ACT 1
[Thunder and lightning. Enter from opposite sides, CASCA, with his sword drawn, and CICERO]
CICERO
Good even, Casca: brought you Caesar home?
Good evening, Casca. You took Caesar home?
Why are you breathless? And why stare you so?
Why are you out of breath? Why are you staring?
CASCA
Are not you moved, when all the sway of earth
Aren’t you disturbed that our unstable world
Shakes like a thing unfirm? O Cicero,
Shakes like it’s going to fall? Oh, Cicero,
I have seen tempests, when the scolding winds
I’ve witnessed storms where stinging, biting winds
Have rived the knotty oaks, and I have seen
Have splintered gnarly oak trees, and I’ve seen
The ambitious ocean swell and rage and foam,
The ocean waters rise with raging waves
To be exalted with the threatening clouds:
That reach up to the black and thunderous clouds;
But never till to-night, never till now,
But not before tonight, never before,
Did I go through a tempest dropping fire.
Have I been in a storm that’s spitting fire.
Either there is a civil strife in heaven,
There’s either something wrong up there in heaven,
Or else the world, too saucy with the gods,
Or else, because we disrespect the gods,
Incenses them to send destruction.
It’s made them mad and they want to destroy us.
CICERO
Why, saw you any thing more wonderful?
Have you seen other things much more amazing?
CASCA
A common slave--you know him well by sight--
A common slave—you’d know him if you saw him—
Held up his left hand, which did flame and burn
Held up his left hand, which was burning brightly,
Like twenty torches joined, and yet his hand,
Like twenty flares together, though his hand,
Not sensible of fire, remained unscorched.
Unsensitive to fire, remained unburnt.
Besides--I ha' not since put up my sword--
And then—I haven’t sheathed my sword since then—
Against the Capitol I met a lion,
I saw, beside the Capitol, a lion
Who glared upon me, and went surly by,
Who looked at me, his eyes glazed as he walked by
Without annoying me: and there were drawn
Without annoying me. And, then a mob of
Upon a heap a hundred ghastly women,
A hundred wretched women stood together,
Transformed with their fear; who swore they saw
All overwhelmed with fear, who swore they’d seen
Men all in fire walk up and down the streets.
Men all ablaze walk up and down the street.
And yesterday the bird of night did sit
And yesterday perched a nocturnal owl
Even at noon-day upon the market-place,
At midday in the central marketplace,
Hooting and shrieking. When these prodigies
Hooting and shrieking. When these weird events
Do so conjointly meet, let not men say
All happen at the same time, men can’t say
'These are their reasons; they are natural;'
“This is because of this; it’s only natural.”
For, I believe, they are portentous things
For I believe they’re ominous predictions
Unto the climate that they point upon.
Of what is soon about to happen here.
CICERO
Indeed, it is a strange-disposed time:
Indeed, it is a strange, perplexing time.
But men may construe things after their fashion,
But men sometimes construe these things their own way
Clean from the purpose of the things themselves.
Against all normal, reasonable logic.
Come Caesar to the Capitol to-morrow?
Is Caesar at the Capitol tomorrow?
CASCA
He doth; for he did bid Antonius
He is, and he has told Antonius
Send word to you he would be there to-morrow.
To let you know that he’ll be there tomorrow.
CICERO
Good night then, Casca: this disturbed sky
Goodnight then, Casca. This ferocious sky
Is not to walk in.
Should not be walked through.
CASCA
Farewell, Cicero.
Goodnight, Cicero.
[Exit CICERO]
[Enter CASSIUS]
CASSIUS
Who's there?
Who’s there?
CASCA
A Roman.
A Roman.
CASSIUS
Casca, by your voice.
By that voice, it’s Casca.
CASCA
Your ear is good. Cassius, what night is this!
Your hearing’s good. This is some night, Cassius!
CASSIUS
A very pleasing night to honest men.
A very pleasing night to honest men.
CASCA
Who ever knew the heavens menace so?
Whoever knew the heavens got so angry?
CASSIUS
Those that have known the earth so full of faults.
Those folk who’ve seen earth’s multitude of faults.
For my part, I have walked about the streets,
Tonight I have been walking through the streets
Submitting me unto the perilous night,
Embedding myself in this dangerous night,
And, thus unbraced, Casca, as you see,
And with my coat unbuttoned, as you see,
Have bared my bosom to the thunder-stone;
Have held my bare chest to the lightning bolt;
And when the cross blue lightning seemed to open
And when the lightning zigzagged from the sky
The breast of heaven, I did present myself
As though it came from heaven, I stood there
Even in the aim and very flash of it.
Right in the dazzling, flashing path of it.
