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  • Essay / A scene analysis of Julius Caesar, a play by William Shakespeare

    Shakespeare has fascinated people with his writings for hundreds of years, from his sonnets to his plays. His stories deal with love, betrayal, murder, death and even suicide; even in the story of Julius Caesar he addresses this subject. The first act, scene 3, is the part of the play where the meteor showers attack the city of Rome and where Cassius admits how strongly he is opposed to Caesar's rule. The scene is meant to be a turning point for the series in that it reveals how terribly Caesar is viewed by Cassisus, and how far Cassius will go to make sure he doesn't see him reign. Shakespeare did this by portraying his character's emotions accurately and appropriately. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay The scene opens with the characters Casca and Cicero, both are public figures in Rome, both are discussing the fiery storm outside coming out. nowhere. Casca thinks it is a bad omen of what is to come, while Cicero thinks it is nothing more than a natural occurrence. Once Cicero leaves the character that Cassius enters, he explains how he believes that Oman is God's way of foreshadowing things to come, and that unlike Cicero, he sees no reason to fear the Gods. It is here that Cassius's "big head" is revealed, he declares this: "You are boring, Casca, and these sparks should be in a novel that you want, otherwise you don't use it" (Act 1 Scene 3 Page 3). Without saying it, Cassius has just insulted Cicero and declares that he believes that there is no reason to fear the gods, since they are simply displeased with a single act and not several. This shows in his characterization that Cassius believes himself to be superior to others, this may be due to the fact that he is a talented general in the army and is quite devious. During the scene, he reveals that he would rather kill himself than see a man like Caesar rule his country. “Now could I, Casca, name for you a man who most resembles that terrible night, who thunders, lights, opens the tombs and roars like the lion of the Capitol. A man no more powerful than you or me in his personal action, but nevertheless prodigiously developed. , and as frightening as these strange eruptions are” (Act 1 Scene 3 Page 3-4). Cassius speaks of Caesar because he believes the gods are unhappy with his coming to the capital to be crowned king. In past scenes, Shakespeare has made it clear that people did not think he was ready to rule, but this scene shows the lengths someone would go to not see him rule. Cassius decides to go to the extreme: “Then I know where I will carry this dagger. Cassius from slavery will deliver Cassius” (Act 1 Scene 3 Page 4). He would rather commit suicide than see Caesar reign, while Shakespeare has used suicide as a plot point in the past, this one differs from the others in the choices he made in the scene. Shakespeare in the third scene does not leave Cassius alone to think about his death in his head, he gives him a friend to explain his plan to. Cassius also doesn't give any depressing reasoning or say goodbye, he just wants it to be known that he is committing suicide for a cause he truly believes in rather than depression. A bond however is manifested through Cassius and Casca by the fact that Cassius trusts him enough to share this plan with him, without fear of betrayal, and Casca understands his point of view showing how deep the friendship they have is big. The last part of the scene constitutes the turning point of the entire.