Act 1 Scene 1
Lines 33-76
Marullus: "Wherefore rejoice? What conquest brings he home? What tributaries follow him to Rome, to grace in captive bonds his chariot wheels? You blocks, you stones, you worse than senseless things! O you hard hearts, you cruel men of Rome, knew you not Pompey? Many a time and oft have you climb'd up to walls and battlements, to towers and windows, yea, to chimney-tops, your infants in your arms, and there have sat the livelong day, with patient expectation, to see great Pompey pass the streets of Rome: And when you say his chariot but appear, have you now made an universal shout, that Tiber trembled underneath her banks to hear the replication of your sounds made in her concave shores? And do you now put on your best attire? And do you now cull out a holiday? And do you now strew flowers in his way, that comes in triumph over Pompey's blood? Be gone! Run to your houses, fall upon your knees, pray to the gods to intermit the plague that needs must lifht on this ingratitude.
Flavius: "Go, go, good countrymen, and for this fault assemble all the poor men of your sort; draw them to Tiber banks, and weep your tears into the channel, till the lowest stream do kiss the most exalted shores of all.
(Exeunt all the Commoners)
See where their baset mettle be not mov'd; they vanish tongue-tied in their guiltiness. Go you down that way towards the Captiol; this way will I. Disrobe the images, if you do find them deck'd with ceremonies."
Marullus: "May we do so? You know it is the feast of Lupercal."
Flavius: "It is no matter; let no images be hung with Caesar's trophies. I'll about and drive away the vulgar from the streets; so do you too, where you perceive them thick. These growing feathers pluck'd from Caesar's wing will make him fly and ordinary pitch, who else would soar above the view of men and keep us all in servile fearfulness."
Alexa and I chose this piece because it shows the views of Caesar from different people. One view shown is that the commoners of Rome quickly decided they wanted Caesar has their leader, because Caesar defeated Pompey. But we also know the tribunes, or the representatives of the commoners, feel Caesar isn't worthy enough to be their leader. They feel the exact opposite - they fear if Caesar is given enough power, he will become a tyrant, and the commoners will either become slaves, or be ignored. This is shown in the way the tribunes treat the people. The tribunes treat the people poorly, saying they are only like sheeps. Following anyone, where ever it may lead them. All of this can be proved later on in the play.
