- The cost of civil war: Antony's prophecy of "fierce civil strife" comes true; a hundred senators die by proscription.
- Power corrupts: the triumvirs bargain over lives and plan to cheat the people of Caesar's gifts.
- Friendship under strain: the quarrel tests the bond between Brutus and Cassius; love wins, but the cracks remain.
- Idealism and practicality: Brutus's ideals clash with the practical needs of war (money, strategy); Cassius is practical but morally flexible.
- Private grief behind public faces: Brutus hides Portia's death behind Stoic calm.
- Fate and the supernatural: the Ghost of Caesar signals that Caesar's spirit will have its revenge.
7.1 The stages of the quarrel
| Stage | What happens | Mood |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Complaint | Cassius: Lucius Pella condemned, his letters ignored | grievance |
| 2. Counter-charge | Brutus: Cassius has "an itching palm" and sells offices | anger |
| 3. Principle | Brutus: "Remember March"; "bay the moon" | moral scorn |
| 4. Insults | "slight man"; "rash choler"; "elder soldier, not a better" | personal, bitter |
| 5. Real grievance | Brutus: the gold denied for his legions | hurt pride |
| 6. Climax | Cassius: "Come, Antony …"; offers his dagger and heart | despair |
| 7. Reconciliation | the lamb and the flint; "Give me your hand." "And my heart too." | love restored |
| 8. Explanation | "Portia is dead"; the bowl of wine | grief, tenderness |
7.2 Irony in the act
- Antony, who stirred the people with Caesar's will, now plans to cut their legacies.
- The triumvirs, who called the conspirators murderers, condemn a hundred senators.
- Brutus condemns bribery but is angry that Cassius did not send him the money (2027 specimen Q1(iii)).
- Brutus, who says "There is no terror … in your threats", has just been the more aggressive of the two.
- Brutus claims "No man bears sorrow better" — yet his sorrow explains his unusual anger.
7.3 Foreshadowing
- "We are at the stake, / And bay'd about with many enemies" — the coming war.
- Brutus's decision to march — the defeat at Philippi.
- "Never come such division 'tween our souls!" — their final parting in Act V.
- The Ghost: "thou shalt see me at Philippi" — Brutus's death in Act V.