Julius Caesar: Act 3, Scene 3 Summary

Plot Summary / Storyline

• In the streets, a poet named Cinna is stopped by a mob angry about Caesar's murder.
• When they hear his name is Cinna, they think he is Cinna the conspirator.
• Even after he explains he is not that Cinna, they decide to kill him anyway "for his bad verses."

Commentary on Act 3, Scene 3

This short scene shows how far the crowd has fallen into blind rage; they no longer care about justice, only about violence.

Killing the wrong Cinna just because of his name shows how easily innocent people suffer when mobs take control.

Shakespeare here warns that once emotions are stirred up by clever leaders, reason disappears and society becomes cruel and unfair.

It also shows the dark side of Antony's success: he has won the crowd, but their anger now leads to mindless bloodshed.