Julius Caesar: Act 5, Scene 2 Summary

Plot Summary / Storyline

• Brutus and Messala are on the battlefield during the fighting.
• Brutus notices that Octavius' forces look weak and seem to have lost their spirit.
• He orders Messala to ride to Cassius and tell him to attack Octavius' forces now, while they are vulnerable.
• Brutus believes a sudden strong attack will defeat Octavius completely.
• Messala rides off to carry the orders; Brutus exits to lead his own troops.

Commentary on Act 5, Scene 2

This is a very short scene (only about six lines), but it is crucial because it shows a military decision that will have tragic consequences. Brutus sees weakness in Octavius' forces and decides to attack with all of Cassius' strength at that moment.

However, this aggressive move, though it succeeds against Octavius, leaves Cassius and his own forces completely open to attack from Antony's side. Brutus is no longer the careful, thoughtful man of Act 2; now he acts with urgent, perhaps even reckless, speed.

The scene shows that Brutus has accepted his defeat is coming (as Caesar's ghost warned him) and is no longer playing the long game. Instead, he is fighting moment by moment, trying to win what he can. This loss of overall strategy will lead to disaster.

The irony is that while Brutus wins against Octavius through this bold order, Cassius loses against Antony in the other part of the battlefield, and the consequences of that loss are far greater than Brutus' small victory.