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<title> A Close Reading on Shakespeare's JULIUS CAESAR </title>
The following close reading will concern the lines 112 to 191 in Act II, Scene 1 of William Shakespeare's tragedy Julius Caesar. I will comment on the characters, their feelings, beliefs and relationships. In the scene Cassius and his men visit Brutus, who joins the conspiracy. They discuss the coming assassination of Caesar. 
The character of Brutus is complicated, and he is also the person we learn most about when analysing the passage. Firstly, his strong belief in what it means to be a noble Roman citizen permeates all his utterances. A true Roman should be honourable and noble, according to the ideals of the time. When Cassius urges that they should swear a resolution to kill Caesar, Brutus argues against him at once: "No, not an oath" (line 114). He is sure of the nobility and honour in himself, and honourable men know that
(...)every drop of blood
That every Roman bears, and nobly bears,
Is guilty of a several bastardy,
If he do break the smallest particle
Of any promise that hath passed from him.
(lines 136-140)

Brutus means that they do not need an oath, since no Roman would ever break a promise. The morality is deeply rooted in every Roman soul, and his fellow conspirators do not dare to object to this view.
Brutus has immediately taken the leading role, even though he is the newest member of the conspiracy. This role is very important both to him and to the other men. Brutus wants to have the power of a "Caesar", and he knows this is his opportunity. Cassius and the others realise that they must keep Brutus on their side, in order to give the assassination noble justifications - since Brutus is a noble man. In discussing whether Cicero should be joined, Metellus reasons:
		It shall be said his judgement ruled our hands;
		Our youths and wildness shall no whit appear,
		But all be buried in his gravity.
				(lines 147-148)

Metellus's view is that Cicero, an older, wise and reputable man will moderate their naivety and impulsiveness, and the Romans will be more understanding. To Brutus, however, Cicero is a threat to his own leading position that he has gained. He fears that Cicero will have too much power over the others, and does not really rely on him:
For he will never follow anything
That other men begin.
			 (lines 151-152)

Here Brutus is immediately supported by Casca: "Indeed he is not fit" (line 154). This is an interesting turning-point in Casca, since he at first supports Cassius's claim that Cicero should join. Once again it is clear that the men are ready to support anything that Brutus says.
Although Brutus tries to appear as a happy, self-confident man, it is revealed that he is confused and does not know whether he is doing the right thing. He says:
We all stand up against the spirit of Caesar,
And in the spirit of men there is no blood.
O, that we then could come by Caesar's spirit, 
And not dismember Caesar! But, alas,
Caesar must bleed for it.
	 (lines 167-171)

In these lines it is seen that Brutus is at war with himself. He does not really want to murder Caesar, who is one of his best friends, but wants to get rid of Caesar's spirit and impending dictatorship. He realises that he must make a choice between his personal feelings and the general good for the Roman state. Thus it is very important to Brutus that he can justify his act, and he wants to be sure that the conspirators will "be called purgers, not murderers" (line 180). Later in the play, when Caesar is stabbed (act III), Brutus has made his choice: As a true and honourable Roman, he has prioritised the citizens' well-being.
Another interesting aspect of this passage is Cassius's and Brutus's different views of Mark Antony's position. Cassius believes that he should be killed as well, and explains:
 (...)We shall find of him
A shrewd contriver; and you know his means, 
If he improve them, may well stretch so far
As to annoy us all; which to prevent,
Let Antony and Caesar fall together.
	 (lines 157-161)

In Cassius's eyes, Antony has more power than is revealed in the present state, when Caesar is still alive. They will never know to what extent this power may increase, or exactly what capacities lies in Antony. Brutus, on the other hand, is still most concerned with his honour and means that no more blood should be shed than absolutely necessary. The "course will seem too bloody" (line 162), as he says. "Let us be sacrificers, but not butchers, Caius" (line 166). Neglecting Cassius's warning, he says:
And for Mark Antony, think not of him;
For he can do no more than Caesar's arm
When Caesar's head is off.
			 (lines 181-183)

Even though Brutus has spoken about the deed as a noble sacrifice, Cassius is not wholly convinced. It is seen that he is the thinker, the realist of the two:
	 Yet I fear him;
For in the ingrafted love he bears to Caesar -
		 (lines 184-185)			
Cassius is well aware of the power of human love, what people are capable of doing for their close friends and beloved. Brutus has a more naive view of the matter, and is convinced that "Antony is but a limb of Caesar" (line165) and should not be feared.

The issues I have discussed in my analysis are also important to the tragedy as a whole. The question of honour and morality permeates the play, and Shakespeare uses honourable as one of his key words. The reader is invited to think of such issues as "is Brutus really a honourable man?" "Is he not, in fact, trying to take over Caesar's role as leader of the people?" Antony, Brutus's rival, gives his praise to the dead Brutus in act V, scene five:
This was the noblest Roman of them all.
All the conspirators save only he 
Did that they did in envy of great Caesar
He only, in a general honest thought
And common good to all, made one of them.
				 (lines 68-72)

Thus Brutus's hatred for Caesar the ruler was of greater importance than his sympathy for Caesar the man.
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