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In Act 3, Scene 1 of Julius Caesar, carefully read Brutus’ speech in lines 115 – 122 and Anthony’s speech in lines 200 – 205. These share a...

These two speeches are found in Act 3, scene 1. Brutus' reference reads as follows:



Grant that, and then is death a benefit:
So are we Caesar's friends, that have abridged
His time of fearing death. Stoop, Romans, stoop,
And let us bathe our hands in Caesar's blood
Up to the elbows, and besmear our swords:
Then walk we forth, even to the market-place,
And, waving our red weapons o'er our heads,
Let's all cry 'Peace, freedom and liberty!'



Brutus asks all the conspirators to wash their hands and smear their swords with Caesar's blood. They will then proudly walk to the marketplace and openly display their bloody weapons to the general populace. Brutus obviously believes that Caesar's assassination was a victory for the people of Rome. He believed that their act was an honourable one. It was done for the good of Rome and was not born out of selfish greed or malice. 


Asking the others to besmear their hands and swords with the slain general's blood would be symbolic of their defeat over tyranny. Brutus truly believed that Caesar would become a dictator and that he would abuse his power, enslaving his people and bring untold misery. He had previously told Cassius that he would not be happy if Caesar should be crowned emperor for he feared that he would become a tyrant.


When Antony is left alone with Caesar's corpse once everyone has left, he declares, in part, the following:



Most noble! in the presence of thy corse?
Had I as many eyes as thou hast wounds,
Weeping as fast as they stream forth thy blood,
It would become me better than to close
In terms of friendship with thine enemies.



Antony's tone in the first line is respectful for he is addressing his slain leader. The tone changes, however, to a bitter declaration of enmity and resentment. Antony expresses the idea of having as many eyes as Caesar's wounds, seeping blood. It would be better for him to close his eyes to such tears and not be welcoming and kind to Caesar's enemies. 


In effect, Antony is declaring that he should close himself to sorrow and turn against his deceased friend's assassins. In the same speech, he compares Caesar to an innocent deer that has been hunted down by a pack of vicious dogs who are now smeared with his blood. The comparison makes it clear that Antony despises the conspirators for having so maliciously murdered a guiltless man. His tone at the end is that of great anguish that such a great man should have died in such an undignified manner. 


The contrast between the two men's perceptions is pertinently obvious. Brutus believed that it was good and noble that Caesar should have died whilst Antony sees it as a heinous crime. Antony's intention is clear: avenge Caesar's brutal murder.

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