Julius Caesar :   Act 2, Scene 2


      Thunder and lightning. Enter JULIUS CAESAR,   
      in his night-gown   night-gown dressing gown
    
      CAESAR   
      Nor heaven nor earth have been at peace to-night:   Nor neither
      Thrice hath Calpurnia in her sleep cried out,   Thrice three times
      "Help, ho! they murder Caesar!" —Who's within?   Who's within? (He's calling for whatever
    servant might be on duty.)
      Enter a Servant.   
    
      Servant   
      My lord?   
    
      CAESAR   
2.2.5      Go bid the priests do present sacrifice   present immediate | do . . . sacrifice sacrifice an
      And bring me their opinions of success.   animal and examine its entrails in order to
    predict the future
      Servant   success the outcome (of current events)
      I will, my lord.   
    
      Exit [Servant].   
    
      Enter CALPURNIA.   
    
      CALPURNIA   
      What mean you, Caesar? think you to walk forth?   What mean you . . . ? what are you thinking of
      You shall not stir out of your house to-day.   doing?
    
      CAESAR   
2.2.10      Caesar shall forth: the things that threaten'd me   shall forth shall go forth
      Ne'er look'd but on my back; when they shall see   
      The face of Caesar, they are vanished.   
    
      CALPURNIA   
      Caesar, I never stood on ceremonies,   stood on ceremonies paid heed to omens
      Yet now they fright me. There is one within,   
2.2.15      Besides the things that we have heard and seen,   
      Recounts most horrid sights seen by the watch.   the watch corps of night watchmen (This is an
      A lioness hath whelped in the streets;   anachronism.) | whelped given birth
      And graves have yawn'd, and yielded up their dead;   yawn'd opened wide
      Fierce fiery warriors fought upon the clouds,   
2.2.20      In ranks and squadrons and right form of war,   right form of war regular military formations
      Which drizzled blood upon the Capitol;   
      The noise of battle hurtled in the air,   hurtled clashed
      Horses did neigh, and dying men did groan,   
      And ghosts did shriek and squeal about the streets.   
2.2.25      O Caesar! these things are beyond all use,   beyond all use uncanny, beyond the boundaries
      And I do fear them.   of all usual experience
    
      CAESAR   
                              What can be avoided   
      Whose end is purposed by the mighty gods?   
      Yet Caesar shall go forth; for these predictions   
      Are to the world in general as to Caesar.   to as applicable to
    
      CALPURNIA   
2.2.30      When beggars die, there are no comets seen;   
      The heavens themselves blaze forth the death of princes.   blaze forth announce with a blaze of light
    
      CAESAR   
      Cowards die many times before their deaths;   
      The valiant never taste of death but once.   
      Of all the wonders that I yet have heard.   
2.2.35      It seems to me most strange that men should fear;   
      Seeing that death, a necessary end,   
      Will come when it will come.   
    
      Enter a Servant.   
    
                                       What say the augurers?   
    
      Servant   
      They would not have you to stir forth to-day.   
      Plucking the entrails of an offering forth,   Plucking . . . forth pulling out
2.2.40      They could not find a heart within the beast.   
    
      CAESAR   
      The gods do this in shame of cowardice:   in shame of cowardice i.e., to teach us to be
      Caesar should be a beast without a heart,   ashamed of cowardice
      If he should stay at home to-day for fear.   
      No, Caesar shall not: danger knows full well   
2.2.45      That Caesar is more dangerous than he:   
      We are two lions litter'd in one day,   
      And I the elder and more terrible:   
      And Caesar shall go forth.   
    
      CALPURNIA   
                                    Alas, my lord,   
      Your wisdom is consumed in confidence.   consumed in confidence eaten up by over-
2.250      Do not go forth to-day: call it my fear   confidence
      That keeps you in the house, and not your own.   
      We'll send Mark Antony to the Senate-house:   
      And he shall say you are not well to-day:   
      Let me, upon my knee, prevail in this.   
    
      CAESAR   
2.2.55      Mark Antony shall say I am not well,   
      And, for thy humour, I will stay at home.   for thy humour because of your whim
    
      Enter DECIUS.   
    
      Here's Decius Brutus, he shall tell them so.   
    
      DECIUS   
      Caesar, all hail! good morrow, worthy Caesar:   
      I come to fetch you to the Senate-house.   
    
      CAESAR   
2.2.60      And you are come in very happy time   in very happy time at just the right moment
      To bear my greeting to the senators   
      And tell them that I will not come to-day:   
      Cannot, is false, and that I dare not, falser:   
      I will not come to-day: tell them so, Decius.   
    
      CALPURNIA   
2.2.65      Say he is sick.   
    
