Yorick

Fourth Citizen

The Tragedy of Julius Caesar · 16 speeches across 2 scenes

A Roman citizen in the crowd, easily swayed and turning violent. Represents volatile public opinion.

Who they are

Plebeian 4 is one of the fickle mob of Roman commoners who first celebrate Caesar, then are swayed by Brutus, then incited to riot by Antony. This character has a distinct voice: initially pro-Brutus, then grows suspicious, then joins the lynching of Cinna the Poet. The arc moves from passive listener to active rioter.

Playing them

Show the character's shifting allegiance with vocal and physical changes: start with uncertain, eager questions, then build to aggressive, mob-fueled shouts. The transition from 'What does he say of Brutus?' to 'Tear him for his bad verses' is the key beat—let the voice rise in pitch and urgency. Physicality should go from craning to hear to pushing and grabbing.

Where they appear

Play Fourth Citizen

Take the part and Yorick reads every other role aloud, following you line by line as you speak.

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.