JC quotes

• "Beware the ides of march" - soothsayer warning Caesar that he will die
• "Poor Brutus with himself at war" - Brutus talks to himself. His love for Caesar itself and his love for the Roman Republic.
• "Bestride the world like a colossus" - Caesar is the main man for everything
• "Let me have men around me that are fat" - Caesar wants fat people around him as he is scared of Cassius' leanness
• "I am constant as the northern star" - Caesar is loyal to Rome and its citizens
• "He hath the falling sickness" - Cassius twists this saying that the plebians are despotism (tyranny)
• "Til then, think of the world" - Cassius. If we don't kill Caesar the republic dies
• "The fault dear Brutus lies not in our stars but in ourselves" - Brutus. We can change our own fate. The tragedy was caused by human actions rather than fate
• "Ay, ay, you are right" - Brutus agrees with Cassius about killing Caesar
• "We must be cruel only to be kind" - Brutus. He believes it will benefit Rome if they kill Caesar
• "Ay, ay, you shall turn the scale of Rome" - Portia. She believes her husband will be successful in his political career
• "O noble Brutus! O lord, O Roman, honourable man!" - Antony. He praises Brutus for being an honorable man who has done something terrible
• "Not that I loved Caesar less but that I loved Rome more" - Brutus. He loves his country more than one man
• "Friends, Romans, countrymen lend me your ears" - Antony. He tries to gain support from the crowd by appealing to their patriotism. Triad, a powerful piece of rhetoric.
• "Let us leave him" - Brutus. They have no choice but to go through with their plan
• "O, you are men! You were created better than you fell!" - Portia. She thinks Brutus has fallen from grace by betraying Caesar
• "I am no baby" - Octavius. He is confident he can defeat Mark Anthony
• "He was my friend, faithful and just to me" - Brutus. He is loyal to Caesar
• "Ay, ay, you'll hear it all again" - Cleopatra. She knows she will be able to manipulate her lover into doing what she wants
• "Ay, ay, you all did see it" - Cassius. The conspirators feel guilty about what they've done
• "It must be by his death" - the earth's faults will disappear once Caesar is killed
• "Think of him as a serpent's egg and kill him in his shell" - Brutus. Soliloquy (speech), betrayal, cunning
• "Our course will seem too bloody to cut off the head and hack the limbs" - Brutus. Mustn't kill Mark Antony as there will be too much bloodshed.
• "Caesar shall forth today" - Caesar speaks about himself in the third person
• "I am contented when others are pleased with me" - Caesar. He cares more about other people than he does about himself
• "He was my friend, faithful and just to me" - Caesar. Shows that he has been betrayed by someone who he thought would always support him
• "The common herd sticks up for Caesar" - Casca. People don't like change so they stick up for what they know
• "The common good doth make it lawful" - Cassius. Justifies their actions
• "A little fire is sufficient to light the fusee of gunpowder" - Cassius. A small spark can cause something big to happen
• "Let us be sacrificers but not butchers" - Brutus. They want to do this because they think its right rather than out of anger or revenge
• "Fear him not Caesar, he's not dangerous" - Mark Antony. imperative sentence suggests that Antony believes Cassius is not dangerous, his false assumption leading to the downfall of Caesar.
• The way Antony mourns Caesar's death is a sign of his weakness and guilt of his false assumption of Cassius not being a threat.
• Antony says "I am no orator as Brutus is; nor so great in reason as he", which shows how much respect he has for Brutus and also makes himself seem more trustworthy by admitting his own flaws.
• Brutus was an honourable man who believed in doing the right thing even if it meant going against the wishes of others. He had strong moral values and did everything he could to ensure Rome remained free from tyranny.
• Context

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  • Shakespeare's 21st play
  • First great tragedy play
  • The first play to be performed in the Globe
  • Performed when Queen Elizabeth the First was on the throne
  • Shakespeare explored contemporary concerns about leadership and violence through Julius Caesar in its setting of ancient Rome which mirrors London at its near downfall and potential corruption.
• Julius Caesar was written during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1588-1603) when England was experiencing political instability due to religious conflict between Catholics and Protestants. The play explores themes such as power, loyalty, betrayal, and the consequences of ambition.
• Mark Antony - One of Julius Caesar's closest friends and allies. After Caesar's death, he becomes embroiled in a power struggle with Octavian and Lepidus.
• In Act One Scene Two, Shakespeare uses dramatic irony to create tension and suspense. When Caesar enters, we know what will happen but he does not. This creates a sense of foreboding and foreshadows the events to come.