ABSTRACT
Julius Gesar fore since he is to be Cccsar's avenger, 'a shrewd contriver' turning the tables on Brutus in the funeral scene and taking the lead in the war against the assassins. The weakness of Brutus' judgement of men is shown both in his insistence on sparing Antony's life against the advice of the more worldly-wise Cassius, and in his self-confident assurance that he could hold the people despite anything Antony, by permission, could say. Antony gains his oratorical victory in the market-place by a dexterity which we can admire, since the conspirators have put themselves in the wrong. But the other side of his character is not forgotten. Immediately after he has stirred up the mob and given his blessing to 'mischief', we see the innocent poet Cinna murdered; and in the next scene (IV.l) Antony not only takes a lead in the proscription but treats Lepidus in a contemptuous and deceitful manner which surprises Octavius. The devoted friend of Cccsar proves to be moved by greed and ambition. Acts IV and V indeed press home the ambivalent treatment of the two sides, for if the mask of piety slips from the face of the avenger, the high-principled solidarity of the Republicans is seen endangered in the quarrel about bribery, money and military skill between Brutus and Cassius.
