You are here

All Site ContentJulius CaesarAct 3Scene 2
Back to the Play
"crown’d in Brutus”
Irony
Act 3,
Scene 2
Lines 47-51

An explanation of the irony in the phrase “crown’d in Brutus” in Act 3, Scene 2 of myShakespeare’s Julius Caesar.

All

Live, Brutus! live, live!
[Brutus descends from pulpit.]

First Plebeian

Bring him with triumph home unto his house.

Second Plebeian

Give him a statue with his ancestors.

Third Plebeian

Let him be Caesar.

Fourth Plebeian

                                  Caesar's better parts
Shall be crown'd in Brutus.

It's ironic that this plebeian suggests crowning Brutus king, because that's exactly the ambition for which Brutus claims he killed Caesar. Shakespeare does not paint a very flattering picture of plebeian intelligence.