Aim: How does Cassius and Brutus’s conflict establish foreshadowing for the denouement of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar?
Do Now:
I can infer that based on Brutus and his conflict with Antony, he will eventually have to fight Antony, be it politically or physically. Antony and Brutus are essentially political rivals, at some point, they will fight in order to see who’s the cause will win and the eventual fate of Rome.
I do not think he will emerge as a confident leader, Brutus is too easily manipulated, it only took a senator to turn Brutus against his best friend and brutally murder him. People in power and close to Brutus’s inner circle may manipulate him for their own personal gain. This is extremely detrimental to his decision-making.
Like previously stated, Brutus is too easily manipulated, furthermore given that Brutus brutally murdered his best friend and desecrated his body, it goes to show how easily Brutus can be turned on his closest friend.
Denouement: The final part of the play where the climax descends and all previous plotlines come together and conclude.
Julius Caesar Act IV, Scene 2 Julius Caesar—Act IV, scene ii [2 pgs]
Cassius treats Lucillius with no obvious hostility, but also with no friendliness, instead he treats him like they are mere acquaintances.
Cassius treats Brutus as they are somewhat hostile, immediately accusing Brutus has betrayed him while Brutus remains polite and asks how he has betrayed him. Brutus claims that he would never betray a brother in arms which ironically, is exactly what he did to Caesar. Overall, their conversation is terse and rather hostile on one side which implies that their relationship has deteriorated over the past events.
“Most noble brother, you have done me wrong. Judge me, you gods! wrong I mine enemies? And, if not so, how should I wrong a brother?” (Lines 40-42). This quote shows how Brutus and Cassius greet each other, Cassius’s tone is hostile, immediately accusing Brutus of betraying him, Brutus remains courteous, claiming that he only wrongs his enemies, not his friends. This quote is ironic because Brutus claims to have never wronged his friends, even though he betrayed Caesar, one of his closest friends, even going as far as literally backstabbing him. Overall, this quote implies that their relationship has deteriorated since the events after Caesar’s death.
3. Brutus essentially says that true friendship is built over genuine trust, even if said friendship fades away, but the nature of the friendship is still genuine. Brutus says that false friendship is built through empty promises and will eventually be found out.
Brutus essentially says that friendship built out of genuine trust will remain forever, while friendship built over false promises will eventually be found out and justice will be served.
Hollow men mean people with false promises or people who promise or swear to something but never actually follow through with it or renege on the promise.
4. Brutus wants to preserve the public relationship between him and Cassius, saying that their armies are watching and they shouldn’t quarrel so openly lest their armies lose faith in them. Going indoors is traditionally more private and typically more uninterrupted rather than going outside and having your conversation publicly where anyone can hear you.
Julius Caesar: Act IV, Scene 3 Julius Caesar—Act IV, scene ii [3.5 pgs]
Cassius accuses Brutus of betraying him, as he had one of their soldiers arrested because they took a bribe even though Cassius told Brutus not to.
Brutus in turn also accuses Cassius of betraying him, accusing him of being greedy, arguing that if they are not to repeat the mistakes of Caesar, they should not follow in his footsteps.
Overall, Brutus has the better argument, he points out that if they are not to repeat the footsteps of Caesar and in turn, his fate, they should not be corrupt and earn merit through honest means. Brutus points out that he has done nothing ignoble to earn his money and when he asked Cassius to loan him some, he refused. Brutus interprets Cassius’s wealth and alleged corruption as a gateway to sharing the same fate as Caesar.
This scene differs from most rhetorical speeches in the play as this is not a debate or oration, this is a fight, two people fighting against each other accusing each other of the same thing. The fight does not utilize persuasive language, it is a simple argument using logos and accusations.
2. Brutus is concerned because if this corruption continues to exist, they would have another Caesar and eventually suffer the same fate. Brutus says he would rather die than become as corrupt as Caesar.
3. Brutus says that he has never done anything ignoble and strives to do so, he says he would never become corrupt, which is why he has so little money compared to Cassius (This is a passive-aggressive comment against Cassius, which implies that Cassius is corrupt).
Brutus is a selfless and honest person, at one point he says that he did not murder Caesar for himself, but for the love of Rome, and Brutus still abides by those morals. For example, Brutus is willing to die should he cross these morals even once, “When Marcus Brutus grows so covetous, To lock such rascal counters from his friends, Be ready, gods, with all your thunderbolts; Dash him to pieces!”. Basically, Brutus says that if he were ever to be corrupt and covetous as Cassius and Caesar were now, he would have the gods dash him into pieces.
4. For context, Cassius accuses Brutus of not being with him, saying that now that all his friends and family turned their back on him, he has nothing to live for, he calls for Octavius, Antony, and Brutus to kill him and take revenge for Caesar.
Whole-Class Discussion:
At first, Cassius argues that it is better for the enemy to seek them, he advises that Brutus should play a game of attrition, waiting for the enemy to waste away and attack at the right moment. Brutus says that they have the advantage in numbers, if they launch a surprise attack, they can catch the enemy off guard and make a decisive blow against their enemy, they can also not afford for the enemy to build up their armies, as a result, Cassius agrees.
Portia killed herself because she is devoted to Brutus. The play mentions that Portia is Brutus’s closest confidant, meaning she keeps Brutus’s secrets, now that Antony and Octavius hold most of the power, they might try and find Portia to obtain Brutus’s secrets and to turn the people against him. Because of this, Portia kills herself to take her and Brutus’s secrets to the grave.
This scene sets up the finale of the play, as Brutus and Cassius march towards Phillipi, Antony and Octavius prepare for battle, and one side must stand out victorious. This scene also shows how devoted Brutus is to his cause, although he is grieving on the inside, he must remain strong for his men and lead.
Reflection:
Today, we learned the definition of denouement, the events that lead to the finale, and the closing of several plotlines. This is important because the denouement is one of the most important parts of the story, it closes several plotlines and sets up several events that lead to the finale, leading to the catharsis of the story. I can use what I learned to truly understand the events of the finale and the lesson of the story.
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