This content is an analysis of Act 2, Scene 1 of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, focusing on Brutus's internal conflict and his decision to join the conspiracy against Caesar, driven by a forged letter.
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hello everyone welcome to nilanjana's
exclusive English lessons my name is
dilanjana sarkar and I welcome all of
you to my video today I am going to
begin with Act 2 of Julius Caesar those
who have not watched the first few
episodes of Julius Caesar act one uh you
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all of you so without much Chit Chat let
me begin the class today so in act two
we see that Brutus is in his garden is
in his Orchard and he explains his
feelings to his servant Lucius and his
thoughts that mainly bother him are if
may become a king then whether his
behavior is going to change or not if he
is made King by the innocent Roman mob
then how his behavior is going to be
affected and yes in act 2 scene 1 we can
also see that he receives a forged
letter written by Cassius if you
remember we had seen that Cassius was
planning to send a few Forge letters so
this is the time Brutus receives the
letter where it's written that the Roman
people the Roman public is asking him to
protect Rome
enter Brutus in his Orchard Brutus what
lucious who I cannot buy the progress of
the Stars give guests how near today so
Brutus is in his Orchard in his garden
and he's telling that
um he's not able to understand by the
movement of the stars that what is the
time of the day I cannot by the progress
of the stars now in the olden days the
time used to be evaluated by the
progress of the Stars by the movement of
the Stars so here Brutus is telling that
he's not able to understand what is the
time of the day how uh you know the
night is proceeding and he's not able to
understand that how long it is going to
take to be morning Lucius I say I would
it were my fault to sleep so soundly so
he is not able to sleep soundly he's not
getting good sleep and he feels that it
is his fault he is not able to do so
when Lucius when a week I see what
lucious now Lucius enters he's a servant
called you my lord so did you call me
Brutus get me a taper in my study now
taper is a candle so he's asking Lucius
to get a candle in his study
when it is lighted come and call me here
so when you have lit the candle please
remember to comment call me because I
want to do something in my study
Lucius like a very obedient servant he
tells yes I will and he exits
Brutus it must be by his death whose
death of course here we mean he means
Caesar so he tells that it must be by
his death it is only by his death that I
can save room I can save Rome from his
tyranny and for my part I know no
personal cause to spurn at him and then
he tells that as far he is concerned he
has no personal cause he has no selfish
motive to spawn at him
means to harm him so there is no
personal reason that he wants to
um harm Julius Caesar
but for the general it's only for the
general cause that he wants to take up
this conspiracy he will be crowned how
that might change his nature there is
the question so in case if he is crowned
how it's going to change his nature
whether he is going to become a dictator
whether he is going to be like a tyrant
that is the question that is the
question means that is what you know
creates a confusion in our mind there's
the debate
it's the bright day that brings forth
the adder and that craves very walking
now Adder is a poisonous snake so he
tells that it is the bright day only
when it is a very bright and Beautiful
Day suddenly we get attacked by unknown
dangerous things so only when it is a
bright day suddenly we can see a
poisonous snake coming and attacking us
and that's the reason we need to be very
careful very means careful therefore
everybody needs to be very careful while
walking means we need to make sure that
we are very careful with the steps that
we take
just as sunny days cause poisonous
snakes to come outside similarly bad
things can come what looks good so all
of us must step carefully
ground him that and then I grant we put
a sting in him that at his will he may
do danger with now I will also try to
explain a little bit in Hindi yes many
of you are requesting so yeah happy Brutus
is
delivering a speech and he is all alone
and he's just expressing the thoughts
that is there in his mind so the first
thing that he tells is it must be by his death
it is a bright day that brings forth the adder
adder uh
uh
if we crown him then what are we doing
is we are giving him a power and that
power he can do to uh you know do many
evil things and then I grant grant means
we give him we put a sting in him sting
in him refers to the power that we give
him that at his will he may do danger of it
he can do evil things with us the abuse
of greatness is when it disjoints
remorse from power when you have
greatness in someone and if that
greatness is devoid of any compassion
that is when power becomes very
dangerous over here remorse refers to
compassion so when power gets separated
from compassion that is when the power
becomes abusive abusive means that power
is used to harm other people the power
is used to do evil things and therefore
power should never be separated from
compassion and good feeling so remorse
over here refers to compassion
and to speak truth of Caesar I have not
known when his affections swayed more
than his reason
he has never seen where emotions get the
better of his reason
affections refers to emotions and he has
never seen that in his life about Caesar
and therefore he tells him emotions
