Julius Caesar Composition
...the letters from Cinna without knowing who wrote them. Brutus meets with Cassius and the other conspirators and shakes all their hands, agreeing to join their plot. After the other men leave, Brutus is unable to sleep that night. Caesar's wife Calpurnia has meanwhile had a dream in which she saw a statue of Caesar bleeding from a hundred wounds. The other conspirators, including Brutus and Cassius, show up at his house to escort him to the Senate House. Decius cleverly tells Caesar the Trebonius has a suit he would like Caesar to read instead. The conspirators arrive at the Senate House and Caesar assumes his seat. A man named Metellus kneels before him and petitions to have his banished brother returned to Rome. Caesar refuses, but is surprised when Brutus and then Cassius come forward and plead for the brother as well. On Casca's comment, "Speak hands for me" they all attack Caesar and stab him to death. The conspirators, now led by Brutus and Cassius, dip their hands in his blood and prepare to run to the street crying out "peace, freedom, and liberty". Antony arrives and begs them to let him take the body and give Caesar a public eulogy. Brutus agrees, overriding Cassius' misgivings about allowing Antony to speak. They move out into the streets of Rome and Cassius and Brutus split up in order to speak to the plebeians. Brutus defends his murder of Caesar on the grounds that he was removing a tyrant who was destroying the freedom of all Romans. Antony takes full advantage of his speech and informs the crowd that Caesar was a selfless man who cared for Rome above everything. His crowning moment is when he pulls out Caesar's will and reads from it, telling the citizens that Caesar has given every Roman a part of his inheritance. Brutus and Cassius are forced to flee the city, and in the meantime a young general named Octavius arrives and allies with Antony. Cassius and Brutus set up camp in Sardis, located in what is now western Turkey. Cassius arrives with his army at the campsite where Brutus is waiting for him, but is furious with Brutus for having ignored some letters he sent asking Brutus to release a prisoner. Brutus has instead punished the man for accepting bribes, something he considers to be one of the reasons they killed Caesar. Cassius and Brutus argue for a while until Cassius in exasperation pulls out his dagger and tells Brutus to kill him if he hates him so much. Brutus of course refuses and the two men embrace and make up their differences. Brutus then informs Cassius that...