Act 1 Scene 1 of Julius Caesar happens on a street in Rome where people are celebrating Caesar’s victory.
Two officers, Flavius and Marullus, scold the crowd for cheering for Caesar and forgetting Pompey.
This scene is important because it shows how easily people change their loyalty and it hints at future problems.
On this page, you will learn the summary, important quotes, themes, and the main ideas of this scene.
Summary Act 1 Scene 1
The play begins on a street in Rome. Two Roman officers, Flavius and Marullus, see common people celebrating Julius Caesar’s victory over Pompey. The officers are angry because these same people once supported Pompey, but now they are cheering for Caesar.
Flavius and Marullus stop a carpenter and a cobbler and ask why they are not working. The cobbler makes funny jokes, which annoys the officers. The workers say they are taking a holiday to celebrate Caesar’s victory. This makes the officers even more upset.
Marullus reminds the crowd that they once cheered loudly for Pompey. He calls them ungrateful and heartless for changing their loyalty so quickly. He tells them to go home, pray to the gods, and ask for forgiveness. Flavius tells them to cry by the River Tiber to show they are sorry. The people feel ashamed and leave.
After the crowd goes away, Flavius and Marullus decide to reduce Caesar’s popularity. They plan to remove decorations from Caesar’s statues. Marullus worries because it is the Feast of Lupercal, a special Roman festival, but Flavius says it does not matter. He believes they must stop Caesar from becoming too powerful.
Flavius compares Caesar’s supporters to feathers on a bird. If they remove those “feathers,” Caesar will not rise too high in power. The two officers then go in different directions to carry out their plan.
This scene shows the beginning of political tension in the play. It also shows how quickly people can change their loyalty.
Important Quotes Julius Caesar ACT 1 Scene 1
| Speaker | Original Line | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| FLAVIUS | “Hence! Home, you idle creatures, get you home!” | Go away! Go home! You lazy people should not be standing here. |
| FLAVIUS | “Is this a holiday?” | Is today a public holiday? Why are you not working? |
| FLAVIUS | “What, know you not, being mechanical, you ought not walk upon a laboring day without the sign of your profession?” | Don’t you know that as workers (mechanical = tradesmen), you should not walk around on a working day without wearing your work clothes or carrying your tools? |
| FLAVIUS | “Speak, what trade art thou?” | Tell me, what is your job? |
| CARPENTER | “Why, sir, a carpenter.” | I am a carpenter, sir. |
| MARULLUS | “Where is thy leather apron and thy rule?” | Where is your leather apron and measuring tool? |
| MARULLUS | “What dost thou with thy best apparel on?” | Why are you wearing your best clothes instead of work clothes? |
| MARULLUS | “You, sir, what trade are you?” | And you, what is your job? |
| COBBLER | “Truly, sir, in respect of a fine workman, I am but, as you would say, a cobbler.” | Honestly sir, compared to skilled workers, I am just a simple shoemaker. |
| MARULLUS | “But what trade art thou? Answer me directly.” | But what exactly is your job? Give me a clear answer. |
| COBBLER | “A trade, sir, that I hope I may use with a safe conscience, which is indeed, sir, a mender of bad soles.” | It is a job I can do honestly. I repair damaged shoes (soles). The word “soles” sounds like “souls,” which makes it a joke. |
| FLAVIUS | “What trade, thou knave? Thou naughty knave, what trade?” | What is your job, you rascal? Stop joking and answer properly! |
| COBBLER | “Nay, I beseech you, sir, be not out with me. Yet if you be out, sir, I can mend you.” | Please sir, do not be angry with me. But if you are “out” (upset or worn out), I can fix you like I fix shoes. |
| MARULLUS | “What mean’st thou by that? Mend me, thou saucy fellow?” | What do you mean? How dare you say you will repair me? |
| COBBLER | “Why, sir, cobble you.” | I mean I can repair you, just like I repair shoes. (He continues the joke.) |
| Speaker | Original Line | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| FLAVIUS | “Thou art a cobbler, art thou?” | So, you are a shoemaker? |
| COBBLER | “Truly, sir, all that I live by is with the awl.” | Yes sir, I earn my living using an awl (a tool for making holes in leather). This is also a joke because “awl” sounds like “all.” |
| COBBLER | “I meddle with no tradesman’s matters nor women’s matters, but withal I am indeed, sir, a surgeon to old shoes.” | I do not interfere in other workers’ business or women’s affairs. I only repair shoes. I am like a doctor (surgeon) for old shoes. |
| COBBLER | “When they are in great danger, I recover them.” | When shoes are badly damaged, I fix and save them. |
| COBBLER | “As proper men as ever trod upon neat’s leather have gone upon my handiwork.” | Many respectable men have worn shoes repaired by me. (“Neat’s leather” means cowhide leather.) |
