Julius Caesar Act 5 Scene 1
The plains of Philippi.
The Original
Plain Modern English
Enter Octavius, Antony, and their Army.
Octavius
Now, Antony, our hopes are answered.
You said the enemy would not come down,
But keep the hills and upper regions:
It proves not so; their battles are at hand:
They mean to warn us at Philippi here,
Answering before we do demand of them.
Octavius
Well, Antony — our hopes are answered.
You said the enemy wouldn't come down,
that they'd hold the hills and high ground.
It hasn't turned out that way — their forces are here.
They mean to challenge us at Philippi,
answering before we've even asked.
Antony
Tut, I am in their bosoms, and I know
Wherefore they do it: they could be content
To visit other places; and come down
With fearful bravery, thinking by this face
To fasten in our thoughts that they have courage;
But 'tis not so.
Antony
I know their hearts, and I know
why they're doing it. They'd much rather
be somewhere else. They come down
with a frightened show of courage, hoping this front
will convince us they're brave.
They aren't.
Enter a Messenger.
Messenger
Prepare you, generals:
The enemy comes on in gallant show;
Their bloody sign of battle is hung out,
And something to be done immediately.
Messenger
Get ready, generals.
The enemy is advancing in fine array.
Their red battle flag is flying,
and something must be done at once.
Antony
Octavius, lead your battle softly on,
Upon the left hand of the even field.
Antony
Octavius, lead your troops slowly forward
on the left of the level ground.
Octavius
Upon the right hand I; keep thou the left.
Octavius
I'll take the right. You keep the left.
Antony
Why do you cross me in this exigent?
Antony
Why contradict me at a moment like this?
Octavius
I do not cross you; but I will do so.
Octavius
I'm not contradicting you — but I will. (Five words that predict the next civil war. Octavius is not going to stay anyone's junior partner.)
March. Drum. Enter Brutus, Cassius, and their Army; Lucilius, Titinius, Messala, and others.
Brutus
They stand, and would have parley.
Brutus
They've halted — they want to talk.
Cassius
Stand fast, Titinius: we must out and talk.
Cassius
Hold your position, Titinius. We have to go and talk.
Octavius
Mark Antony, shall we give sign of battle?
Octavius
Mark Antony, shall we signal to attack?
Antony
No, Caesar, we will answer on their charge.
Make forth; the generals would have some words.
Antony
No, Caesar — we'll respond when they charge.
Move forward. The generals want a word.
Octavius
Stir not until the signal.
Octavius
Nobody move until the signal.
Brutus
Words before blows: is it so, countrymen?
Brutus
Words before blows — is that it, countrymen?
Octavius
Not that we love words better, as you do.
Octavius
It's not that we prefer words, the way you do.
Brutus
Good words are better than bad strokes, Octavius.
Brutus
Good words are better than bad sword-strokes, Octavius.
Antony
In your bad strokes, Brutus, you give good words:
Witness the hole you made in Caesar's heart,
Crying, 'Long live! Hail, Caesar!'
Antony
With your bad strokes, Brutus, you give good words —
witness the hole you made in Caesar's heart
while crying 'Long live Caesar! Hail, Caesar!'
Cassius
Antony,
The posture of your blows are yet unknown;
But for your words, they rob the Hybla bees,
And leave them honeyless.
Cassius
Antony,
we've yet to see how you strike.
But as for your words — they rob the bees of Hybla
and leave them without honey.
Antony
Not stingless too.
Antony
Not of their sting, though.
Brutus
O, yes, and soundless too,
For you have stol'n their buzzing, Antony,
And very wisely threat before you sting.
Brutus
Oh yes, and of their buzzing too —
you've stolen that as well, Antony,
and very sensibly you threaten before you sting.
Antony
Villains, you did not so when your vile daggers
Hack'd one another in the sides of Caesar:
You show'd your teeth like apes, and fawn'd like hounds,
And bow'd like bondmen, kissing Caesar's feet;
Whilst damned Casca, like a cur, behind
Struck Caesar on the neck. O flatterers!
Antony
Villains — you didn't warn anyone when your foul daggers
hacked at each other in Caesar's body.
You bared your teeth like apes and fawned like dogs
and bowed like slaves, kissing Caesar's feet,
while damned Casca, like a mongrel, from behind
struck Caesar in the neck. You flatterers!
Cassius
Flatterers!—Now, Brutus, thank yourself:
This tongue had not offended so to-day,
If Cassius might have ruled.
Cassius
Flatterers! — Well, Brutus, you can thank yourself.
That tongue wouldn't be insulting us today
if Cassius had had his way. (Antony should have died with Caesar. Cassius has been right about everything and has never once been listened to.)
Octavius
Come, come, the cause: if arguing makes us sweat,
The proof of it will turn to redder drops.
Look,—
I draw a sword against conspirators:
When think you that the sword goes up again?
Never, till Caesar's three and thirty wounds
Be well avenged; or till another Caesar
Have added slaughter to the sword of traitors.
Octavius
Enough — to the point. If arguing makes us sweat,
proving it will produce redder drops.
Look —
I draw a sword against conspirators.
When do you think it goes back in its sheath?
Never — until Caesar's thirty-three wounds
are properly avenged, or until another Caesar
has been added to the traitors' tally.
Brutus
Caesar, thou canst not die by traitors' hands,
Unless thou bring'st them with thee.
Brutus
Caesar, you can't die by traitors' hands
unless you've brought them with you.
Octavius
So I hope;
I was not born to die on Brutus' sword.
Octavius
I hope not.
I wasn't born to die on Brutus's sword.
Brutus
O, if thou wert the noblest of thy strain,
Young man, thou couldst not die more honourably.
Brutus
Even if you were the noblest of your line,
young man, you couldn't die more honourably.
