Foundation first
Act V is the end of a tragedy. A tragedy is a play in which a noble person falls because of a mistake and dies. Before you read, know where this act sits in the play.
| Stage of the play | Where in Julius Caesar |
|---|---|
| Rising action: the plot against Caesar grows | Acts I and II |
| Climax: the turning point | Act III (Caesar is killed; Antony's speech turns the crowd) |
| Falling action: the conspirators decline | Act IV (the quarrel; the march to Philippi) |
| Catastrophe: the final disaster and death | Act V (Philippi) |
Four more ideas help with this act.
1. Where is Philippi? It is a plain in Macedonia, in northern Greece. Brutus and Cassius have marched there from Sardis in Asia Minor. Antony and Octavius have come from Rome.
2. Two philosophies. The two generals follow different beliefs, and the act tests both.
| Philosophy | Who follows it | What it teaches | What happens to it in Act V |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stoicism | Brutus | bear good and bad fortune calmly; do not kill yourself in despair | Brutus breaks the rule and kills himself |
| Epicureanism | Cassius | the gods do not interfere in human life; omens mean nothing | Cassius admits he "partly" believes in omens |
3. Honour in death. The Romans in the play believed it was better to die by your own hand than to be taken prisoner and shown in the victors' procession (a triumph). This is why Cassius, Titinius and Brutus all choose death.
4. Irony of a tragic ending. Irony means the opposite of what we expect. In Act V, Cassius kills himself because he thinks he has lost, just when his side has won in another part of the field. The audience knows the truth; Cassius does not. That is dramatic irony, and it gives the death its pity.
Quick check. Which philosophy is Cassius's, and which is Brutus's? Answer: Cassius is an Epicurean; Brutus is a Stoic.
Act V takes place on the plains of Philippi, in Macedonia (northern Greece). The armies of Octavius and Antony face the armies of Brutus and Cassius. In one day of battle the conspiracy ends: Cassius kills himself through a tragic mistake, and Brutus, defeated, runs upon his own sword. The play ends with the victors praising Brutus as the noblest of the conspirators.
The act completes the pattern of the play. Caesar's body died in Act III, but his spirit has been "ranging for revenge" ever since, and now the conspirators die by their own swords — the same swords that killed Caesar. As Brutus says, "O Julius Caesar, thou art mighty yet!"
Reading between the lines
- Why Philippi? The ghost promised Brutus that he would see Caesar again there. The place name has been planted in the audience's mind since Act IV. When the armies reach Philippi, we expect disaster.
- "Mighty yet." Caesar has been dead since Act III, yet he rules the act. His spirit turns the conspirators' swords against themselves. Shakespeare shows that killing a man does not kill what he stands for.
- Two deaths, one pattern. Cassius dies by mistake; Brutus dies by choice. Both end by the sword, and both name Caesar as they die. The play closes a circle: Caesar died by swords, and so do his killers.
- A kind ending. The play does not end with cruelty. It ends with Antony's praise of Brutus. Even enemies recognise goodness. This is why the tragedy leaves us sad but not bitter.
Worked examples
Example 1 (MCQ, 1 mark). In which city or place do the armies fight in Act V? (a) Sardis (b) Philippi (c) Rome (d) Thasos
Model answer. (b) Philippi. Sardis is the camp of Act IV, and Thasos is the island to which Cassius's body is sent.
Why this scores: knowing why each wrong option is wrong. Examiners put places from the same act in the list.
Example 2 (short answer, 3 marks). How does Act V complete the pattern of the play?
Model answer. In Act III Caesar is killed by the conspirators' swords. In Act V his spirit takes revenge: Cassius is killed with the very sword that stabbed Caesar, and Brutus runs upon his own sword. Each man names Caesar as he dies ("Caesar, thou art revenged"; "Caesar, now be still"). The victims of the first murder are avenged, and the play ends with order restored under Octavius.
Why this scores: the link between Act III and Act V (1), the two deaths (1), the quotations (1).
Example 3 (long answer, about 120 words). Why is Act V called the catastrophe of the play?
Model answer. Act V is the catastrophe because it brings the final disaster for the main characters. After the quarrel and the decision to march to Philippi in Act IV, the liberators are already in decline. In Act V their army is split by Brutus's early attack. Cassius, wrongly thinking that Titinius is taken, orders his own death. Titinius kills himself in grief. Brutus is defeated and runs on his sword. The enemy is left to praise him. Everything the conspirators hoped for ends in death and defeat, and Caesar's spirit is shown to be "mighty yet".
Why this scores: a definition of catastrophe in the first line, four events in order, and a closing link to Caesar.
Doubts cleared
Q. Who wins the battle? Antony and Octavius. The day is mixed: Brutus beats Octavius's wing and Antony beats Cassius's. But Cassius dies by mistake, Brutus loses the second fight, and the triumvirs win.
Q. Why do so many characters kill themselves? In the play's Roman world, suicide is an honourable escape from shame. Cassius, Titinius and Brutus all use that code. Brutus's earlier view that suicide is "cowardly and vile" is what makes his own death a contradiction.
Q. Is Act V really a tragedy for Antony and Octavius too? No. They win. The tragedy belongs to Brutus and Cassius.
Q. How many scenes are in Act V? Five short scenes. Scene 1 is before the battle, Scene 2 the attack, Scene 3 the death of Cassius, Scene 4 Cato and Lucilius, Scene 5 the death of Brutus.
Mistakes to avoid
- Writing that Antony and Octavius lose a battle. They win overall.
- Saying Cassius is killed by the enemy. He is killed by his own servant Pindarus, at his own order.
- Mixing up the two philosophies. Brutus is the Stoic; Cassius is the Epicurean.
- Describing the deaths without naming the link to Caesar.
Check yourself
- In which country or region is Philippi?
- Who follows Stoicism?
- Whose name do both Cassius and Brutus say as they die?
Answers: 1. Macedonia, in northern Greece. 2. Brutus. 3. Caesar's.