| FLAVIUS | “But wherefore art not in thy shop today? Why dost thou lead these men about the streets?” | Why are you not working in your shop today? Why are you gathering these men in the streets? |
| COBBLER | “Truly, sir, to wear out their shoes, to get myself into more work.” | Honestly sir, I want them to walk more so their shoes wear out, and I get more business. (He is joking.) |
| COBBLER | “But indeed, sir, we make holiday to see Caesar and to rejoice in his triumph.” | But truly, we are taking a holiday to see Caesar and celebrate his victory. |
| MARULLUS | “Wherefore rejoice? What conquest brings he home?” | Why are you celebrating? What great victory has Caesar achieved? |
| MARULLUS | “What tributaries follow him to Rome to grace in captive bonds his chariot wheels?” | What captured kings or prisoners is he bringing to Rome in chains to show his victory? |
| MARULLUS | “You blocks, you stones, you worse than senseless things!” | You stupid people! You are worse than lifeless stones! |
| MARULLUS | “O you hard hearts, you cruel men of Rome, Knew you not Pompey?” | You heartless Romans! Have you forgotten Pompey? |
| MARULLUS | “Many a time and oft have you climbed up to walls and battlements, to towers and windows, yea, to chimney tops, your infants in your arms, and there have sat the livelong day, with patient expectation, to see great Pompey pass the streets of Rome.” | Many times you climbed walls, towers, windows, and rooftops, holding your children, and waited all day just to see Pompey pass through Rome. |
| MARULLUS | “And when you saw his chariot but appear, have you not made an universal shout, that Tiber trembled underneath her banks?” | When you saw Pompey’s chariot, didn’t you cheer so loudly that it seemed like the River Tiber shook from the sound? |
| Speaker | Original Line | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| MARULLUS | “To hear the replication of your sounds made in her concave shores?” | Didn’t the echo of your loud cheers bounce off the curved banks of the River Tiber? |
| MARULLUS | “And do you now put on your best attire?” | And now you are wearing your finest clothes? |
| MARULLUS | “And do you now cull out a holiday?” | And now you are choosing to make this a holiday? |
| MARULLUS | “And do you now strew flowers in his way that comes in triumph over Pompey’s blood?” | And now you throw flowers for Caesar, who won his victory through Pompey’s death? |
| MARULLUS | “Be gone! Run to your houses, fall upon your knees, pray to the gods to intermit the plague that needs must light on this ingratitude.” | Go home! Kneel down and pray to the gods to stop the punishment that may come because of your ungrateful behavior. |
| FLAVIUS | “Go, go, good countrymen, and for this fault assemble all the poor men of your sort.” | Go now, fellow Romans, and gather other common people like yourselves because of this mistake. |
| FLAVIUS | “Draw them to Tiber banks, and weep your tears into the channel, till the lowest stream do kiss the most exalted shores of all.” | Go to the banks of the River Tiber and cry so much that your tears raise the water level to the highest banks. (This shows deep repentance.) |
| (Stage Direction) | (All the Commoners exit.) | The common people leave the stage. |
| FLAVIUS | “See whe’er their basest mettle be not moved. They vanish tongue-tied in their guiltiness.” | Look how their weak nature has been shaken. They leave silently because they feel guilty. |
| FLAVIUS | “Go you down that way towards the Capitol. This way will I.” | You go toward the Capitol. I will go another way. |
| FLAVIUS | “Disrobe the images if you do find them decked with ceremonies.” | Remove any decorations from Caesar’s statues if you see them decorated. |
| MARULLUS | “May we do so? You know it is the feast of Lupercal.” | Is that allowed? Today is the festival of Lupercal. |
| FLAVIUS | “It is no matter. Let no images be hung with Caesar’s trophies.” | It does not matter. Caesar’s statues should not be decorated with honors. |
| FLAVIUS | “I’ll about and drive away the vulgar from the streets; so do you too, where you perceive them thick.” | I will go around and clear the common people from the streets. You do the same wherever you see large crowds. |
| FLAVIUS | “These growing feathers plucked from Caesar’s wing will make him fly an ordinary pitch, who else would soar above the view of men and keep us all in servile fearfulness.” | If we remove his supporters (like feathers from a bird’s wing), Caesar will not rise too high in power. Otherwise, he may become too powerful and rule over us like a tyrant. |
| (Stage Direction) | (They exit in different directions.) | Flavius and Marullus leave in opposite directions to carry out their plan. |
Language Devices in Act I, Scene 1 of Julius Caesar
Metaphor in Julius Caesar – Act 1, Scene 1
What is a Metaphor?
