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Cicero is a Roman senator who is renowned for his oratorical skills. He is one of the few ambiguous figures in Julius Caesar; it is difficult to determine where his allegiances truly lie. For instance, he speaks at Caesar’s triumphal parade and rejects Casca’s superstitious belief that there are dark times ahead, which could suggest that he is a Caesar sympathizer. However, Brutus wants to exclude him from the assassination plot not because he knows Cicero to be loyal to Caesar, but simply because he believes that Cicero is too arrogant to go along with someone else’s idea. In Act 1, Casca tells Brutus and Cassius that he could not understand what Cicero said during his parade speech because he spoke in Greek, indicative of Cicero’s role as one of the educated elite, as opposed to Latin. Casca’s inability to comprehend Cicero’s speech parallels the audience’s inability to ascertain Cicero’s loyalties. Cicero’s vague political affiliations are significant because they represent the uncertainty that accompanies periods of upheaval.
Additionally, Cicero is ultimately executed by Antony, Octavius, and Lepidus after Caesar's assassination. His murder highlights the cyclical nature of tyranny because Antony, Octavius, and Lepidus execute him not for taking part in the assassination, which they didn’t give him the opportunity to do, but because they fear he, with his oratorical skills, could be a threat to their rule. This shows that the new triumvirate is just as power-hungry as the man that they just replaced.
