Skip to main content

How does blank verse poetry connect to Shakespeare's Julius Caesar?

In Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, there are two forms of speech used throughout the play: verse and prose.  Further, the verse employed is blank verse, which is poetry composed of unrhymed lines all written in the same meter, usually iambic pentameter.  In iambic pentameter, a regular line of the meter contains ten syllables with the heavier stresses placed on every other syllable.  An iamb is a metrical foot made up of one unstressed syllable and one stressed syllable, and pentameter refers to the number of iambs within a line.  Therefore, iambic pentameter contains five pairs of alternating unstressed and stressed syllables.  An example taken from Julius Caesar is below:

Cassius: Brutus, / I do / observe / you now / of late


I have / not from / your eyes /that gen/ tleness


And show / of love / as I / was wont / to have. (I. ii. 34-36).


In the above example, the five iambs are separated by slashes and the stressed syllables are in bold.  Shakespeare often uses iambic pentameter in his plays and sonnets because the rhythm closely mimics the natural inflection of the English language.  Yet, Shakespeare typically uses blank verse for his refined or important figures, such as nobility or aristocrats, and uses prose for commoners, plebeians, or unbridled emotional outbursts.  Thus, as seen in the above example, Cassius, a Roman noble, speaks in blank verse. 


Therefore, blank verse poetry connects to Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar because it distinguishes and provides commentary on the social statuses of the characters.  Perhaps one of the most pivotal scenes where blank verse has a significant role is in Act 3, Scene 2, when Brutus addresses the commoners after Caesar’s death.   Brutus, a Roman nobleman, traditionally talks in blank verse, but when he stands before the masses, he changes his speech to prose.  He begins, “Be patient till the last. Romans, countrymen, and lovers! Hear me for my cause, and be silent that you may hear. Believe me for mine honor, and have respect to mine honor that you may believe” (III. ii).  Brutus’ decision not to use iambic pentameter when speaking suggests he is trying to identify with the commoners and use their language to express his genuine love for Rome.  He states, “If then that friend demand why Brutus rose against Caesar, this is my answer: not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more” (III. ii). 


Conversely, Antony’s speech opposes Brutus’, and he uses the noble language of blank verse to address the masses.  The following is an excerpt from his speech:


come / to bury / Caesar, / not to / praise him.


The e/vil that / men do / lives af/ter them;


The good / is oft / interr/ ed with / their bones. (III. ii. 73-75)


The significance of Antony’s blank verse is found in the contrast with Brutus’ prose.  Not only does Antony use a nobler language, he makes the audience question Brutus’ speech and intentions, which leads the crowd to seemingly endorse Antony more than Brutus.  Thus, another important element of blank verse in Julius Caesar comes in the miscalculation of Brutus to tailor his language to his audience because iambic pentameter denotes education, status and power. 

Popular posts from this blog

In chapter one of The Great Gatsby, what advice does Nick's father give him? How does this make him a good person to tell this story?

Nick says that his father advised him that, before "criticizing anyone," he "remember that all the people in this world haven't had the same advantages" as Nick.  As a result, Nick claims that he is "inclined to reserve all judgments," presenting himself to the reader as a fair and dispassionate arbiter of character, and thus, a reliable narrator.   The problem is that Nick immediately reveals himself as anything but reliable, as he then launches... Nick says that his father advised him that, before "criticizing anyone," he "remember that all the people in this world haven't had the same advantages" as Nick.  As a result, Nick claims that he is "inclined to reserve all judgments," presenting himself to the reader as a fair and dispassionate arbiter of character, and thus, a reliable narrator.   The problem is that Nick immediately reveals himself as anything but reliable, as he then launches into a discussion of how pe...

How did the United States become an imperial power?

"Imperial power" is a bit of a vague label. It tends to mean several things at once, so let's unpack it. In the sense of "this country was built on conquest by force," the "imperial power" part of America actually predates the United States proper. The territories that would become the United States were imperial colonies, established by the great European empires of the 17th and 18th centuries. Much of the US Constitution and American governance generally goes back to England, history's largest and most successful imperial power, but vital aspects of American culture come from other imperial powers, such as France and Spain. Much of American culture comes from sources other than the old empires, but they were key influences on what the United States became. In the sense of "this country treats conquest by force as a fundamental component of its culture, economy and politics," the United States has always been an imperial power. Even earl...

How and why does James Gatz become Jay Gatsby? Describe the young Gatsby/Gatz.

James Gatz, a poor Midwestern boy of probable Jewish lineage, becomes Jay Gatsby, a presumed WASP and wealthy socialite, when he moves to New York City and acquires his fortune. It is wealth that has allowed Gatz to transform himself into Gatsby. However, those who know his background (e.g., Daisy and Tom Buchanan) never allow him to forget that he is nouveau riche -- that is, an upstart who has just recently made his fortune,... James Gatz, a poor Midwestern boy of probable Jewish lineage, becomes Jay Gatsby, a presumed WASP and wealthy socialite, when he moves to New York City and acquires his fortune. It is wealth that has allowed Gatz to transform himself into Gatsby. However, those who know his background (e.g., Daisy and Tom Buchanan) never allow him to forget that he is nouveau riche -- that is, an upstart who has just recently made his fortune, whereas they arose from well-to-do families. Gatz became Gatsby through determination and discipline. At the end of the novel, the narr...