JULIUS CÆSA R. (WRITTEN ABOUT 1601.) INTRODUCTION. This tragedy was produced as early as 1601; so we infer from a passage in Weaver's Mirror of Martyrs (1601) in which reference is made to the speeches of Brutus and Antony. The style of the versitication, the diction, the characterization, all bear out the opinion that 1600 or 1601 is the date of Julius Cæsar. The historical materials of the play were found by the dramatist in the lives of Cæsar, of Brutus, and of Antony, as given in North's translation of Plutarch. Hints for the speeches of Brutus and Antony seem to have been obtained from Appian's Civil Wars (B. II., ch. 137-147) translated into English in 1578. Every thing is wrought out in the play with great care and completeness; it is well planned and well proportioned; there is no tempestuousness of passion, and no artistic mystery. The style is full, but not overburdened with thought or imagery; this is one of the most perfect of Shakespeare's plays; greater tragedies are less perfect, perhaps for the very reason that they try to grasp greater, more terrible, or more piteous themes. In King Henry V. Shakespeare had represented a great and heroic man of action. In the serious plays, which come next in chronological order, Julius Cæsar and Hamlet, the poet represents two men who were forced to act to act in public affairs, and affairs of life and death-yet who were singularly disqualified for playing the part of men of action. Hamlet cannot act because his moral energy is sapped by a kind of skepticism and sterile despair about life, because his own ideas are more to him than deeds, because his will is diseased. Brutus does act, but he acts as an idealist and theorizer might, with no eye for the actual bearing of facts, and no sense of the true importance of persons. Intellectual loctrines and moral ideas rule the life of Brutus; and his life is most noble, high, and stainless, but his public action is a series of practical mistakes. Yet even while he errs we admire him, for al. his errors are those of a pure and lofty spirit. In his wife-Cato's daughter, Portia-Brutus has found one who is equal to and worthy of himself. Shakespeare has shown her as perfectly a woman--sensitive, finely-tempered, tender-yet a woman who by her devotion to moral ideas might stand beside such a father and such a husband. And Brutus, with all his Stoicism, is gentle and tender: he can strike down Cæsar if Cæsar be a tyrant, but he cannot roughly rouse a sleeping boy (Act IV., Sc. iii., L. 270). Antony is a man of genius, with many splendid and some generous qualities, but self-indulgent, pleasure-loving, and a daring adventurer rather than a great leader of the State. The character of Cæsar is conceived in a curious and almost irritating manner. Shakespeare (as passages in other plays show) was certainly not ignorant of the greatness of one of the world's greatest men. But here it is his weaknesses that are insisted on. He is failing in body and mind, influenced by superstition, yields to flattery, thinks of himself as almost superhuman, has lost some of his insight into character, and his sureness and swiftness of action. Yet the play is rightly named Julius Cæsar. His bodily presence is weak, but his spirit rules throughout the play, and rises after his death in all its might, towering over the little band of conspirators, who at length fall before the spirit of Cæsar as it ranges for revenge. rhetoric. A Soothsaver. CLAUDIUS, servants to Brutum PINDARUS, servant to Cassius. CALPURNIA, wife to Cæsar. Senators, Citizens, Guards, Attendants, &c. SCENE: Rome: the neighborhood of Sardis the neighborhood of Philippi ACT L SCENE I. Rome. A street. Flav. Hence! home, you idle creatures get you home : Is this a holiday? what! know you not, First Com. Why, sir, a carpenter. What dost thou with thy best apparel on? Sec. Com. Truly, sir, in respect of a fine workman, I am but, as you would say, a cobbler. 11 Mar. But what trade art thou? answer me directly. Sec. Com. A trade, sir, that, I hope, I may use with a safe conscience; which is, indeed, sir, a mender of bad soles. Mar. What trade, thou knave? thou naughty knave, what trade ? Sec. Com. Nay, I beseech you, sir, be not out with me: yet, if you be out, sir, I can mend you. Mar. What meanest thou by that? mend me, thou saucy fellow! 21 Sec. Com. Why, sir, cobble you. Flav. Thou art a cobbler, art thou? Sec. Com. Truly, sir, all that I live by is with the awl: I meddle with no tradesman's matters, nor women's matters, but with awl. I am, indeed, sir, a surgeon to old shoes; when they are in great danger, I recover them. As proper men as ever trod upon neat's leather bave gone upon my handiwork. 30 Flav. But wherefore art not in thy shop today? Why dost thou lead these men about the streets? That Tiber trembled underneath her banks, 50 And do you now put on your best attire ? Run to your houses, fall upon your knees, Assemble all the poor men of your sort; tears Into the channel, till the lowest stream [Exeunt all the Commoners. You know it is the feast of Lupercal. Flav. It is no matter; let no images Be hung with Cæsar's trophies. I'll about, And drive away the vulgar from the streets : So do you too, where you perceive them thick. These growing feathers pluck'd from Cæsar's Peace, ho! Cæsar speaks. Calpurnia! Cal. Here, my lord. Ces Stand you directly in Antonius' way, When he doth run his course. Antonius! Ant. Cæsar, my lord? Cæs. Forget not, in your speed, Antonius, To touch Calpurnia; for our elders say, The barren, touched in this holy chase, Shake off their sterile curse. Ant. I shall remember: When Cæsar says 'do this,' it is perform'd. 10 Cæs. Set on; and leave no ceremony out. [Flourish. Sooth. Cæsar! Cres. Ha! who calls? Casca. Bid every noise be still: peace yet again! Ces. 