Julius Caesar: Act 1, Scene 2

Beware the Ides of March.

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ACT 1

Scene 2

Enter Caesar, Antony for the course, Calphurnia, Portia,
Decius, Cicero, Brutus, Cassius, Casca, a Soothsayer;
after them Marullus and Flavius and Commoners.

CAESAR
Calphurnia.

CASCA Peace, ho! Caesar speaks.

CAESAR Calphurnia.

CALPHURNIA Here, my lord.

CAESAR
Stand you directly in Antonius’ way 5
When he doth run his course.—Antonius.

ANTONY Caesar, my lord.

CAESAR
Forget not in your speed, Antonius,
To touch Calphurnia, for our elders say
The barren, touchèd in this holy chase, 10
Shake off their sterile curse.

ANTONY I shall remember.
When Caesar says “Do this,” it is performed.

CAESAR
Set on and leave no ceremony out. Sennet.

SOOTHSAYER Caesar. 15

CAESAR Ha! Who calls?

CASCA
Bid every noise be still. Peace, yet again!

CAESAR
Who is it in the press that calls on me?
I hear a tongue shriller than all the music
Cry “Caesar.” Speak. Caesar is turned to hear. 20

SOOTHSAYER
Beware the ides of March.

CAESAR What man is that?

BRUTUS
A soothsayer bids you beware the ides of March.

CAESAR
Set him before me. Let me see his face.

CASSIUS
Fellow, come from the throng. 25

The Soothsayer comes forward.

Look upon Caesar.

CAESAR
What sayst thou to me now? Speak once again.

SOOTHSAYER Beware the ides of March.

CAESAR
He is a dreamer. Let us leave him. Pass.

Sennet. All but Brutus and Cassius exit.

CASSIUS
Will you go see the order of the course? 30

BRUTUS Not I.

CASSIUS I pray you, do.

BRUTUS
I am not gamesome. I do lack some part
Of that quick spirit that is in Antony.
Let me not hinder, Cassius, your desires. 35
I’ll leave you.

CASSIUS
Brutus, I do observe you now of late.
I have not from your eyes that gentleness
And show of love as I was wont to have.
You bear too stubborn and too strange a hand 40
Over your friend that loves you.

BRUTUS Cassius,
Be not deceived. If I have veiled my look,
I turn the trouble of my countenance
Merely upon myself. Vexèd I am 45
Of late with passions of some difference,
Conceptions only proper to myself,
Which give some soil, perhaps, to my behaviors.
But let not therefore my good friends be grieved
(Among which number, Cassius, be you one) 50
Nor construe any further my neglect
Than that poor Brutus, with himself at war,
Forgets the shows of love to other men.

CASSIUS
Then, Brutus, I have much mistook your passion,
By means whereof this breast of mine hath buried 55
Thoughts of great value, worthy cogitations.
Tell me, good Brutus, can you see your face?

BRUTUS
No, Cassius, for the eye sees not itself
But by reflection, by some other things.

CASSIUS ’Tis just. 60
And it is very much lamented, Brutus,
That you have no such mirrors as will turn
Your hidden worthiness into your eye,
That you might see your shadow. I have heard
Where many of the best respect in Rome, 65
Except immortal Caesar, speaking of Brutus
And groaning underneath this age’s yoke,
Have wished that noble Brutus had his eyes.

BRUTUS
Into what dangers would you lead me, Cassius,
That you would have me seek into myself 70
For that which is not in me?

CASSIUS
Therefore, good Brutus, be prepared to hear.
And since you know you cannot see yourself
So well as by reflection, I, your glass,
Will modestly discover to yourself 75
That of yourself which you yet know not of.
And be not jealous on me, gentle Brutus.
Were I a common laughter, or did use
To stale with ordinary oaths my love
To every new protester; if you know 80
That I do fawn on men and hug them hard
And after scandal them, or if you know
That I profess myself in banqueting
To all the rout, then hold me dangerous.

Flourish and shout.

BRUTUS
What means this shouting? I do fear the people 85
Choose Caesar for their king.

CASSIUS Ay, do you fear it?
Then must I think you would not have it so.

BRUTUS
I would not, Cassius, yet I love him well.
But wherefore do you hold me here so long? 90
What is it that you would impart to me?
If it be aught toward the general good,
Set honor in one eye and death i’ th’ other
And I will look on both indifferently;
For let the gods so speed me as I love 95
The name of honor more than I fear death.

