering Brutus. [[UnaccustomedAsIAmToPublicSpeaking 15 minutes of Antony later]], they're rioting.
211	* {{Pride}}: Caesar is so assured of his invincibility that he ignores numerous unambiguous warnings of death and destruction and walks straight into the conspirators' trap.
212	* PropheciesAreAlwaysRight: Caesar is told by a soothsayer, to his face, to beware the Ides of March. His wife Calpurnia also dreams of his death the night before. Caesar goes out anyway, telling her that he can't hide at home.
213	* PsychicDreamsForEveryone: Caesar's wife has a prophetic dream on the night before his assassination. [[CassandraTruth He doesn't exactly ignore it, but he doesn't heed her wishes and stay home]].
214	* ThePurge: The Triumvirs' meeting at the beginning of Act 4 is the beginning of the proscriptions.
215	* RabbleRouser: Mark Antony riles up the crowds at Caesar's funeral and sics them on the conspirators.
216	* ReversePsychology: Antony's speech to the crowd. Since he has promised not to praise Caesar or speak out directly against the conspirators, he spends the whole speech saying that he simply ''can't'' tell the audience what a good person Caesar was, because they'd turn on Brutus... who is such [[SarcasmMode an honourable man]]. Needless to say, they turn on the conspirators in short order.
217	* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: Antony manipulates a city full of clueless schmucks into carrying one out for him.
218	* RousingSpeech: Mark Antony's speech at Caesar's funeral is one of the greatest examples in literature. All while sticking to Brutus' rule of not saying anything bad about the conspirators (even when from the text he clearly gets increasingly sarcastic throughout the speech).
219	* SarcasmMode: Antony's speech is a dramatic example: He begins with a seemingly-sincere claim that Brutus and the conspirators are honourable men who acted for good reasons. But as he continues, he makes Caesar look better and better in the crowd's eyes, while the repeated phrase "and Brutus is an honourable man" becomes ironic, then insulting, and finally utterly ''venomous''.
220	* SeriousBusiness: When Brutus meets with the conspirators for the first time, Cassius's line, "And let us swear our resolution," triggers a 30-line speech from Brutus to the effect that oaths are unnecessary. It's unclear if Brutus feels that strongly on the subject, or if he's reacting because he feels that his authority is being subtly challenged by Cassius.
221	* ShooOutTheClowns: After Brutus and Cassius have reconciled, the poet breaks into their tent:
222	-->'''Cassius''': How now! What's the matter?\
223	'''Poet''': For shame, you generals! what do you mean?\
224	Love and be friends, as two such men should be,\
225	For I have seen more years, I'm sure, than ye.\
226	'''Cassius''': Ha, ha! How vilely doth this cynic rhyme!\
227	'''Brutus''': Get you hence, sirrah! Saucy fellow, hence!
228	* ShownTheirWork: As stated above, the play is one of Shakespeare’s more historically accurate works. He therefore incorporated many details from the known historical record into the play:
229	** Most of the play’s characters are [[HistoricalDomainCharacter historical domain characters]] and were involved in the events depicted.
230	** At the festival of the Lupercalia, on February 15, 44 BC, Mark Antony tried to put a diadem (crown) on Caesar's head three times, with Caesar refusing each time. Many believe that Caesar's rejection of the diadem was a way to test the waters to see if there was enough support for him to become king. This incident was considered the last straw in a list of grievances which initiated the conspiracy against him.
231	** While the inclusion of the Soothsayer seemingly appears to be a Shakespearean plot device, there actually was a soothsayer involved in the events depicted. According to Plutarch, a seer had warned Caesar that his life would be in danger no later than the Ides of March. Suetonius identifies this seer as a haruspex (a person trained to practice a form of divination) named Spurinna.
232	** The conspiracy did originate with Cassius initially discussing the matter with Brutus, his brother-in-law, believing that something had to be done to prevent Caesar from becoming king of the Romans. Brutus was selected as the ringleader because his ancestor, Lucius Junius Brutus, helped depose Rome's last king several centuries earlier and establish the Roman Republic. Additionally, the conspiracy did eventually include all of those shown in the play: Casca, Decimus Brutus, Cinna, Cimber, Trebonius, and Ligarius.
