A Dead Poet’s Society: The Thematic Significance of Cinna’s Death in Julius Caesar.

Authors

Brian PulverentiFollow

Abstract

In this paper, I examine the scene of Cinna’s death in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. I argue that more than just portraying the horrors of mob rule, the scene of Cinna’s death specifically implicates mob rule because of its tendency to undermine the value of the traditional Roman naming system. Ultimately, Cinna’s death is best understood as a thematic analogue to Brutus’ death because they both similarly illustrate the rule of violence in the absence of respect for the power of names.

Recommended Citation

Pulverenti, Brian (2019) "A Dead Poet’s Society: The Thematic Significance of Cinna’s Death in Julius Caesar.," Locus: The Seton Hall Journal of Undergraduate Research: Vol. 2, Article 6.
Available at: https://scholarship.shu.edu/locus/vol2/iss1/6