Caesar has returned to Rome after beating Pompey in battle and the citizens of Rome have taken a holiday from work to celebrate. Two tribunes, Flavius and Marullus, are annoyed with the people and tell them that they have forgotten how much they loved Pompey and point out that Caesar hasn’t brought back any wealth or ‘conquests’.

Caesar is travelling through Rome with Antony and his supporters, on the way to a ceremonial race. A soothsayer calls out ‘Beware the Ides of March’ but Caesar ignores the warning.

Cassius and Brutus are alone. They both talk about their opinions of Caesar as a ruler and are worried he has too much power and has ‘grown so great’. Brutus promises to give their conversation more thought. Caesar re-enters with his procession and tells Antony that Cassius has a ‘lean and hungry look’.

After Caesar leaves, another senator called Casca enters and tells Brutus and Cassius that Antony offered Caesar a crown but Caesar refused it three times. Casca is not convinced by Caesar’s refusal saying, ‘to my thinking, he would fain have had it.’

In a soliloquy Cassius tells the audience that Brutus’ noble nature can be used against him. Cassius then meets with the conspirators Casca and Cinna to discuss the plot to stop Caesar.

Brutus cannot sleep. In a soliloquy, he tells the audience that he has nothing against Caesar but fears Caesar’s ambition will be dangerous for Rome. Cassius comes to see him with the rest of the conspirators and they decide to go with Caesar to the Capitol the next day and murder him there. Cassius says they should kill Antony too but Brutus says ‘Let’s be sacrificers, but not butchers’.

Portia, Brutus' wife, comes in after the conspirators leave. She is worried that Brutus is not eating or sleeping and urges him to share his ‘cause of grief'. Brutus promises to tell her what is happening very soon.

Caesar’s wife, Calphurnia, warns Caesar to stay at home and not go to the Senate because she has dreamt about his murder. Caesar then says he won’t go to the Capitol but Decius, another conspirator, arrives and tells him the Senate are going to give ‘a crown to mighty Caesar’ and will think he’s a coward if he stays at home. Caesar then changes his mind and goes with Decius.

Caesar arrives at the Capitol, with the conspirators. Cassius worries that the plot will go wrong but Brutus reassures him. They all kneel before Caesar and then stab him to death together. Caesar is shocked to see his friend Brutus among the murderers asking, ‘Et tu, Bruté?’ as he dies.

The conspirators congratulate themselves on their historic deed shouting, 'Tyranny is dead!’ Brutus tells them to 'bathe' their hands in Caesar’s blood. A servant enters with a message from Antony asking to speak with them in safety. Brutus agrees, saying Antony will be unharmed.

Antony enters and shakes hands with the conspirators. Brutus says he will tell the people why he murdered Caesar at his funeral and agrees to let Antony speak after him. Cassius warns Brutus the people ‘may be mov’d’ by Antony but Brutus thinks he will win them over if he talks first. Left alone, Antony apologises to Caesar for being ‘meek and gentle with these butchers’ and says Caesar’s spirit will seek ‘revenge’.

At Caesar’s funeral, the citizens of Rome demand an explanation for Caesar’s murder. Brutus speaks with logic and reason, asking them if they would ‘rather Caesar were living, and die all slaves, than that Caesar were dead, to live all freemen?’ The crowd seem satisfied and Brutus leaves. Then Antony comes in with Caesar’s body and shows Caesar’s wounds to the crowd. He reads his will out loud, telling them that Caesar has left money and land to the people. The crowd turn against Brutus and the conspirators run away.

The angry mob takes to the streets, hunting Caesar’s murderers. They surround an innocent man called Cinna who has the same name as one of the conspirators. Cinna protests that he is a poet, not a conspirator, but the crowd ignore this and tear him apart with their bare hands saying ‘His name’s Cinna. / Pluck but his name out of his heart’.

With the conspirators gone and the streets in chaos, Antony becomes the temporary ruler of Rome. He forms a Triumvirate with Caesar’s heir Octavius and a senator called Lepidus and the three men plan to defeat the conspirators.

At the conspirators’ camp, Cassius accuses Brutus of dishonouring him. Brutus is angry and accuses Cassius of being greedy. The row gets heated and personal with Brutus challenging Cassius to kill him and saying ‘Strike as thou didst at Caesar’. Eventually they both calm down and remain friends and Brutus tells Cassius he is upset because his wife Portia has killed herself.

Brutus has learned that Antony and Octavius are on their way to Philippi. Cassius says they should let the enemy come to them as this will tire them out but Brutus disagrees. He wants to march on Philippi while the time is right, saying ‘There is a tide in the affairs of men / Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune’. Cassius agrees and leaves for his own camp.

As his men sleep, Brutus is visited by the ghost of Caesar. The ghost claims to be an ‘evil spirit’. It vanishes before Brutus can talk with it properly.

Antony and Octavius are disagreeing over tactics when Brutus and Cassius arrive with their armies. The two sets of leaders insult each other, with Cassius calling Octavius ‘A peevish schoolboy, worthless of such honour’. Octavius and Antony then lead their armies away.

Cassius is uneasy before battle. He tells Messala he has seen several omens on their march including ‘ravens, crows, and kites’ which look down at them like ‘sickly prey’. Brutus vows he will not be taken away to Rome as a prisoner. They say goodbye and go into battle.

Whilst Brutus attacks Octavius’ army, Cassius’ army is surrounded. Cassius hears an inaccurate report that his troops are defeated so he orders his servant to kill him, saying 'Caesar, thou art revenged’. His body is found and word is sent to Brutus about his suicide.

Brutus rallies his men and goes back into the fighting. Eventually, Brutus admits defeat. When none of his men will agree to kill him, he uses his own sword to commit suicide.

Brutus dies as Antony and Octavius arrive. Antony calls Brutus ‘the noblest Roman of them all’, saying that Brutus was the only conspirator that killed Caesar for the ‘common good'. He says that Brutus will be given the honourable burial of a soldier.