233	** In the play, the conspirators reveal that they forged letters of support from the Roman people to tempt Brutus into joining. Brutus reads the letters and, after much moral debate, decides to join the conspiracy. Plutarch, Appian of Alexandria, and Cassius Dio all report that by late 45 BC, graffiti glorifying Brutus' ancestor Lucius Junius Brutus, panning Caesar’s kingly ambitions, and making derogatory comments of Brutus failing to live up to his ancestors appeared in Rome. While Dio reports this public support came from the people of Rome, Plutarch however has the graffiti created by elites to shame Brutus into action (similar to what is shown in the play).
234	** Caesar did apparently have misgivings about Cassius. On March 1, 44 BC, while he was watching Cassius speaking with Brutus at the senate house, he purportedly said to an aide, "''What do you think Cassius is up to? I don't like him, he looks pale.''" Additionally, although Brutus ultimately became the leader of the conspiracy, Cassius was described as "the moving spirit" of the plot.
235	** There was discussion on whether to include Cicero, the famous orator, in the conspiracy. He was trusted by both Cassius and Brutus and had made it no secret that he considered Caesar’s rule oppressive. He also had great popularity among the common people and a large network of friends, which would help attract others to join their cause. However, the conspirators considered Cicero too cautious and ultimately decided not to include him.
236	** Additionally, there was also discussion on whether to assassinate Mark Antony, with Cassius in particular advocating this action. However, it was Brutus who nixed this. He argued that killing Caesar, and doing nothing else, was the only option they should choose—the conspirators claimed to be acting based on the principles of law and justice, and it would be unjust to kill Antony.
237	** Porcia, Brutus's wife, may have at least known about the plot. As shown in the play, Plutarch claims that she happened upon Brutus while he was pondering over what to do about Caesar and asked him what was wrong. When he did not answer, she suspected that he distrusted her on account of her being a woman, for fear she might reveal something, however unwillingly, under torture. To prove herself to him, she secretly inflicted a wound upon her own thigh with a barber's knife to see if she could endure the pain. As a result of the wound, she suffered from violent pains, chills, and fever (she is shown as ill in the play). Brutus was allegedly marveled when he saw the gash and promised to relate the whole plot. He is also said to have prayed that he might succeed in his undertaking and thus show himself a worthy husband. Yet he never got the chance, as they were interrupted and never had a moment's privacy before the conspiracy was carried out.
238	** Caesar’s wife at the time, Calpurnia, did have an ominous nightmare in the early morning of March 15, 44 BC that mortal danger was awaiting him. Although there are different versions about what exactly she purportedly dreamed about, Shakespeare chose the version where she dreamed Caesar's body was streaming with blood. Calpurnia did beg Caesar not to go to the senate meeting that day. After some hesitation, he acquiesced. He then sent Mark Antony to dismiss the Senate. When the conspirators heard of this dismissal, Decimus Brutus, as in the play, went to Caesar’s home to try to convince him to come to the Senate meeting. After Decimus dismissed Calpurnia’s misgivings, Caesar ultimately decided to go to the Senate.
239	** According to Plutarch, there was an individual named Artemidorus of Knidos who tried to warn Caesar of the assassination plot on the Ides of March. He attempted to warn him with a written note, and although Caesar took the note, he did not look at it before entering the Senate.
240	** As Caesar took his seat in the Senate, Cimber, one of the conspirators, did actually present him with a petition to recall his exiled brother. This was meant to serve as a pretext to gather around and entrap Caesar. The other conspirators then crowded around to offer their support to Cimber, but Caesar tried to wave Cimber away. Additionally, as shown in the play, Casca was the first individual to stab Caesar, Caesar was ultimately stabbed 23 times, and according to Cicero, Caesar did fall at the foot of the statue of Pompey.
241	** There is some contention regarding actual Caesar's last words, as shown above. While there is no evidence that Caesar said "Et tu, Brute?", Plutarch reports that Caesar yielded to the attack after seeing Brutus' participation; Cassius Dio reported that Caesar shouted in Greek "''kai su teknon''" ("You too, child?").
