The Tragedy of Julius Caesar · 19 speeches across 4 scenes
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A minor conspirator who helps recruit Brutus and proclaims Caesar's death.
Who they are
Cinna is one of the lesser conspirators, acting as a messenger and errand-runner. He delivers letters to Brutus and participates in the assassination, shouting 'Liberty! Freedom! Tyranny is dead!' His role is functional—to show the spread of the plot and the chaotic aftermath.
Playing them
Play Cinna with eager, nervous energy—he is devoutly anti-Caesar but lacks the gravitas of Cassius or Brutus. Speak the proclamation of freedom with raw exultation, then shift to bewilderment in his final line. His vocal quality should be light, as a contrast to the heavier leads.
Shakespeare the way it was meant to be had — out loud
These plays were written to be performed, not silently read. Yorick is a
rehearsal app that lets you perform them: you take a part in any of Shakespeare’s
38 plays, and Yorick reads every other role aloud, listens while you speak your
lines, keeps your place, and prompts you the moment you dry.
It is built for the person who has to be off book by tech week — school and
college productions, community theatre, festivals, drama students and classical
auditions — and for anyone who wants to hear a scene rather than skim it.
Alongside the performance you get a plain-English translation of every speech,
scene context, performance notes, and the ability to ask about any line and get
an answer that already knows the play, the scene and who is speaking.
The text is the public-domain Cambridge/Globe edition. Translations and notes
are AI-generated rehearsal aids for actors and students, not a scholarly
apparatus. Yorick runs in a browser with nothing to install, and on iPhone and
Android.