Julius Caesar Characters

PINDARUS

A Parthian captive. At Philippi, he erroneously tells his master, Cassius, that Antony has captured the scout Titinius. Actually Brutus' forces celebrate victory with Titinius. Thinking that all is lost, Cassius decides to die. Pindarus stabs him with the same sword that stabbed Caesar.

M. AEMILIUS LEPIDUS

A Roman noble who joins Antony and Octavius to form the Second Triumvirate to rule the Roman Empire following the assassination of Caesar. Lepidus is weak. Antony uses him essentially to run errands.

TREBONIUS

A conspirator who concurs with Brutus' argument that Antony be spared. Trebonius lures Antony out of the Senate House so that the other conspirators can kill Caesar without having to fear Antony's intervention. Consequently, Trebonius is the only conspirator who does not actually stab Caesar or see him die.

CAIUS LIGARIUS

A conspirator who is too ill to attend the meeting at Brutus' house. Although Caius Ligarius does not stab Caesar, irate citizens mark his house for destruction.

CASCA

A witness to Caesar's attempts to manipulate the people of Rome into offering him the crown, he reports the failure to Brutus and Cassius. He joins the conspiracy the night before the assassination and is the first conspirator to stab Caesar.

MARCUS BRUTUS

A praetor; or judicial magistrate of Rome. He is widely admired for his character and noble family. He joins the conspiracy because he fears that Caesar will become a tyrant. Idealism causes Brutus to make several poor judgments and impedes his ability to understand those who are less honorable than he. Brutus defeats Octavius' forces in the first battle at Philippi, but loses the second battle and commits suicide rather than be taken prisoner.

VOLUMNIUS

A schoolmate of Brutus and a soldier under his command at Philippi. He refuses to hold a sword for Brutus to impale himself on.

CICERO

A senator and a scholarly orator of Rome. He is calm and philosophical when he meets the excited Casca during the night of portentous tumult preceding the day of the assassination. The triumvirs have him put to death.

MESSALA

A soldier serving under Brutus and Cassius, Messala gives information concerning the advance of the triumvirs, and he reports Portia's death to Brutus at Sardis. At Philippi, he tries to lift Cassius' spirits and hears Cassius confess that he believes in omens. Messala delivers a message to troops across the battlefield. Later, he discovers Cassius' body and becomes a captive of Antony and Octavius.

JULIUS CAESAR

A successful military leader who wants the crown of Rome. Unfortunately, he has become imperious, easily flattered, and overly ambitious. Eight conspirators assassinate him midway through the play; later, his spirit appears to Brutus at Sardis and also at Philippi.

ARTEMIDORUS

A supporter of Caesar. Artemidorus gives Caesar a letter at the Capitol. In the letter, he lists the conspirators by name and indicates that they intend an assassination. Caesar does not read the letter.

TITINIUS

An officer in the army of Cassius and Brutus. Titinius guards the tent at Sardis during the argument between the two generals, and takes notes of the army's needs. Titinius guards Cassius at Philippi during a parlay with Antony and Octavius and reports on the outcome of combat. After Cassius commits suicide when he mistakenly believes Titinius to have been taken prisoner by the enemy, Titinius kills himself in emulation of Cassius.

LUCIUS

Brutus' young servant. Lucius sings for his master in Sardis. Brutus treats him with understanding, gentleness, and tolerance.

PUBLIUS

Clears the way for Caesar on the way to the Capitol. He is stunned as he witnesses the assassination. Brutus sends him out to tell the citizens that the conspirators will not harm them.

MARCUS ANTONIUS (MARK ANTONY)

He appears first as a confidant and a devoted follower of Caesar, and he offers Caesar a crown during the feast of Lupercal. He has a reputation for sensuous living, but he is also militarily accomplished, politically shrewd, and skilled at oratory. He is able to dupe Brutus into allowing him to speak at Caesar's funeral. By his funeral oration, Antony excites the crowd to rebellion. He forms a triumvirate with Lepidus and Octavius. Antony and Octavius defeat Brutus and Cassius at Philippi.

