Julius Caesar and Strategic Use of Avoiding Negating Each Other - Essay Example

English 11 January Act Three Scene Two of Julius Caesar? What is the likely effect on readers/audience Introduction JuliusCaesar is one of the most popular Shakespearean tragedies and is also one of the strongest political plays written by Shakespeare. It is a play that depicts the political conditions of Rome during the rein of Julius Caesar. Bloom and Loos also state, ‘Platter notes that he witnessed an ‘excellent performance of the tragedy of the first Emperor Julius Caesar’ suggesting that he realized the significance of the play as a work about the death of the republic and the rise of imperial Rome’(281). The play is a very pertinent portrayal of a political system and the rules that curtail in order to become a good ruler or to be able to acquire the throne. Shakespeare highlights some of very negative aspects of human nature in this play and these aspects also act as major themes of this play which includes deception, jealousy, ambitiousness, revenge and fickle moral and ethical values. The word play in this drama is very strong as Shakespeare through his use of simple words has been able to deliver all the strong emotions like anger, hatred and love very effectively to his readers and audience. 2. Scene 2 Act 3 This scene commences with Brutus’s speech that he delivers in front of the crowd of the common citizens of Rome in which he makes an attempt to justify his actions i.e. Caesar’s murder. Scene 2 of act 3 holds a lot of importance in the play as it is an anti climax to Caesar’s death as this scene leads to the avenging of Caesar’s murder. Trent also states that, ‘The speech of Antony which so speedily undoes the works of Brutus is the turning point of the play. The sympathetic response of the populace to Antony’s appeal shows the tide of feeling setting against the conspirators and initiate the falling action’ (163). Hence it is observed that the two speeches made by Antony and Brutus and the reaction of the crowd to their speeches sets the pattern of all the events that takes place as the play proceeds. This scene also holds a lot of importance because of the crowd’s reaction to both the speeches as Bloom also says, ‘the scene is a seminal instance of a powerful discourse of the crowd…’ (48). 2.1. Crowd and Readers/Audience a Single Entity One of the unique qualities of Shakespeare’s play is that any scene that involves a crowd or mass public in such scenes readers or the audience is also become a part of that crowd. It is through the delivery of the dialogues and the gestures of the characters or actors that give a feeling of oneness to the readers with the crowd in the play. Shakespeare uses his words in such a manner that it keeps the audience or the readers enthralled with all the action taking place in the play and the spectators can actually feel and live the emotions that a particular scene projects as is also true in the case scene 2 of Julius Caesar. 2.2. Purpose This scene is important to the play because it acts as an anti thesis to the negativity that Brutus had instigated about Caesar. Although Caesar dies midway through the play but the character traits of Caesar that are unveiled in Antony’s speech in this scene act as an instigator that keeps his memory alive through out the play and his existence is felt through the rest of the acts even in his absence. Moreover figuratively it also makes the reader or audience realize the importance of words in general because basically in this scene it is Brutus’s word against Antony however the power of diction is reiterated in this scene as it is observed that earlier the crowd agreed with Brutus that Caesar was the villain as stated in the text, ‘This Caesar was a tyrant.’ Also ‘We are blessed that Rome is rid of him’ (75, 76). However when Antony takes the stage his speech is more full of grief and anger and hence the crowd is swayed and the agree that actually Brutus is the culprit as also mentioned in the text, ‘Revenge,—go,—find,—burn,—fire,—kill,—slay,— don’t let a traitor live!’ (215). On the other hand Bloom also points out, ‘both the speakers albeit in different ways, have deliberate designs on the crowd. After Caesar’s death Brutus seeks to put aside all else, “till we have appeased the multitude”, while antonym explicitly states his intention to “let slip the dogs of war” before the speech begins (50). This also appears to be true when one does an in depth analysis of this scene because earlier in the play both the characters make their intentions quiet clear to the reader or the audience. 3. Diction and Linguistic Features The language used in this scene acts as an important aspect of this scene as it helps in heightening the level of involvement of the readers or the audience in the play because basically this entire scene is about the manner in which it is illustrated and delivered. The diction of this scene is simple yet every word that has been used is observed to add fuel in boasting the crowd’s enthusiasm and reaction. 3.1. Strategic Use of Avoiding Negating Each Other Both the characters are observed to be using the technique of avoiding to explicitly pointing out the other person’s wrong doing whether it is in the case of Brutus and Caesar or Antony and Brutus. In Brutus’s speech he is observed to be repeatedly saying that he murdered Caesar because of his love for Rome and although he was a dearest friend yet it was necessary to kill him as observed from the line, ‘Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome…I killed him. There are tears for his love; joy for his fortune; honor for his valor, and death for his ambition’ (30-33). Here the readers observe that Brutus very tactfully presents the crowd with the paradoxes of characteristic traits of Caesar rather than declaring that Caesar was not worth being a ruler. While on the other hand Antony is also observed to be using a similar technique in order to make the crowd to see the other side of the picture and to make them to revolt against Brutus as he says, ‘…Your hearts and minds to mutiny and rage, I would do Brutus and Cassius wrong, Who, as you all know, are honorable men (131-134).’ Hence in these lines Antony is also not exactly stating that Brutus is the culprit yet his underlying meaning is quiet clear to the audience. So it is observed that although in simple words but Shakespeare with great tact weaves his web of words that leads to Brutus’s destruction and Antony’s success or revenge. 