Topic > An analysis of the scene from Julius Caesar, a play by William Shakespeare

Shakespeare has fascinated people with his written word for hundreds of years, from his sonnets to his plays. His stories deal with love, betrayal, murder, death and even suicide; this topic is also touched upon in the story of Julius Caesar. Act One: Scene 3 is the part of the play where meteor showers attack the city of Rome and where Cassius admits how strongly he opposes Caesar's rule. The scene is supposed to be a turning point for the show, in that it's revealed how terribly Caesar is viewed by Cassius, and how far Cassius will go to ensure he doesn't see him rule. Shakespeare did this by portraying his characters' emotions accurately and appropriately. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The scene opens with the characters Casca and Cicero, both public figures in Rome, both discussing the firestorm coming out of the non-existent place. Casca believes it is a bad omen of what is to come, while Cicero believes it is nothing more than a natural occurrence. Once Cicero breaks out of the character Cassius enters, he explains how he believes that Oman is the Gods' way of foreshadowing things to come and that, unlike Cicero, he sees no reason to fear the Gods. This is where Cassius' "big head" is revealed, he states, "You are dull, Casca, and those sparks of that should be in a Roman you want, or you use him not" (Act 1 Scene 3 Page 3). Not to mention that Cassius just insulted Cicero and stated that he believes there is no reason to fear the gods, since they are simply displeased with one act and not many. This shows in his characterization that Cassius believes he is superior to others, perhaps this is due to the fact that he is a talented general in the army and that he is quite cunning. 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 to you a man very similar to this terrible night, who thunders, lights, opens graves and roars like the lion in the Capitol. A man no more powerful than you or me in personal actions, yet grown prodigiously. , and fearful as these strange eruptions are” (Act 1 Scene 3 Page 3-4). Cassius is talking about Caesar as believing the Gods are unhappy with him coming to the Capitol to be crowned king. In past scenes, Shakespeare has made it clear that people don't think he's ready to rule, but this scene shows how far someone would go to not see him rule. Cassius decides to go to the extreme: “Then I know where I will wear this dagger. Cassius will free Cassius from slavery” (Act 1 Scene 3 Page 4). He would rather kill himself than see Caesar rule, while Shakespeare has used suicide as a plot point in the past, this varies from others based on the choices he made in the scene. Shakespeare in the third scene does not leave Cassius alone to reflect on his death in his head, he provides him with a friend to explain his plan to. Nor does Cassio make a depressing argument or say goodbye, he simply just wants it to be known that he is killing himself for a cause he truly believes in rather than depression. However, a bond is demonstrated between Cassio and Casca by the fact that Cassio trusts him enough to share this plan with him, without fear of betrayal, and Casca understands his point of view showing how great the friendship they have. The last part of the scene is the turning point of the entire work. Cassius plans to deceive Brutus into believing that Caesar is now a corrupt ruler, which will ultimately lead to Caesar's death..