Grab whatever copy of Julius Caesar you happen to have handy. (The best editions are the Arden Shakespeare, like this one, as they contain historical and literary appendices.)
The play opens on a street in Rome, with a couple of Tribunes, Flavius and Marullus. The institution of the Tribune was created to protect the plebeians from the patricians. The Tribunes had a veto over the laws of the Senate and they were protected so that the Senators could not accost them. In Shakespeare’s Coriolanus we see them formed.
In this scene we see that the Tribunes are hostile both to Caesar and the plebeians; they are hostile to those they are supposed to protect. We can gather from this that Caesar has risen above the other patricians and that the plebs are on the side of Caesar.
It seems to be in the nature of people to be attracted to strong men Moreover, we also see that Caesar was not the only option – there was also Pompey.
What we see in the opening scene is that great men are having an influence on Roman politics, and each of them was a famous general who had been out there conquering for the glory of Rome – the longer they stayed out in the field battling, the more loyal their armies became to the general as opposed to the Republic. This is obviously bad for Rome. Now both generals started back towards Rome with their army and they were not supposed to cross the Rubicon, but Caesar did. The Tribunes are pro-Pompey, not pro-plebeian, probably because they are pro-republic, and the plebs are showing themselves to be no longer capable of self-rule. There are many indications throughout the play that the republic is having difficulties maintaining itself as a republic. The forces of republicanism essentially pushed ‘all-in’ with Pompey, but with Caesar’s victory over his sons, which just occurred, he has defeated his last opponents. All that remains for the forces of republicanism, then, is assassination.
The first time we get a chance to see Caesar interacting with the leader of the conspiracy – Cassius – we see that Caesar know him well: he sees something dangerous in him, he knows things, he understands things; Caesar sees clearly, he is an excellent judge of character.
To return to the scene: the Tribunes, or at least one of them, has forgotten that it was a holiday – note Caesar picked a holiday to make his first appearance. This is an addition by Shakespeare, in Plutarch they were separated by a month. Caesar, thereby, transforms a traditional holiday into a celebration of himself; he understood that the people would be out in force, that they will come to see Caesar, that they won’t be at work.
We see the Tribunes referring to the people as tradesmen and not a citizens – is this because they are coming to be seen as merely plebeian and no longer as participants in the regime? You might want to ask why the Tribunes are pro-Pompey; why do they not like Caesar? He has stolen their constituency from them. You should also begin to think about what happens when the people lose faith in their elected representatives and come to favor one strong man.
At the end of the scene, the Tribunes take down the scarves. In Plutarch they were jailed for this, but here in Shakespeare they are put to silence – this happens immediately and behind the scenes, showing that Caesar was already in control of what is happening in Rome. When Shakespeare departs from his sources in this way, it is worth asking why. In this case, he might be enhancing his Caesar in comparison to the historical Caesar and thereby hinting at how an aspiring Caesar might improve upon the example of his namesake.