Act+III+-+Brutus

****[1]** In this act, Brutus starts out calming all of the conspirators who seem nervous or scared that Caesar has found out or are scared to proceed with the plot. Once he is the last to stab Caesar in the back, he looks into his eyes as Caesar says "Et tu, Brute? Then fall Caesar!" (l.77).(You too Brutus?). Brutus feels definate remorse for what he has done to his best friend and doesn't realize it until he looks into his eyes. Once he looks away he walks away and joins his conspirators in celebration. Later on after the assassination, he assures his fellow senators that they did it for the right reasons when he says, "Fates, we will know your pleasures. That we shall die, we know; 'tis but the time and drawing days out, that men stand upon" (ll. 99-100). In this quote he is telling his friends that everyone is going to die eventually, but its just when and how to lengthen life that men are converned with. After he mentions, "Grant that, and then is death a a benefit: So are we Caesar's friends, that have abridg'd His time of fearing death" (ll. 103-105). Here he is reasurring the conspirators death is a good thing, and since they are his friends, they helped him by making sure Caesar didn't have to fear death anymore. Later on, Antony approaches Cassius and Brutus and he speaks to them about how he wants to be friends with them and that he just wants to speak at the funeral. In the dialogue below, it summarizes each of their opinions on this request.
 * __Brutus:__


 * Further Analysis: During the time that passes in this act Brutus' mind changes. At first that he is sure that he has done the right thing, and that he is truly saving Rome. Which the book doesn't really say if it is good or not that Caesar was assassinated. After Antony talks to Brutus; purposely manipulating him, Brutus is second guessing what he has done. So with this aspect on it, was it really a good idea to assassinate Caesar?**

(ll. 230-243) **Dialogue:

__Cassius__: "Brutus, a word with you. You know not what you do. Do not consent that Antony speak in his funeral. Know you how much the people may be mov'd by that which he will utter?" __Brutus__: "By your pardon: I will myself into the pulpit first, and show the reason of our Caesar's death. What Antony shall speak, I will protest He speaks by leave and by permission: and that we are contented Caesar shall have all true rites and lawful ceremonies It shall advantage more than do us wrong." __Cassius__: "I know not what may fall; I like it not."

****Explanation**:

Cassius is worried that Antony is going to expose them at the funeral speach and that he is going to persuade the crowd against them. Brutus doesn't think he will since he has just come to them and asked to be their friends. Antony promises that he wont blame them and that he must just talk good about Caesar but nothing bad about his assassins. Later at the speach, Brutus begins the funeral by turning the crowd in his favor by saying that they "did it for the good of Rome" and so that the Roman citizens could be free of Caesar's tyranny. Once he lets Antony speak, Antony gets them into serious trouble by betraying them and avenging his dear friend's death by getting the plebians very angry at the senators. Towards the end of this important speach, Brutus starts to feel bad about what he did and he begins to realize that Antony does have a right to do this since Caesar was after all Brutus's best friend. All in all, at the beginning of the act, he is confident in his this conspiracy and by the end of it, he regrets it and he knows that it is going to ulitimately result in the death of him.

__Works Cited__:

1. **[1] -** http://www.wilsonsalmanac.com/images2/caesar_death1.jpg

2. Durband, Alan and Shakespeare, William. __Julius Caesar .__ New York: Hutchinson Publishing Group, 1985.