The Tragedy of Julius Caesar Act Four – “Remember March, the ides of March remember. Did not great Julius bleed for justice' sake?”

The Tragedy of Julius Caesar Act Four – “Remember March, the ides of March remember. Did not great Julius bleed for justice' sake?”

It seems somehow cruel and power-hungry that one of the first things Anthony does after encouraging the masses to rise up after Julius Caesar’s death is to visit Octavius and Lepidus to draw up a list of who should be killed in order to stabilize power. Anthony also points out that perhaps Octavius could redirect some of Caesar’s personal funds to further their cause. When Lepidus leaves Anthony voices his doubts about any power sharing arrangement with Lepidus but Octavius reinforces his belief in Lepidus. Antony then discusses how they might stop Brutus and Cassius who are now building an army and sees that their combined alliance is all that could stop them.

We cross to a camp near Sardis where Brutus waits with his men. Lucillius arrives and reveals that Cassius seems to be growing more frustrated and distant from Brutus. Then Cassius enters with members of his army and he accuses Brutus of dissent through judging and punishing an acquaintance of Cassius who Brutus found to be taking bribes. Brutus then accuses Cassius of also taking bribes himself and reminds Cassius that they need to be above corruption since they accused Caesar of being corrupt. He questions the virtue of their killing of Caesar.

“Remember March, the ides of March remember.

Did not great Julius bleed for justice' sake?”

They descend into accusations and insults. Cassius then accuses Brutus not caring for Cassius and their cause and he then offers Brutus his own dagger and says:

“There is my dagger,

And here my naked breast; within, a heart

Dearer than Plutus' mine, richer than gold:

If that thou be'st a Roman, take it forth;

I, that denied thee gold, will give my heart:

Strike, as thou didst at Caesar; for, I know,

When thou didst hate him worst, thou lovedst him better

Than ever thou lovedst Cassius.”

Brutus then insists that Cassius put away his dagger and they embrace and make amends. Then in a rather absurd moment a Poet enters and tells Brutus and Cassius that:

“Love, and be friends, as two such men should be;

For I have seen more years, I'm sure, than ye.”

Cassius and Brutus then drink wine in friendship, and Cassius states that he was surprised by Brutus’ anger and then Brutus reveals that he recently received news of his wife Portia’s death. This foreshadows a deeper tragedy, for then Titinius and Messala enter and reveal that Octavius, Antony, and Lepidus have put seventy senators to death including Cicero. Messala then asks Brutus if he has heard any news about Portia and Brutus demands that Messala tell him all. Messala then reports that Portia is indeed dead.

Brutus gathers himself and puts forward that they should march with their armies to Philippi to face their enemy. Cassius thinks that they should wait for the enemy to come to them but Brutus feels that they should seize the day. Cassius backs down and they agree to start to prepare to march. As the others depart, Brutus calls his messengers Varro and Claudio to sleep in his tent so that early dispatches can go out with urgency.

In a scene which acts as a precursor to Shakespeare’s later dramatic ghost visitations of Hamlet’s father’s ghost and the ghost of Macbeth’s friend Banquo, Brutus is visited by a Ghost in Caesar-like form that identifies itself as “thy evil spirit” who informs Brutus that they will meet again in Philippi. The Ghost then disappears, and when Brutus wakes Varro and Caludio up to see if they had seen or heard anything, they claim that they saw nothing. Brutus asks them to then go and “commend” him to Cassius while he prepares to meet his destiny in Philippi.