Act 1 scene ii: Conversation Cassius and Brutus

In Act I scene ii, Cassius and Brutus meet and have a quick conversation about Caesar. In the beginning, Brutus doesn’t want Caesar to become king, however, he likes Caesar because he is a friend. On the other hand, Cassius seems to dislike Caesar and wants to persuade Brutus to dislike Caesar too. Cassius attempts to flatter Brutus to convince him to be on his side. Cassius compliments Brutus and says that he is a widely respected man in Rome, and Cassius acts as a mirror for Brutus. Cassius goes on to talk about Caesar’s weakness and vulnerability. Cassius builds his argument on why they should go against Caesar by telling anecdotes of him. Cassius attempts to bring Caesar down by saying that Cassius was the one to save Caesar from drowning because of his enfeeblement. Cassius said, “Did I the tired Caesar. And this man Is now become a god” (I.ii.115). Cassius continues his story by telling about a time where Caesar was sick and was trembling like a weakling. He gave many details to emphasize the weakness of Caesar and said, “How did shake; ‘tis true, this god did shake. His coward lips did from their color fly” (I.ii.121). As Cassius was trying to convince Brutus, he also flatters Brutus by saying that his name should be as powerful as Caesar’s name. Cassius seems jealous of Caesar and questions the noble men of Rome. However, although Cassius tried to persuade Brutus, Brutus stayed unconvinced and noticed the flattery from Cassius. Brutus said he will consider what Cassius said, but he will not be on Cassius’ side.