CAESAR CAESAR

Are we all ready? What is now amiss Are we all ready? What problem should I
That Caesar and his senate must redress? discuss with you first?
METELLUS METELLUS
(kneeling) (kneeling) Most high, most mighty, and most
Most high, most mighty, and most powerful Caesar, Metellus Cimber kneels
puissant Caesar, before you with a humble heart—
Metellus Cimber throws before thy seat
An humble heart—
CAESAR CAESAR
I must prevent thee, Cimber. I have to stop you, Cimber. These kneelings
These couchings and these lowly and humble courtesies might excite ordinary
courtesies men, flattering them into turning Roman law
Might fire the blood of ordinary men into children’s games. But don’t be so foolish
And turn preordinance and first decree as to think you can sway me from what’s
Into the law of children. Be not fond, right by using the tactics that persuade fools
To think that Caesar bears such rebel —I mean this flattery, low bows, and puppy-
blood like fawning. Your brother has been
That will be thawed from the true quality banished by decree. If you kneel and beg and
With that which melteth fools—I mean, flatter for him, I’ll kick you out of my way like
sweet words, I would a dog. Know that I am not unjust,
Low-crookèd curtsies, and base spaniel and I will not grant him a pardon without
fawning. reason.
Thy brother by decree is banishèd.
If thou dost bend and pray and fawn for
him,
I spurn thee like a cur out of my way.
Know, Caesar doth not wrong, nor without
cause
Will he be satisfied.
METELLUS METELLUS
Is there no voice more worthy than my Is there no voice worthier than my own to
own appeal to Caesar to repeal the order that my
To sound more sweetly in great Caesar’s brother be banished?
ear
For the repealing of my banished brother?
BRUTUS BRUTUS
(kneeling) I kiss thy hand, but not in (kneeling) I kiss your hand, but not in
flattery, Caesar, flattery, Caesar. I ask you to repeal Publius
Desiring thee that Publius Cimber may Cimber’s banishment immediately.
Have an immediate freedom of repeal.
 CAESAR CAESAR
60 What, Brutus? What, even you, Brutus?
CASSIUS CASSIUS
(kneeling)Pardon, Caesar. Caesar, pardon. (kneeling) Pardon him, Caesar, pardon him. I fall to your feet to
As low as to thy foot doth Cassius fall beg you to restore Publius Cimber to citizenship.
To beg enfranchisement for Publius Cimber.
CAESAR CAESAR
I could be well moved if I were as you. I could be convinced if I were like you. If I could beg others to
If I could pray to move, prayers would move me. change their minds, begging would convince me, too. But I’m
65 But I am constant as the northern star, as immovable as the northern star, whose stable and
Of whose true-fixed and resting quality stationary quality has no equal in the sky. The sky shows
There is no fellow in the firmament. countless stars. They’re all made of fire, and each one shines.
The skies are painted with unnumbered sparks. But only one among all of them remains in a fixed position. So
They are all fire and every one doth shine, it is on earth. The world is full of men, and men are flesh and
70 But there’s but one in all doth hold his place. blood, and they are capable of reason. Yet out of all of them, I
So in the world. 'Tis furnished well with men, know only one who is unassailable, who never moves from his
And men are flesh and blood, and apprehensive, position. To show you that that’s me, let me prove it a little
Yet in the even in this case. I was firm in ordering that Cimber be
banished, and I remain firm in that decision.
75 That unassailable holds on his rank,
Unshaked of motion. And that I am he
Let me a little show it even in this:
That I was constant Cimber should be banished,
And constant do remain to keep him so.
CINNA CINNA
(kneeling) O Caesar— (kneeling) Oh, Caesar—
CAESAR CAESAR
80 Hence! Wilt thou lift up Olympus? Enough! Would you try to lift Mount Olympus?
DECIUS DECIUS
(kneeling) Great Caesar— (kneeling) Great Caesar—
CAESAR CAESAR
Doth not Brutus bootless kneel? Haven’t I resisted even Brutus, begging from his knees?
CASCA CASCA
Speak, hands, for me! Hands, speak for me!
 CASCA and the other conspirators stab CAESAR, BRUTUS last CASCA and the other conspirators
stab CAESAR. BRUTUS stabs him last.

CAESAR CAESAR
Et tu, Bruté?—Then fall, Caesar. And you too, Brutus? In that case,
(dies) die, Caesar.
(he dies)

CINNA CINNA
Liberty! Freedom! Tyranny is dead! Liberty! Freedom! Tyranny is dead!
Run hence, proclaim, cry it about the streets. Run and proclaim it in the streets.

CASSIUS CASSIUS
Some to the common pulpits, and cry out, Some should go to the public
“Liberty, freedom, and enfranchisement!” platforms and cry out, “Liberty,
freedom, and democracy!”
Enter ANTONY ANTONY enters.

BRUTUS BRUTUS
But here comes Antony.—Welcome, Mark But here comes Antony.—
Antony. Welcome, Mark Antony.

