Scene II

[A public place.]

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

CAESAR:

Calpurnia!

CAESAR:

Calpurnia,—

CASCA:

Peace, ho! Caesar speaks.

CASCA:

Peace, oh! Caesar speaks.

CAESAR:

Calpurnia!

CAESAR:

Calpurnia,—

CALPURNIA:

Here, my lord.

CALPURNIA:

I’m here, my lord.

CAESAR:

Stand you directly in Antonio's way,(5)
When he doth run his course. Antonio!

CAESAR:

Stand directly in Antony’s way,
When he runs his course.—Antony,—

ANTONY:

Caesar, my lord?

ANTONY:

Caesar, my lord?

CAESAR:

Forget not, in your speed, Antonio,
To touch Calpurnia, for our elders say,
The barren, touched in this holy chase,(10)
Shake off their sterile curse.

CAESAR:

Don’t run so fast, Antony, that you forget
To touch Calpurnia; because, as our elders say,
That a woman unable to get pregnant
Can become pregnant if the lead runner touches them.

ANTONY:

I shall remember.
When Caesar says “Do this,” it is perform'd.

ANTONY:

I’ll remember.
When Caesar says, "Do this," I do it.

CAESAR:

Set on, and leave no ceremony out.

CAESAR:

Go on, and don’t leave any ritual out.

SOOTHSAYER:

Caesar!(15)

SOOTHSAYER:

Caesar!

CAESAR:

Ha! Who calls?

CAESAR:

Ha! Who calls?

CASCA:

Bid every noise be still. Peace yet again!

CASCA:

Everyone, quiet.— Peace!

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 turn'd to hear.(20)

CAESAR:

Who’s calling for me?
I hear a voice that is more shrill than all the music
Yelling, "Caesar"! Speak, I’m listening.

SOOTHSAYER:

Beware the ides of March.

SOOTHSAYER:

Beware the Ides of March.

CAESAR:

What man is that?

CAESAR:

Who is that man?

BRUTUS:

A soothsayer bids you beware the ides of March.

BRUTUS:

A man who can tell the future is telling you to beware March 15.

CAESAR:

Set him before me; let me see his face.

CAESAR:

Bring him here; let me see his face.

CASSIUS:

Fellow, come from the throng; look upon Caesar.(25)

CASSIUS:

Fellow, come here; look at Caesar.

CAESAR:

What say'st thou to me now? Speak once again.

CAESAR:

What do you say to me now? Speak again.

SOOTHSAYER:

Beware the ides of March.

SOOTHSAYER:

Beware the Ides of March.

CAESAR:

He is a dreamer; let us leave him. Pass.

CAESAR:

He’s a dreamer; let’s get away from him. Let’s go.

Sennet. Exeunt [all but] Brutus and Cassius.]

CASSIUS:

Will you go see the order of the course?

CASSIUS:

Will you go see the order of the winners of the race?

BRUTUS:

Not I.(30)

BRUTUS:

Not I.

CASSIUS:

I pray you, do.

CASSIUS:

Please, go see it.

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;
I'll leave you.(35)

BRUTUS:

I don’t like games; I lack some part
Of that quick spirit that Antony has.
Don’t let me hold you up, Cassius, go if you like;
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
Over your friend that loves you.(40)

CASSIUS:

Brutus, I’ve been watching you lately.
I haven’t seen that gentleness in your eyes
And friendship that I used to see.
You’re too stubborn and too strange
To your friend that loves you.

BRUTUS:

Cassius,
Be not deceived; if I have veil'd my look,
I turn the trouble of my countenance
Merely upon myself. Vexed I am
Of late with passions of some difference,(45)
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—
Nor construe any further my neglect(50)
Than that poor Brutus with himself at war
Forgets the shows of love to other men.

BRUTUS:

Cassius,
Don’t be deceived. If I don’t have my usual face,
I only turn my unhappy face
On myself. I’m annoyed lately
With different passions,
Ideas that only I can know,
Which are perhaps seen in my behavior;
But don’t let my good friends be upset—
Cassius, you’re one of them—
Or try to understand my indifference any further
Than that poor Brutus, at war with himself,
Forgets to show friendship to other men.

CASSIUS:

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

CASSIUS:

Then, Brutus, I have really misunderstood your passions,
Which is why this my heart has forgotten
Thoughts of great value, worthy thoughts.
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.

BRUTUS:

No, Cassius, because the eye can only see itself
In a mirror or by some other thing like it.

CASSIUS:

'Tis just,
And it is very much lamented, Brutus,(60)
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,
Except immortal Caesar, speaking of Brutus,(65)
And groaning underneath this age's yoke,
Have wish'd that noble Brutus had his eyes.

