Summary

At a camp near Sardinia, Brutus, his commander Lucillius, and Lucius receive Titinius and Pindarus, commanders in Cassius’s army. When Pindarus requests a meeting between Cassius and Brutus, Brutus asks Lucillius, who visited Cassius earlier, about the welcome Cassius offered him. Lucilius tells Brutus that though Cassius was polite and respectful, he was not as friendly as he used to be. Brutus notes that this signifies that Cassius has cooled toward him, as “When love begins to sicken and decay, / It useth an enforcèd ceremony.” Brutus, however, consents to meet Cassius. Cassius, who is also camped at Sardinia, enters the scene, complaining to Brutus that he has done Cassius wrong. Mindful of the presence of their soldiers and commanders, Brutus asks Cassius to speak to him privately.

Analysis

While the triumvirate is gathering strength, the conspirators are growing apart, prophesying the direction in which the wind is blowing. A new coldness has crept up between Brutus and Cassius, who now probe each other’s moods via messengers before meeting in person. The breach also recalls Antony’s curse of “civil strife,” which in this case can be taken to mean a war between friends. Already, the curse is breaking through the ranks of the conspirators, a sort of dying which is reinforced by the use of death imagery. For instance, Brutus notes that Cassius’s empty formality is that of

A hot friend cooling. Ever note, Lucilius,
When love begins to sicken and decay
It useth an enforcèd ceremony.