Julius Caesar Act II Scene II

ORIGINAL TEXT MODERN TEXT

Thunder and lightning Enter Julius CAESAR in his nightgown Thunder and lightning. CAESAR enters in his nightgown.

CAESAR :
Nor heaven nor earth have been at peace tonight. Thrice hath CAESAR:
CALPURNIA in her sleep cried out, “Help, ho! They murder Caesar!”—Who’s Neither the sky nor the earth have been quiet
within? tonight. CALPURNIA cried out three times
in her sleep, “Help, someone! They’re
murdering Caesar!” Who’s there?

Enter a SERVANT A SERVANT enters.

SERVANT: My lord. SERVANT: My lord?

CAESAR: Go bid the priests do present sacrifice And bring me their opinions of CAESAR: Go tell the priests to perform a sacrifice immediately, and
success. C bring me their interpretation of the results.

SERVANT: I will, my lord.

SERVANT: I will, my lord. The SERVANT exits.
Exit SERVANT

Enter CALPURNIA CALPURNIA enters.

CALPURNIA: What mean you, Caesar? Think you to walk forth? You shall not stir CALPURNIA: What are you doing, Caesar? Are you planning to go
out of your house today. out? You’re not leaving the house today.
CAESAR: Caesar shall forth. The things that threatened me Ne'er looked but on my
CAESAR: I will go out. The things that threaten me have only seen
back. When they shall see The face of Caesar, they are vanishèd.
my back. When they see the face of Caesar, they will vanish.

CALPURNIA: Caesar, I never stood on ceremonies, Yet now they fright me. There
is one within, Besides the things that we have heard and seen, Recounts most horrid CALPURNIA: Caesar, I never believed in omens, but now they
sights seen by the watch. A lioness hath whelpèd in the streets, And graves have frighten me. A servant told me the night-watchmen saw horrid sights
yawned and yielded up their dead. Fierce fiery warriors fought upon the clouds In too, but different ones from what we heard and saw. A lioness gave
ranks and squadrons and right form of war, Which drizzled blood upon the Capitol. birth in the streets, and graves cracked open and thrust out their dead.
The noise of battle hurtled in the air. Horses did neigh, and dying men did groan, Fierce, fiery warriors fought in the clouds in the usual formations of
And ghosts did shriek and squeal about the streets. O Caesar! These things are war—ranks and squadrons—until the clouds drizzled blood onto the
beyond all use, And I do fear them. Capitol. The noise of battle filled the air, and horses neighed, and
dying men groaned, and ghosts shrieked and squealed in the streets.
Oh, Caesar! These things are beyond anything we’ve seen before, and
I’m afraid.

CAESAR: How can we avoid what the gods want to happen? But I
CAESAR: What can be avoided Whose end is purposed by the mighty gods? Yet
will go out, for these bad omens apply to the world in general as much
Caesar shall go forth, for these predictions Are to the world in general as to Caesar.
as they do to me.

CALPURNIA: When beggars die there are no comets seen. The heavens themselves CALPURNIA: When beggars die there are no comets in the sky. The
blaze forth the death of princes. heavens only announce the deaths of princes.

CAESAR: Cowards die many times before their deaths. The valiant never taste of CAESAR: Cowards die many times before their deaths. The brave
death but once. Of all the wonders that I yet have heard, It seems to me most strange experience death only once. Of all the strange things I’ve ever heard, it
that men should fear, Seeing that death, a necessary end, Will come when it will seems most strange to me that men fear death, given that death, which
come. can’t be avoided, will come whenever it wants.

Enter SERVANT The SERVANT enters.

What say the augurers? What do the priests say?

SERVANT: They would not have you to stir forth today. Plucking the entrails of an SERVANT: They don’t want you to go out today. They pulled out the
offering forth, They could not find a heart within the beast. guts of the sacrificed animal and couldn’t find its heart.

