Oh, I'm sorry. Did you think Antony's speech-making ended after the whole "friends, Romans, countrymen" bit? Oh no. Oh no he's JUST GETTING STARTED.
Mark Antony: master of mass emotional manipulation.
Julius Caesar: Act 3, Scene 2 (part 2)
HERE IT IS. THE LINE. THE SPEECH.
You probably had to memorize this speech for school sometime, but don't let that put you off it. It's actually a REALLY GOOD SPEECH. There are lots of fun versions of it on YouTube. Here's Marlon Brando from the 1953 film:
Julius Caesar: Act 3, Scene 2 (part 1)
OK, let's get those speeches started! First we have Brutus's prose preaching:
It's kind of a pity Brutus's speech is often overshadowed by The Big Speech that follows it, because it's really very good. You 100% believe Brutus's sincerity and good intentions. Too bad he didn't listen to Cassius about Antony...
Speaking of Cassius, we never hear what he says to the angry mob he is delegated to speak with. What did he say? Was he as convincing as Brutus? Did it work to placate the mob or did they throw tomatoes at him? Theories on the back of a postcard, please.
Julius Caesar: Act 3, Scene 1 (part 4)
OK, let's wrap up the Assassination scene so we can move on to the Everyone Making Big Speeches scene.
I love the Servant who comes on here and has an emotional breakdown at the sight of Caesar's body. One of the better spearcarrier roles in Shakespeare, in my opinion.
Tune in next week for SPEECHES! Lots of SPEECHES! They're REALLY GOOD SPEECHES.
Julius Caesar: Act 3, Scene 1 (part 3)
Yep, we're still here, in the Capitol, with a dead body on the ground. Get used to it.
Julius Caesar isn't exactly packed with laughs, but as far as I'm concerned, Cassius's line "Brutus, a word with you" is the most hilarious line in the entire play.
Julius Caesar: Act 3, Scene 1 (part 2)
WE'RE HERE. IT'S HAPPENING.
It's really interesting how comparatively silent Caesar's assassination is. Apart from Casca, nobody says anything until after Caesar is dead. Usually in Shakespeare people say things like "Take that!" or "There's for you!" or just plain "DIE" when they stab someone, but the conspirators are all business here.
Anyways. Everything is going to go massively downhill now. I'm sure this doesn't come as a shock to you.
Julius Caesar: Act 3, Scene 1 (part 1)
WE'RE HERE. FASTEN YOUR SEATBELTS, IT'S GOING TO BE A BUMPY ACT.
LOOK BEHIND YOU, CAESAR.
Giving Tuesday
It's Giving Tuesday! If you can, take the time today to donate to the charity or non-profit of your choice. I'm a big fan of supporting local arts practitioners, so I will be donating to Shakespeare in Detroit, my local Shakespeare company.
I will also be donating to the Redeeming Time Project, a labour of love and compassion by a friend of mine which runs rehabilitative theatrical arts workshops (including a lot of Shakespeare) with the incarcerated in Minnesota.
There are more groups doing great theatrical and community work out there than I can possibly name here. If there is a group near and dear to your heart, leave a note in the comments or share it with me on Twitter and I'll endeavor to spread the word today.
Shakespeare Quotes For Thanksgiving
It's Thanksgiving in America! Here are some handy Shakespeare quotes for you to use.
You can also check out my exposé of the (in)famous "thanks, and thanks, and ever thanks" quote.
This is the fifth Thanksgiving to pass me by since I started Good Tickle Brain, so once again I'd like to thank all of you for reading and supporting this little comic. It's been so much fun, and I look forward to thanking you on many more Thanksgivings to come.
A special shout-out, as always, to my supporters on Patreon, who have helped make it possible for me to work on Good Tickle Brain full time. I really appreciate all of your support. It makes a difference, believe me!
Of course, you know what Thanksgiving also means...
Black Friday at the Good Tickle Shoppe!
Just a reminder that starting tomorrow, November 24, at 12:00am EST, everything in the Good Tickle Shoppe will be 20% OFF if you use the incredibly imaginative discount code BLACKFRIDAY2017 at checkout! The code is good through 11:50pm EST on Monday, November 27.
All sizes of my Complete Works t-shirt (spotted at major Shakespeare theatres around the world) back in stock...
...and I have TWO new comic books! The first is the second edition of my Complete Works of Shakespeare in Three Panels Each comic book, with updated illustrations and text...
...and the second is my BRAND NEW collection of A Stick Figure Romeo and Juliet, featuring all my Romeo and Juliet scene-by-scene comics with exclusive additional commentary! It's at the printer right now, but will be in stock in time for Black Friday. Here's a sneek peek:
Plus, of course, my flowchart poster, Macbeth comic book, Complete Works tank top and various other t-shirts are also available.
So, to recap:
WHO: You!
WHAT: 20% off everything Black Friday sale!
WHERE: The Good Tickle Shoppe!
WHEN: Friday, November 24 through Monday, November 27!
WHY: Because you need holiday gifts and I need to sell this stuff!
HOW: Use the code BLACKFRIDAY2017 at checkout!