Acts One and Two Notes

 Rome is a republic which is a democratic society. Many seek to become the ruler of Rome but only Caesar seems likely to succeed.  Flavius and Marullus see people who have stopped working so they can celebrate Caesar’s victory over Pompey.  Flavius and Marrulus note the fickle nature of the Roman people because the same people celebrated Pompey’s victory years earlier now celebrate Pompey’s defeat.  It is important to note that Flavius and Marullus are tribunes. Tribunes were government officials who represented the rights of the people.

 Flavius and Marullus take down the decorations from Caesar’s statues. It is a bit presumptuous of Caesar to have his statues decorated with crowns before he has been offered a position as ruler.  In addition, by putting a crown on Caesar before he is actually given the job, the people of Rome are better prepared when it happens. The image already established, Caesar's supporters hope that the event will be more palatable and the transition to power smoother. The act of erecting these statues is part of the process of persuasion and persuasion is a central theme of this play.  Caesar ignores the Soothsayer’s warning to “Beware the Ides of March.” Caesar does not hear the warning and it is Brutus who repeats it. This is ironic because Brutus will later be one of Caesar’s murderers.

 Caesar is arrogant and dismisses the man as a dreamer.  It is one of the play's themes that they all misinterpret and attempt to turn signs and omens to their own advantage. What characterizes Caesar as weak is susceptibility to flattering interpretations of omens and his inability to distinguish between good advice and bad, good advisors and bad.  The unnatural events that occur in Act I:iii reflect the political unrest going on in the nation.

 Cicero suggests that each person will interpret events for their own purposes, and this is, in effect, what happens.  The omens in Julius Caesar also raise questions about the force of fate versus free will. The function and meaning of omens in general is puzzling and seemingly contradictory: as announcements of an event or events to come, omens appear to prove the existence of some overarching plan for the future, a prewritten destiny controlled by the gods. On the other hand, as warnings of impending events, omens suggests that human beings have the power to alter that destiny if provided with the correct information in advance.  Cassius, in order to convince Brutus to be part of the conspiracy, forges letters from concerned Romans and throws them through Brutus’ window.

 Brutus decides, based on the forged letters, that Caesar must be killed.  Brutus is well-regarded, wields a great deal of power and, after Caesar is overthrown, has the strength to manage that chaotic and potentially dangerous group, the people.

 The conspiracy is underway and the reader is shown that Cassius is someone who seeks to defy nature (as seen by him challenging the lightning).  Act II: ii-iv illustrate the signs pointing to Caesar’s demise and his inability to take heed of these signs.

 Even though Caesar finally listens to his wife Calpulrnia, his ambition overcomes his need to make his wife happy and Caesar goes to the Capital.  Artemidorus comes onstage, reading to himself a letter that he has written Caesar, warning him to be wary of Brutus, Casca, and the other conspirators. He stands along the route that Caesar will take to the Senate, prepared to hand the letter to him as he passes. He is sad to think that the virtue embodied by Caesar may be destroyed by the ambitious envy of the conspirators. He remains hopeful, however, that if his letter gets read, Caesar may yet live.

 This scene allows you to see another opinion of Caesar. Artemidorus is a Roman who loves Caesar and sees the conspirators as traitors. From this man's viewpoint, the reader gets a hint of the greatness that was once Caesar.  This scene also highlights the public nature of the conspiracy. Given that Artemidorus knows all about the conspirators and their plans, it is made clear that the latter have not kept quiet. Caesar is among the few who do not know what is about to happen.

 Calpurnia’s dream of the bleeding statue perfectly foreshadows the eventual unfolding of the assassination plot: the statue is a symbol of Caesar’s corpse, and the vague smiling Romans turn out, of course, to be the conspirators, reveling in his bloodshed.

 Caesar remains unconvinced by any omens. If one argues that omens serve as warnings by which individuals can avoid disaster, then one must view Caesar’s inflexibility regarding these omens as an arrogance that brings about his death.