practical logical mind
but it is a common proof that loneliness
is Young Ambitions letter now here again
he tells a fact a fact about life
loneliness refers to humility humble
your humble quality so
loneliness is Young Ambitions ladder a
person who is very ambitious and he is
Young he uses his humidity to grow up to
grow in his life a person's a person who
is very ambitious and young he uses
humility humbleness to rise in his life
just like a ladder now when we climb the
ladder we take those steps right
so any ambitious man wants to rise in
his life is Success
he uses that humble quality office down
to earth quality where to the climber
upward turns his face and when he once
attains the upmost round he then unto
the ladder turns his back looks in the
cloud scorning the base degrees by which
he did a very important and beautiful
lines Isme what he is telling is as I
have said that when somebody is climbing
up the ladder when he once attains the
upmost round when he receives the final
step of the ladder when he is almost
climbed the height that he was looking
for what is what he does then he then
unto the ladder turns his back then he
just turns back
and looks in the clouds
he looks up and he forgets all those
people with whose help he has climbed
this much
scorning the base degrees base degrees
refers to the lower rung of the ladders
the lower stacks of the ladders and he
scones them scones them means
it is approves them by which he did ascend
ascend
of course he has climbed that height
only with the help of those steps right
but once he is uh there once he has
reached the full height that time he
just disapproves he doesn't give any
kind of consideration to the lower rungs
of the ladders the steps of the ladders
with which help he has attained that
height now that's really bad right when
we like what is the meaning of this the
so this is the meaning of the uh you
know all these lines now there were a
few um somebody who had mentioned that
you are explaining the lines in general
now you have to understand that even
though if you are understanding each and
every meaning of the word but this is
again you know literature and drama when
you have to understand the meaning you
have to understand it in whole you can't
chop the sentences you can chop the
words like that so that's the reason
like for this uh you know idea the idea
is a comprehensive idea right from the
place it's a common proof that
loneliness still he did Ascend it's a
it's one idea right so you have to
paraphrase the idea in this way this is
how only we can explain and understand
better so please avoid chopping and
breaking the words and sentences into
bits and pieces yes meanings are
important but try to get the meaning as
a whole second thing which I would also
wanted to add over here I know I'm going
a little off track that yes many of you
are requesting me to explain in Hindi
I'm doing it I'm trying to explain it as
much as possible in Hindi but I just
wanted to know one thing are you all
writing your answers also in Hindi
please share in the comments if anybody
is writing the answers also in Hindi
because if you understand in Hindi how
are you going to frame your answers in
English my question is that so is yes if
you are answering in Hindi let me know
then I will have a better idea but as
far as I understand that everybody will
be writing your answers in English
therefore the English explanation is
very important there are some you know
videos you will get where people are
explaining in Hindi yes it may help you
to understand but remember if you listen
in Hindi if you understand in Hindi when
you write your sentences it will be a
direct translation in Hindi or in any
other Regional language right so that
would create a lot of grammatical errors
rather when I'm explaining in English
I'm using vocabulary which you can note
down and use them in your answers
because this is only how it works this
is only you can get above 95 in
literature that is how I have taught all
these years to my students so yes
understanding purpose Hindi is good but
please don't translate your answers from
Hindi to English all right yes let's
move ahead so Caesar May then lest he
may prevent so here he tells that yes so
this is to be honest about Caesar I have
never seen that you know he is his
emotions have got the better of his
reason but it is always seen that there
are people who become so successful in
life but then they just forget and with
whose help they have gained that success
so Caesar can also do the same and that
is what we need to prevent and since the
quarrel will bear no color for the thing
he is quarrel over here refers to the
argument the argument that we are
discussing right now will bear no color
for the thing a is will bear no color
over here means that it's not going to
affect in any ways nothing it will do
nothing with who he is right now this is
the way only I have to think fashion it
does fashion it does means I have to
think in this way fashion means I have
to think this matter from this
perspective that so what he has to think
that what he is augmented would run to
these and these extremities and
therefore think him as a Serpent's egg
which hatched wood as His Kind grew
mischievous and kill him in the Shell so
therefore what we are supposed to do that
that
if he got more power his character would
also be transformed into the extreme one
that I have described if he is augmented
means in case if he gets the power would
run to these and these extremities he
can also change his behavior the way I
have discussed changes Behavior means
what like you know when he becomes
