Act III

Act III

Scene i

This scene begins with Caesar and his followers approaching the Capitol. Waiting for them are a crowd including the soothsayer and Artemidorus. Caesar spots the soothsayer and acting confidently tells him that the Ides of March has come. The soothsayer reminds Caesar that the day is not over yet.

Caesar is crowded around by people wanting him to attend to matters on their behalf. Among them, Artemidorus hands Caesar his letter and begs him to read it because it is important to Caesar personally. Caesar dismisses the message, saying that he will attend to personal matters last. He then heads into the Capitol.

Cassius and Brutus are at the back of the group travelling with Caesar and are feeling nervous as their plot unfolds. Cassius nearly panics and Brutus keeps him calm. Trebonius engages Mark Antony in a conversation and leads him away from Caesar. Metellus Cimber approaches Caesar at the foot of Pompey's statue and begins to petition him to allow his brother to return from exile. As Caesar persists in his refusal, the other conspirators step forward to intercede on Metellus' behalf.

Caesar is speaking about his constancy (both in his decision and in his position as leader) when Casca strikes the first blow, stabbing Caesar. The other conspirators join in, and Caesar on seeing that Brutus has joined them, says, 'Et tu, Brute? Then fall, Caesar!' (III.i.77) and dies. The conspirators celebrate by declaring the end of tyranny. People run to spread the news of Caesar's death and Trebonius returns to tell the conspirators that Mark Antony has 'fled to his house' (III.i.96).

Brutus has the conspirators bathe their hands in Caesar's blood and Calphurnia's dream is fulfilled. Cassius recognises the historical significance of the moment as he says,

'How many ages hence,
Shall this our lofty scene be acted o'er,
In states unborn and accents yet unknown!' (III.i.111)

Mark Antony sends a servant to tell Brutus that if he guarantees Antony's safety and explains why they have murdered Caesar, he won't cause them any trouble. Brutus agrees and the servant goes to fetch Antony. Cassius has a bad feeling about Antony but Brutus is certain that he'll be a good friend when he understands their reasons for killing Caesar.

When Antony enters, he offers to let the conspirators kill him as well. Brutus tells Antony that they have no desire to harm him and assures him that he will explain the reasons why they acted against Caesar once the crowds have settled down. Antony accepts what Brutus tells him and shakes hands with each of the bloodied murderers, taking note of each of them (an echo of how Brutus met them earlier in the play).

Antony apologises to Caesar's corpse. He asks Brutus to allow him to remove Caesar's body and address the crowd at the funeral. Brutus agrees to this against the advice of Cassius. Brutus tells Cassius that he'll speak first and assure the crowd of the noble reasons for Caesar's death. He then makes Antony promise not to blame the conspirators but only to speak well of Caesar.

After the others have left Antony he casts a curse on the conspirators and vows to avenge Caesar saying, 'And Caesar's spirit… shall… with a monarch's voice Cry 'Havoc!' and let slip the dogs of war' (III.i.270).

After Antony has finished, a servant of Octavius Caesar enters with news that Octavius is on his way to Rome as Caesar had requested. The servant weeps when he sees the body of Caesar on the ground. Antony tells the servant to rush back to Octavius and tell him to wait before entering Rome. As the servant leaves he helps Antony take Caesar's body to the market place.

Scene ii

This scene sees the return of the Roman citizens as they demand to be 'satisfied' (III.ii.1) – to be given a reason for Caesar's death. Brutus addresses the crowd and in plain prose tells them of the logical reasoning that convinced them to kill Caesar. The citizens are satisfied by Brutus' argument and actually call for him to become a new Caesar. In doing this they actually miss the point of Brutus' reason for killing Caesar in the first place: that no one person should be above the Republic.

Antony has brought Caesar's body in during the last part of Brutus' speech and is now invited by Brutus to address the crowd himself. In contrast to the simple style of the previous speech, Antony uses verse and emotional language to make his case. He opens with the famous “Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears” (III.ii.73).

Antony plays the crowd like an instrument, using tricks and rhetorical devices to bring them around, including offering to read Caesar's will and then delaying his reading of it. He often refers to Brutus and the other conspirators as 'honourable men', but in such a way that their actions are made to appear dishonourable. It is actually one of the citizens who first calls the conspirators 'traitors' (III.ii.153).

By the time Antony does read Caesar's will, which provides money for the citizens and leaves all of Caesar's gardens for public use, the crowd is in a frenzy. They leave with Caesar's body, planning to burn it in a holy fire and then from the flames burn the houses of the traitors down. Again, Shakespeare has shown us the rapidly shifting loyalties of the citizens.

As the crowd leaves, a servant approaches Antony to tell him that Octavius and Lepidus are waiting to meet him at Caesar's house. He also tells Antony that Brutus and Cassius have been warned about the crowd and have fled Rome.

Scene iii

This scene provides some light comic relief before revealing how dangerous the Roman citizens have become. Cinna the Poet is walking the street after dreaming that he had a feast with Caesar. He is confronted by a group of citizens who demand to know who he is and what he is doing.

Cinna provides some witty answers using word plays. When he finally tells them his name is Cinna, they mistake him for the Cinna who was involved in Caesar's murder and drag him away shouting violent plans to 'tear him' (III.iii.28).