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

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.