Summary and Analysis
Act II:
Scene 3
Summary
Artemidorus enters a street near the Capitol reading from a paper that warns Caesar of danger and that names each of the conspirators. He intends to give the letter to Caesar and he reasons that Caesar may survive if the fates do not ally themselves with the conspirators.
Analysis
This short scene is tinged with irony. Artemidorus, a teacher of rhetoric, capable of grand and complex flourishes of speech, speaks most clearly and directly. His note to Caesar contains only facts, but has one great fault: For Caesar to acknowledge the facts, he has to admit that he is not a god, providing bloody sustenance to all of Rome, but a mere mortal. That he could never do.
This scene allows you to see another opinion of Caesar. Artemidorus is a Roman who loves Caesar and sees the conspirators as traitors. From this man's viewpoint, the reader gets a hint of the greatness that was once Caesar.
This scene also highlights the public nature of the conspiracy. Given that Artemidorus knows all about the conspirators and their plans, it is made clear that the latter have not kept quiet. Caesar is among the few who do not know what is about to happen.
Glossary
gives way allows conspiracy to take place.
out of the teeth of emulation beyond the reach of the envious.