plot

Act I

Orson Welles as Brutus in the Mercury Theatre's Caesar (1937–38)

The play stars on a Roman holiday, the Lupercalia (February 15). On this day, Caesar comes back to Rome after he defeated Pompey, a former leader of the Roman Empire. This victory makes Caesar so powerful, that he almost rules the empire by himself. On the street, a fortune-teller warns Caesar of the ides of March, which will be on March 15. But Caesar does not take him seriously and leaves.

Meanwhile, Cassius plans a plot to murder Caesar for having too much power over the empire and asks Brutus to join. Brutus shares the sorrows over the current political situation but does not want to join the plot of Cassius immediatly. They get interrupted by Casca, who tells them that Caesar was offered the crown of the king of Rome but he turned it down every time.

Later, Cassius starts telling Casca about the plot against Caesar but gets interrupted by Cinna. Cassius sends Cinna away to bring Brutus a few impertant letters and invites Casca over for dinner to make him join the plot.

Act II

Brutus gets the letters from Cinna and reads them but he misinterprets them, thinking that the murder of Caesar is the will of all Roman people. In this belief he promises to act on the will of "the Romans". In the evening, Brutus meets with the other conspirators and all join the plot against Caesar. Even though the others want to kill Antony too, Brutus convinces them not to since Antony is not smart enough to be a thread to them.

After this meeting, Brutus cannot sleep and tells his wife Portia about the plot after she stabs herself in the thigh to prove she is tough enough to keep a secret.

The night before the planned murder on the ides of March, Caesar´s wife Calpurnia dreams bad about her husband´s future. This dream unsettles Caesar enough to call upon a priest to read a sign about the future. This sign forsays bad luck as well. But on the next morning, Decius enters Caesar´s house and convinces him that he does not have to worry about some superstitious signs. Caesar agrees and leaves his house with Decius and some other conspirators to go to the Senate House on the Capitol.

On his way, the fortune-teller aproaches Caesar another time and warns him against of the ides of March, but Caesar does not take him seriously agian. Artemidorus wants to warn Caesar as well by handing him a letter explaining the entire plot against him but Caesar does not read it believing - thanks to Decius - that Artemidorus only wants a favour in a legal matter.

Act III

Shakespeare in Styria 2014, directed by Nicholas Allen and Roberta Brown

Caesar and the conspirators arrive at the Senate House and start their meeting. A man called Metellus begs Caesar to bring his brother back from his exile. Even though Brutus and Cassius plead for the return of Metellus´ brother, Caesar refuses to do it. Then, at a sign from Casca, the conspirators come forward and kill Caesar with their daggers. They dip their hands in the blood of their victim and celebrate their victory. Antony comes to the murderers and bids them to have a public ceremony for Caesar at which he wants to sppeak. Brutus agrees, in spite of Cassius´ disapproval.

At the ceremony, Brutus speaks first, calling Caesar a tyrant the Romans had to get rid of. He than leaves the ceremony, so he does not hear Antony who tells the plebians what a great man Caesar was and that every Roman citizen inherits some of Caesars money. Knowing that, the plebians vow revenge on Brutus and Cassius and start riots against them.

In the upcoming riots, Cinna the poet gets killed by some citizens who mistake him for Cinna the conspirator.

Act IV

A late 19th-century painting of Act IV, Scene iii: Brutus sees Caesar's ghost.

In fear of their lives, Cassius and Brutus are forced to leave the city. Octavius, Antony and Lepidus form a triumvirate (ally of three men) and agree to kill everyone who participated in the plot against Caesar, including friends and family.

Brutus and Cassius camp in Sardis and have an argument about a prisoner Brutus killed for accepting bribes. Cassius disapproves of that and in the course of their fight he pulls out his dagger and tells Brutus to kill him if he hates him that much. Brutus does not act up on it and he and Cassius make up.

Brutus gets the news that his wife Portia killed herself by swallowing embers in fear of Octavius and Antony. But two soldiers enter the tent Brutus and Cassius are in and they decide to march to Phillipi, where Octavius and Antony are camping with their troops.

In the night, the ghost of Caesars appeares to Brutus and warns him that he will be on the battlefield in Phillipi. Brutus, shaken from this encounter, orders everyone to depart the next morning.

Act V

Antony (George Coulouris) kneels over the body of Brutus (Orson Welles) at the conclusion of the Mercury Theatre production of Caesar (1937–38)

Brutus and Cassius arrive on the battlefield and meet with Octavius and Antony, but the four men only exchange insults and quickly return to their armies, perparing for a battle.

In the course of the battle, Brutus leaves Cassius behind to attack Octavius´ army. Cassius, now alone, loses to Antony and dies in the battle. Brutus only finds his friend dead, but still continues to fight. A man pretending to be Brutus gets captured by Octavius and Antony, but they order to capture the real Brutus.

The real Brutus desperatly wants to kill himself and, follwoing Roman tradition, searches for somebody to hold his sword, so that he can fall into it. After a while, he finds a soldier to hold the sword and kills himself.

The play "Julius Caesar" ends with Octavius and Antony finding Brutus´ corpse.