3.2. Use of Pauses Through out the text of this scene the dialogues are observed to have slight pauses may it be in the dialogue delivery of Brutus, Antony or the crowd. These strategically placed pauses have a multi purpose function in this scene hence these pauses are used to reflect various emotions like anger, grief, agreement and enthusiasm. For example, Brutus says, ‘—Not that I loved Caesar less’ (25). The dash here represents a pause and this silence here depicts Brutus’s apparent grief for his loss of a friend. While on the other hand when the crowd shouts, ‘…—go,—find,—burn,—fire,—kill,—slay,— don’t let a traitor live!’(215). this reflects not only their anger but also their enthusiasm and agreement as well as their conviction of belief to carry out such actions. 3.3. Projection of Intense Emotions Shakespeare also uses language as a tool to express intense emotions basically those of anger and hatred between the characters in a sugar coated manner and the readers or audience is able to decipher this technique because over all the words are simple. However it is the sub text or the hidden meaning that makes it easier for the readers to interpret the play of emotions in this scene. As Antony is also observed to be saying in the play, ‘I don’t have wit, or words, or worth, Action…I show you sweet Caesar's wounds…And ask them to speak for me. But if I were Brutus…there would be an Antony to ruffle up your spirits’ (231-233). This dialogue is actually a simple utterance of words however when it is analyzed the readers observes that It has a variety of emotions in it. For example it highlights Antony’s modesty as he calls himself a person with lesser wit yet at the same times it also project Antony’s hatred towards Brutus, Caesar’s innocence and Antony’s attempt to boast the confidence and courage so that they would realize and punish Brutus for his actions. Hence the effect of this technique on the readers and the audience is that of awe and admiration for the writer and one of the reasons for this admiration is because of Shakespeare’s use of subtlety in his expression of deeper meanings. 4. Psychological Insight Shakespeare through this scene provides his readers or spectators with a lot of insight of the multi faceted human nature. This scene causes the spectators to realize the power of greed and ambitiousness, friendship, the intensity of revenge and destruction as well as the power of a united mass public. Hence this scene is a reflection of positive and negative aspects of man and life. 4.1. Greed and Ambition Greed and ambition are two of the most dangerous emotions in human nature the reason being that if the impulses of such feelings are not curbed it leads to destruction as also observed in the case of Brutus and the rest of Honorable Men in the play. It was Brutus’s greed to rule Rome that led him to murder his best friend however ironically even murdering his friend did not get him the throne. So this shows that Shakespeare wanted his readers to realize that an individual can never fight fate and destiny although the individual has the option of playing by the rules and make efforts to curb unattainable desires or in the heat of ambitiousness lose everything and Brutus’s end that is predicted in this scene is a proof enough for the readers or the audience. 4.2. Friendship Through both the speeches of Brutus and Antony the readers realize that Shakespeare is conveying the paradoxical meaning of the word ‘friendship’. One form of friendship is the deceptive and insincere relationship shared between Caesar and Brutus who were supposedly best friends and the second is the relationship of mutual respect and friendship between Antony and Caesar. Brutus and Caesar’s relationship reflects on the back stabbing nature of human beings where people use others for their benefit and when they are not useful to them anymore they tend to dispose them off. Such a relationship is full of malice, hatred and jealousy on one individual’s part no matter how sincere the other person might be but his goodness makes no impression on a person who is insincere and has ulterior motives. On the other hand Antony and Caesar’s friendship projects the other extreme of a relationship in which one individual would cross every limit to avenge unjust and brutal killing of his friend. 4.3. Revenge and Destruction Revenge is highlighted in this scene through the anger of the crowd that is directed towards Caesar in the beginning of the scene and as the scene proceeds towards Brutus. Moreover destruction is explained in terms of Brutus’s end i.e. he has to run away from Rome in order to save his life. So the readers at this point understand that at times it does not pays to lust after power because in lusting after it one commits deeds that he might regret later or might result in his personal destruction. 4.4. Unity is Strength Another lesson that the readers and the audience grasp from this scene is the power of the masses. As Brutus also realizes that in order to rule he would have to get the support of the public as also apparent from his speech when he tries to justify his actions in front of them. While on the other hand Antony also realizes that it is only the public that can punish those ‘Honorable Men’ for their crime as he alone could not have been able to do anything and hence both try to gain their support through their speeches and ultimately Antony wins over because his speech had more substance and held proof of Caesar’s innocence in the form of his will. Moreover Brutus’s attempt to escape towards the end of the play also reiterates the power that nation or people holds in letting a ruler rule them. 5. Conclusion This entire scene comprises of a variety of aspects that the readers and audience are able to explore and while reading or watching this scene the spectators take a roller coaster ride of emotions and are exposed to the bitter realities of human beings yet at the same time Shakespeare is able to make his readers understand that truth always wins and justice is always granted even if it takes time. References Bloom, Harold. William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. New York: Infobase Publishing, 2010. Print. Bloom, Harold, and Loos, Pamela. Julius Caesar. New York: Infobase Publishing, 2008. Print. Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Julius Caesar. Chicago: Lorenz Educational Publisher, 2003. Print. Trent, P., William. An Introduction to the English Classics. Boston: Athenaum Press, 1976. Print. Read More