Summary

Amid the sounds of battle offstage, Brutus urges Messala to send fresh legions to their forces on the other side. Perceiving weakness in Octavius’s army, Brutus tells Messala this is the opportune time to double their attack.

Analysis

Linked with language is the motif of communication. Brutus misreads the strength of Antony’s army and his own, assuming the latter is at its peak, the high tide which must be “taken at the flood.” Brutus’s decision to first abandon his own strong defensive position and then split up to pursue Octavius proves a grave misconstruction of the entire situation, a fault of which Brutus is often guilty. Thus, Shakespeare seems to be saying, noble intent itself is not enough: communicating and assessing real-world situations, as well as deploying language efficiently, are all equally important survival skills.