CASSIUS
I know that virtue to be in you, Brutus,
As well as I do know your outward favor.
Well, honor is the subject of my story.
I cannot tell what you and other men 100
Think of this life; but, for my single self,
I had as lief not be as live to be
In awe of such a thing as I myself.
I was born free as Caesar; so were you;
We both have fed as well, and we can both 105
Endure the winter’s cold as well as he.
For once, upon a raw and gusty day,
The troubled Tiber chafing with her shores,
Caesar said to me “Dar’st thou, Cassius, now
Leap in with me into this angry flood 110
And swim to yonder point?” Upon the word,
Accoutered as I was, I plungèd in
And bade him follow; so indeed he did.
The torrent roared, and we did buffet it
With lusty sinews, throwing it aside 115
And stemming it with hearts of controversy.
But ere we could arrive the point proposed,
Caesar cried “Help me, Cassius, or I sink!”
I, as Aeneas, our great ancestor,
Did from the flames of Troy upon his shoulder 120
The old Anchises bear, so from the waves of Tiber
Did I the tired Caesar. And this man
Is now become a god, and Cassius is
A wretched creature and must bend his body
If Caesar carelessly but nod on him. 125
He had a fever when he was in Spain,
And when the fit was on him, I did mark
How he did shake. ’Tis true, this god did shake.
His coward lips did from their color fly,
And that same eye whose bend doth awe the world 130
Did lose his luster. I did hear him groan.
Ay, and that tongue of his that bade the Romans
Mark him and write his speeches in their books,
“Alas,” it cried “Give me some drink, Titinius”
As a sick girl. You gods, it doth amaze me 135
A man of such a feeble temper should
So get the start of the majestic world
And bear the palm alone.

Shout. Flourish.

BRUTUS Another general shout!
I do believe that these applauses are 140
For some new honors that are heaped on Caesar.

CASSIUS
Why, man, he doth bestride the narrow world
Like a Colossus, and we petty men
Walk under his huge legs and peep about
To find ourselves dishonorable graves. 145
Men at some time are masters of their fates.
The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars,
But in ourselves, that we are underlings.
“Brutus” and “Caesar”—what should be in that
“Caesar”? 150
Why should that name be sounded more than
yours?
Write them together, yours is as fair a name;
Sound them, it doth become the mouth as well;
Weigh them, it is as heavy; conjure with ’em, 155
“Brutus” will start a spirit as soon as “Caesar.”
Now, in the names of all the gods at once,
Upon what meat doth this our Caesar feed
That he is grown so great? Age, thou art shamed!
Rome, thou hast lost the breed of noble bloods! 160
When went there by an age, since the great flood,
But it was famed with more than with one man?
When could they say, till now, that talked of Rome,
That her wide walks encompassed but one man?
Now is it Rome indeed, and room enough 165
When there is in it but one only man.
O, you and I have heard our fathers say
There was a Brutus once that would have brooked
Th’ eternal devil to keep his state in Rome
As easily as a king. 170

BRUTUS
That you do love me, I am nothing jealous.
What you would work me to, I have some aim.
How I have thought of this, and of these times,
I shall recount hereafter. For this present,
I would not, so with love I might entreat you, 175
Be any further moved. What you have said
I will consider; what you have to say
I will with patience hear, and find a time
Both meet to hear and answer such high things.
Till then, my noble friend, chew upon this: 180
Brutus had rather be a villager
Than to repute himself a son of Rome
Under these hard conditions as this time
Is like to lay upon us.

CASSIUS I am glad that my weak words 185
Have struck but thus much show of fire from
Brutus.

Enter Caesar and his train.

BRUTUS
The games are done, and Caesar is returning.

CASSIUS
As they pass by, pluck Casca by the sleeve,
And he will, after his sour fashion, tell you 190
What hath proceeded worthy note today.

BRUTUS
I will do so. But look you, Cassius,
The angry spot doth glow on Caesar’s brow,
And all the rest look like a chidden train.
Calphurnia’s cheek is pale, and Cicero 195
Looks with such ferret and such fiery eyes
As we have seen him in the Capitol,
Being crossed in conference by some senators.

CASSIUS
Casca will tell us what the matter is.

CAESAR Antonius. 200

ANTONY Caesar.

CAESAR
Let me have men about me that are fat,
Sleek-headed men, and such as sleep a-nights.
Yond Cassius has a lean and hungry look.
He thinks too much. Such men are dangerous. 205

ANTONY
Fear him not, Caesar; he’s not dangerous.
He is a noble Roman, and well given.

CAESAR
Would he were fatter! But I fear him not.
Yet if my name were liable to fear,
I do not know the man I should avoid 210
So soon as that spare Cassius. He reads much,
He is a great observer, and he looks
Quite through the deeds of men. He loves no plays,
As thou dost, Antony; he hears no music;
Seldom he smiles, and smiles in such a sort 215
As if he mocked himself and scorned his spirit
That could be moved to smile at anything.
Such men as he be never at heart’s ease
Whiles they behold a greater than themselves,
And therefore are they very dangerous. 220
I rather tell thee what is to be feared
Than what I fear; for always I am Caesar.
Come on my right hand, for this ear is deaf,
And tell me truly what thou think’st of him.

Sennet. Caesar and his train exit
but Casca remains behind.

