| | |
|
Thunder and lightning. Enter [from opposite sides]
| |
|
CASCA [with his sword drawn] and CICERO. | |
| | |
|
CICERO
| |
|
Good even, Casca: brought you Caesar home?
| brought attended, escorted |
|
Why are you breathless? and why stare you so?
| |
| | |
|
CASCA
| |
|
Are not you moved, when all the sway of earth
| sway realm, order |
|
Shakes like a thing unfirm? O Cicero,
| |
1.3.5 |
I have seen tempests, when the scolding winds
| |
|
Have riv'd the knotty oaks, and I have seen
| riv'd split |
|
The ambitious ocean swell and rage and foam,
| |
|
To be exalted with the threatening clouds:
| exalted with raised to the height of |
|
But never till to-night, never till now,
| |
1.3.10 |
Did I go through a tempest dropping fire.
| dropping fire >>>
|
|
Either there is a civil strife in heaven,
| civil strife civil war, i.e., a war among the gods |
|
Or else the world, too saucy with the gods,
| saucy insolent, disrespectful |
|
Incenses them to send destruction.
| Incenses incites, provokes |
| | |
|
CICERO
| |
|
Why, saw you any thing more wonderful?
| any thing more wonderful anything else that was |
| | amazing |
|
CASCA
| |
1.3.15 |
A common slaveyou know him well by sight
| |
|
Held up his left hand, which did flame and burn
| |
|
Like twenty torches join'd, and yet his hand,
| |
|
Not sensible of fire, remain'd unscorch'd.
| Not sensible of fire not feeling the fire |
|
BesidesI ha' not since put up my sword
| I ha' not since put up my sword I have not since |
1.3.20 |
Against the Capitol I met a lion,
| then sheathed my sword | Against opposite or near |
|
Who glaz'd upon me, and went surly by,
| glaz'd upon stared at, glared at |
|
Without annoying me: and there were drawn
| annoying harming, threatening |
|
Upon a heap a hundred ghastly women,
| drawn / Upon a heap huddled together |
|
Transformed with their fear; who swore they saw
| ghastly ashen, looking like ghosts |
1.3.25 |
Men all in fire walk up and down the streets.
| |
|
And yesterday the bird of night did sit
| the bird of night the screech owl (which is a bird of |
|
Even at noon-day upon the market-place,
| evil omen) |
|
Hooting and shrieking. When these prodigies
| prodigies abnormalities, wonders |
|
Do so conjointly meet, let not men say
| Do so conjointly meet happen all at once |
1.3.30 |
"These are their reasons; they are natural";
| These this and that |
|
For, I believe, they are portentous things
| |
|
Unto the climate that they point upon.
| climate region (in this case, Rome) |
| | |
|
CICERO
| |
|
Indeed, it is a strange-disposed time:
| |
|
But men may construe things after their fashion,
| construe interpret | after their fashion in their own |
1.3.35 |
Clean from the purpose of the things themselves.
| way | Clean from the purpose entirely opposite to |
|
Comes Caesar to the Capitol to-morrow?
| the actual meaning |
| | |
|
CASCA
| |
|
He doth; for he did bid Antonius
| |
|
Send word to you he would be there to-morrow.
| |
| | |
|
CICERO
| |
|
Good night then, Casca: this disturbed sky
| |
1.3.40 |
Is not to walk in.
| |
| | |
|
CASCA
| |
|
Farewell, Cicero.
| |
| | |
|
Exit CICERO.
| |
| | |
|
Enter CASSIUS [unbraced].
| unbraced with his jacket open >>>
|
| | |
|
CASSIUS
| |
|
Who's there?
| |
| | |
|
CASCA
| |
|
A Roman.
| |
| | |
|
CASSIUS
| |
|
Casca, by your voice.
| |
| | |
|
CASCA
| |
|
Your ear is good. Cassius, what night is this!
| what night what a night |
| | |
|
CASSIUS
| |
|
A very pleasing night to honest men.
| |
| | |
|
CASCA
| |
|
Who ever knew the heavens menace so?
| |
| | |
|
CASSIUS
| |
1.3.45 |
Those that have known the earth so full of faults.
| |
|
For my part, I have walk'd about the streets,
| |
|
Submitting me unto the perilous night,
| |
|
And, thus unbraced, Casca, as you see,
| unbraced with his jacket open |
|
Have bared my bosom to the thunder-stone;
| thunder-stone thunder bolt |
1.3.50 |
And when the cross blue lightning seem'd to open
| cross forked, jagged |
|
The breast of heaven, I did present myself
| |
|
Even in the aim and very flash of it.
| Even exactly |
| | |
|
CASCA
| |
|
But wherefore did you so much tempt the heavens?
