Julius Caesar
What was the content of Caesar's will? Why might Antony have made a point of reading the will to the people ?
ACT III
ACT III
Antony reads Caesar's will after descending into the masses and standing next to Caesar's body. He shows them the stab wounds and names the conspirators who gave Caesar the wounds. The crowd starts to surge away in anarchy, crying, "Revenge! About! Seek! Burn! Fire! Kill! Slay!" (3.2.196). Antony stops them and finally reads the will, in which Caesar has given every Roman citizen seventy-five drachmas and the freedom to roam his land. The plebeians react in a frenzy of anger against the men who killed Caesar, and carry away the body. Antony says, "Now let it work. Mischief, thou art afoot. / Take thou what course thou wilt" (3.2.248-249).
In reading the will, Antony flatters the crowd, elevates Caesar, and summarily turns the masses against the conspirators.
Julius Caesar, GradeSaver