You need look no further than scene one of act two to find
Shakespeare raising suspense in his Julius
Caesar.
Brutus broods over his decision to kill
or not to kill Caesar. His imagery of Caesar as a snake makes his view of what Caesar
might become concrete for the reader, and explains why the issue is vital for the future
of Rome. This doesn't mean that Brutus is correct in his assessment of Caesar, but it
explains how he feels. When Brutus decides to go along with the conspirators, suspense
is heightened by his decision.
Intensification of the
suspense occurs, then, when the majority of the conspirators arrive at Brutus's house
and a deal or bargain or consensus is reached. Brutus by himself is one man deciding to
commit an assassination; the conspirators together is a group of men deciding to commit
an assassination.
Finally, the importance of Brutus, and
therefore the importance of his decision to join the conspirators, is revealed when
Caius Ligarius ignores his illness and follows Brutus. Brutus is shown great respect
and honor in the play, which makes his choices vitally
significant.
The suspense, then, builds as Brutus decides,
the conspirators agree, and the status of Brutus is enhanced.
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