| |
|
It is the part of men to fear and tremble,
| part appropriate role |
1.3.55 |
When the most mighty gods by tokens send
| by tokens as signs, omens |
|
Such dreadful heralds to astonish us.
| dreadful heralds i.e., the thunder and lightning |
| | astonish stun, dismay |
|
CASSIUS
| |
|
You are dull, Casca, and those sparks of life
| dull lifeless |
|
That should be in a Roman you do want,
| want lack |
|
Or else you use not. You look pale and gaze
| you use not i.e., you do not show the "sparks of life" |
1.3.60 |
And put on fear and cast yourself in wonder,
| put on fear and cast yourself in wonder >>>
|
|
To see the strange impatience of the heavens:
| |
|
But if you would consider the true cause
| |
|
Why all these fires, why all these gliding ghosts,
| |
|
Why birds and beasts from quality and kind,
| from quality and kind contrary to their true natures |
1.3.65 |
Why old men, fools, and children calculate,
| old men i.e., foolish old men | calculate prophesy |
|
Why all these things change from their ordinance
| from their ordinance away from their usual nature |
|
Their natures and preformed faculties
| preformed faculties innate functions |
|
To monstrous quality,why, you shall find
| monstrous quality unnatural state or appearance |
|
That heaven hath infused them with these spirits,
| spirits notions, impulses, also specters |
1.3.70 |
To make them instruments of fear and warning
| instruments . . . state means to make people afraid of |
|
Unto some monstrous state.
| the advent of an unnatural government |
|
Now could I, Casca, name to thee a man
| |
|
Most like this dreadful night,
| |
|
That thunders, lightens, opens graves, and roars
| |
1.3.75 |
As doth the lion in the Capitol
| |
|
A man no mightier than thyself or me
| |
|
In personal action, yet prodigious grown
| prodigious ominous, portentous |
|
And fearful, as these strange eruptions are.
| fearful terrifying | eruptions astounding sights, |
| | wild ideas |
|
CASCA
| |
|
'Tis Caesar that you mean; is it not, Cassius?
| |
| | |
|
CASSIUS
| |
1.3.80 |
Let it be who it is: for Romans now
| |
|
Have thews and limbs like to their ancestors;
| thews sinews, muscles | like to their ancestors as their |
|
But, woe the while! our fathers' minds are dead,
| ancestors did | woe the while! alas for these times! |
|
And we are govern'd with our mothers' spirits;
| |
|
Our yoke and sufferance show us womanish.
| yoke and sufferance burden and the willingness to |
| | endure the burden |
|
CASCA
| |
1.3.85 |
Indeed, they say the senators tomorrow
| |
|
Mean to establish Caesar as a king;
| |
|
And he shall wear his crown by sea and land,
| |
|
In every place, save here in Italy.
| |
| | |
|
CASSIUS
| |
|
I know where I will wear this dagger then;
| where I will wear this dagger He will wear it in his |
1.3.90 |
Cassius from bondage will deliver Cassius:
| chest, his heart. He means that he can always escape |
|
Therein, ye gods, you make the weak most strong;
| tyranny by killing himself. |
|
Therein, ye gods, you tyrants do defeat:
| |
|
Nor stony tower, nor walls of beaten brass,
| Nor not, neither |
|
Nor airless dungeon, nor strong links of iron,
| |
1.3.95 |
Can be retentive to the strength of spirit;
| Can be retentive to can imprison |
|
But life, being weary of these worldly bars,
| bars prison bars, burdens |
|
Never lacks power to dismiss itself.
| |
|
If I know this, know all the world besides,
| know all the world besides i.e., let everyone else in |
|
That part of tyranny that I do bear
| the world know |
1.3.100 |
I can shake off at pleasure.
| |
| | |
|
Thunder still.
| |
| | |
|
CASCA
| |
|
So can I:
| |
|
So every bondman in his own hand bears
| bondman slave |
|
The power to cancel his captivity.
| |
| | |
|
CASSIUS
| |
|
And why should Caesar be a tyrant then?
| |
|
Poor man! I know he would not be a wolf,
| |
1.3.105 |
But that he sees the Romans are but sheep:
| But that except for the fact that | but sheep merely |
|
He were no lion, were not Romans hinds.
| sheep | hinds female deer, also lowly servants |
|
Those that with haste will make a mighty fire
| |
|
Begin it with weak straws: what trash is Rome,
| trash, offal garbage, also tinder >>>
|
|
What rubbish and what offal, when it serves
| |
1.3.110 |
For the base matter to illuminate
| |
|
So vile a thing as Caesar! But, O grief,
| vile worthless | grief The grief to which Cassius |
|
Where hast thou led me? I perhaps speak this
| speaks is his own grief for the degradation of Rome. |
|
Before a willing bondman; then I know
| willing bondman voluntary slave |
|
My answer must be made. But I am arm'd,
| My answer must be made i.e., I will have to face up |
1.3.115 |
And dangers are to me indifferent.