ANTONY ANTONY
O mighty Caesar! Dost thou lie so low? Oh, mighty Caesar! Do you lie
Are all thy conquests, glories, triumphs, spoils, so low? Have all your
Shrunk to this little measure? Fare thee well. conquests, glories, triumphs,
—I know not, gentlemen, what you intend, achievements, come to so
Who else must be let blood, who else is rank. little? Farewell. Gentlemen, I
don’t know what you intend
to do, who else you intend to
kill, who else you consider
corrupt.
ORIGINAL TEXT MODERN TEXT

If I myself, there is no hour so fit If it’s me, there’s no time as good

As Caesar’s death’s hour, nor no as this hour of Caesar’s death,
instrument and no weapon better than your
Of half that worth as those your swords, covered with the noblest
swords, made rich blood in the world. I ask you, if
With the most noble blood of all you have a grudge against me, to
this world. kill me now, while your stained
I do beseech ye, if you bear me hands still reek of blood. I could
hard, live a thousand years and I
Now, whilst your purpled hands wouldn’t be as ready to die as I
do reek and smoke, am now. There’s no place I’d
Fulfill your pleasure. Live a rather die than here by Caesar,
thousand years, and no manner of death would
I shall not find myself so apt to please me more than being
die. stabbed by you, the masters of
No place will please me so, no this new era.
mean of death,
As here by Caesar, and by you
cut off,
The choice and master spirits of
this age.
BRUTUS BRUTUS
O Antony, beg not your death of Oh, Antony, don’t beg us to kill
us. you. Though we seem bloody and
Though now we must appear cruel right now, with our bloody
bloody and cruel— hands and this deed we’ve done,
As by our hands and this our you’ve only seen our hands and
present act their bloody business; you haven’t
You see we do—yet see you but looked into our hearts. They are
our hands full of pity for Caesar. But a
And this the bleeding business stronger pity, for the wrongs
they have done. committed against Rome, drove
Our hearts you see not. They are out our pity for Caesar, as fire
pitiful. drives out fire, and so we killed
And pity to the general wrong of him. For you, our swords have
Rome— blunt edges, too dull to harm you,
As fire drives out fire, so pity pity Mark Antony. Our arms, which
— can be strong and cruel, and our
Hath done this deed on Caesar. hearts, filled with brotherly love,
For your part, embrace you with kind love, good
ORIGINAL TEXT MODERN TEXT

ANTONY ANTONY
I doubt not of your wisdom. I don’t doubt your wisdom. Each of you,
Let each man render me his bloody give me your bloody hand. (he shakes
hand. hands with the conspirators)First, Marcus
(shakes hands with the conspirators) Brutus, I shake your hand. Next, Caius
First, Marcus Brutus, will I shake with Cassius, I take your hand. Now, Decius
you. Brutus, yours. Now yours, Metellus.
—Next, Caius Cassius, do I take your Yours, Cinna. And yours, my brave
hand. Casca. Last but not least, yours, good
—Now, Decius Brutus, yours.—Now Trebonius. You are all gentlemen—alas,
yours, Metellus. what can I say? Now that I’ve shaken
—Yours, Cinna.—And, my valiant your hands, you’ll take me for either a
Casca, yours. coward or a flatterer—in either case, my
—Though last, not last in love, yours, credibility stands on slippery ground. It’s
good Trebonius. true that I loved you, Caesar—nothing
—Gentlemen all, alas, what shall I could be truer. If your spirit is looking
say? down upon us now, it must hurt you more
My credit now stands on such slippery than even your death to see your Antony
ground making peace—shaking the bloody hands
That one of two bad ways you must of your enemies—in front of your corpse.
conceit me, If I had as many eyes as you have
Either a coward or a flatterer wounds, and they wept as fast as your
—That I did love thee, Caesar, O, ’tis wounds stream blood—even that would
true. be more becoming than joining your
If then thy spirit look upon us now, enemies in friendship. Forgive me, Julius!
Shall it not grieve thee dearer than thy On this very spot you were hunted down,
death like a brave deer. And here you fell,
To see thy Antony making his peace, where your hunters are now standing.
Shaking the bloody fingers of thy foes The spot is marked by your death and
— stained by your blood. Oh world, you were
Most noble!—in the presence of thy the forest to this deer, and this deer, oh
corse? world, was your deer. Now you lie here,
Had I as many eyes as thou hast stabbed by many princes!
wounds,
Weeping as fast as they stream forth
thy blood,
It would become me better than to
close
In terms of friendship with thine
enemies.
Pardon me, Julius! Here wast thou
bayed, brave hart;
Here didst thou fall; and here thy
hunters stand,
Signed in thy spoil, and crimsoned in
thy lethe.
O world, thou wast the forest to this
hart,
And this indeed, O world, the heart of
thee.
How like a deer, strucken by many
princes,
Dost thou here lie!

CASSIUS CASSIUS
Mark Antony— Mark Antony—

ANTONY ANTONY
Pardon me, Caius Cassius. Pardon me, Caius Cassius. Even
The enemies of Caesar shall say this; Caesar’s enemies would say the same.
Then, in a friend, it is cold modesty. From a friend, it’s a cool assessment—no
more than that.