Cassius
A peevish school boy, worthless of such honour,
Join'd with a masker and a reveller!
Cassius
A petulant schoolboy, not worth such an honour,
teamed up with a party-goer and a drunk!
Antony
Old Cassius still!
Antony
The same old Cassius!
Octavius
Come, Antony; away!—
Defiance, traitors, hurl we in your teeth:
If you dare fight today, come to the field;
If not, when you have stomachs.
Octavius
Come on, Antony — let's go. —
We throw defiance in your teeth, traitors.
If you dare fight today, come to the field.
If not, come when you've got the stomach for it.
Exeunt Octavius, Antony, and their Army.
Cassius
Why, now, blow wind, swell billow, and swim bark!
The storm is up, and all is on the hazard.
Cassius
Well then — blow, wind; swell, waves; sail on, ship!
The storm has broken and everything is at stake.
Brutus
Ho, Lucilius! Hark, a word with you.
Brutus
Lucilius! A word with you.
Lucilius
My lord?
Lucilius
My lord?
Brutus and Lucilius talk apart.
Cassius
Messala,—
Cassius
Messala—
Messala
What says my General?
Messala
What is it, General?
Cassius
Messala,
This is my birth-day; as this very day
Was Cassius born. Give me thy hand, Messala:
Be thou my witness that against my will,
As Pompey was, am I compell'd to set
Upon one battle all our liberties.
You know that I held Epicurus strong,
And his opinion: now I change my mind,
And partly credit things that do presage.
Coming from Sardis, on our former ensign
Two mighty eagles fell; and there they perch'd,
Gorging and feeding from our soldiers' hands;
Who to Philippi here consorted us:
This morning are they fled away and gone;
And in their steads do ravens, crows, and kites
Fly o'er our heads and downward look on us,
As we were sickly prey: their shadows seem
A canopy most fatal, under which
Our army lies, ready to give up the ghost.
Cassius
Messala,
today is my birthday. On this very day
Cassius was born. Give me your hand, Messala.
Be my witness that against my own judgment,
like Pompey before me, I'm forced to stake
all our freedom on a single battle.
You know I was a firm follower of Epicurus
and his views. Now I've changed my mind
and half believe in omens. (The rationalist who mocked Casca's terror in Act 1 has become superstitious on the morning of his death.)
On the march from Sardis, two mighty eagles
landed on our foremost standard and perched there,
feeding greedily from our soldiers' hands.
They accompanied us all the way to Philippi.
This morning they've flown away and gone,
and in their place ravens, crows and kites
circle over our heads and look down at us
as though we were dying prey. Their shadows seem
a deathly canopy, under which
our army lies ready to die.
Messala
Believe not so.
Messala
Don't believe that.
Cassius
I but believe it partly;
For I am fresh of spirit, and resolved
To meet all perils very constantly.
Cassius
I only half believe it.
My spirit is strong and I'm determined
to face every danger steadily.
Brutus
Even so, Lucilius.
Brutus
Just so, Lucilius.
Cassius
Now, most noble Brutus,
The gods to-day stand friendly, that we may,
Lovers in peace, lead on our days to age!
But, since th' affairs of men rest still incertain,
Let's reason with the worst that may befall.
If we do lose this battle, then is this
The very last time we shall speak together:
What are you then determined to do?
Cassius
Now, noble Brutus,
may the gods be friendly today, so that we can
live on into old age as friends in peacetime.
But since human affairs are always uncertain,
let's think through the worst that could happen.
If we lose this battle, then this is
the last time we'll ever speak to each other.
What have you decided to do in that case?
Brutus
Even by the rule of that philosophy
By which I did blame Cato for the death
Which he did give himself;—I know not how,
But I do find it cowardly and vile,
For fear of what might fall, so to prevent
The time of life;—arming myself with patience
To stay the providence of some high powers
That govern us below.
Brutus
By the rules of the philosophy
that made me criticise Cato for the death
he inflicted on himself. I don't quite know why,
but I find it cowardly and contemptible
to cut short your allotted life
out of fear of what might come. I'll arm myself with patience
and wait on the will of whatever higher powers
govern us down here.
Cassius
Then, if we lose this battle,
You are contented to be led in triumph
Thorough the streets of Rome?
Cassius
So if we lose this battle,
you're content to be paraded in triumph
through the streets of Rome?
Brutus
No, Cassius, no: think not, thou noble Roman,
That ever Brutus will go bound to Rome;
He bears too great a mind. But this same day
Must end that work the Ides of March begun;
And whether we shall meet again I know not.
Therefore our everlasting farewell take:
For ever, and for ever, farewell, Cassius!
If we do meet again, why, we shall smile;
If not, why, then this parting was well made.
Brutus
No, Cassius, no. Don't imagine, noble Roman,
that Brutus will ever go to Rome in chains.
His spirit is too great for that. But this same day
must finish the work the ides of March began.
And whether we'll meet again, I don't know.
So let's take our final farewell.
Forever and forever, farewell, Cassius.
If we do meet again, we'll smile.
If not, then this was a good parting. (He rejects suicide in one breath and rules out capture in the next. He has just described suicide without using the word.)
Cassius
For ever and for ever farewell, Brutus!
If we do meet again, we'll smile indeed;
If not, 'tis true this parting was well made.
Cassius
Forever and forever, farewell, Brutus.
If we meet again we'll certainly smile.
If not, then it's true — this was a good parting.
Brutus
Why then, lead on. O, that a man might know
The end of this day's business ere it come!
But it sufficeth that the day will end,
And then the end is known.—Come, ho! away!
Brutus
Then lead on. If only a man could know
how this day's work will end before it comes.
But it's enough that the day will end,
and then we'll know. — Come on! Away!
Exeunt.