| to the consequences | arm'd prepared >>>
|
| | indifferent unimportant |
|
CASCA
| |
|
You speak to Casca, and to such a man
| |
|
That is no fleering tell-tale. Hold, my hand:
| no fleering tell-tale i.e., not a tattling suck-up |
|
Be factious for redress of all these griefs,
| Hold i.e., enough said | my hand He's offering his |
|
And I will set this foot of mine as far
| hand as a sign of his sincerity. | Be factious i.e., if you |
1.3.120 |
As who goes farthest.
| form a faction (a political movement) |
| | I . . . farthest i.e., I will do as much as anyone. |
|
CASSIUS
| |
|
There's a bargain made.
| There's by this (They grip or shake hands.) |
|
Now know you, Casca, I have moved already
| moved persuaded, incited |
|
Some certain of the noblest-minded Romans
| |
|
To undergo with me an enterprise
| |
|
Of honourable-dangerous consequence;
| consequence importance, character |
1.3.125 |
And I do know, by this they stay for me
| by this they stay for me by now they're waiting for me |
|
In Pompey's porch: for now, this fearful night,
| Pompey's porch portico of Pompey's theater >>>
|
|
There is no stir or walking in the streets;
| |
|
And the complexion of the element
| complexion of the element nature of the sky |
|
In favour's like the work we have in hand,
| In favour's in appearance is |
1.3.130 |
Most bloody, fiery, and most terrible.
| |
| | |
|
Enter CINNA.
| |
| | |
|
CASCA
| |
|
Stand close awhile, for here comes one in haste.
| close concealed |
| | |
|
CASSIUS
| |
|
'Tis Cinna; I do know him by his gait;
| |
|
He is a friend. Cinna, where haste you so?
| |
| | |
|
CINNA
| |
|
To find out you. Who's that? Metellus Cimber?
| |
| | |
|
CASSIUS
| |
1.3.135 |
No, it is Casca; one incorporate
| incorporate / To our attempts a party to our |
|
To our attempts. Am I not stay'd for, Cinna?
| enterprise | stayed for waited for |
| | |
|
CINNA
| |
|
I am glad on 't. What a fearful night is this!
| glad on 't glad of it (He's glad that Casca has joined |
|
There's two or three of us have seen strange sights.
| the conspiracy.) |
| | |
|
CASSIUS
| |
|
Am I not stay'd for? tell me.
| |
| | |
|
CINNA
| |
|
Yes, you are.
| |
1.3.140 |
O Cassius, if you could
| |
|
But win the noble Brutus to our party
| |
| | |
|
CASSIUS
| |
|
Be you content: good Cinna, take this paper,
| Be you content i.e., don't worry | paper letter |
|
And look you lay it in the praetor's chair,
| praetor high-ranking magistrate | chair official seat |
|
Where Brutus may but find it; and throw this
| may but find it can't help but find it | this Another |
1.3.145 |
In at his window; set this up with wax
| letter. | this A third letter. | set . . . up with wax We |
|
Upon old Brutus' statue: all this done,
| would use a Post-it. | old Brutus >>>
|
|
Repair to Pompey's porch, where you shall find us.
| Repair to proceed to |
|
Is Decius Brutus and Trebonius there?
| |
| | |
|
CINNA
| |
|
All but Metellus Cimber; and he's gone
| |
1.3.150 |
To seek you at your house. Well, I will hie,
| hie hurry |
|
And so bestow these papers as you bade me.
| so . . . me place these letters exactly where you told |
| | me to |
|
CASSIUS
| |
|
That done, repair to Pompey's theatre.
| repair to proceed to |
| | |
|
Exit CINNA
| |
| | |
|
Come, Casca, you and I will yet ere day
| ere day before dawn |
|
See Brutus at his house: three parts of him
| three parts three-quarters |
1.3.155 |
Is ours already, and the man entire
| the man . . . yields him ours i.e., the next time we talk |
|
Upon the next encounter yields him ours.
| to him, Brutus will give himself up entirely to our |
| | conspiracy |
|
CASCA
| |
|
O, he sits high in all the people's hearts:
| |
|
And that which would appear offence in us,
| would appear offence in us would look like a crime |
|
His countenance, like richest alchemy,
| if we did it | countenance approval, trustworthy |
1.3.160 |
Will change to virtue and to worthiness.
| appearance | alchemy the supposed science of trans- |
| | muting any other metal into gold |
|
CASSIUS
| |
|
Him and his worth and our great need of him
| |
|
You have right well conceited. Let us go,
| conceited understood |
|
For it is after midnight; and ere day
| ere day before dawn |
|
We will awake him and be sure of him.
| be sure of him make sure we have him on our side |
| | |
|
Exeunt
| |
| | |