successful he will not remember us he
will become over ambitious like a tyrant
and treat us like slaves uh you know
will look at us with scorn so this these
are the things he may do these are the
extremities that he can show in his
behavior therefore what are we supposed
to do think him as a Serpent's except
snake so what is the serpent say a snake
is a very dangerous poisonous snake so
therefore if we consider him to be an
egg which hatched if the egg is hatched
will become very mischievous and
therefore we all need to kill him in the shelves
shelves
because if he if this egg is hatched it
will grow dangerous just like all
therefore we must kill him while he's
still in the Shell so therefore before
he gets a chance to become this
dangerous let's kill him in the shell
and the Lucius the taper burneth in your
closet sir so the taper is there in your
closet in your study searching the
window for a flint I found this paper
the sealed up and I'm sure it did not
lie there when I went to bed so Lucius
is telling yes I have kept the candle in
your study however I have seen some letters
letters
the moment I was searching the window
for a Flint now the Flint is a kind of a
stone which is mainly used to ignite for
lighting fire so therefore I found this
paper now this is the forged letter
which I was speaking about so I found
this letter and the paper was sealed up
like this and at the same time I was I'm
very sure that when I went to bed the
so he gives him the letter get you to
bed again it's not today it's not day so
yes you can go back to sleep Brutus
tells so we can say that he is very kind
and considerate as a master so even
though he is awake he asks his servant
to go it's not day it's not tomorrow Boy
The Ides of March so Brutus is asking
him he's verifying the date the next day
the next day is Ides of March March 15th
I know not sir so Lucius says no I I'm
really not very sure about it look in
the calendar and bring me what and then
he exits so he tells that yes look in
the calendar and let me know
I will sir Brutus the exhalations
whizzing in the air give so much light
the time we read by them so exhalations
refers to the meteors now though that
night they have a lot of meteors in the
sky so with that light itself he can
the entire place is so illuminated it
gives him so much light that he can just
read the letter so here he opens the
letter and he reads it
Brutus now sleepist awake and see
thyself so the letter this is what is
written in the letter the Brutus down
and see thyself wake up and see that who
Etc speak strike redress
so this is like urging him to speak up
against the wrong strike means take
such instigations have often been
dropped where I have took them up he
means that he has often received such
letters and he has taken them he has
found them in places and he had to read
such letters even before shall Rome Etc
whatever is written in inverted commas
those are the words from the letter the
other words which you can see without
the commas those are his own feelings
and expressions that he is telling us
thus Must Die peace it out so thus I
he's telling that I have to complete the
thought I have to complete the sentence
shall Rome stand under one man's o
shall Rome stand in O of one single man
o means fear
entire room should fear one single man
so one single man is of course Julius
Caesar what room
really is it Rome Rome how can Rome just
stand or be under the tyranny of one
single man
I'm telling you that my ancestors did
from the streets of Rome the tarquin
drive when he was called a king now
talking was the last king of Rome and
here he refers to the expulsion of
darkwin here he refers to Taco in the
last king of Rome and he was expelled by
the ancestors of Julius Caesar so
therefore he tells that my ancestors
when tarquin became very cruel and he
behaved like a tyrant it was my
ancestors you know my Noble lineage
actually those who have resisted the
in history I have seen that it's my
ancestors who have saved Rome from
speak strike redress speak strike
redress I already told you speak up
against the wrong strike means take an
action and redress is correct the wrongs
am I entreated to speak and strike so
he's asking am I requested are people
asking me to do so oh Rome I make the
promise if the redress will follow thou
receive us thy full petition at the hand
of Brutus so here at the end he tells
that yes I promise you I make the
promise means I promise you
if the redress will follow if a strike
would result in the restoration of the
Republic restoration of the Republic
means in case Republic is restored once
again Republic means what when people uh
you know it's a government of the People
by the people and for the people right
so when
again room becomes a republic and if I
am able to restore it with my action then
then
thou receive was thy full petition at
the hand of Brutus I would give you
everything you're asking and that I'm
going to give you from my own hands I'm
going to give everything from my own
hands for the benefit betterment
well-being of Rome to make it a republic
once again where it is not going to be
ruled and it is not going to be on the
tyranny of one single man and after
receiving the letters this is the
promise that he makes so we know that
Brutus is now fully convinced and
cassius's motive the plot deepens
further and let's see what happens after
this so with this I take leave this is
where I'm going to stop today again this
is a very long scene I'm going to divide
it at least in five parts so yes keep
watching small small bits and chunks
what I'm doing revise reflect write your
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