CAESAR: The gods do this to test my bravery. They’re saying I’d be

CAESAR: The gods do this in shame of cowardice. Caesar should be a beast without
an animal without a heart if I stayed home today out of fear. So, I
a heart If he should stay at home today for fear. No, Caesar shall not. Danger knows
won’t. Danger knows that Caesar is more dangerous than he is. We’re
full well That Caesar is more dangerous than he. We are two lions littered in one
two lions born on the same day in the same litter, and I’m the older
day, And I the elder and more terrible. And Caesar shall go forth.
and more terrible. I will go out.

CALPURNIA: Alas, my lord, Your wisdom is consumed in confidence. Do not go CALPURNIA: Alas, my lord, your confidence is getting the better of
forth today. Call it my fear That keeps you in the house, and not your own. We’ll your wisdom. Don’t go out today. Say that it’s my fear that keeps you
send Mark Antony to the senate house, And he shall say you are not well today. inside and not your own. We’ll send Mark Antony to the senate house,
(kneels) Let me, upon my knee, prevail in this and he’ll say that you’re sick today. (she kneels) Let me, on my knees,
win you over to this plan.

CAESAR: Mark Antony shall say I am not well, And for thy humor I will stay at CAESAR: All right. Mark Antony will say I’m not well, and to please
home. you I’ll stay at home.

CALPURNIA rises CALPURNIA gets up.

Enter DECIUS DECIUS enters.

Here’s Decius Brutus. He shall tell them so. Here’s Decius Brutus. He’ll tell them so.
CAESAR: And you are come in very happy time To bear my greeting to the senators
And tell them that I will not come today. “Cannot” is false, and that I dare not, falser. CAESAR: And you’ve come at a good time, so you can convey my
I will not come today. Tell them so, Decius. greetings to the senators and tell them I won’t come today. It wouldn’t
be true to say that I can’t come, and even less true to say that I don’t
dare come. I simply won’t come today. Tell them so, Decius.

CALPURNIA Say he is sick. CALPURNIA Say he’s sick.

 CAESAR: Would I send a lie? Have I accomplished so much in battle,
CAESAR: Shall Caesar send a lie? Have I in conquest stretched mine arm so far To
but now I’m afraid to tell some old men the truth? Decius, go tell them
be afraid to tell graybeards the truth? Decius, go tell them Caesar will not come.
that Caesar won’t come.

DECIUS: Most mighty Caesar, let me know some cause, Lest I be laughed at when I
DECIUS: Most mighty Caesar, give me some reason, so I won’t be
tell them so. DECIUS Most mighty Caesar, give me some reason, so I won’t be
laughed at when I tell them so.
laughed 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, Because I love you, I will let you know. CAESAR: The reason is that it’s what I want. I’m not coming. That’s
CALPURNIA here, my wife, stays me at home. She dreamt tonight she saw my enough for the senate. But for your private satisfaction, because I love
statue, Which, like a fountain with an hundred spouts, Did run pure blood. And many you, I’ll tell you. CALPURNIA, my wife, is keeping me at home. Last
lusty Romans Came smiling and did bathe their hands in it. And these does she apply night, she dreamed she saw a statue of me with a hundred holes in it,
for warnings and portents And evils imminent, and on her knee Hath begged that I like a fountain with pure blood flowing from it, and many happy
will stay at home today. Romans came smiling and washed their hands in it. She takes these
signs for warnings and predictions of terrible evils to come, and, on
her knee, she begged me to stay home today.

DECIUS: This dream has been interpreted all wrong. It was a good
DECIUS: This dream is all amiss interpreted. It was a vision fair and fortunate. Your
and lucky vision. Your statue spouting blood through many holes, in
statue spouting blood in many pipes, In which so many smiling Romans bathed,
which many smiling Romans bathed, means that you’ll provide great
Signifies that from you great Rome shall suck Reviving blood, and that great men
Rome with sustaining blood, and that great men will strive to get some
shall press For tinctures, stains, relics, and cognizance. This by CALPURNIA’s
token of approval from your holy blood. This is what CALPURNIA’s
dream is signified.
dream means.

