Skip to main content

Why is Cassius nervous about his conversation with Popilius in Act 3, Scene 1 in Julius Caesar? What excuse do the conspirators use to approach...

Cassius is nervous that Popilius might tip someone off about their impending assassination. The assassins surround Caesar with a plea for Cimber, and Caesar blows them off.


The conspiracy to assassinate Caesar is a secret, and the men have been planning for over a month. With that many people involved and that amount of time, there is always a risk that something could go wrong. Someone could find out and tell Caesar, and the game would be up. In fact, Artemidorus does try to warn Caesar, but he is too late and Caesar ignores him.


When the conspirators are approaching the senate’s meeting at the capitol, Popilius Lena tells Cassius that he wishes him luck with his “enterprise.” This spooks Cassius and Brutus both, who worry that Popilius is going to tell on them.



BRUTUS


What said Popilius Lena?


CASSIUS


He wish'd to-day our enterprise might thrive.
I fear our purpose is discovered. (Act 3, Scene 1) 



He doesn’t. Apparently Popilius really does just hope that the assassins succeed. He is on their side, but Brutus and Cassius are even more on edge after this incident. There are a lot of parts of their plan that can go wrong. What if Antony is not waylaid, or Decius Brutus can’t talk Caesar into coming to the capitol? Cassius is so nervous that he says he will kill himself if anything goes wrong.


The plan proceeds, however, without a hitch. The senators who are involved in the conspiracy all have their hidden daggers, and they surround Caesar under the guise of needing to talk to him about a suit. Metellus Cimber has asked Caesar to pardon his brother, who has been banished. Not suspecting anything, Caesar just tells him he will not change his mind.



These couchings and these lowly courtesies
Might fire the blood of ordinary men,
And turn pre-ordinance and first decree
Into the law of children. Be not fond,
To think that Caesar bears such rebel blood
That will be thaw'd from the true quality
With that which melteth fools … (Act 3, Scene 1) 



As far as Caesar is concerned, only weak men change their minds. Flattery will get Publius Cimber nowhere. Banished he is, and banished he will remain. As the senators get down on one knee and beg, Caesar is confused and angry. He is particularly baffled that Brutus would beg and kiss his hand.


Once they have surrounded him, Casca stabs Caesar and then all of the other senators involved in the conspiracy follow suit. Brutus is the last one to stab. All in all, Caesar is stabbed thirty-three times (at least according to Octavius). He is dead in minutes. Brutus and the others celebrate their act as tyrant-killers.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

etymology - Origin of the greeting "Sweet dreams".

Does anybody know the etymology of the phrase "sweet dreams"? I tried googling but did not find anything satisfying. Is this a relatively new phrase of the modern world or has this been in use for some time? I think it's the latter one. Answer The OED has the interjection as "a farewell to someone going to bed" from the 20th century: 1908 Sears Roebuck Catal. 198/1 Tenor Solos..Good Bye, Sweet Dreams, Good Bye. But it goes back until at least the 19th and possibly 18th centuries. John Wolcot, writing under the pseudonym of Peter Pindar, used it in his poem "Orson and Ellen; A Legendary Tale" published in 1801: Also from 1801 in The infernal Quixote (Page 287) by Charles Lucas: In the March 1776 of The Universal Magazine was published "The Serenade. A Pastoral Tale. From the German of Gesner" , where the shepherd Daphnis watches over his beloved as she sleeps and sings: The same tale appears in 1776's as Idyl XI, " Daphnis ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Is there a word/phrase for "unperformant"?

As a software engineer, I need to sometimes describe a piece of code as something that lacks performance or was not written with performance in mind. Example: This kind of coding style leads to unmaintainable and unperformant code. Based on my Google searches, this isn't a real word. What is the correct way to describe this? EDIT My usage of "performance" here is in regard to speed and efficiency. For example, the better the performance of code the faster the application runs. My question and example target the negative definition, which is in reference to preventing inefficient coding practices. Answer This kind of coding style leads to unmaintainable and unperformant code. In my opinion, reads more easily as: This coding style leads to unmaintainable and poorly performing code. The key to well-written documentation and reports lies in ease of understanding. Adding poorly understood words such as performant decreases that ease. In addressing the use of such a poorly ...
Post a Comment
Read more

What are the similarities between the relationships of the characters in The Outsiders and Romeo and Juliet?

At first glance, it might appear as if the characters in  The Outsiders  by S. E. Hinton and  Romeo and Juliet  by William Shakespeare do not have much in common; however, when one isolates the core of the conflicts, it becomes clear that the relationships in both stories are rooted in rivalry and secrecy.  In both  The Outsiders  and  Romeo and Juliet , an overarching theme is rivalry. While   socioeconomic status separates the greasers from the Socs in The Outsiders , last names separates the Montagues from the Capulets, who appear to be relatively equal in terms of socioeconomic status. Due to these rivalries, there are instances of deadly interactions in both stories. In  The Outsiders , Johnny kills Bob (whether his actions were justified or not is debatable). In  Romeo and Juliet , Romeo kills Tybalt and Paris, and Tybalt kills Mercutio. These deaths have profound effects on the main characters. In Ponyboy's case, the Johnny's death and other events in the novel inspire h...
Post a Comment
Read more