Shakespeare presents the intentions of Brutus as clean and precise, through the use of metaphor in his speech to Cassius, about the potential killing of Mark Anthony.
Using the analogy of dismemberment after murder to present his thoughts to Cassius, Brutus reasons that once Caesar is dead his right-hand, in Anthony, can do as little as his literal right hand could after his death. This shows Brutus’ reluctance to take part in the conspiracy, but also highlights his need to perform actions to benefit the people, as is shown in the line ‘let us be sacrificers, not butchers’. Making this point, Brutus shows that he believes that, while ridding of Caesar would benefit Rome, he does not want to wield the blade.
September 14, 2015 at 10:40 am
Your analysis here is swift and concise, using a sophisticated vocabulary to build your point well.
To consider:
How might the people of Rome react if they feel that the conspirators are simply murderers?
Context – this is the next aspect for you to develop into your work – how does the genre or events set at the writing of the play or when the play was set potentially affect our understanding of the language and the play as a whole?