Annotation samples

01. My horse] is a creature that I teach to fight,

To wind, to stop, to run directly on,
His corporal motion governed by my spirit;
And in some taste is Lepidus but so.
He must be taught, and trained, and bid go forth—
A barren-spirited fellow, one that feeds
On objects, arts, and imitations,
Which, out of use and staled by other men,
Begin his fashion. Do not talk of him
But as a property. (IV.i.31–40)

In this passage from Act IV, scene i, in which Antony and Octavius (with Lepidus, who has just left the
room) are making plans to retake Rome, the audience gains insight into Antony’s cynicism regarding
human nature: while he respects certain men, he considers Lepidus a mere tool, or “property,”
whose value lies in what other men may do with him and not in his individual human dignity.
Comparing Lepidus to his horse, Antony says that the general can be trained to fight, turn, stop, or
run straight—he is a mere body subject to the will of another.

The quote raises questions about what qualities make for an effective or valuable military man,
politician, and ally. Antony remarks that Lepidus “feeds / On objects, arts, and imitations, / Which,
out of use and staled by other men, / Begin his fashion.” By this criticism he means that Lepidus
centers his life on insubstantial things, prizing what other men have long since discarded as “stale” or
devoid of flavor and interest; that is, Lepidus lacks his own will and convictions.

While Lepidus’s weak sense of selfhood means that he can easily be used as a tool by other men, it
also means that he can be counted on to be obedient and loyal. Lepidus is thus absorbed into the
threesome (with Antony and Octavius) that rules Rome after Caesar’s death, ultimately coming into
power and political prestige with little effort or sacrifice. In Julius Caesar, men such as Brutus and
Caesar are punished in the mortal realm for their inflexible commitment to specific ideals. Though
Antony criticizes Lepidus, perhaps Shakespeare is subtly suggesting that a man such as Lepidus,
“barren-spirited” and seemingly lacking in ambition, will be as satisfied in the political realm as his
more directed counterparts.

02. We at the height are ready to decline.

There is a tide in the affairs of men
Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;
Omitted, all the voyage of their life
Is bound in shallows and in miseries.
On such a full sea are we now afloat,
 And we must take the current when it serves,
Or lose our ventures. ([Link].269–276)

Brutus speaks these words in Act IV, scene ii in order to convince Cassius that it is time to begin the
battle against Octavius and Antony. He speaks figuratively of a “tide” in the lives of human beings: if
one takes advantage of the high tide, one may float out to sea and travel far; if one misses this
chance, the “voyage” that one’s life comprises will remain forever confined to the shallows, and one
will never experience anything more glorious than the mundane events in this narrow little bay.
Brutus reproaches Cassius that if they do not “take the current” now, when the time is right, they will
lose their “ventures,” or opportunities.

The passage elegantly formulates a complex conception of the interplay between fate and free will in
human life. Throughout the play, the reader must frequently contemplate the forces of fate versus
free will and ponder whether characters might be able to prevent tragedy if they could only
understand and heed the many omens that they encounter. This musing brings up further questions,
such as whether one can achieve success through virtue, ambition, courage, and commitment or
whether one is simply fated to succeed or fail, with no ability to affect this destiny. Here, Brutus
conceives of life as influenced by both fate and free will: human beings must be shrewd enough to
recognize when fate offers them an opportunity and bold enough to take advantage of it. Thus,
Brutus believes, does man achieve a delicate and valuable balance between fate and free will.

This philosophy seems wise; it contains a certain beauty as well, suggesting that while we do not
have total control over our lives, we do have a responsibility to take what few measures we can to
live nobly and honorably. The only problem, as the play illustrates over and over again, is that it is not
always so easy to recognize these nudges of fate, be they opportunities or warnings. The characters’
repeated failures to interpret signs correctly and to adapt themselves to events as they unfold form
the basis for most of the tragedy that occurs in the play.

03. He was my friend, faithful and just to me.

But Brutus says he was ambitious,
And Brutus is an honourable man.
...
When that the poor have cried, Caesar hath wept.
...
Yet Brutus says he was ambitious,
And Brutus is an honourable man.
...
I thrice presented him a kingly crown,
Which he did thrice refuse. Was this ambition?
Yet Brutus says he was ambitious,
And sure he is an honourable man. ([Link].82–96)

Antony speaks these lines in his funeral oration for Caesar in Act III, scene ii. He has asked Brutus’s
permission to make the speech, and Brutus foolishly allows him the privilege, believing that the
boost in image that he and the conspirators will receive for this act of apparent magnanimity will
outweigh any damage that Antony’s words might do. Unfortunately for the conspirators, Antony’s
speech is a rhetorical tour de force, undermining the conspirators even while it appears deferential
to them. This clever strategy recalls the previous scene (III.i), in which Antony shook hands with each
of the murderers in turn, thus smearing Caesar’s blood among all of them; while appearing to make a
gesture of reconciliation, he silently marked them all as guilty. In both the handshake and the speech,
Antony damns the murderers while appearing to pay respect, showing his consummate skill as a
politician and rhetorician.

The speech draws much of its power from repetition. Each time Antony cites Brutus’s claim that
Caesar was “ambitious,” the claim loses force and credibility. Similarly, each time Antony declares
how “honourable” a man Brutus is, the phrase accrues an increasingly sarcastic tone until, by the end
of the speech, its meaning has been completely inverted. The speech wins over the crowd and turns
public opinion against the conspirators; when Antony reads Caesar’s will aloud a few moments later,
the dead Caesar’s words join with Antony’s in rousing the masses against the injustice of the
assassination.