CAESAR: And this way have you well expounded it. CAESAR: You’ve offered an excellent interpretation.
 DECIUS: I will have when you hear the rest of what I have to say. The
DECIUS: I have, when you have heard what I can say. And know it now: the senate
senate has decided to give mighty Caesar a crown today. If you send
have concluded To give this day a crown to mighty Caesar. If you shall send them
them word that you won’t come, they might change their minds.
word you will not come, Their minds may change. Besides, it were a mock Apt to be
Besides, someone’s likely to joke, “Adjourn the senate until some
rendered for someone to say, “Break up the senate till another time When Caesar’s
other time, when Caesar’s wife has had better dreams.” If you hide
wife shall meet with better dreams.” If Caesar hide himself, shall they not whisper,
yourself, won’t they whisper, “Caesar is afraid?” Pardon me, Caesar.
“Lo, Caesar is afraid”? Pardon me, Caesar. For my dear, dear love To your
My high hopes for your advancement force me to tell you this. My
proceeding bids me tell you this, And reason to my love is liable.
love gets the better of my manners.

CAESAR: How foolish do your fears seem now, CALPURNIA! I am ashamèd I did
CAESAR: How foolish your fears seem now, CALPURNIA! I’m
yield to them. Give me my robe, for I will go.
ashamed that I yielded to them. Give me my robe, because I’m going.

Enter BRUTUS, LIGARIUS, METELLUS, CASCA, TREBONIUS, CINNA, and PUBLIUS, BRUTUS, LIGARIUS, METELLUS, CASCA,
PUBLIUS TREBONIUS, and CINNA enter.

And look, where Publius is come to fetch me. And look, here’s Publius, come to fetch me

PUBLIUS Good morrow, Caesar. PUBLIUS Good morning, Caesar

CAESAR: Welcome, Publius. CAESAR —What, Brutus, are you stirred so early CAESAR:Welcome, Publius. What, Brutus? Are you up this early too?
too? —Good morrow, Casca.—Caius Ligarius, Caesar was ne'er so much your Good morning, Casca. Caius Ligarius, I was never your enemy so
enemy As that same ague which hath made you lean. —What is ’t o'clock? much as the sickness that’s made you so thin. What time is it?

BRUTUS Caesar, ’tis strucken eight. BRUTUS Caesar, the clock has struck eight.

CAESAR I thank you for your pains and courtesy. CAESAR I thank you all for your trouble and courtesy.

Enter ANTONY ANTONY enters.

See, Antony, that revels long a-nights, Is notwithstanding up.—Good morrow, See! Even Antony, who stays up all night partying, is awake. Good
Antony. morning, Antony.

ANTONY: So to most noble Caesar. ANTONY: And to you, most noble Caesar.

CAESAR: Tell them to prepare the other room for guests. I’m to
CAESAR: Bid them prepare within. I am to blame to be thus waited for. —Now,
blame for making you wait for me. Now, Cinna. Now, Metellus.
Cinna.—Now, Metellus.—What, Trebonius, I have an hour’s talk in store for you.
Trebonius! I have an hour-long matter to discuss with you. Remember
Remember that you call on me today. Be near me, that I may remember you.
to see me today. Stay near me so I’ll remember.

TREBONIUS: Caesar, I will. (aside) And so near will I be That your best friends TREBONIUS: Caesar, I will. (speaking quietly to himself) In fact, I’ll
shall wish I had been further. be so near that your best friends will wish I’d been further away

CAESAR: Good friends, go in and taste some wine with me. And we, like friends, CAESAR: Good friends, go in and have some wine with me. And
will straightway go together. we’ll leave together, like friends.

BRUTUS: (aside) That every “like” is not the same, O Caesar, The heart of Brutus BRUTUS: (quietly to himself) That we are now only “like” friends—
earns to think upon. Oh Caesar—makes my heart ache.

Exeunt They all exit.