The two blacklists, which are death lists, contribute important aspects of character development in the play in regard to Cassius, Brutus, and Antony.
Before Caesar's assassination, Cassius feels strongly that Antony, especially, should be murdered along with Caesar. Cassius sees Antony as a mortal enemy who will try to destroy them after Caesar's death. Brutus opposes killing Antony, making a very logical (but very wrong) argument that without Caesar, Antony will be powerless and ineffectual. Cassius's objections are ignored; Antony lives to eventually bring down Brutus and Cassius. This is one of several instances in the play in which Cassius yields to Brutus, while Brutus's logic and judgment prove to be disastrously wrong. Also, Cassius's assessment of Antony's likely behavior after the assassination foreshadows events to come.
After the assassination, when Antony and Octavius condemn 100 Roman senators to death by marking their names on a list, Shakespeare develops this scene to show Antony's political nature. He appears no longer emotionally distraught about Caesar's murder; instead, he is shown to be quite ambitious, cold, and calculating as he wields power. This represents a new, previously unrevealed aspect of Antony's character.
No comments:
Post a Comment