Alliances in Julius Caesar Act

Alliances in Julius Caesar

Act I

Pro-Caesar: The commoners, Antony

Neutral: Brutus, soothsayer

Anti-Caesar: Cassius, Casca, other senators

Act II

Pro-Caesar: Calpurnia, Antony, Artemidorus

Neutral: Portia, soothsayer

Anti-Caesar: Brutus, Cassius, Decius, other conspirators

Act III

Pro-Caesar: Antony, commoners (after Antony's speech)

Neutral: Brutus, commoner's (after Brutus' speech)

Anti-Caesar: Cassius, other conspirators

Act IV

Pro-Caesar: Portia, Octavius, Anthony

Neutral: Brutus

Anti-Caesar: Cassius

Act V

Pro-Caesar: Brutus (by the end), Cassius (by the end), Antony, Octavius, Lepidus

Neutral: Brutus (in the beginning)

Anti-Caesar: Cassius (in the beginning)

Quotes from Antony's Funeral Speech:

come to bury Caesar, not to praise him. The evil that men do lives after them; the good is oft interred with their bones"(pg 132) "You are not wood, you are not stones, but men; and being men, hearing the will of Caesar"(pg 136) "As rushing out of doors to be resolved if Brutus so unkindly knocked or no; for Brutus, as you know, was Caesar's angel"(pg 140)

These lines persuade the commoners in three distinct ways. The first quote is the beginning of reminding the citizens how much they loved Caesar for all of his good qualities, which is the most direct way to stir up sympathy for Caesar. Ironically, this also sets up the indirect nature of Antony's speech; he says he is not here to praise Caesar, but then he goes on to do just that in a roundabout way. This also helps to persuade the commoners by making them think they are connecting the dots themselves, when really Antony is leading them through it. The second quote is another indirect call to action; while ostensibly meaning that they should hear the will of Caesar, he is really reminding them that they are men with their own minds, capable of making their own decisions and acting on them. The last quote reminds them of the heinousness of Caesar's murder, especially at the ands of Brutus whom he loved so much. This made Caesar's murder an especially bitter and heartbreaking one and, though Antony does not explicitly say this either, a murder that is especially deserving of revenge. These quotes also enhance the plays parallelism by balancing not only the sentence structure, but also showing several sides of the issue. Of course, each side is shown in the specific light that Antony sees it in, but in a roundabout way that makes his conclusions the only reasonable ones.

And let me show you him that made the will. Shall I descend? And will you give me leave?"(pg 138) "Here was a caesar! When comes such another?"(pg 146) "Tis good you know not that you are his heirs, for if you should, o, what would come of it"(pg 136)