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| Theme Analysis Betrayal is the central idea in The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Act II. It comes up repeatedly in the scene. The element of Betrayal is important because it helped the action flow and created drama and action. It also created suspense. The whole story is really built around the issues dealing with the betrayal and deception of Caesar. Betrayal made Julius Caesar Act II a great literary work. Betrayal built a lot of action in the story. An example would be when Cassius says, “ Let Antony and Caesar fall together (Act II, scene ii, line 161). This is an example of drama because right after the quote, in the next scene, Cassius and his other conspirators murdered Caesar. Another example was when Artemidorus said, “ Caesar, beware of Brutus; take heed of Cassius, come now near Casca; have an eye to Cinna; trust not Trebonius; mark well Metellus Cimber…(Act II, scene iv, lines 1-5)” It built the action in the scene and lead up to Julius Caesar’s brutal murder. The betrayal of Caesar brought about a lot of drama and action. Betrayal also added the element of suspense to the story. When Artemidoros says, “ If thou read this, O Caesar, thou mayest live; if not, the Fates with traitor do contrive.” It created suspense because I knew Artemidoros was planning to warn Caesar, but I did not know if he would succeed. When Portia says, “ Yes, bring me word, boy if they lord look weary, for he went sickly forth; and take good not what Caesar doeth, what suitors press him. Hark boy what noise is that (Act II, scene iv, lines 13-16)?” It helped build suspense by making the reader ask: What does Portia fear will happen? What really will happen? Betrayal was important to the story because it created suspense, which in turn made the story better. In conclusion, the main theme in Act II of The Tragedy of Julius Caesar was betrayal. It followed throughout the whole story and enhanced the story in various ways. Drama, action, and suspense were created. The element of betrayal played a major role in the play. |