Shakespeare on the Double! Julius Caesar
Chapter One
Synopsis
ACT I
Scene 1
On the feast of the Lupercal in mid-February, Julius Caesar, a Roman general,
receives a victor's parade into Rome. Commoners celebrate his victory
over Pompey and his sons in a civil war. Two tribunes, Flavius and Marullus,
scold disloyal fans for forgetting their regard for Pompey and for applauding
his enemy.
Scene 2
Caesar and his procession enter on their way to a ritual foot race. A fortune
teller warns Caesar to beware March 15. Caesar, arrogant and overconfident,
dismisses the man as a dreamer and brushes by him. During the
foot race, Cassius draws Brutus into conversation outside the arena to
discuss Rome's political unrest. Cassius resents and envies Caesar for
becoming Rome's absolute dictator. Cassius describes Caesar as the only
mortal who dares think of himself as a god.
Brutus does not echo Cassius' envy, but he does worry that too much
power to the dictator means less freedom for Romans. Brutus' greatest
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