Previous
Act 3, scene 2
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Julius Caesar, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Manhood and Honor
Logic and Language
Public vs. Private
Politics and Morality
Fate
Summary
Analysis
Cinna the poet enters, on his way to Caesar’s funeral, followed by the plebeians. The plebeians interrogate Cinna, and when they learn his identity, they egg each other on to “tear him.” When Cinna tells them that he is Cinna the poet, not Cinna the conspirator, they attack him anyway, for being a bad poet.
This is the first (and last) comic scene since the punning exchange that began the play. It breaks the tension before Act 4 and bolsters the image of the plebeians as a mindless herd.
Themes
Quiz
Test Yourself