242	** Not long after the assassination, Brutus did speak before the people. While the text of that speech is lost, Cassius Dio says the liberatores (Caesar's assassins) promoted their alleged support of democracy and liberty and told the people not to expect harm. The support of the people was initially tepid, but the assassination ultimately backfired because Caesar had been immensely popular with the Roman middle and lower classes, becoming enraged that a small group of aristocrats had killed their champion.
243	** After initially fleeing Rome fearing reprisal, Mark Antony soon came to a quick accommodation with Caesar's assassins. However, on March 20, the day of Caesar's funeral, Antony, as Caesar's faithful lieutenant and incumbent consul, was chosen to preside over the ceremony and to recite a eulogy. As in the play, he gave a demagogic speech, enumerating the deeds of Caesar and, publicly reading his will (made public two days previous), detailing the donations Caesar had left to the Roman people. Antony then seized the blood-stained toga from Caesar's body and presented it to the crowd. Worked into a fury by the bloody spectacle, the assembly turned into a riot. Several buildings in the Forum and some houses of the conspirators were burned to the ground. Also, as shown in the play, the poet Cinna was killed due to mistaken identity with the conspirator Cinna.
244	** A Triumvirate was formed between Mark Antony, Octavius (Caesar's grandnephew, adopted son, and heir), and Lepidus (Caesar's Master of the Horse) to rule the Roman world. At the time the Triumvirate was formed, Antony was clearly the most senior member. The primary objective of the Triumvirate was to avenge Caesar's death and to make war upon his murderers and their supporters, both domestically and abroad.
245	** During the first Battle of Philippi on October 3, 42 BC, Cassius, defeated and overrun by Mark Antony and, unaware of Brutus' victory against Octavius, ordered his freeman Pindarus to help him kill himself, as shown in the play; Pindarus then fled. Additionally, the centurion Titinius, on returning to find Cassius dead, killed himself.
246	** After the second Battle of Philippi on October 23, 42 BC, the defeated Brutus fled into the nearby hills with about four legions. Knowing his army had been defeated and that he would be captured, he took his own life by falling on his sword, as shown in the play. Additionally, some sources report that Antony, upon discovering Brutus' body, as a show of respect, covered it with a purple garment.
247	* SlashedThroat: Invoked by Caesar, and averted by Casca:
248	-->'''Casca''': He plucked me ope his doublet and offered them his throat to cut.\
249	An I had been a man of any occupation, if I would not have taken him at a word,\
250	I would I might go to hell among the rogues.
251	%% * TheSnarkKnight: Cassius.
252	* SockPuppet: Cassius gets Brutus to join him by forging a bunch of petitions in various writing styles, all criticizing Caesar and praising Brutus.
253	* SpannerInTheWorks: While the assassination initially looks like a success, Mark Antony turns the crowd against Brutus and company in short order. Tragically, Brutus was the one who insisted that the man be spared when the other conspirators knew better than to let him live.
254	* StealthInsult: Mark Antony's funeral speech is full of these, like when he says "I am no orator, as Brutus is," subtly implying that Brutus was trying to trick the crowd, while painting himself as plain-spoken.
255	* StealthPun: "Beware the Ides of March" would have been one to audiences at the time, as March 15, not April 15, was tax day in England.
256	* StupidSacrifice: When Cassius sees Titinius captured, he asks Pindarus to take his sword and kill him. A few moments later, Messala reports that Octavius's forces have been defeated by Brutus's army, and Titinius commits suicide soon afterwards.
257	* TakeOurWordForIt: The odd events in Rome are entirely off-screen. Justified as these events would be difficult to do at the time.
258	* TearsOfBlood: From a statue of Caesar in his wife's dream.
259	* ThirdPersonPerson: Caesar often refers to himself in the third person, which serves to demonstrate his gigantic ego. TruthInTelevision; Caesar did this in his writing as was literary convention well into the Middle Ages.
260	* TokenGoodTeammate: Brutus can be viewed as this among the other conspirators.
261	* TornApartByTheMob: The mob that Marc Antony incensed found a poet unfortunate enough to share the name of Cinna, one of the conspirators responsible for Caesar's assassination. Either not hearing or not caring that he is not Cinna the conspirator, they kill him by tearing him to pieces.
262	* TragicHero: Brutus.
263	* UnaccustomedAsIAmToPublicSpeaking:
264	** Mark Antony's funeral oration: "[[BlatantLies I am no orator,]] [[StealthInsult as Brutus is...]]"
