The play begins with Caesar having returned in triumph from the war against Pompey, and tribunes Marullus and Flavius express their discontent. A Soothsayer warns Caesar about the Ides of March; Cassius persuades Brutus that Caesar’s ambition is dangerous, even though they learn from Casca that he had refused the crown. The conspirators meet on a stormy night of unnatural events and agree they need to win Brutus over to their cause, the elimination of Caesar. Brutus is reluctant to reveal his intentions to his wife Portia.
Caesar’s wife Calpurnia, frightened by dreams and omens, tries to persuade him not to go to the Capitol. He agrees, but Decius cunningly reinterprets the omens in a favorable light. The conspirators kill Caesar; his friend Mark Antony speaks following Brutus’ speech. Antony forms a triumvirate with Octavius Caesar and Lepidus, and they plan the deaths of the conspirators. Caesar’s ghost visits Brutus at night and warns him that he will meet him at Philippi. The two sides parley, and the battle begins.
