I am a bit confused by this part.

Question

The exhalations whizzing in the air
Give so much light that I may read by them.
(opens the letter and reads)
“Brutus, thou sleep'st. Awake, and see thyself.
Shall Rome, etc. Speak, strike, redress!”
“Brutus, thou sleep'st. Awake.”
Such instigations have been often dropped
Where I have took them up.
—“Shall Rome, etc.” Thus must I piece it out:
“Shall Rome stand under one man's awe?” What, Rome?
My ancestors did from the streets of Rome
The Tarquin drive when he was called a king.
—“Speak, strike, redress!” Am I entreated
To speak and strike? O Rome, I make thee promise,
If the redress will follow, thou receivest
Thy full petition at the hand of Brutus!

Is Brutus actually speaking in this or is he reading the letters aloud?

I thought that most of these were letters but the one part Brutus said was :

To speak and strike? O Rome, I make thee promise,
If the redress will follow, thou receivest
Thy full petition at the hand of Brutus!

Is the part above part of the letters or is it said by Brutus??

Thank you for using the Jiskha Homework Help Forum. When it comes to literature, be sure to always give the title, author and section. Here are 2 sites to help you research your question:

http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/juliuscaesar/section1.html

http://www.cliffsnotes.com/WileyCDA/LitNote/id-43.html

Shakespeare frequently had characters speak in monologues ( http://www.google.com/search?q=shakespeare+monologues&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sourceid=ie7 ) or read letters as methods for letting the audience in on background or private thoughts or other elements not able to be conveyed by actions and dialogue.

=)