JULIUS CAESAR | ACT 1 SCENE 1 SUMMARY AND

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JULIUS CAESAR | ACT 1 SCENE 1 SUMMARY AND

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Julius Caesar | Act 1, Scene 1: Summary and Analysis

New Characters:
Flavius and Marullus: tribunes opposed to Caesar’s growing power

Roman Citizens: among them a cobbler and carpenter, supporters of Caesar

Summary
The setting is February 15, 44 B.C., the Feast of Lupercal, on a street in Rome. After the death of Pompey, Caesar has returned to Rome as the most powerful man in the Republic. The play begins on a Roman street with a confrontation between Flavius and Marullus (Roman tribunes) and a crowd of citizens out to celebrate Caesar’s arrival for the games. The tribunes are concerned about Caesar’s growing power and popular support and how it may destroy the Roman Republic. They scold the citizens and remind them of the love and support Rome once gave Pompey, who was killed in the civil war with Caesar. Flavius and Marullus drive the crowd from the streets. They decide to pull down any banners and decorations honoring Caesar, and scatter the crowds wherever they find them in an attempt to weaken popular support for Caesar.

Analysis
The opening scene is expository. It establishes the time and place and gives the audience an indication of what happened before the play began. It shows the political climate in Rome and the conflict surrounding Caesar. Rome, once ruled by three men (a triumvirate) is now in the hands of only one, Caesar, whose ambitions include becoming king. The citizens, once loyal to Pompey, one of the triumvirate, now form the base of Caesar’s power. Others, represented by Flavius and Marullus, are opposed to Caesar and the threat he represents to the Roman Republic.

Flavius and Marullus drive the crowd from the streets. This shows how easily the crowd can be manipulated and controlled. Flavius and Marullus are concerned about the welfare of the Roman state and the negative impact that Caesar’s lust for power will have on its citizens. Yet the crowd seems unconcerned about politics. They are only interested in having a holiday from work, and it does not seem to matter if the celebration is for Pompey or for Caesar.

This fickleness of the commoners will surface several times throughout the play. Ultimately the commoners are used as a force to affect the politics of Rome. This will become a significant factor later in the play.

Also significant are the issues of interpretation and subjectivity. Throughout the play a character’s judgment is affected by another character’s interpretation of events. In this scene Flavius and Marullus are able to influence the actions of the crowd by their accounts of Pompey and how good he was for Rome. This may or may not have been true, but their perception prevails in the scene. Look for other indications of this subjective interpretation of events as Brutus considers if he should kill Caesar, the interpretation of the meaning of omens in the play, and even Pindarus’ report to Cassius of the capture of Titinius in Act V.

Note Shakespeare’s use of the pun, a play on words, in the opening lines of this scene. “I am / but , as you would say, a cobbler.” (10–11) The word cobbler meant bungler as well as shoemaker. Later the character says, “all that I live by is with the / awl.” (24–25) Since Shakespeare’s audience was often noisy and rowdy, he opens the scene with humorous wordplay to focus his audience’s attention, make them laugh, and get them to listen. Once that has been done, he returns to the essential information in the scene—the developing conflict surrounding Caesar’s growing ambition.

STATEMENT OF CHAIRMAN JULIUS GENACHOWSKI RE POLICIES TO PROMOTE
STATEMENT OF CHAIRMAN JULIUS GENACHOWSKI RE RULES AND REGULATIONS
STUDY GUIDE FOR THE TRAGEDY OF JULIUS CAESAR WITH

Tags: caesar |, to caesar, scene, caesar, julius, summary