Cal. Here, my lord. Cæs. Stand you directly in Antonius' way When he doth run his course. Ant. Cæsar, my lord. Antonius! 5 Cæs. Forget not, in your speed, Antonius, Ant. I shall remember : ΙΟ [Music. When Cæsar says " Do this," it is perform'd. Cæs. Set on; and leave no ceremony out. Sooth. Cæsar! Cæs. Ha! Who calls? Casca. Bid every noise be still; peace yet again! 3. Antonius'] Antonio's Ff. [Music ceases. 4, 6. Antonius] Antonio Ff. 3. Antonius] In the Folios through out the play we find "Antonio" instead of " Antonius." As this form of the name is not found in North, and as 66 Anthonius" occurs twice in Antony and Cleopatra, we may suppose that "Antonio" is due to the copyist and not to Shakespeare. We cannot, however, be certain. The fact that in Antony and Cleopatra the name of the hero is only thrice given its full Latin form, indicates that Shakespeare did not think that form very suitable for English verse. He may possibly have chosen to use by preference the modern Italian form, which would be very familiar to English men of letters of the time, many of whom knew Italian well, and had read the Life of "Marco Antonio" in Italian translations of Plutarch. 4. run his course] run the race through the city that took place at the feast called the Lupercalia. See the extract from North's Plutarch on p. lxiii. 7. touch] with one of the leather thongs mentioned in Plutarch's account of the feast. 9. Shake off their sterile curse] For "sterile curse compare captive bonds," "insane root that takes the reason prisoner," Macbeth, 1. iii. 84, "oblivious pool," P. L. i. 266. 10. Do this] Compare Luke vii. 8. This is a hyperbolical way of saying that Cæsar's orders are immediately and inevitably carried out. Similarly when Othello asks Iago to kill Cassio within three days, Iago replies, "My friend is dead; 'tis done at your request.' 11. Set on] start, begin. This intransitive use of the verb survives in set out." Cas. Who is it in the press that calls on me? I hear a tongue, shriller than all the music, Cry "Cæsar!" Speak; Cæsar is turn'd to hear. Sooth. Beware the ides of March. Cæs. What man is that? 15 20 Bru. A soothsayer bids you beware the ides of March. Cæs. He is a dreamer; let us leave him: pass. [Sennet. Exeunt all but Brutus and Cæsar. Cas. Will you go see the order of the course? Bru. Not I. Bru. I am not gamesome: I do lack some part 15. press] crowd, as in Mark ii. 4, v. 30; Luke xix. 3. In Tennyson's Princess we find "made at me through the press." 17. Cæsar] He shows his pride by speaking of himself in the third person. Compare II. ii. 10, 12, 28, 29, 44, 45, 48, 65, 68; III. i. 32, 40, 47. Othello reveals his pride by the same characteristic trait. 17. turn'd] The word is especially appropriate in a person deaf of one See line 210. ear. 24. Sennet] flourish of trumpets. 25 24. Brutus] Marcus Junius Brutus, not Decimus Junius Brutus, whom Shakespeare calls Decius or Decius Brutus. According to Plutarch, Cassius was angry with Cæsar and Brutus because Cæsar had given Brutus the city prætorship, which was a more honourable and powerful office than the ordinary_prætorship conferred on Cassius. There is, however, no mention of this ground of quarrel in Shakespeare. 45. 25. go see] See note on IV. i. 28. quick spirit] liveliness. There is a great contrast between the earnest, serious character of Brutus and Antony's love of pleasure, which was superficially the chief element in his nature. On this account Brutus wrongly despised Antony as a man of no power. See 11. i. 185-189. Let me not hinder, Cassius, your desires; Cas. Brutus, I do observe you now of late: Bru. Cassius, Be not deceiv'd: if I have veil'd my look, I turn the trouble of my countenance Merely upon myself. Vexed I am Of late with passions of some difference, 30 35 35. friend... loves] F 1 ; friends . . . loves F 2, 3 ; friends . . . love F 4. 33. as] The relatival use of "as," except after "such” and “the same," is now a vulgarism, but was not so regarded in Shakespeare's time. Compare line 172 and Abbott, secs. 112 and 280. Conversely in III. i. 41 we have "that" where we should now be compelled to use "as." 34. You bear, etc.] Cassius compares himself to a horse and Brutus to a rider or driver. Compare Lear, III. i. 27: "The hard rein which both of them have borne Against the old kind king.” "Stubborn" expresses a heavy as opposed to a light hand in riding or driving. Compare "stubborn bits," Henry VIII. v. iii. 23. The epithet "strange," expressing Brutus' coldness and reserve, does not keep up the metaphor. For the combination of metaphorical and ordinary words compare IV. iii. 220. 