Quotes and Explanations.....
Act I
- " Beware the ides of March'' (Soothslayer)
These five words have become one of the most famous warnings in Literature and History. Other signs should have made Caesar aware of the impending assassination, Caesar's pride however does him in.
- " Yond, Cassius has a lean and hungry look; He thinks too much: such men are dangerous'' ( Caesar)
Caesar astutely characterizes Cassius. He is aware of the threats he poses. Cassius' description ironically fits Mark Antony as well, for after Caesars death, Antony shows himself to be lean and hungry.
- " But, for my own part, it was Greek to me " ( Casca)
It was unintelligible to me. Casca is literally saying, "I don't know what he said, it was in Greek and I
don't speak Greek." But on another level, his inability to understand the language develops Casca character further. Casca is unrefined and crude, sometimes brutish. Although not an original conspirator, Casca joins the night before Caesar's assassination and even stabs Caesar first.
Act II
- ''This dream is all amiss interpreted, it was a vision fair and fortunate" (Decius)
Decius is trying to flatter Caesar and says that he's misinterpreted the dream, and that it is a good dream. The Romans are being revived by the blood of Caesar.
- "Cowards die many timers before their deaths, The valiant never taste of death but once." (Caesar)
Cowards die a little inside every time they back out of something, whereas the brave die only once.
- "When beggars die, there are not comets seen; The heavens blaze forth the death of princes."(Calpurnia)
Calpurnia tries to convince Caesar that the heavens give warning signs when important people are going to die, but when insignificant people are to die, nothing happens.
Act III
-" Et tu, Brute! "(Caesar)
Perhaps the most famous three words uttered in literature, "Et tu, Brute?" (Even you, Brutus?) this expression has come down in history to mean the ultimate betrayal by one's closest friend. This scene, in which the conspirators in the Senate assassinate Caesar, is one of the most dramatic moments on the
Shakespearean stage. The audience has just witnessed the arrogance and hubris of a ruler who has sought, within a republic, to become a monarch, comparing himself to the gods. Brutus, a friend of Caesar and yet a man who loves Rome (and freedom) more, has joined the conspirators in the assassination, a betrayal which is captured by the three words above. Many people today will argue that this was a curse that was put on Brutus by Caesar.
-" Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more "(Brutus)
Brutus' reason for killing Caesar was not because he did not love Caesar, but because loved Rome. Brutus speaking to the crowd, justifying the assassination.
-"For Brutus is an honorable man; So are they all, honorable men."(Antony)
Antony's ironic statement about the assassins. He keeps referring to him as an "honor" man because he's being sarcastic. What he says and what he means are two completely different things. He's prodding at
Brutus' guilt..... trying to get under his skin. The fact that Brutus really is honorable makes the sarcasm even more potent.
Act IV
''There is a tide in the affairs of men. Which taken at the flood, leads on to fortune; Omitted, all the voyage of their life Is bound in shallows and in miseries "
Brutus speaks these words in Act IV, scene ii in order to convince Cassius that it is time to begin the battle against Octavius and Antony. He speaks figuratively of a “tide” in the lives of human beings: if one takes advantage of the high tide, one may float out to sea and travel far; if one misses this chance, the “voyage” that one’s life comprises will remain forever confined to the shallows, and one will never experience anything more glorious than the mundane events in this narrow little bay. Brutus reproaches Cassius that if they
do not “take the current” now, when the time is right, they will lose their “ventures,” or opportunities.
-''Remember March, the ides of March remember: Did not great Julius bleed for justice’ sake? What villain touch’d his body, that did stab,
And not for justice? What, shall one of us That struck the foremost man of all this world But for supporting robbers, shall we now Contaminate our fingers with base bribes, And sell the mighty space of our large honors For so much trash as may be grasped thus?I had rather be a dog, and bay the moon, Than such a Roman.''(Brutus)
Brutus isn't politicking here. They've obviously fled the country, so it doesn't matter so much what the Romans think. Instead, this bribery is a question of personal honor. For Brutus, his honor is at stake more than anything else, especially given that he's resigned himself to some sad fate after murdering his
friend.
-I “an itching palm”!(CASSIUS)
There seems to be a lot of variations on this superstition, but the idea of
having an itchy palm generally refers to someone who is greedy or has an insatiable desire for money. In Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, Brutus states, "Let me tell you Cassius, you yourself are much condemned to have an itching palm." Some believe that if the right palm itches, you will meet someone new, while an itchy left palm means that money is coming."
Act V
-Caesar, now be still: I kill'd not thee with half so good a will.(Brutus)
Brutus admits that he killed Caesar willingly, but given everything that's transpired, and everything he now knows, he is doubly resigned to kill himself. This is his honorable acceptance of his own faults, and his fate.
-''The last of all the Romans, fare thee well!''( Brutus)
-Are there still two Romans living such as these?— The last of all the Romans, goodbye!
-''This was the noblest Roman of them all.''(Antony)
Antony called Brutus “the noblest Roman of them all" because he was the only conspirator who acted for the good of Rome. Other conspirators acted out of jealousy.
