Skip to main content

Why does Antony befriend Brutus, Cassius, and the other conspirators?

After Caesar is assassinated, Antony flees to his own home. But he must realize that he has no safety anywhere in Rome if the conspirators decide to kill him too. He sends a servant to meet with Brutus and deliver a verbal message which includes the following.


If Brutus will vouchsafe that Antony
May safely come to him and be resolved
How Caesar hath deserved to lie in death,
Mark Antony shall not love Caesar dead
So well as Brutus living, but will follow
The fortunes and affairs of noble Brutus
Thorough the hazards of this untrod state
With all true faith.     (III.1)



Antony addresses Brutus as the leader of the faction. He knows that Brutus will be easier to manipulate than any of the others. Brutus is a man of honor, and as such he tends to believe that other men are like himself. He believes everything Antony tells him. Antony shows precisely what he is afraid of, and why he is using all his cunning to save his own life, when he says:



I know not, gentlemen, what you intend,
Who else must be let blood, who else is rank.
If I myself, there is no hour so fit
As Caesar's death's hour, nor no instrument
Of half that worth as those your swords, made rich
With the most noble blood of all this world.    (III.1)



The reason Antony fled to his home in the first place was that he expected a general blood-letting after the assassination. And Antony knew he would be the man most likely to be murdered next. That is what would have happened if Cassius had had his way. Cassius is a cunning, deceitful man and judges Antony by himself, just as Brutus judges Antony by himself. But Brutus has taken over the conspiracy because of his great reputation. If Brutus had not let himself be tricked by Antony, the conspirators would have formed a new government and Antony would have been lucky to save his own life and flee from Rome. Instead, Antony turns the tables on Brutus, Cassius, and the others and forms a triumvirate with Octavius and Lepidus. These three men initiate a massacre of Roman senators and others after the mutiny aroused by Antony in his funeral speech forces the conspirators to flee from Rome.


Antony makes friends with the conspirators conditionally. Brutus must "be resolved / How Caesar hath deserved to lie in death..." This is a cunning ploy. Brutus welcomes the opportunity to show off his oratorical powers, and he has thought about all his reasons for leading the assassination plot. He is so eager to defend his virtue in his funeral speech that he doesn't think about what Antony might say if he permits him to make a funeral address of his own. Cassius, however, is not so easily fooled. He tells Brutus:



You know not what you do. Do not consent
That Antony speak in his funeral.
Know you not how much the people may be moved
By that which he shall utter?      (III.1)


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What is the meaning of "juggling fiends" in Macbeth?

Macbeth is beginning to realize that the three witches have been deceiving him since he first encountered them. Like jugglers, they have kept changing their forecasts in order create confusion. This is particularly apparent when the Second Apparition they raise in Act IV,   Scene 1 tells him that no man of woman born can overcome him in hand-to-hand battle--and then Macbeth finds himself confronted by the one man he has been avoiding out of a... Macbeth is beginning to realize that the three witches have been deceiving him since he first encountered them. Like jugglers, they have kept changing their forecasts in order create confusion. This is particularly apparent when the Second Apparition they raise in Act IV,   Scene 1 tells him that no man of woman born can overcome him in hand-to-hand battle--and then Macbeth finds himself confronted by the one man he has been avoiding out of a sense of guilt, and that man tells him: Despair thy charm. And let the angel whom thou still hast serve...
Post a Comment
Read more

In Martel's Life of Pi, how does writing a diary help Pi Patel build on his leadership skills?

At the end of chapter 73, Pi first divulges the fact that he had started a diary after about a week alone at sea. Pi claims that he wrote about "practical stuff" (208) such as what he caught for food, foreseeable problems and solutions, Richard Parker, and reflections about specific events that occurred. In a sense, Pi is the captain of his ship; therefore, he must take responsibility for himself and his crew. He can... At the end of chapter 73, Pi first divulges the fact that he had started a diary after about a week alone at sea. Pi claims that he wrote about "practical stuff" (208) such as what he caught for food, foreseeable problems and solutions, Richard Parker, and reflections about specific events that occurred. In a sense, Pi is the captain of his ship; therefore, he must take responsibility for himself and his crew. He can do this by writing down events, problems and solutions, and reflections to look back on when confronted with repeated problems. It can ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Why did Tybalt attack and kill Mercutio instead of Romeo, who he had originally been targeting?

Though Tybalt's quarrel is with Romeo, he begins the momentous duel in Act 3 by fighting with and killing Mercutio instead. Tybalt ultimately attacks Mercutio because the garrulous and hot-headed character insults Tybalt and goads him into a duel to protect Romeo's honor. From the beginning of the encounter in Act 3, Scene 1, it's clear that Mercutio is itching for a fight. For instance, when Tybalt signals that he wants to talk to Mercutio... Though Tybalt's quarrel is with Romeo, he begins the momentous duel in Act 3 by fighting with and killing Mercutio instead. Tybalt ultimately attacks Mercutio because the garrulous and hot-headed character insults Tybalt and goads him into a duel to protect Romeo's honor. From the beginning of the encounter in Act 3, Scene 1, it's clear that Mercutio is itching for a fight. For instance, when Tybalt signals that he wants to talk to Mercutio and Benvolio, Mercutio responds "And but one word with one of us?/ Couple it w...
Post a Comment
Read more