CASSIUS CASSIUS
I blame you not for praising Caesar so. I don’t blame you for praising Caesar like
But what compact mean you to have this, but what agreement do you intend to
with us? reach with us? Will you be counted as our
Will you be pricked in number of our friend, or should we proceed without
friends? depending on you?
Or shall we on, and not depend on you?
ANTONY ANTONY
Therefore I took your hands, but was I took your hands in friendship, but,
indeed indeed, I was distracted when I looked
Swayed from the point by looking down down at Caesar. I am friends with you all
on Caesar. and love you all, on one condition—that
Friends am I with you all and love you you prove to me that Caesar was
all dangerous.
Upon this hope: that you shall give me
reasons
Why and wherein Caesar was
dangerous.
BRUTUS BRUTUS
Or else were this a savage spectacle! Without that proof, this would’ve been a
Our reasons are so full of good regard savage action! Our reasons are so well
That were you, Antony, the son of considered that even if you, Antony, were
Caesar, Caesar’s son, you would be satisfied with
You should be satisfied. them.
ANTONY ANTONY
That’s all I seek. That’s all I ask—and that you let me carry
And am moreover suitor that I may his body to the marketplace and, as a
Produce his body to the marketplace, friend ought to do, stand on the platform
And in the pulpit, as becomes a friend, and give a proper funeral oration.
Speak in the order of his funeral.
BRUTUS BRUTUS
You shall, Mark Antony. You may, Mark Antony.
CASSIUS CASSIUS
Brutus, a word with you. Brutus, may I have a word with
(aside to BRUTUS) You know not what you? (speaking so that only BRUTUS can
you do. hear) You don’t know what you’re doing.
Do not consent Don’t let Antony speak at his funeral.
That Antony speak in his funeral. Don’t you know how much the people
Know you how much the people may be could be affected by what he says?
moved
By that which he will utter?
BRUTUS BRUTUS
(aside to CASSIUS)By your (speaking so that only CASSIUS can
pardon. hear) With your permission, I’ll stand on
I will myself into the pulpit first, the platform first and explain the reason
And show the reason of our Caesar’s for Caesar’s death.
death.
What Antony shall speak, I What Antony says, I’ll announce,
will protest, he says only by our permission
He speaks by leave and by and by our conviction that
permission, Caesar should be honored with
And that we are contented all the usual and lawful
Caesar shall ceremonies. It’ll help us more
Have all true rites and than hurt us.
lawful ceremonies.
It shall advantage more
than do us wrong.

CASSIUS CASSIUS
(aside to BRUTUS) I know (speaking so that
not what may fall. I like it only BRUTUS can hear) I’m
not. worried about the outcome of his
speech. I don’t like this plan.

BRUTUS BRUTUS
Mark Antony, here, take Mark Antony, take Caesar’s
you Caesar’s body. body. You will not blame us in
You shall not in your your funeral speech, but will say
funeral speech blame us, all the good you want to about
But speak all good you can Caesar and that you do it by our
devise of Caesar, permission. Otherwise, you’ll
And say you do ’t by our have no role at all in his funeral.
permission. And you’ll speak on the same
Else shall you not have any platform as I do, after I’m done.
hand at all
About his funeral. And you
shall speak
In the same pulpit whereto I
am going,
After my speech is ended.

ANTONY ANTONY
Be it so. So be it. I don’t want anything
I do desire no more. more.

BRUTUS BRUTUS
Prepare the body then, and Prepare the body, then, and
follow us. follow us.

Exeunt. Manet ANTONY Everyone

except ANTONY exits.

ANTONY ANTONY
O, pardon me, thou Oh, pardon me, you bleeding
bleeding piece of earth, corpse, for speaking politely and
That I am meek and gentle acting mildly with these
with these butchers! butchers! You are what’s left of
Thou art the ruins of the the noblest man that ever lived.
noblest man Pity the hand that shed this
That ever livèd in the tide of valuable blood. Over your
times. wounds—which, like speechless
Woe to the hand that shed mouths, open their red lips, as
this costly blood! though to beg me to speak—I
Over thy wounds now do I predict that a curse will fall upon
prophesy— the bodies of men.
 Which, like dumb mouths,
do ope their ruby lips
To beg the voice and
utterance of my tongue—
A curse shall light upon the
limbs of men.

Domestic fury and fierce civil strife

Shall cumber all the parts of Italy.
Blood and destruction shall be so in use,
And dreadful objects so familiar,
That mothers shall but smile when they behold
Their infants quartered with the hands of war,
All pity choked with custom of fell deeds,
And Caesar’s spirit, ranging for revenge,
With Ate by his side come hot from hell,
Shall in these confines with a monarch’s voice
Cry “Havoc!” and let slip the dogs of war,
That this foul deed shall smell above the earth
With carrion men, groaning for burial.

Fierce civil war will paralyze all of Italy. Blood and destruction will be so common and familiar that mothers will merely smile when
their infants are cut to pieces by the hands of war. People’s capacity for sympathy will grow tired and weak from the sheer quantity
of cruel deeds. And Caesar’s ghost, searching for revenge with the goddess ate by his side, just up from Hell, will cry in the voice of a
king, “Havoc!” and unleash the dogs of war. This foul deed will stink up to the sky with men’s corpses, which will beg to be buried.