CASCA
But wherefore did you so much tempt the heavens?
Why did you tempt the heavens in that way?
It is the part of men to fear and tremble,
It is the job of men to fear and tremble
When the most mighty gods by tokens send
When all the mighty gods deliver omens
Such dreadful heralds to astonish us.
Through dreadful premonitions sent to scare us.
CASSIUS
You are dull, Casca, and those sparks of life
You’re boring, Casca, lacking sparks of life
That should be in a Roman you do want,
That every Roman should possess, and you want,
Or else you use not. You look pale and gaze
Or maybe choose to leave unused. You’re pale
And put on fear and cast yourself in wonder,
And stare in fear and curiosity
To see the strange impatience of the heavens:
As you observe the anger of the heavens.
But if you would consider the true cause
But if you stop and think what’s causing this,
Why all these fires, why all these gliding ghosts,
Why everything’s on fire, why apparitions,
Why birds and beasts from quality and kind,
Why birds and beasts behave unnaturally,
Why old men fool and children calculate,
Why old men, fools and children prophesize,
Why all these things change from their ordinance
Why all these things are different from the norm,
Their natures and preformed faculties
Their nature and their usual behaviour,
To monstrous quality,--why, you shall find
Becoming monstrous; well, you will discover
That heaven hath infused them with these spirits,
That heaven has converted them to be
To make them instruments of fear and warning
These signs to send a terrifying message
Unto some monstrous state.
That something bad is going to happen here.
Now could I, Casca, name to thee a man
Now, Casca, I could tell you of a man
Most like this dreadful night,
Who’s like this dreadful night,
That thunders, lightens, opens graves, and roars
A thunderstorm, he opens graves and roars
As doth the lion in the Capitol,
Just like the lion in the Capitol;
A man no mightier than thyself or me
A man no mightier than you or I
In personal action, yet prodigious grown
In his behaviour, yet he’s grown important
And fearful, as these strange eruptions are.
And terrifying, like these strange events.
CASCA
'Tis Caesar that you mean; is it not, Cassius?
You talk of Caesar, don’t you, Cassius?
CASSIUS
Let it be who it is: for Romans now
It is who it is. Every Roman now
Have thews and limbs like to their ancestors;
Has strength and muscles like our ancestors
But, woe the while! Our fathers' minds are dead,
But, sadly, lack the spirit that they showed.
And we are governed with our mothers' spirits;
We’re governed by a female intuition.
Our yoke and sufferance show us womanish.
We suffer tyranny like women do.
CASCA
Indeed, they say the senators tomorrow
Indeed, they say the senators tomorrow
Mean to establish Caesar as a king;
Intend to ordain Caesar as a king,
And he shall wear his crown by sea and land,
And he will rule across the land and sea
In every place, save here in Italy.
In every place except for Italy.
CASSIUS
I know where I will wear this dagger then;
I know where I will put this dagger then:
Cassius from bondage will deliver Cassius:
I’ll kill myself to free myself from slavery.
Therein, ye gods, you make the weak most strong;
By doing so, the gods make weaklings strong;
Therein, ye gods, you tyrants do defeat:
By doing so, the gods defeat the tyrants.
Nor stony tower, nor walls of beaten brass,
Neither a tower of stone nor walls of brass,
Nor airless dungeon, nor strong links of iron,
A dungeon without air, nor iron shackles
Can be retentive to the strength of spirit;
Can ever hold the strength of spirit back;
But life, being weary of these worldly bars,
But living people, locked in prison cells,
Never lacks power to dismiss itself.
Will always have the power to kill themselves.
If I know this, know all the world besides,
If I know this, and everyone should know,
That part of tyranny that I do bear
I can escape this tyranny I’ll suffer
I can shake off at pleasure.
Whenever I see fit.
[Thunder still]
CASCA
So can I:
And so can I.
So every bondman in his own hand bears
So every slave possesses, in his power,
The power to cancel his captivity.
Ability to break captivity.
CASSIUS
And why should Caesar be a tyrant then?
And why should Caesar now become a tyrant?
Poor man! I know he would not be a wolf,
Poor man, he wouldn’t have become a wolf
But that he sees the Romans are but sheep:
If all the Romans hadn’t turned to sheep;
He were no lion, were not Romans hinds.
He’d be no lion if we were not prey.
Those that with haste will make a mighty fire
Those folk who quickly want a massive fire
Begin it with weak straws: what trash is Rome,
Start out with twigs. Rome’s turned to twigs,
What rubbish and what offal, when it serves
To rubbish, and to offal that is used
For the base matter to illuminate
To be the kindling on the fire to light up
So vile a thing as Caesar! But, O grief,
A wretched thing like Caesar! But, oh dear,
Where hast thou led me? I perhaps speak this
What have you made me say? Perhaps I say this
Before a willing bondman; then I know
To one who’s keen to be a slave. Then I know
My answer must be made. But I am armed,
I’ll face the consequences. But I’m armed,
And dangers are to me indifferent.