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. Will modestly discover to yourself That of yourself which you yet know not of. Bru. What means this shouting? I do fear, Ay, do you fear it? 80 Then must I think you would not have it so. Bru. I would not, Cassius; yet I love hím well. But wherefore do you hold me here so long? Cas. I know that virtue to be in you, Brn 100 In awe of such a thing as I myself. And bade him follow; so indeed he did. Did from the flames of Troy upon his shoulder Tiber Did I the tired Cæsar. And this man Is now become a god, and Cassius is Except immortal Cæsar, speaking of Brutus 60 If Cæsar carelessly but nod on him. And groaning underneath this age's yoke, heard, Where many of the best respect in Rome, A wretched creature and must bend his body, He had a fever when he was in Spain, Have wish'd that noble Brutus had his eyes. Bru. Into what dangers would you lead me, And when the fit was on him, I did mark 120 How he did shake: 'tis true, this god did Cassius, That you would have me seek into myself For that which is not in me? shake: His coward lips did from their color fly, Cas. Therefore, good Brutus, be prepared to hear: world And since you know you cannot see yourself So well as by reflection, I, your glass, Did lose his lustre: I did hear him groan: Like a Colossus, and we petty men Why should that name be sounded more than yours? Write them together, yours is as fair a name ; Sound them, it doth become the mouth as well; Weigh them, it is as heavy; conjure with 'em, Brutus will start a spirit as soon as Cæsar. Now, in the names of all the gods at once, Upon what meat doth this our Cæsar feed, That he is grown so great? Age, thou art shamed! 150 Rome, thou hast lost the breed of noble bloods! When went there by an age, since the great flood, But it was famed with more than with one man? When could they say till now, that talk'd of Rome, That her wide walls encompass'd but one man? Now is it Rome indeed and room enough, When there is in it but one only man. O, you and I have heard our fathers say, There was a Brutus once that would have jealous; What you would work me to, I have some aim: I will with patience hear, and find a time 169 Than to repute himself a son of Rome Cas. I am glad that my weak words sleeve: And he will, after his sour fashion, tell you What hath proceeded worthy note to-day. Re-enter CÆSAR and his Train. Bru. I will do so. But, look you, Cassius, The angry spot doth glow on Cæsar's brow, And all the rest look like a chidden train : Calpurnia's cheek is pale; and Cicero Looks with such ferret and such fiery eyes As we have seen him in the Capitol, Being cross'd in conference by some senators. Cas. Casca will tell us what the matter is. plays, As thou dost, Antony; he hears no music; 210 Casca. You pull'd me by the cloak; would you speak with me? Bru. Ay, Casca; tell us what hath chanced to-day, That Cæsar looks so sad. Casca. Why, you were with him, were you not? Bru. I should not then ask Casca what had chanced. 219 Casca. Why, there was a crown offered him and being offered him, he put it by with the back of his hand, thus; and then the people fell a-shouting. Bru. What was the second noise for? Tas. They shouted thrice: what was the last cry for? Casca. Why, for that too. Bru. Was the crown offered him thrice? Casca. Ay, marry, was't, and he put it by thrice, every time gentler than other, and at every putting-by mine honest neighbors shouted. Cas. Who offered him the crown? Bru. Tell us the manner of it, gentle Casca. Casca. I can as well be hanged as tell the manner of it: it was mere foolery; I did not mark it. I saw Mark Antony offer him a crown;-yet 'twas not a crown neither, 'twas one of these coronets ;-and, as I told you, he put it by once but, for all that, to my thinking, he would fain have had it. Then he offered it to him again; then he put it by again: but, to my thinking, he was very loath to lay his fingers off it. And then he offered it the third time; he put it the third time by: and still as he refused it, the rabblement hooted and clapped their chapped hands and threw up their sweaty night-caps and uttered such a deal of stinking breath because Cæsar refused the crown that it had almost choked Cæsar; for he swounded and fell down at it: and for mine own part, I durst not laugh, for fear of opening my lips and receiving the bad air. Cas. But, soft, I pray you: what, did Cæsar swound? Casca. He fell down in the market-place, and foamed at mouth, and was speechless. Bru. 'Tis very like he hath the falling sickness.. Cas. No, Cæsar hath it not but you and I And honest Casca, we have the falling sick ness. Casca. I know not what you mean by that; but, I am sure, Cæsar fell down. If the tagrag people did not clap him and hiss him, according as he pleased and displeased them, as they use to do the players in the theatre, I am no true man. Bru. What said he when he came unto himself? Casca. Marry, before he fell down, when he perceived the common herd was glad he refused the crown, he plucked me ope his doublet and offered them his throat to cut. An I had been a man of any occupation, if I would not have taken him at a word, I would I might go to hell among the rogues. And so he fell. When he came to himself again, he said, If he had done or said any thing amiss, he desired their worships to think it was his infirmity. Three or four wenches, where I stood, cried Alas, good soul!' and forgave him with all their hearts: but there's no heed to be taken of them; if. Cæsar had stabbed their mothers, they would have done no less. Bru. And after that, he came, thus sad, away? 301 He was quick mettle when he went to school. Bru. And so it is. For this time I will Cic. Good even, Casca: brought you Cæsar home? Why are you breathless? and why stare you so? Casca. Are not you moved, when all the sway of earth Shakes like a thing unfirm ? O Cicero, I have seen tempests, when the scolding winds Have rived the knotty oaks, and I have seen The ambitious ocean swell and rage and foam, To be exalted with the threatening clouds: But never till to-night, never till now, Did I go through a tempest dropping fire. 10 |