36. veil'd my look] practised reserve, not allowed my countenance to reveal my thoughts. Brutus had not ". worn his heart upon his sleeve" (Othello, I. i. 64), and consequently had appeared to his friends to be cold and distant. He turned the trouble of his countenance upon himself, that is to say, he did not communicate to his friends the secret troubles that were indicated by his sad face. They saw that his countenance was not frank and open as before, but were not able to "construe the charactery of his sad brows" (II. i. 308), so that the jealous Cassius, not knowing the true cause of his gloominess, attributed it to unfriendli ness and estrangement. 38. Merely] entirely. The use of "merely" here is scarcely distinguishable from its present use, and shows how the word from meaning "entirely," absolutely," came to mean "only.' دو 39. passions of some difference] contending feelings. Brutus was at war with himself (line 45), because his love for Cæsar was opposed to his love for Rome and freedom. Compare the words put into his mouth in the Earl of Sterline's Julius Cæsar: "I owe him much, but to my country more. This in my breast hath great dissension bred. I Cæsar love, but yet Rome's enemy hate." Conceptions only proper to myself, Which give some soil perhaps to my behaviours; Nor construe any further my neglect, 40 Than that poor Brutus, with himself at war, 45 Cas. Then, Brutus, I have much mistook your passion; But by reflection by some other things. Cas. 'Tis just: 50 And it is very much lamented, Brutus, That you have no such mirrors as will turn 55 Your hidden worthiness into your eye, That you might see your shadow. I have heard, 51. itself] F1; himself F 2, 3, 4. 52. reflection] reflection, Ff; by some] from some Pope, Dyce; things] Ff, thing Dyce. 40. only proper to myself] that concern myself only. As his thoughts only concerned himself, he did not feel bound to reveal them to his friends. 41. behaviours] often used in the plural by Shakespeare. 46. shows of love] outward manifestations of affection. 47. passion] state of mind. 48. By means whereof] on account of which misunderstanding. Compare Troilus and Cressida, III. iii. 104, 105. 51. sees not itself] Steevens quotes from Sir John Davies' poem on the Immortality of the Soul, 1599: "Is it because the mind is like the eye, Through which it gathers know- Not seeing itself, when other and from Marston's Comedy of the Fawn, 1606: "The eye sees all things but its proper self." 52. by reflection by some other things] by being reflected by other things, namely, mirrors. If we retain the comma after "reflection," then "by some other things" is an adverbial phrase modifying itself," as "by reflection" does. sees 57. shadow] reflection, as in King John, 11. i. 498, and in the passage quoted from Maplet on II. i. 205. Where many of the best respect in Rome, 60 Cas. Therefore, good Brutus, be prepar'd to hear; 65 That of yourself which you yet know not of. 71. laugher] Rowe, Pope; laughter Ff. 58. of the best respect] who are looked up to with the greatest reverence. Compare v. v. 45. 59. except] This ironical exception is intended to excite envy or indignation in the mind of Brutus, such as Cassius himself felt at the thought that one man was so much exalted above all other Romans that no one could be compared with him in honour. 61. had his eyes] was not blind, realised the situation and his duty to the republic. Compare II. i. 46. 65. Therefore] Craik thinks that "the eager impatient temper of Cassius, absorbed in his own one idea, is vividly expressed by his thus continuing his argument as if without appearing to have even heard Brutus' interrupting question; for such is the only interpretation which his therefore would seem to admit of." If "therefore" refers to what Cassius has said before, it refers especially to lines 54-57. As Brutus could not see him 70 |