CASCA You pulled me by the cloak. Would you speak 225
with me?

BRUTUS
Ay, Casca. Tell us what hath chanced today
That Caesar looks so sad.

CASCA Why, you were with him, were you not?

BRUTUS
I should not then ask Casca what had chanced. 230

CASCA Why, there was a crown offered him; and, being
offered him, he put it by with the back of his hand,
thus, and then the people fell a-shouting.

BRUTUS What was the second noise for?

CASCA Why, for that too. 235

CASSIUS
They shouted thrice. What was the last cry for?

CASCA Why, for that too.

BRUTUS Was the crown offered him thrice?

CASCA Ay, marry, was ’t, and he put it by thrice, every
time gentler than other; and at every putting-by, 240
mine honest neighbors shouted.

CASSIUS Who offered him the crown?

CASCA Why, Antony.

BRUTUS
Tell us the manner of it, gentle Casca.

CASCA I can as well be hanged as tell the manner of it. 245
It was mere foolery; I did not mark it. I saw Mark
Antony offer him a crown (yet ’twas not a crown
neither; ’twas one of these coronets), and, as I told
you, he put it by once; but for all that, to my
thinking, he would fain have had it. Then he offered 250
it to him again; then he put it by again; but to my
thinking, he was very loath to lay his fingers off it.
And then he offered it the third time. He put it the
third time by, and still as he refused it the rabblement
hooted and clapped their chopped hands and 255
threw up their sweaty nightcaps and uttered such a
deal of stinking breath because Caesar refused the
crown that it had almost choked Caesar, for he
swooned and fell down at it. And for mine own part,
I durst not laugh for fear of opening my lips and 260
receiving the bad air.

CASSIUS
But soft, I pray you. What, did Caesar swoon?

CASCA He fell down in the marketplace and foamed at
mouth and was speechless.

BRUTUS
’Tis very like; he hath the falling sickness. 265

CASSIUS
No, Caesar hath it not; but you and I
And honest Casca, we have the falling sickness.

CASCA I know not what you mean by that, but I am
sure Caesar fell down. If the tag-rag people did not
clap him and hiss him, according as he pleased and 270
displeased them, as they use to do the players in the
theater, I am no true man.

BRUTUS
What said he when he came unto himself?

CASCA Marry, before he fell down, when he perceived
the common herd was glad he refused the crown, 275
he plucked me ope his doublet and offered them his
throat to cut. An I had been a man of any occupation,
if I would not have taken him at a word, I
would I might go to hell among the rogues. And so
he fell. When he came to himself again, he said if he 280
had done or said anything amiss, he desired their
Worships to think it was his infirmity. Three or four
wenches where I stood cried “Alas, good soul!” and
forgave him with all their hearts. But there’s no
heed to be taken of them; if Caesar had stabbed 285
their mothers, they would have done no less.

BRUTUS
And, after that, he came thus sad away?

CASCA Ay.

CASSIUS Did Cicero say anything?

CASCA Ay, he spoke Greek. 290

CASSIUS To what effect?

CASCA Nay, an I tell you that, I’ll ne’er look you i’ th’
face again. But those that understood him smiled at
one another and shook their heads. But for mine
own part, it was Greek to me. I could tell you more 295
news too: Marullus and Flavius, for pulling scarves
off Caesar’s images, are put to silence. Fare you
well. There was more foolery yet, if I could remember
it.

CASSIUS Will you sup with me tonight, Casca? 300

CASCA No, I am promised forth.

CASSIUS Will you dine with me tomorrow?

CASCA Ay, if I be alive, and your mind hold, and your
dinner worth the eating.

CASSIUS Good. I will expect you. 305

CASCA Do so. Farewell both. He exits.

BRUTUS
What a blunt fellow is this grown to be!
He was quick mettle when he went to school.

CASSIUS
So is he now in execution
Of any bold or noble enterprise, 310
However he puts on this tardy form.
This rudeness is a sauce to his good wit,
Which gives men stomach to digest his words
With better appetite.

BRUTUS
And so it is. For this time I will leave you. 315
Tomorrow, if you please to speak with me,
I will come home to you; or, if you will,
Come home to me, and I will wait for you.

CASSIUS
I will do so. Till then, think of the world.

Brutus exits.

Well, Brutus, thou art noble. Yet I see 320
Thy honorable mettle may be wrought
From that it is disposed. Therefore it is meet
That noble minds keep ever with their likes;
For who so firm that cannot be seduced?
Caesar doth bear me hard, but he loves Brutus. 325
If I were Brutus now, and he were Cassius,
He should not humor me. I will this night
In several hands in at his windows throw,
As if they came from several citizens,
Writings, all tending to the great opinion 330
That Rome holds of his name, wherein obscurely
Caesar’s ambition shall be glancèd at
And after this, let Caesar seat him sure,
For we will shake him, or worse days endure.

He exits.