A SOOTHSAYER

He warns Caesar during the celebration of the feast of Lupercal to "beware the ides of March." Only minutes before the assassination, he again warns Caesar as he enters the Senate House.

CINNA THE POET

On his way to attend Caesar's funeral, he encounters rioters stirred by Antony's funeral oration. The mob at first confuses him with Cinna the conspirator, but even after they discover their error, they seize the poet "for his bad verses."

YOUNG CATO

The son of Marcus Cato, the brother of Portia, the brother- in-law of Brutus, and a soldier in the army commanded by Brutus and Cassius. He dies during the second battle at Philippi while trying to inspire the army by loudly proclaiming that he is the son of Marcus Cato and that he is still fighting.

CLITUS AND DARDANIUS

Servants of Brutus, they refuse their master's request at Philippi to kill him.

VARRO AND CLAUDIUS

Servants of Brutus, they spend the night in his tent at Sardis. Neither of them observes the ghost of Caesar that appears to Brutus.

CASSIUS

The brother-in-law of Brutus and an acute judge of human nature, Cassius organizes the conspiracy against Caesar. He recruits Brutus by passionate argument and by dispatching, forged letters to Brutus' office. Cassius argues that Antony should be assassinated along with Caesar, and that Antony should not speak at Caesar's funeral. Cassius lets Brutus convince him to fight Antony and Octavius at Philippi rather than to await the enemy at Sardis. Antony defeats Cassius at the first battle of Philippi. Cassius commits suicide when he mistakenly believes that Antony and Octavius have defeated Brutus.

METELLUS CIMBER

The conspirator who attracts Caesar's attention by requesting that Caesar recall Publius, Metellus's brother, from exile. The distraction allows the assassins to surround Caesar and give Casca the opportunity to stab Caesar from behind.

DECIUS BRUTUS

The conspirator who persuades Caesar to attend the Senate on the day of the ides of March by fabricating a positive interpretation of Calpurnia's portentous dream and by telling Caesar that the Senate intends to crown him king.

CINNA

The conspirator who urges Cassius to bring "noble" Brutus into the conspiracy. Cinna assists by placing some of Cassius' forged letters where Brutus will discover them.

STRATO

The loyal servant who holds Brutus' sword so that he may commit suicide. Later, upon Messala's recommendation, Strato becomes a servant to Octavius.

OCTAVIUS CAESAR

The nephew, adopted son, and heir of Julius Caesar. Octavius joins Antony and Lepidus to rule following the death of Caesar. He and Antony lead the army that defeats Cassius and Brutus at Philippi. Octavius honors Brutus' high ideals.

LUCILIUS

The officer who impersonates Brutus at the second battle of Philippi. After his capture, Antony admires his loyalty to Brutus and protects him, hoping that Lucilius will choose to serve him as loyally as he did Brutus.

POPILIUS LENA

The senator who wishes Cassius well in his "enterprise" as Caesar enters the Senate House. This comment intensifies the dramatic tension prior to the assassination by causing Cassius and Brutus to suspect that others know of the plot to murder Caesar.

PORTIA

The wife of Brutus and the daughter of Marcus Cato. She argues that family relationships make her strong enough to conceal Brutus' secrets. On the morning of the assassination, she is extremely agitated by the fear that she will reveal what Brutus has confided to her. She commits suicide when she realizes that Octavius and Antony are gaining in popularity.

CALPURNIA

The wife of Julius Caesar; she urges him to stay at home on the day of the assassination because of the unnatural events of the previous night as well her prophetic dream in which Caesar's body spurts blood.

FLAVIUS AND MARULLUS

Tribunes who wish to protect the plebeians from Caesar's tyranny; they break up a crowd of commoners waiting to witness Caesar's triumph and are "put to silence" during the feast of Lupercal for removing ornaments from Caesar's statues.