265	** Cassius does this more subtly to Brutus in Act I, Scene II, when he expresses pleasure that his "weak words have struck but thus much show of fire from Brutus".
266	* VigilanteExecution: Cinna the poet is lynched by a mob.
267	* WeirdWeather: Caesar's wife Calpurnia makes note of several portents which indicate bad things happening, including:
268	-->Fierce fiery warriors fought upon the clouds,
269	-->In ranks and squadrons and right form of war,
270	-->Which drizzled blood upon the Capitol
271	* WithFriendsLikeThese: Brutus and Cassius are supposedly best friends, but in a lot of scenes, it's hard to see this. Almost, but not quite, VitriolicBestBuds. Cassius sure does get ''snippy'' once in a while. And he used less than honest means of winning Brutus to the conspiracy.
272	* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: After Caesar's assassination, the rest of the conspirators basically vanish. However, it can be inferred that they were most likely hunted down and killed after Antony and Octavius seized power and initiated a series of purges all across Roman society. This in fact did happen in real life:
273	** Following the assassination, Trebonius immediately left for the Roman province of Asia (modern-day Turkey). While there, he raised money and troops for Brutus and Cassius. He also helped Cassius on his way to Syria later in the year. However, the Caesarian general Dolabella captured Trebonius, and in January 43 BC, put him on trial for treason before proceeding to torture and then behead him.
274	** Decimus Brutus, attempting to reach Macedonia where Brutus and Cassius were, was executed en route in mid-September 43 BC by a Gallic chief loyal to Mark Antony.
275	** It is highly likely that both Cinna and Ligarius were executed during the proscriptions against the supporters of Brutus and Cassius in Italy no earlier than late 43 BC.
276	** Both Casca and Cimber, like Brutus and Cassius, perished during the Philippi campaign in October 42 BC.
277	----
278
279	!!Tropes found in adaptations:
280
281	* AgeLift: In the "WesternAnimation/ShakespeareTheAnimatedTales" episode, Cassius is a grey-haired individual and looks more like he could be of Caesar's generation than of Brutus's, which he historically was.
282	* TheDyingWalk: The stage directions do not specify it, but most productions and adaptations will have a dying Caesar stagger up to Brutus for the "Et tu, Brute" line, or stagger over to Pompey's statue to die as happened in RealLife, or both.
283	* GenderFlip: The 2018 National Theater production did this with a couple of characters, most notably Cassius. (No, not crosscasting -- they changed the pronouns and everything.)
284	** The 2018 Bell Shakespeare Company production did the same thing, this time making Mark Antony, Octavius, Casca, Trebonius, and a bunch of minor characters ([[ActingForTwo played by the same actresses]]) into women.
285	* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed:
286	** It's not uncommon for productions to frame the various characters as stand-ins for contemporary politicians. Notably, the 2018 National Theater production had ''all'' the characters played this way -- most obviously, Caesar is UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump, Calpurnia is Melania Trump, a {{Gender Flip}}ped Cassius is UsefulNotes/HillaryRodhamClinton, Casca is Maxine Waters, and Decius is Kellyanne Conway.
287	** Back in the 1930s Creator/OrsonWelles staged a production that was a thinly veiled commentary on Benito Mussolini and UsefulNotes/FascistItaly.
288	** During [[UsefulNotes/BarackObama Obama's]] Presidency, The Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis had a rather obvious Obama stand-in as Caesar, with an older and white Antony, vaguely resembling Obama's older and white vice-president, UsefulNotes/JoeBiden.
289	* PuttingOnTheReich: Creator/OrsonWelles' version was inspired by Fascist Italy with Caesar being modelled on Mussolini.
290	* ScareChord: In Creator/OrsonWelles' famous version, the play was considered pedestrian until they changed [[https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/4b/fb/8e/4bfb8e7ed0f3957790dbff0d70f58b1b.jpg the murder of the poet Cinna]] by a mob. The change was that Cinna was grabbed by a mob accompanied by ''all'' of the keys of a pipe organ being blasted, as he's dragged into the darkness to his doom. Every performance was a sellout afterward.

Context Theatre / JuliusCaesar