Julius Caesar, Act 1,
Scene II
CASSIUS: But wait, please
tell me — did Caesar faint?
CASCA: Yes, he fell down
in the marketplace, foaming at the mouth and unable to speak.
BRUTUS: That sounds like
he has epilepsy.
CASSIUS: No, Caesar
doesn’t have it — but you and Brutus do. (Meaning: you “fall” in spirit when
you bow to Caesar.)
CASCA: I don’t understand
what you mean by that. I only know that Caesar fell down. And if the common
people didn’t clap and hiss at him, depending on whether he pleased or
displeased them, then I am no honest man. They treated him like he was an actor
in the theatre.
BRUTUS: And what did he
say when he recovered?
CASCA: Well, before he
fell, when he noticed that the crowd was glad he had refused the crown, he
opened his shirt and offered his throat to be cut. If I had been any sort of
tradesman with a sharp tool, I would have taken him at his word. After he fell and
came to himself again, he said that if he had done or said anything wrong, they
should forgive him and put it down to his sickness. Three or four foolish women
near me cried, “Alas, poor soul!” and forgave him with all their hearts. But
that doesn’t mean anything — if Caesar had stabbed their mothers, they would
have still forgiven him.
BRUTUS: And after that, he
went away looking sad?
CASCA: Yes.
CASSIUS: Did Cicero say
anything?
CASCA: Yes, he spoke in
Greek.
CASSIUS: What did he say?
CASCA: Honestly, I don’t
know — it was all Greek to me. (Meaning: I couldn’t understand a word of it.)
But those who understood him smiled and shook their heads, but for my part, I
just stared.
CASSIUS: And what was the
meaning, the effect of his words?
Glossary
1. Falling sickness → An
old term for epilepsy (a disease where a person suddenly loses consciousness
and has fits).
2. Tag-rag people → The common, poor crowd; the rabble or mob.
3. Clap him and hiss him →
The people cheered and booed him, just as an audience would do in a theatre.
4. As he pleased or
displeased them → They reacted not with reason, but only with emotion, like
spectators in a play.
5. Plucked me ope his doublet → He opened his coat (doublet = a man’s close-fitting jacket) to show his chest.
6. Offered them his throat
to cut → He dramatically invited them to kill him, pretending to be humble.
7. Occupation → Here it
means trade or craft. Casca jokes: if he were a tradesman (like a butcher with
a knife), he might have accepted Caesar’s offer and killed him.
8. Go to hell among the
rogues → A strong oath, meaning “May I be damned as a scoundrel” if I am lying.
9. Their worships → A
polite term of address for the crowd; here, sarcastic, meaning “their honors”
or “your graces.”
10. Wenches → Young women,
often used to mean silly or foolish girls.
11. Alas, poor soul! → A
cry of pity, showing false or shallow compassion.
12. Greek to me → A famous
idiom first recorded here by Shakespeare. Casca means: “I couldn’t understand a
word of what Cicero said, it was all nonsense to me.”
13. To what effect? → Cassius is asking: “What was the meaning, or the result, of what Cicero said?”
CASCA:
No, I can’t really explain
it. In fact, if I tried, I’d only confuse you. But I’ll tell you this: those
who understood what he said smiled at each other and shook their heads. As for
me, it was all Greek to me. I can also tell you some other news—Marullus and
Flavius, for pulling the decorations off Caesar’s statues, have been silenced.
Farewell. There was even more foolishness that I can’t quite remember now.
CASSIUS:
Will you have supper with
me tonight, Casca?
CASCA:
No, I’m already committed
elsewhere.
CASSIUS:
Then will you dine with me
tomorrow?
CASCA:
Yes, if I’m alive, and if
you still want me, and if the dinner is worth eating.
CASSIUS:
Good. I’ll expect you
then.
CASCA:
Do so. Farewell, both of
you.
(Exit Casca)
BRUTUS:
What a blunt fellow he has
become! He was so lively when we were in school together.
CASSIUS:
And he still is—when it
comes to carrying things out. But when it comes to saying or doing anything
bold or noble, he acts slow and rough. Yet, this roughness is like seasoning to
his wit: it makes his words easier for men to swallow and take seriously.
BRUTUS:
That’s true. For now, I’ll leave you. If you’d like to talk tomorrow, I’ll come to your house—or, if you prefer, you can come to mine, and I’ll wait for you.
Glossary
Greek to me – A famous
expression meaning “completely unintelligible, I couldn’t understand a word.”
Images of Caesar – Statues
of Caesar.
Put to silence – Likely
punished or removed from office (some editors believe it means executed, but
more likely politically silenced).
Promised forth – Already
engaged/committed to go somewhere.
Your mind hold – If you
still wish it.
Appetite worth the eating
– If the meal is good enough to be worth eating.
Blunt fellow – Rough,
direct, not polished in speech.
Quick mettle – Lively,
spirited, energetic.
Execution – In action, in
carrying things out.
Tardy form – Slow manner,
sluggish behaviour.
Rudeness is a sauce – His
roughness adds flavour, like spice, to his intelligence.
Digest his words – Accept,
believe, or take in what he says.
CASSIUS – I’ll do that.
Until then, think carefully about the state of the world.
(Brutus exits.)
CASSIUS (alone,
soliloquy):
Well, Brutus, you are
noble; yet I can see that your honorable nature can be shaped into something
different than it is now. Therefore, it’s wise that noble minds keep company
with people like themselves.
Caesar has a grudge
against me, but he loves Brutus. If I were Brutus, and he were Cassius, he
wouldn’t be able to persuade me as easily as I can persuade him.
I will do this: I’ll write
several letters, in different handwritings, and throw them into his window, as
if they came from various citizens of Rome. All these writings will praise
Brutus and hint at Caesar’s dangerous ambition.
And after this, let Caesar
be on guard, for we will either shake him from power or face darker days.
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Glossary
metal (mettle) – inner
character or spirit.
wrought from that it is
disposed – shaped or influenced from its natural direction.
meet – fitting, proper.
bear me hard – holds a
grudge against me.
humour me – to persuade or
influence me by playing on my moods.
in several hands – in
different handwritings.
glanced at – hinted at or
suggested.
seat him sure – let him
secure his position (sit firmly in power).
shake him – overthrow or
weaken him.
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