      CAESAR   
                          Shall Caesar send a lie?   
      Have I in conquest stretch'd mine arm so far,   
      To be afraid to tell graybeards the truth?   
      Decius, go tell them Caesar will not come.   
    
      DECIUS   
      Most mighty Caesar, let me know some cause,   
2.2.70      Lest I be laugh'd at when I tell them so.   
    
      CAESAR   
      The cause is in my will: I will not come;   
      That is enough to satisfy the senate.   
      But for your private satisfaction,   for your private satisfaction to satisfy your
      Because I love you, I will let you know:   personal curiosity
2.2.75      Calpurnia here, my wife, stays me at home:   stays keeps, detains
      She dreamt to-night she saw my statue,   to-night last night
      Which, like a fountain with an hundred spouts,   
      Did run pure blood: and many lusty Romans   lusty lively, joyful
      Came smiling, and did bathe their hands in it:   
2.2.80      And these does she apply for warnings and portents,   apply for interpret as
      And evils imminent; and on her knee   
      Hath begg'd that I will stay at home to-day.   
    
      DECIUS   
      This dream is all amiss interpreted;   amiss interpreted misinterpreted
      It was a vision fair and fortunate:   
2.2.85      Your statue spouting blood in many pipes,   
      In which so many smiling Romans bathed,   
      Signifies that from you great Rome shall suck   
      Reviving blood, and that great men shall press   press crowd around (you), importune
      For tinctures, stains, relics and cognizance.   tinctures . . . cognizance (All are signs of
2.2.90      This by Calpurnia's dream is signified.   allegiance.) >>>
    
      CAESAR   
      And this way have you well expounded it.   
    
      DECIUS   
      I have, when you have heard what I can say;   what I can say i.e., what more I can say
      And know it now: the Senate have concluded   know it now i.e., and now you will know that
      To give this day a crown to mighty Caesar.   the Romans are devoted to you
2.2.95      If you shall send them word you will not come,   
      Their minds may change. Besides, it were a mock   a mock / Apt to be render'd a sarcastic
      Apt to be render'd, for some one to say   comment likely to be made
      "Break up the Senate till another time,   
      When Caesar's wife shall meet with better dreams."   shall meet with will happen to have
2.2.100      If Caesar hide himself, shall they not whisper   
      "Lo, Caesar is afraid"?   
      Pardon me, Caesar; for my dear dear love   
      To our proceeding bids me tell you this;   proceeding advancement >>>
      And reason to my love is liable.   liable subservient >>>
    
      CAESAR   
2.2.105      How foolish do your fears seem now, Calpurnia!   
      I am ashamed I did yield to them.   
      Give me my robe, for I will go.   robe (It would be his most impressive garment.)
    
      Enter BRUTUS, LIGARIUS, METELLUS,   
      CASCA, TREBONIUS, CINNA, and PUBLIUS.   
    
      And look where Publius is come to fetch me.   
    
      PUBLIUS   
      Good morrow, Caesar.   
    
      CAESAR   
                                 Welcome, Publius.   
2.2.110      What, Brutus, are you stirr'd so early too?   
      Good morrow, Casca. Caius Ligarius,   
      Caesar was ne'er so much your enemy   
      As that same ague which hath made you lean.   same ague chronic disease
      What is 't o'clock?   
    
      BRUTUS   
                                Caesar, 'tis strucken eight.   
    
      CAESAR   
2.2.115      I thank you for your pains and courtesy.   
    
      Enter ANTONY.   
    
      See! Antony, that revels long o' nights,   revels parties hard
      Is notwithstanding up. Good morrow, Antony.   
    
      ANTONY   
      So to most noble Caesar.   So to i.e., good morning to you, too
    
      CAESAR   
                                    Bid them prepare within:   Bid them prepare within (Addressed to the
      I am to blame to be thus waited for.   servant, who is supposed to go tell other
2.2.120      Now, Cinna: now, Metellus: what, Trebonius!   servants to prepare for Caesar's departure.)
      I have an hour's talk in store for you;   
      Remember that you call on me to-day:   
      Be near me, that I may remember you.   
    
      TREBONIUS   
      Caesar, I will; [Aside] and so near will I be,   
2.2.125      That your best friends shall wish I had been further.   
    
      CAESAR   
      Good friends, go in, and taste some wine with me;   taste some wine with me (As a pledge of
      And we, like friends, will straightway go together.   friendship.) | like as becomes (Caesar does not
    suspect that these men are not really his friends.)
      BRUTUS   [Aside]   
      That every like is not the same, O Caesar,   every like is not the same i.e., not everything is
      The heart of Brutus earns to think upon!   as it seems (A proverb.) | earns grieves
    
      Exeunt