Saturday, April 14, 2012

"How many ages hence/Shall this be our lofty scene be acted over/In statres unborn and accents yet unknown."What does this quote mean in Julius...

These lines are spoken by Cassius after he and the other
conspirators have assassinated Julius Caesar.  Since there is a panic that follows this
act, Brutus, as leader of the conspirators, reassures them, "Ambition's debt is paid"
(3.1.91).  In order to mark themselves as the men who have given Rome "Peace, freedom,
and liberty" (3.1.89), Brutus instructs the men to "bathe" their hands in Caesar's blood
and "besmear" their swords before they walk to the market place. Then, in the thrill of
this moment of glory for them, Cassius encourages the others to follow Brutus's
directions.  His words indicate that he believes that they will be praised by the Romans
for relieving them of a tyrant, and in recognition of the greatness of the
conspirators, their act of freeing Rome from the rule of Julius Caesar will be reenacted
throughout the world.  Of course, Cassius's declaration is ironic as Antony turns the
Romans against the conspirators and they riot, causing a civil war that is far worse
than the rule of Julius Caesar.

No comments:

Post a Comment

How is Anne's goal of wanting "to go on living even after my death" fulfilled in Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl?I didn't get how it was...

I think you are right! I don't believe that many of the Jews who were herded into the concentration camps actually understood the eno...