Chapter Marcus Brutus of Julius Caesar - Study Guide by William Shakespeare

that Shakespeare places greatest emphasis. Cassius' initial approach rests an invective against Caesar himself; it is ineffective, however, as Brutus will not succumb to jealousy. Thus Cassius appeals to Brutus' family pride, invoking the example of his forefather Junius Brutus in protecting the interests of Rome in his attempt to lure the hero to the conspiracy. Brutus' questioning of Casca about Caesar's rejection of the crown is part of a process by which he hunts for a pretext for acting against political tyranny. He resolves in Act II that the only way to prevent the tyranny Caesar would construct is that 'It must be by his death'.

"How many times shall Caesar bleed in sport,
That on Pompey's basis lies along,
No worthier than the dust!"
(III.1.114-116)