Read the excerpt from act 3, scene 2, of Julius Caesar. [ANTONY.] But here’s a parchment with the seal of Caesar; I found it in
his closet. 'Tis his will. Let but the commons hear this testament— Which, pardon me, I do not mean to read— And they would go and kiss dead Caesar’s wounds, And dip their napkins in his sacred blood, Yea, beg a hair of him for memory, And, dying, mention it within their wills, Bequeathing it as a rich legacy Unto their issue. What is the best summary of this monologue? Antony incites anger in the people by displaying and reading Caesar’s will to show how rich Caesar has become as the leader of Rome. Antony suggests that the people go to Caesar’s body to collect relics that they can pass down to their younger family members. Antony displays Caesar’s will and says that if the people read it, they would worship Caesar so much that they would want something from him to worship as a relic. Antony has Caesar’s will, but does not read it to the crowd, because further evidence of Caesar’s generosity would upset the people even more.
Antony displays Caesar’s will and says that if the people read it, they would worship Caesar so much that they would want something from him to worship as a relic.
In Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar," Antony refuses to read Caesar's will at first because he believes Romans will be so deeply moved that their reverence for him would make them kiss Ceasar's wounds, diptheir napkins in is blood and take his hair as a costly object to pass from generation to generation. Actually, Antony later reveals that in his will Caesar has left an amount of money from his own to every man in Rome.
