936 shakespeare, William
Finally, following the assassination, Mark
Antony demonstrates his own ambition as he seeks
to redress Caesar’s death and mulls over the future of
Rome. He openly, if diplomatically, accuses Brutus
of the assassination, continuously insisting through-
out his address to the people of Rome that “Brutus is
an honorable man” even as he demonstrates Brutus’s
role as a guilty coconspirator in order to win the
goodwill and support of both the crowd and the
senators not involved in the murder (3.2.82–117).
He appeals to the people’s personal affections for
Caesar, declaring himself equally distraught over the
loss of his lord and friend; yet at the same time, he
makes it a point to remind the people of Caesar’s
goodwill toward them, implying that he will see to
it that the promised gestures—75 drachmas to each
citizen, plus the freedom of Rome’s orchards, parks
and avenues—will be distributed as Caesar himself
had intended, which further highlights his ambition
to take Caesar’s place as ruler.
The theme of ambition is a driving force in Julius
Caesar, providing the catalyst for Caesar’s murder
and also serving as impetus for the ensuing drama
surrounding his succession. In Elizabethan England,
ambition played a central role in politics, and it can-
not be doubted that Shakespeare was influenced by
the constant struggle for power and agency among
the members of Queen Elizabeth’s court. Some, like
Cassius and Brutus, plotted for a change in rule,
hoping thereby to achieve greater status and author-
ity; others, like Antony, worked through flattery and
loyalty to advance within the current system of gov-
ernment. In Shakespeare’s play, the role of ambition
in government and its effects on those who hold it
provide a stunning example of the human desire for
power and control at any cost.
Melissa Ridley-Elmes
GuILt in Julius Caesar
Upon the death of Julius Caesar, pandemonium
breaks loose. Brutus, at this point certain that the
assassination was in the best interest of Rome,
attempts to quiet the hysterical crowd that flocks to
the scene. The crowd is swayed by Brutus’s insistence
that Caesar would have had all of Rome enslaved to
his ambition, until Mark Antony gives his own
speech, pointing out Caesar’s many good deeds and
reading aloud his will, in which the people of Rome
are well provided for. Antony is well aware of the
psychological implications of his speech, and he
intends for the crowds to feel guilt and remorse, as
evidenced by his words: “Now let it work. Mischief,
thou are afoot; / Take thou what course thou wilt”
(3.3.275–276). Antony’s speech causes the crowd to
feel guilt at having approved Brutus’s justification
for the murder of Caesar. The people vow to support
Mark Antony in his quest for revenge against the
conspirators for Caesar’s death, and they carry his
body away to lie in state prior to his burial.
As Rome turns against Brutus, seeking ven-
geance for Caesar’s death, he and Cassius are forced
to flee the city. They argue in their camp, exchang-
ing accusations against one another; it is only at
this point that Brutus begins to understand the
magnitude of his deed and its implications. He tells
Cassius that he has had word from Rome that his
wife, Portia, is dead; when Cassius asks him how she
died, Brutus replies: “Impatient of my absence / And
grief that young Octavius with Mark Antony / Have
made themselves so strong” (4.3.174–176). It is clear
that Brutus feels that he bears some responsibility
for the death of his wife: In killing Caesar, he has
not only caused his absence from her but has also
unwittingly given Octavius and Antony the impetus
to seek more power and control. Although Brutus
refuses to discuss the matter further and turns to
battle plans to distract himself from the news, this
is the first moment in which his underlying guilt
becomes apparent.
His guilt gains further substance later that same
evening, when he is visited by the ghost of Julius
Caesar. The appearance of the ghosts of victims to
those who have wronged them in order to instill guilt
and exact revenge is a traditional motif in British lit-
erature, dating back as far as the early Middle Ages.
Caesar’s ghost is a physical embodiment of Brutus’s
guilt, particularly evident when he tells Brutus that
he is “Thy evil spirit” (4.3.325). Brutus meets the
ghost’s presence unflinchingly, merely demand-
ing “Why com’st thou?”(4.3.326); when the ghost
replies that he will see Brutus on the battlefield the
next morning, Brutus replies, “Why, I will see you
at Philippi, then” (4.3.330); before he can speak
further, the ghost vanishes. Although Brutus never