How are the plebeians portrayed in Julius Caesar?

The plebeians act as the audience for the histrionics of Julius Caesar in Act I and for the persuasive rhetoric of Brutus and of Marc Antony in Act III. Swayed dramatically by Antony, they rush into the streets, rioting. Thus, Antony proves himself a hypocrite in declaring love for Rome.

What role do the plebeians play?

Plebeians were average working citizens of Rome – farmers, bakers, builders or craftsmen – who worked hard to support their families and pay their taxes. Unlike the more privileged classes, most plebeians could not write and therefore they could not record and preserve their experiences.

What was the impression of the plebeians?

Shakespeare gives the impression that the plebeians are simple minded and easily told what to do. They are very willing to make Brutus their Caesar one minute and the next they are willing to burn his house and kill him for murdering Caesar. Their perceptions are mostly based on the speeches that Caesar gave.

What do the plebeians do in Scene 3?

The plebeians are riled up after Marc Antony’s speech and charge the streets of Rome looking for the conspirators. They find Cinna, the poet instead of Cinna, the conspirator and attack him.

How does Shakespeare portray the commoner’s?

At first the crowd is in favour of Brutus, however, they are easily persuadable and are later in favour of Antony. Shakespeare’s portrayal of the common people is not flattering at all as they are portrayed as an “unsophisticated mob.” Generally, the commoners are greedy, fun-loving and thoughtless.

What occupations did the two commoners have?

carpenter and cobbler. with a little bit of respect and able to speak their mind.

What did plebeians want?

The Conflict or Struggle of the Orders was a political struggle between the Plebeians (commoners) and Patricians (aristocrats) of the ancient Roman Republic lasting from 500 BC to 287 BC, in which the Plebeians sought political equality with the Patricians.

What were plebeians allowed to do?

They protected some basic rights of all Roman citizens regardless of their social class. Eventually the plebeians were allowed to elect their own government officials. They elected “tribunes” who represented the plebeians and fought for their rights. They had the power to veto new laws from the Roman senate.

What is the purpose of Scene 3 when Cinna the poet is attacked by the plebeians?

They want to kill Cinna when they think he is a conspirator. When they find out he is not, they want to kill him anyway; they are in such a frenzy that they just want an excuse to kill anyone.

What is Antony’s purpose in his speech?

The purpose of Antony’s speech was to instigate the mob against the conspirators for killing Caesar through swaying them with basic sentiments. He succeeded in his mission by enraging the crowd against the conspirators at the pulpit for revenging Caesar’s death.

Why does Brutus let Antony speak at Caesar’s funeral?

Why does Brutus allow Antony to speak at Caesar’s funeral? Brutus allows Antony to speak at Caesar’s funeral in the hopes that doing so will work to the conspirators’ benefit. Brutus’s mistake in letting Antony speak derails the conspirators’ cause and leads to tragedy.

Who is the most ambitious character in Julius Caesar?

Antony becomes more ambitious after the death of his good friend Julius Caesar, but Antony is always depicted as a hedonist, an athlete, a womanizer, a fun-lover, a heavy drinker.

Who was the most famous plebeian in Rome?

One of Rome’s most famous senators, Cicero, was a plebeian. Because he was the first of his family to be elected to the senate, he was called a “New Man.”. In general, plebeians and patricians did not mix socially. Julius Caesar was a patrician, but he was sometimes considered a champion of the common people.

What kind of people was Julius Caesars gens?

Caesar’s gens, the Julii, were patricians —i.e., members of Rome ’s original aristocracy, which had coalesced in the 4th century bce with a number of leading plebeian (commoner) families to form the nobility that had been the governing class in Rome since then.

How did the plebeians affect the Civil War?

The plebeians act as the audience for the histrionics of Julius Caesar in Act I and for the persuasive rhetoric of Brutus and of Marc Antony in Act III. Swayed dramatically by Antony, they rush into the streets, rioting. As a result, a civil war begins, a war that devastated Rome. Thus, Antony proves himself a hypocrite in declaring love for Rome.

What did the plebeians say about Caesar’s death?

The Plebeians’ opinion on Caesar’s death begins to change when the First Plebeian says, “I will hear Brutus speak” (3.2.9). This opens up their minds to hearing the reasons in which the conspirators killed Caesar. Although this statement does not ensure the Plebeians will completely change their views, it definitely foreshadows that it will happen.