A metaphor is a direct comparison between two different things. It does not use “like” or “as.” Writers use metaphors to make ideas stronger and clearer.
Why is Metaphor Used in This Scene?
In this scene, metaphors are used to show anger, fear, and political tension. Marullus uses metaphors to insult the crowd. Flavius uses a metaphor to show fear that Caesar is becoming too powerful.
| Line | Explanation |
|---|---|
| “You blocks, you stones, you worse than senseless things!” | Marullus compares the people to stones. He means they are foolish and have no feelings because they quickly changed their loyalty. |
| “These growing feathers plucked from Caesar’s wing will make him fly an ordinary pitch.” | Flavius compares Caesar to a bird and his supporters to feathers. He means that if they remove his supporters, Caesar will not rise too high in power. |
Pun (Wordplay) in Julius Caesar – Act 1, Scene 1
What is a Pun?
A pun is a joke based on a word that has more than one meaning. Writers use puns to create humor or clever wordplay.
Why is a Pun Used in This Scene?
In this scene, Shakespeare uses puns to add humor at the beginning of the play. The Cobbler makes jokes while speaking to the officials. This creates contrast between the serious officers and the funny commoner.
| Line | Explanation |
|---|---|
| “A mender of bad soles.” | The Cobbler jokes with the word “soles.” It means both the bottom of shoes and people’s “souls.” He is making a clever joke about his job. |
| “If you be out, sir, I can mend you.” | The word “out” means both angry and damaged. The Cobbler jokes that he can “repair” the officer like he repairs shoes. |
Rhetorical Questions in Julius Caesar – Act 1, Scene 1
What is a Rhetorical Question?
A rhetorical question is a question asked without expecting an answer. It is used to express strong feelings or to make a point.
Why are Rhetorical Questions Used in This Scene?
In this scene, Marullus uses rhetorical questions to criticize the people. He is angry that they are celebrating Caesar and forgetting Pompey. The questions show his disappointment and frustration.
| Line | Explanation |
|---|---|
| “And do you now put on your best attire? And do you now cull out a holiday?” | Marullus is not asking for real answers. He uses these questions to criticize the people for dressing up and celebrating Caesar while forgetting Pompey. The questions show his anger and disappointment. |
Imagery in Julius Caesar – Act 1, Scene 1
What is Imagery?
Imagery is descriptive language that creates clear pictures in the reader’s mind. Writers use imagery to make scenes more vivid and emotional.
Why is Imagery Used in This Scene?
In this scene, imagery is used to show strong emotions. Marullus uses imagery to remind the people of their past loyalty to Pompey. Flavius uses imagery to show how deeply sorry they should feel.
| Line | Explanation |
|---|---|
| “Have you climbed up to walls and battlements, to towers and windows, yea, to chimney tops, your infants in your arms?” | Marullus creates a strong visual picture of people climbing high places with their children to see Pompey. This shows how excited and loyal they once were. |
| “Till the lowest stream do kiss the most exalted shores of all.” | Flavius describes tears filling the river until the water reaches the highest banks. This image shows how much the people should cry to show regret. |
Alliteration in Julius Caesar – Act 1, Scene 1
What is Alliteration?
Alliteration is the repetition of the same beginning sound in nearby words. Writers use it to make lines sound stronger and more memorable.
Why is Alliteration Used in This Scene?
In this scene, alliteration makes Marullus’s warning sound more powerful and serious. It adds emphasis to his anger and fear of punishment.
| Line | Explanation |
|---|---|
| “Pray to the gods to intermit the plague that needs must light on this ingratitude.” | The repeated “p” sound in “pray” and “plague” makes the warning stronger. It emphasizes that the people should fear punishment for their ungrateful behavior. |
Tone and Contrast in Julius Caesar – Act 1, Scene 1
What is Tone?
Tone is the writer’s attitude or feeling shown through words.
What is Contrast?
