Julius Caesar

Roles

• Julius Caesar
• Calpurnia
• Decius Brutus

About this piece

Caesar's wife tries to persuade her husband not to go to the Senate

Summary

The play starts with Caesar celebrating his victory over Pompey with a military parade through the streets of Rome. The people of Rome show great support for him and some fear that Caesar has gained too much power and will become a dictator. In the first scene of the play we find two tribunes, Flavius and Murellus, scolding two commoners for celebrating Caesar's victory and remove decorations from all Caesar's statues. Cassius, an ambitious Roman general, conspires to kill Caesar together with other politicians, such as Casca, Decius, Cinna, Metellus and Trebonius. Cassius tries to have Brutus join them as Brutus has a great following in the city of Rome. By forging letters to make him think that the people of Rome are angry at Caesar, he manages to convince Brutus to kill Caesar. The assassination is set to take place but in this scene Caesar's wife, Calpurnia, urges her husband not to go to the senate that day because she had a bad dream that she thinks is an omen that something bad will happen to him. She almost convinces him not to go until Decius Brutus shows up and argues that Calpurnia interpreted her dream in the wrong way since, he confides, the senate has decided to crown him king that day. Caesar leaves...

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