And I’m not scared of anything that’s dangerous.
CASCA
You speak to Casca, and to such a man
You’re speaking to me, Casca, and I’m no man
That is no fleering tell-tale. Hold, my hand:
Who’ll run off, telling tales. Here, take my hand.
Be factious for redress of all these griefs,
Go form a faction to correct these problems,
And I will set this foot of mine as far
And I will throw my heart and soul in it
As who goes farthest.
As far as any man.
CASSIUS
There's a bargain made.
You’ve got a deal.
Now know you, Casca, I have moved already
Now, Casca, you know I have changed opinions
Some certain of the noblest-minded Romans
Of some of Rome’s most noble-minded men
To undergo with me an enterprise
To take part in an enterprise with me
Of honourable-dangerous consequence;
That is as honourable as it is dangerous.
And I do know, by this, they stay for me
And I know all these men are waiting for me
In Pompey's porch: for now, this fearful night,
On Pompey’s porch. But now, this dreadful night
There is no stir or walking in the streets;
Nobody’s out or walking in the streets,
And the complexion of the element
And just like as the sky’s appearing now,
In favour's like the work we have in hand,
It looks just like the work we have to do:
Most bloody, fiery, and most terrible.
It’s bloody, fiery and quite terrible.
CASCA
Stand close awhile, for here comes one in haste.
Let’s hide a moment; someone’s coming quickly.
CASSIUS
'Tis Cinna; I do know him by his gait;
It’s Cinna; I can tell by how he walks.
He is a friend.
He is a friend.
[Enter CINNA]
Cinna, where haste you so?
Cinna, where are you running?
CINNA
To find out you. Who's that? Metellus Cimber?
To look for you. Who’s that? Metellus Cimber?
CASSIUS
No, it is Casca; one incorporate
No, it is Casca; he is one of us
To our attempts. Am I not stayed for, Cinna?
Who plans to help. Aren’t people waiting for me?
CINNA
I am glad on 't. What a fearful night is this!
I’m glad of that. This is a dreadful night!
There's two or three of us have seen strange sights.
There’s two or three of us who’ve seen strange things.
CASSIUS
Am I not stayed for? Tell me.
Aren’t people waiting for me? Tell me that.
CINNA
Yes, you are. O Cassius, if you could
Oh yes, you are. Oh Cassius, if you could
But win the noble Brutus to our party--
Win over noble Brutus to our mission…
CASSIUS
Be you content: good Cinna, take this paper,
You will be happy. Take this paper, Cinna,
And look you lay it in the praetor's chair,
And go and lay it on the Consul’s chair
Where Brutus may but find it; and throw this
Where Brutus has to find it; and throw this
In at his window; set this up with wax
Into his window; stick this, using wax,
Upon old Brutus' statue: all this done,
Upon old Brutus’ statue. And when done,
Repair to Pompey's porch, where you shall find us.
Return to Pompey’s porch, where you will find us.
Is Decius Brutus and Trebonius there?
Is Decius Brutus and Trebonius there?
CINNA
All but Metellus Cimber; and he's gone
All but Metellus Cimber, and he’s gone
To seek you at your house. Well, I will hie,
To look for you at your house. I will hurry
And so bestow these papers as you bade me.
And distribute these papers like you told me.
CASSIUS
That done, repair to Pompey's theatre.
When you have done that, go to Pompey’s theatre.
[Exit CINNA]
Come, Casca, you and I will yet ere day
Come, Casca; you and I will, before sunrise,
See Brutus at his house: three parts of him
See Brutus at his house. Three quarters of him
Is ours already, and the man entire
Is now aligned with us; the rest of him
Upon the next encounter yields him ours.
Will be so following our next encounter.
CASCA
O, he sits high in all the people's hearts:
All of the people think so highly of him,
And that which would appear offence in us,
And things we do that would offend the people,
His countenance, like richest alchemy,
His trusting face, like turning rock to gold,
Will change to virtue and to worthiness.
Will change offences into worthy strengths.
CASSIUS
Him and his worth and our great need of him
Him, and his strengths, and why we need him with us,
You have right well conceited. Let us go,
You fully comprehend. So let’s now go,
For it is after midnight; and ere day
For it’s gone midnight, and before the daybreak
We will awake him and be sure of him.
We’ll wake up and make sure he’s on our side.
[Exeunt]