Contrast is the difference between two opposite ideas, characters, or moods.
Why are Tone and Contrast Used in This Scene?
In this scene, Shakespeare uses tone and contrast to show tension in Rome. The light, humorous tone of the Cobbler is very different from the angry and serious tone of Marullus and Flavius. This difference highlights the political conflict.
| Example | Explanation |
|---|---|
| The Cobbler’s jokes vs. Marullus and Flavius’s angry speeches | The Cobbler speaks in a funny and playful way, while the officers speak in a harsh and serious tone. This contrast shows the tension between the common people and the Roman officials. It also shows that the situation is becoming politically serious. |
Symbolism in Julius Caesar – Act 1, Scene 1
What is Symbolism?
Symbolism is when an object, action, or image represents a bigger idea.
Why is Symbolism Used in This Scene?
In this scene, symbolism is used to show Caesar’s growing power. The decorations on his statues represent his popularity and influence in Rome.
| Example | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Flowers and decorations placed on Caesar’s statues | The flowers and ribbons represent Caesar’s success and public support. When Flavius and Marullus remove them, it symbolizes their attempt to reduce his power and stop him from rising too high. |
Personification in Julius Caesar – Act 1, Scene 1
What is Personification?
Personification is when human qualities are given to non-human things, such as animals, objects, or nature.
Why is Personification Used in This Scene?
In this scene, personification is used to show how loud and powerful the people’s cheers were in the past. It helps the reader feel the strong excitement the crowd once had for Pompey.
| Line | Explanation |
|---|---|
| “That Tiber trembled underneath her banks.” | The river Tiber is described as trembling like a human being. This shows how loud the people’s cheering was when they supported Pompey. |
Themes in Act I, Scene 1 of Julius Caesar
| Theme | Line | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Loyalty and Betrayal | “And do you now strew flowers in his way that comes in triumph over Pompey’s blood?” | Marullus accuses the people of betraying Pompey. He is angry that they celebrate Caesar even though Caesar defeated Pompey. This shows how quickly their loyalty has changed. |
| Power and Ambition | “These growing feathers plucked from Caesar’s wing will make him fly an ordinary pitch.” | Flavius compares Caesar to a bird and his supporters to feathers. He believes removing his support will stop Caesar from becoming too powerful. This shows fear of Caesar’s ambition. |
| Public vs. Private Interests | “Why dost thou lead these men about the streets?” | Flavius questions why the Cobbler leads people to celebrate instead of working. This shows the conflict between personal joy and public duty. |
| Manipulation and Persuasion | “You blocks, you stones, you worse than senseless things!” | Marullus insults the crowd to make them feel ashamed. He uses harsh words to influence and control their feelings. |
| Class Conflict | “Hence! Home, you idle creatures, get you home!” | Flavius speaks harshly to the commoners, showing that the tribunes look down on them as lazy and irresponsible. |
| Political Unrest | “Let no images be hung with Caesar’s trophies.” | Flavius orders Caesar’s decorations to be removed. This shows growing tension between Caesar’s supporters and those who fear his power. |
| Fickleness of the Crowd | “Knew you not Pompey?” | Marullus reminds the people of their past support for Pompey. This shows how quickly and easily public opinion changes. |
| Fear of Tyranny | “Who else would soar above the view of men and keep us all in servile fearfulness.” | Flavius fears that Caesar will rise too high and rule like a tyrant, making everyone live in fear. |
Important Exam Questions Act 1 Scene 1
1. Why are Flavius and Marullus angry?
They are angry because the people are celebrating Caesar. The same people once supported Pompey. The tribunes think the crowd has forgotten Pompey and changed their loyalty too quickly.
2. Why are the common people celebrating?
They are celebrating Caesar’s victory over Pompey’s sons. They are happy and excited about Caesar’s success.
3. What does the Cobbler do in this scene?
The Cobbler makes jokes and plays with words. He brings humor to the scene. His jokes also show that the common people are not taking the situation seriously.
4. Why do Flavius and Marullus remove decorations from Caesar’s statues?
They remove the decorations because they do not want Caesar to become too powerful. They are afraid he may become a ruler with too much control.
5. How does this scene show that the crowd changes easily?
The people once cheered for Pompey. Now they cheer for Caesar. This shows that their loyalty changes quickly.
6. What is the main idea of this scene?
The main idea is that Caesar is becoming powerful, and some leaders are worried about it. The scene shows political tension and fear of Caesar’s rise.
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