What happens in Act I of Julius Caesar?
Act I begins on the streets of Rome during the Feast of Lupercalia. Tribunes Flavius and Murellus chastise the commoners for celebrating Caesar's victory over Pompey's sons, reminding them of their previous loyalty to Pompey. The tribunes disperse the crowd and pledge to remove the decorations from Caesar's images. In Scene ii, Caesar makes his entrance in a procession; a Soothsayer warns him to "beware the Ides of March," but Caesar brushes it off. While Caesar enjoys the games, Cassius tries to sway Brutus, tapping into his worries about Caesar's rising power and planting the idea of conspiracy. He shares two stories—how Caesar almost drowned in the Tiber and suffered a fever in Spain—to challenge the notion of Caesar's invincibility. Casca returns from the games and reports, with a hint of sarcasm, that Antony offered Caesar a crown three times, which Caesar refused each time while the crowd cheered. The act wraps up in Scene iii with a night filled with ominous signs—a lion in the Capitol, men ablaze, and an owl screeching at noon—which Cassius interprets as signs of Rome's decline under Caesar. He recruits Casca and reveals that Brutus is almost on their side. The conspirators plan to leave forged letters at Brutus's window to nudge him into action.
Analysis
Shakespeare starts Julius Caesar with a striking irony: the play's opening lines come not from senators or generals, but from unnamed tradesmen, who cleverly joke about their jobs ("I am indeed, sir, a surgeon to old shoes"). This instantly highlights the difference between grand public speeches and everyday humor. However, this festive tone is quickly subdued by Flavius and Murellus, indicating that the play will focus intensely on who controls language and spectacle.
The way Cassius wins over Brutus is the act's standout moment. Shakespeare crafts it as a slow, one-sided conversation where Cassius dominates the dialogue, revealing his own need for a symbolic leader. His mirror metaphor ("I, your glass, / Will modestly discover to yourself / That of yourself which you yet know not of") presents manipulation as a means of self-discovery, a trick the play constantly reminds the audience of.
The supernatural storm in Scene iii serves two purposes: it makes visible the political chaos Cassius is creating and gives him a chance to interpret signs to fit his own goals. Casca, who is skeptical and composed in Scene ii, appears visibly disturbed here, marking a shift from political humor to a darker, more fatalistic tone. Shakespeare uses the storm not just for atmosphere but as a crucial turning point, transitioning the act from open civic discussion to secretive plotting. The forged letters revealed at the end underscore that the conspiracy relies on false consent—a theme that will linger throughout every public speech in the play.
Key quotes from Act I
“Beware the Ides of March.”
The Soothsayer calls this warning to Caesar during the Lupercalia procession; Caesar's dismissal of it as a dreamer establishes the play's central dramatic irony.
“I, your glass, / Will modestly discover to yourself / That of yourself which you yet know not of.”
Cassius offers this mirror metaphor to Brutus as he begins his campaign of persuasion, framing manipulation as a gift of self-revelation.
“Men at some time are masters of their fates: / The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, / But in ourselves, that we are underlings.”
Cassius delivers these lines to Brutus in Scene ii, using the language of Stoic self-determination to argue that Caesar's rise is a failure of Roman will rather than destiny.
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Create an accountSign inVocabulary in Act I
- Ides
- A specific day in the Roman calendar: the 15th of March, May, July, and October, and the 13th of all other months. In this play it marks the fatal date of Caesar's assassination.
- glass
- A mirror. Cassius uses the word to say he will reflect Brutus's own hidden qualities back to him, as a mirror shows a person their face.
- modestly
- Without exaggeration or flattery; plainly and honestly. Here it suggests Cassius will reveal the truth about Brutus without embellishment.
- discover
- To reveal or uncover something hidden, not to find something new. In this older usage it means to show or expose what was previously unseen.
- underlings
- People of low rank or power who are subordinate to someone greater. Cassius uses the word to shame Brutus into feeling that accepting Caesar's dominance makes them lesser men.