Scene 1 of Act 2 of Julius Caesar, from lines 1-69, is terribly important as it marks a turning point in the work. The two characters that appear are Brutus and his servant, Lucius. Brutus, having had the idea of killing Caesar planted in his mind by Cassius, ponders and explores the idea here and, through self-applied rhetoric combined with the effect of Cassius' scrolls praising his nobility, Brutus decides to act and kill Caesar. We say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The passage is extremely effective in dramatic terms: although Brutus is alone for much of the scene, with great potential for dullness and boredom, Shakespeare maintains the drama throughout and sustains the audience's interest through a variety of means. The line, “I cannot, by the progress of the stars, guess how near the day,” provides a reminder of the storm and strange happenings of the night, signifying both the political turmoil of Rome and the inner turmoil of Brutus; whether or not the public interest is more important than private friendship. The storm itself, at the discretion of the director, would undoubtedly be created using theater lighting and sound, adding excitement and creating tension. Brutus orders his servant Lucius to fetch a torch, and then begins to convince himself that Caesar must die with the words "it must be by his death." This simple monosyllabic phrase clearly states Brutus' intentions, and although he discusses the matter throughout his soliloquy, the end result is again highlighted in a six-word monosyllabic statement: "And kill him in the shell." These two sentences ensure that audience members do not get lost in the whirlwind of poetic language and maintain a clear sense of plot direction while allowing for the incorporation of excitement and passion into Brutus' self-persuasive speech. The speech maintains interest through the use of poetic and richly descriptive language, using a variety of metaphors for Caesar including a "serpent's egg" which, if the man were crowned, would hatch and could cause great harm to Rome. Such powerful poetic imagery is used both to provide insight into Caesar's sense of self-importance and to captivate the audience. When Lucius returns with the torch, he carries a paper that, unbeknownst to him, Cassius has thrown into the window, purporting to be from a Roman citizen who supports Brutus, which helps to further persuade him to the cause of conspiring against Caesar. The letter, drawing on the memory of Brutus' ancestor who drove the dictator Tarquin from Rome, urges Brutus to "speak, strike, redress" and free Rome from its new dictator. The entrance of Lucius and the presence of the scroll interrupts Brutus' speeches, distracting the audience from the boredom of his potentially insipid language (although this may differ depending on the actor and the direction). Brutus' reflection is interrupted when Lucius announces that "fifteen days of March are wasted", the dramatic interjection reminds the reader of the soothsayer's warning "Beware the Ides of March" of I.II 18. It creates a sense of anticipation for the audience of what is to come and increases Brutus' irritation, although it also appears to be a factor in determining him against Caesar. The atmosphere of the piece then becomes increasingly threatening and sinister, especially with the entrance of the conspirators in the next section. The sense of anticipation of the cadaverous act to come builds from here until the moment of Caesar's death, and the audience is captivated as the tension on stage increases. The direction "Knock.
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