CASSIUS:

It’s a morally upright face.
And it’s very much lamented, Brutus,
That you don’t have any mirrors that will
Let you see your own hidden worthiness,
Any mirrors that you might let you see your shadow.
I have heard that many of the best-respected men in Rome,—
Except immortal Caesar!— speak about Brutus,
And groaning underneath the political burden of this age,
Have wished that noble Brutus could see what they see.

BRUTUS:

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

BRUTUS:

What dangers would you lead me into, Cassius,
That you want me to search for something
That I don’t have in myself?

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
That of yourself which you yet know not of.(75)
And be not jealous on me, gentle Brutus;
Were I a common laugher, or did use
To stale with ordinary oaths my love
To every new protester, if you know
That I do fawn on men and hug them hard(80)
And after scandal them, or if you know
That I profess myself in banqueting
To all the rout, then hold me dangerous.

CASSIUS:

For that reason, good Brutus, get ready to hear what I have to say;
And since you know you can’t see yourself
Except in a mirror, I’ll be your mirror,
And will modestly let you see
That in yourself which you don’t know about.
And don’t be angry with me, gentle Brutus;
I wish I were a common comedian, or used
To urinating on my friendship with ordinary oaths
To every new opponent; if you know
That I show false friendship to some men, and hug them hard
And after that, tell lies about them, or if you know
That I profess myself at feasts to be friends with
The entire place, then think about me dangerous.

Flourish, and shout.

BRUTUS:

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

BRUTUS:

What does this shouting mean? I’m afraid the people
Are going to choose Caesar for their king.

CASSIUS:

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

CASSIUS:

Yes, you fear it?
Then I must think you wouldn’t want it.

BRUTUS:

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

BRUTUS:

I wouldn’t, Cassius; but I really like him,
But why are you keeping me here so long?
What do you want to tell me?
If it’s anything for the common good,
Put honor in one of my eyes and death in the other
And I’ll look on both equally;
Because, let the gods strike me dead, I love
The name of honor more than I’m afraid 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
Think of this life, but, for my single self,(100)
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
Endure the winter's cold as well as he.(105)
For once, upon a raw and gusty day,
The troubled Tiber chafing with her shores,
Caesar said to me, “Darest thou, Cassius, now
Leap in with me into this angry flood
And swim to yonder point?” Upon the word,(110)
Accoutred as I was, I plunged in
And bade him follow. So indeed he did.
The torrent roar'd, and we did buffet it
With lusty sinews, throwing it aside
And stemming it with hearts of controversy.(115)
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
The old Anchises bear, so from the waves of Tiber(120)
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.
He had a fever when he was in Spain,(125)
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
Did lose his luster. I did hear him groan.(130)
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. Ye gods! It doth amaze me
A man of such a feeble temper should(135)
So get the start of the majestic world
And bear the palm alone.

CASSIUS:

I know you’ve that virtue, Brutus,
As well as I know your face.
Well, honor is the subject of my story.
I can’t tell what you and other men
Think of this life; but, for myself alone,
I would rather not live to be
In awe of such a thing as I’m.
I was born free as Caesar; so were you.
We both have eaten as well, and we can both
Endure the winter's cold as well as he does,
Because once, on a raw and windy day,
The troubled Tiber River beating against her banks,
Caesar said to me, "Do you dare, Cassius,
Leap in with me into this angry flood now
And swim over there to that point?" On the word,
Dressed as I was, I plunged in,
And asked him to follow me. And indeed he did so.
The waters roared, and we hit at it
With lusty muscles, throwing it aside
And stopping it with hearts that had no doubts;
But before we could arrive the proposed point,
Caesar cried, "Help me, Cassius, I sink!”
Then I, just as Aeneas, our great ancestor,
Bore the old Anchises from the flames of Troy
On his shoulder, I carried the tired Caesar
From the waves of Tiber. And now this man
Has become a god, and Cassius is
A wretched creature, and must bow,
Even if Caesar only nods at him carelessly.
He had a fever when he was in Spain,
And, when the fit was on him, I noticed
How he shook. It’s true, this god shook!
He lost all the color in his coward lips;
And that same eye that the world owes a bow to
Lost its shine. I heard him groan.
Yes, and that tongue of his that asked the Romans
To notice him and write his speeches in their books,
Cried, "Give me some drink, Titinius,"
Just as a sick girl does.—You gods, it amazes me that
A man of such a feeble temper should
Instantly get the majestic world,
And wear the glory alone.