Act+III,+Scene+iii

Act III, Scene iii Characters: Cinna the Poet & Plebeians** 
 * Scene: A Street
 * // "It is no matter, his name's Cinna; pluck but his name out of his heart, and turn him going" (ll. 33-35). //**


 * __Summary__ **

**In scene iii Cinna (the poet) is taking a walk throughout the city and encounters some Roman citizens that have been angered by the actions of the conspirators. They are gathered in an angry mob, determined to avenge Caesar, and kill anyone suspected of being a conspirator in Caesar's murder. The mob asks for his name and they confuse him with Cinna the conspirator. He clarifies his identity as Cinna the Poet, not Cinna the Conspirator. However, because he held the same name as the conspirator, the mob, in a ruthless frenzy, tore him apart despite knowing who he was.** __** Other Thoughts **__

**This frenzy shows the real power of a mob mentality. It was possible that Mark Antony had realized the power of these "mobs" and utilized them to his advantage. It is most likely that he knew his speech would cause these harsh actions, but what exactly causes this group mentality? The study of the mob mentality is very closely related to the study of herds of animals, in the way that we act differently in large crowds. When humans are in large crowds we tend to have the same thoughts, when we are rushed or scared, we tend to want to stick with other people, so while a large mob may seem planned, it is really just the same basic instinct among us. This also applies to crime and riots. For example when demonstrators are in a large crowd, people start acting the same in reaction to the other members of the mob. The main reason this occurs is out of fear, the instinct is if you are together in a large group, you are less likely to be injured. So, in the mob after the the funeral, the group acted this way out of fear, it is most likely that many of the members of the mob still didn't even realize who they were attacking, they just knew that every one else was, and that that was the best action for them, "if you stick with the rest you are better off, or safer."**

 [For the purpose of better understanding the text and as a source of review]
 * **Why was the angry mob not willing to listen to Cinna the Poet? What made them turn into unstoppable killers and take an innocent life?**
 * **Was it necessary to have killed Cinna the Poet even though they knew he was not Cinna the Conspirator?**
 * **Is it possible to stop a mob mentality? Why or why not?**
 * **How is mob mentality showed in this scene?**
 * **If the angry mob would've listened to Cinna the Poet, do you think they would've still killed him? Why or why not?**

Shakespeare, William. //Julius Caesar//. New York: Signet Classics, 1998
 * __Sources__**

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-mob-mentality.htm