The sudden realization of what has happened gives Cassius and the audience a sudden insight into Brutus: the action of the scene and its real motivations and the change in Brutus' and Cassius' friendship. What is Shakespeare's purpose in delaying such news? Impact. For the first one hundred and forty-six lines of the scene, the reader is unaware that Portia's death is probably the underlying motivation for Brutus' passionate quarrel with Cassius. The news of her death to Brutus is delayed. She is ineffective, for this is not a play about what a woman could do, but a play about men and men's affairs. But in doing so, she does not contain and remove the difficulties facing Rome. By her suicide she takes on the sins of the men and attempts to expiate them that is, in the manner of her suicide she, in metaphorical terms, internalizes the painful, rash, hot decisions that have brought the state to civil unrest. She's swallowed coals, a most painful - and some would say, fitting - way of death. They all swear that they have seen and heard nothing. The ghost then disappears, whereupon Brutus calls to Lucius, Varro, and Claudius, all of whom he accuses of crying out in their sleep.
Brutus asks the ghost if it is "some god, some angel, or some devil," and it says that it is "thy evil spirit." It has appeared only to say that they will meet again at Philippi. Brutus resumes reading a book he has begun, but he is suddenly interrupted by the entry of Caesar's ghost. Brutus then asks Lucius to play some music. Varro and Claudius enter and offer to stand watch while Brutus sleeps, but he urges them to lie down and sleep as well. When his guests have departed, Brutus tells his servant Lucius to call some of his men to sleep with him in his tent. Brutus persists, however, and Cassius at last gives in to him. This strategy would weary the enemy forces while their own men remain fresh. Cassius disagrees, maintaining that it would be better to wait for the enemy to come to them. He proposes that they march toward Philippi to meet the enemy at once. Messala also reports the death of Portia, but Brutus stoically gives no indication that he already knows of her suicide. From the conversation that follows, you discover that Octavius and Antony are marching with their armies toward Philippi and that they "put to death an hundred senators," including Cicero. Finally the two men are reconciled and they grasp one another's hands in renewed friendship.īrutus and Cassius drink together as Titinius and Messala join them. Cassius denies this and laments that his friend no longer loves him he invites Brutus to kill him. Brutus reminds Cassius of his failure to send sums of gold that Brutus had requested for his troops. The quarrel grows in intensity as Cassius threatens Brutus, but Brutus ignores his threats.
Brutus reminds Cassius that it was for the sake of justice that they killed Caesar, and he says strongly that he would "rather be a dog and bay the moon" than be a Roman who would sell his honor for money. Brutus replies that Cassius should not have written defending such a cause, and Brutus charges him with having an "itching palm" - that is, Cassius has been selling offices. As soon as the two men are within the tent, Cassius accuses Brutus of having wronged him by condemning Lucius Pella for taking bribes from the Sardians, in spite of Cassius' letters in his defense.
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