Decius Brutus: The Flatterer Who Gets Caesar Out of Bed
First appears: Act 2, Scene 1
Decius Brutus does one thing and does it perfectly. In Act 2, Scene 2, he arrives at Caesar's house to escort him to the Senate and finds Caesar resolved to stay home because of Calphurnia's dream. He reinterprets the dream (the blood in the statue does not mean death, it means Rome drinking Caesar's greatness) and Caesar changes his mind within minutes.
His method is flattery aimed precisely at a man who needs to believe in his own importance. He adds a practical threat: the Senate plans to offer Caesar a crown today, but if they hear he is staying home because of a woman's nightmare, they will laugh. That last detail is decisive.
He is one of the conspirators in Act 2, Scene 1 but has almost no other scenes. His entire purpose in the play concentrates in this single manipulation. It is enough. Without his intervention, Calphurnia might have saved Caesar's life.
Key Scenes
Famous Quotes
“Your statue spouting blood in many pipes, in which so many smiling Romans bathed, signifies that from you great Rome shall suck reviving blood.”
Decius Brutus — Act 2, Scene 2