⇒ The people of Rome are celebrating Caesar’s victory against Pompey. It is the festival of Lupercal. They are eating and drinking and dancing. But two Tribunes called Flavius and Marullus try to stop the celebrations

⇒ It seems not everyone is pleased to see Caesar so popular and Rome in such a state of luxury. Some people fear Caesar will use his popularity to make himself emperor.

⇒ Caesar arrives in triumph to great cheers and applause from the people. With him are his wife Calphurnia and Mark Antony, his favourite. They are interrupted by a Soothsayer, who shouts from the crowd.

⇒ Caesar is shaken, and Calphurnia is horrified that there may be danger to her husband on the 15th of March but Caesar dismisses it, and they go on to the festival.

⇒ Watching all of this are senators Brutus and Cassius. They like Rome the way it is, a Republic. Cassius whispers in Brutus’s ear that some of the senators are plotting: there is a conspiracy to kill Caesar for his ambition. Just then a great cheer comes from the crowd in the distance.

⇒ Another cheer comes from the crowd, and Cassius realises that Brutus is hooked. But before Cassius can reveal his murder plan, in comes Caesar, with Mark Antony, and he is suspicious.

⇒ Brutus and Cassius are still wondering what all the shouting was about, when along comes a senator called Casca. He reports that the crowd have offered Caesar an Emperor’s crown: Casca: There was a crown offered him, he put it by. They offered it to him again, he put it by again. And then a third time and still he refused it. But to my thinking, he was very loath to lay his fingers off it.

⇒ He tells them that Caesar then fell down in a fit. The three of them shake their heads in despair, and Cassius, spotting a likely ally in the conspiracy invites Casca to dinner.

⇒ A great storm blows over Rome. There’s thunder and lightning and in the midst of it, Casca is frantically worried when he meets Cicero, a respected old politician. Above the noise of the storm Casca believes that all the weird and strange things that have happened during the storm are an omen of something really bad about to happen to Rome. Cicero nods and struggles on home through the storm.

⇒ Then in comes Cassius who says: Cassius: Now could I, Casca, name to thee a man most like this dreadful night. Casca knows he means Caesar. They shake hands. A bargain is struck. Casca joins the conspiracy.

⇒ Meanwhile, the night before the Ides of March Brutus is at home, pacing up and down, worrying about Caesar’s growing ambition.

⇒ There is a knock on the door, and in sneaks Cassius followed by Casca, and the rest of the conspirators and they all shake hands. It is settled. They will murder Caesar.

⇒ Cassius offers a further idea: Cassius: Let Mark Antony and Caesar fall together! But Brutus does not want to see mass bloodshed, so he steps in and says: Brutus: Let us be sacrificers, not butchers and they agree that Caesar shall be the only one to die.

⇒ Brutus is left alone with his wife Portia. Portia tries to comfort him, but he pushes her away. She shows him a self-inflicted wound which proves her strength and cries: Portia: I have made proof of my constancy, giving myself a wound in the thigh. Can I bear that and not my husbands secrets? Brutus is overwhelmed by her nobility, but just then, more conspirators knock at the door and Brutus is busy again.

⇒ In Caesars Palace, Caesar and his wife Calphurnia cannot sleep. The storm still rages outside and Calphurnia has had a dreadful nightmare that her husband will die. She begs and pleads with Caesar not to go out on the Ides of March. Just then, as dawn breaks, in comes Decius Brutus, one of the conspirators. Caesar explains that he will not go to the senate because of his wife’s dream.

⇒ But Decius scoffs and replies Decius: Your statue spouting blood signifies that from you Rome shall suck reviving blood. And, flattered, Caesar put on his cloak and goes off with Decius to the senate, leaving Calphurnia distraught. On the way to the Senate, Artemidorus, a faithful old Senator tries to warn Caesar, but Caesar arrogantly brushes him aside.

⇒ At the Senate Brutus, Cassius, and the rest of the conspirators are waiting, when Caesar arrives with Decius. They surround him, raise their weapons and strike. And they wash their hands right up the elbows in Caesar’s blood.

⇒ Just then, in comes Mark Antony, Caesar’s favourite, and catches them red handed. He is horrified and deeply upset, but he shakes the conspirators’ hands. He kneels and begs permission to speak at Caesar’s funeral, to which Brutus agrees.

⇒ The conspirators depart to tell the people what has happened, and Mark Antony is left alone with Caesar’s body.

⇒ His grief pours out: Antony: Oh pardon me, thou bleeding piece of earth, that I am meek and gentle with these butchers! And then his anger: Antony: Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war! And he vows revenge.

⇒ Outside the Senate, a great angry crowd has gathered. They are jeering and stamping their feet. The body of Caesar lies before them. Brutus comes to calm them down.

⇒ The crowd likes what he says. They cheer and cry: Crowd: ’Live Brutus, Live!’. Confident that the people are on his side, Brutus steps down to make way for Mark Antony and leaves him to speak to the crowd.

⇒ Once again, the crowd jeer and stamp, but in a mighty voice, Mark Antony cries: Antony: Friends, Roman, countrymen, lead me your ears. I come to bury Caesar not to praise him. And he goes on to tell them that Brutus is an honourable man. But, all persuasion and smiles, Antony holds up Caesar’s will which leaves every citizen some gold. That makes them listen.

⇒ Then, Antony uncovers the stab wounds all over Caesar’s body. The crowd begin to turn against Brutus and the conspirators.

⇒ Anthony’s speech has turned the crowd into a mob baying for conspirators’ blood! In the back streets of Rome, Cinna the poet is on his way to Caesars funeral, when he meets an angry mob who grab him because he is called Cinna; the name of one of the conspirators and they murder him.

⇒ Outside the city, in Philippi, Brutus and Cassius are making their plans to fight against Mark Antony and his ally, Octavius Caesar, but things have become strained between them. They argue over money.

⇒ But Brutus shakes his head and confesses why he is so ill-tempered. Portia, his wife, has committed suicide. Nevertheless, despite his personal grief, he is determined to fight in order to restore order to his beloved Rome.

⇒ Cassius leaves Brutus alone to prepare, and Brutus is settling down when suddenly the ghost of Julius Caesar appears before him. Brutus is petrified. The ghost points an accusing finger and moans.

⇒ The morning of battle dawns. Octavius Caesar and Mark Antony and their soldiers face Brutus and Cassius and their soldiers. Pindarus, Cassius’ slave is at his side.

⇒ The leaders send the soldiers in to fight, and there is a long and bloody battle, but eventually it is obvious that Antony’s men are going to win. So, Cassius turns to his slave Pindarus, draws his sword, and Pindarus holds it whilst Cassius falls onto it and dies.

⇒ Then, in runs Strato from the battlefield, a soldier fiercely loyal to Brutus. Brutus draws his sword, and Strato holds it for him whilst Brutus, too, falls on his sword.

⇒ And so, Cassius and Brutus are dead. Antony and Octavius Caesar stop the fighting, with their victory secure, and come to pay their respects.