- " Beware the ides of March'' (Soothslayer)
These five words have become one of the most famous warnings in Literature and History. Other signs should have made Caesar aware of the impending assassination, Caesar's pride however does him in.
- " Yond, Cassius has a lean and hungry look; He thinks too much: such men are dangerous'' ( Caesar)
Caesar astutely characterizes Cassius. He is aware of the threats he poses. Cassius' description ironically fits Mark Antony as well, for after Caesars death, Antony shows himself to be lean and hungry.
- " But, for my own part, it was Greek to me " ( Casca)
It was unintelligible to me. Casca is literally saying, "I don't know what he said, it was in Greek and I
don't speak Greek." But on another level, his inability to understand the language develops Casca character further. Casca is unrefined and crude, sometimes brutish. Although not an original conspirator, Casca joins the night before Caesar's assassination and even stabs Caesar first.
Act II
- ''This dream is all amiss interpreted, it was a vision fair and fortunate" (Decius)
Decius is trying to flatter Caesar and says that he's misinterpreted the dream, and that it is a good dream. The Romans are being revived by the blood of Caesar.
- "Cowards die many timers before their deaths, The valiant never taste of death but once." (Caesar)
Cowards die a little inside every time they back out of something, whereas the brave die only once.
- "When beggars die, there are not comets seen; The heavens blaze forth the death of princes."(Calpurnia)
Calpurnia tries to convince Caesar that the heavens give warning signs when important people are going to die, but when insignificant people are to die, nothing happens.
Act III
-" Et tu, Brute! "(Caesar)
Perhaps the most famous three words uttered in literature, "Et tu, Brute?" (Even you, Brutus?) this expression has come down in history to mean the ultimate betrayal by one's closest friend. This scene, in which the conspirators in the Senate assassinate Caesar, is one of the most dramatic moments on the
Shakespearean stage. The audience has just witnessed the arrogance and hubris of a ruler who has sought, within a republic, to become a monarch, comparing himself to the gods. Brutus, a friend of Caesar and yet a man who loves Rome (and freedom) more, has joined the conspirators in the assassination, a betrayal which is captured by the three words above. Many people today will argue that this was a curse that was put on Brutus by Caesar.
-" Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more "(Brutus)
Brutus' reason for killing Caesar was not because he did not love Caesar, but because loved Rome. Brutus speaking to the crowd, justifying the assassination.
-"For Brutus is an honorable man; So are they all, honorable men."(Antony)
Antony's ironic statement about the assassins. He keeps referring to him as an "honor" man because he's being sarcastic. What he says and what he means are two completely different things. He's prodding at
Brutus' guilt..... trying to get under his skin. The fact that Brutus really is honorable makes the sarcasm even more potent.
Act IV
''There is a tide in the affairs of men. Which taken at the flood, leads on to fortune; Omitted, all the voyage of their life Is bound in shallows and in miseries "
Brutus speaks these words in Act IV, scene ii in order to convince Cassius that it is time to begin the battle against Octavius and Antony. He speaks figuratively of a “tide” in the lives of human beings: if one takes advantage of the high tide, one may float out to sea and travel far; if one misses this chance, the “voyage” that one’s life comprises will remain forever confined to the shallows, and one will never experience anything more glorious than the mundane events in this narrow little bay. Brutus reproaches Cassius that if they
do not “take the current” now, when the time is right, they will lose their “ventures,” or opportunities.
-''Remember March, the ides of March remember: Did not great Julius bleed for justice’ sake? What villain touch’d his body, that did stab,
And not for justice? What, shall one of us That struck the foremost man of all this world But for supporting robbers, shall we now Contaminate our fingers with base bribes, And sell the mighty space of our large honors For so much trash as may be grasped thus?I had rather be a dog, and bay the moon, Than such a Roman.''(Brutus)
Brutus isn't politicking here. They've obviously fled the country, so it doesn't matter so much what the Romans think. Instead, this bribery is a question of personal honor. For Brutus, his honor is at stake more than anything else, especially given that he's resigned himself to some sad fate after murdering his
friend.
-I “an itching palm”!(CASSIUS)
There seems to be a lot of variations on this superstition, but the idea of
having an itchy palm generally refers to someone who is greedy or has an insatiable desire for money. In Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, Brutus states, "Let me tell you Cassius, you yourself are much condemned to have an itching palm." Some believe that if the right palm itches, you will meet someone new, while an itchy left palm means that money is coming."
Act V
-Caesar, now be still: I kill'd not thee with half so good a will.(Brutus)
Brutus admits that he killed Caesar willingly, but given everything that's transpired, and everything he now knows, he is doubly resigned to kill himself. This is his honorable acceptance of his own faults, and his fate.
-''The last of all the Romans, fare thee well!''( Brutus)
-Are there still two Romans living such as these?— The last of all the Romans, goodbye!
-''This was the noblest Roman of them all.''(Antony)
Antony called Brutus “the noblest Roman of them all" because he was the only conspirator who acted for the good of Rome. Other conspirators acted out of jealousy.