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| Source: Folger Shakespeare Library |
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Enter a Messenger. MESSENGER Prepare you, generals.
The enemy comes on in gallant show.
Their bloody sign of battle is hung out, 15
And something to be done immediately. ANTONY
Octavius, lead your battle softly on
Upon the left hand of the even field. OCTAVIUS
Upon the right hand, I; keep thou the left. ANTONY
Why do you cross me in this exigent? 20 OCTAVIUS
I do not cross you, but I will do so. March. Drum. Enter Brutus, Cassius, and their army including
Lucilius, Titinius, and Messala. BRUTUS They stand and would have parley. CASSIUS
Stand fast, Titinius. We must out and talk. OCTAVIUS
Mark Antony, shall we give sign of battle? ANTONY
No, Caesar, we will answer on their charge. 25
Make forth. The Generals would have some words. OCTAVIUS, to his Officers Stir not until the signal. The Generals step forward. | Antony and Octavius set up a battle plan and are met by Brutus and Cassius—each with his army behind him—for a pre-battle parley, or negotiation. |
BRUTUS
Words before blows; is it so, countrymen? OCTAVIUS
Not that we love words better, as you do. BRUTUS
Good words are better than bad strokes, Octavius. 30 ANTONY
In your bad strokes, Brutus, you give good words.
Witness the hole you made in Caesar’s heart,
Crying “Long live, hail, Caesar!” | As Brutus tries to get them to reason (and maybe avoid the fight), Antony and Octavius bait him. They claim Brutus' words are no good when they're accompanied by bad strokes (of the sword). Antony's like, remember that time you cried "Long live! Hail Caesar!" while you stabbed him in the heart? This is a sore point for Brutus. |
CASSIUS Antony,
The posture of your blows are yet unknown, 35
But, for your words, they rob the Hybla bees
And leave them honeyless. ANTONY Not stingless too. BRUTUS O yes, and soundless too,
For you have stolen their buzzing, Antony, 40
And very wisely threat before you sting. ANTONY
Villains, you did not so when your vile daggers
Hacked one another in the sides of Caesar.
You showed your teeth like apes and fawned like
hounds 45
And bowed like bondmen, kissing Caesar’s feet,
Whilst damnèd Casca, like a cur, behind
Struck Caesar on the neck. O you flatterers! CASSIUS
Flatterers?—Now, Brutus, thank yourself!
This tongue had not offended so today 50
If Cassius might have ruled. | There's some more back and forth, and folks get testy. Cassius and Brutus mock Antony for being more bark than bite, though instead of the dog analogy we just used, they go with bees. They say he uses honeyed words to manipulate people and that he buzzes before he stings, making reference to the fact that he's been talking a lot of trash, but no one's seen him throw a punch yet. Antony says the traitors gave Caesar no warning at all before they hacked his heart out. |
OCTAVIUS
Come, come, the cause. If arguing make us sweat,
The proof of it will turn to redder drops.
Look, I draw a sword against conspirators;
He draws.
When think you that the sword goes up again? 55
Never, till Caesar’s three and thirty wounds
Be well avenged, or till another Caesar
Have added slaughter to the sword of traitors. | Finally Octavius draws his sword and says he won't put it back again until he's dead or Caesar's 33 wounds (not that anybody's counting) are avenged. |
BRUTUS
Caesar, thou canst not die by traitors’ hands
Unless thou bring’st them with thee. 60 OCTAVIUS So I hope.
I was not born to die on Brutus’ sword. BRUTUS
O, if thou wert the noblest of thy strain,
Young man, thou couldst not die more honorable. CASSIUS
A peevish schoolboy, worthless of such honor, 65
Joined with a masker and a reveler! ANTONY
Old Cassius still. OCTAVIUS Come, Antony, away!—
Defiance, traitors, hurl we in your teeth.
If you dare fight today, come to the field; 70
If not, when you have stomachs. Octavius, Antony, and their army exit. CASSIUS
Why now, blow wind, swell billow, and swim bark!
The storm is up, and all is on the hazard. | After more of this taunting, Antony and Octavius challenge Brutus and Cassius to meet them on the battlefield. |
BRUTUS
Ho, Lucilius, hark, a word with you. Lucilius and Messala stand forth. LUCILIUS My lord? 75 Brutus and Lucilius step aside together. CASSIUS
Messala. MESSALA What says my general? CASSIUS Messala,
This is my birthday, as this very day
Was Cassius born. Give me thy hand, Messala. 80
Be thou my witness that against my will
(As Pompey was) am I compelled to set
Upon one battle all our liberties.
You know that I held Epicurus strong
And his opinion. Now I change my mind 85
And partly credit things that do presage.
Coming from Sardis, on our former ensign
Two mighty eagles fell, and there they perched,
Gorging and feeding from our soldiers’ hands,
Who to Philippi here consorted us. 90
This morning are they fled away and gone,
And in their steads do ravens, crows, and kites
Fly o’er our heads and downward look on us
As we were sickly prey. Their shadows seem
A canopy most fatal, under which 95
Our army lies, ready to give up the ghost. | As Brutus talks with Lucilius privately, Cassius confides in Messala that it's his birthday. Though Cassius claims to be an Epicurean (meaning he doesn't believe in "signs and omens" mumbo jumbo), he's inclined to begin thinking differently after seeing something weird on his way from Sardis: two eagles swooped down from the sky, feeding out of the soldiers' hands. In the morning they were replaced by "ravens, crows, and kites" that spread like a shadow of death over the army. (Not a good sign.) |
MESSALA
Believe not so. CASSIUS I but believe it partly,
For I am fresh of spirit and resolved
To meet all perils very constantly. 100 | Messala tries to sway Cassius from the bad-omen talk, but Cassius brushes it off, saying he's still ready to face his peril. |
BRUTUS
Even so, Lucilius. Brutus returns to Cassius. CASSIUS Now, most noble Brutus,
The gods today stand friendly that we may,
Lovers in peace, lead on our days to age.
But since the affairs of men rests still incertain, 105
Let’s reason with the worst that may befall.
If we do lose this battle, then is this
The very last time we shall speak together.
What are you then determinèd to do? | Then Brutus and Cassius speak and agree to say goodbye to each other in a way that would be fitting if this were to be their last meeting ever. Cassius asks Brutus what he'll do if things get bad, possibly hinting at suicide. |
BRUTUS
Even by the rule of that philosophy 110
By which I did blame Cato for the death
Which he did give himself (I know not how,
But I do find it cowardly and vile,
For fear of what might fall, so to prevent
The time of life), arming myself with patience 115
To stay the providence of some high powers
That govern us below. | Brutus points out that he condemned his father-in-law, Cato (who had fought on Pompey's side), for killing himself instead of giving himself over to Caesar. He's not sure what he'll do if they're defeated, as he finds suicide to be cowardly, especially if no one's really sure how things might turn out of they stay alive. |
CASSIUS Then, if we lose this battle,
You are contented to be led in triumph
Thorough the streets of Rome? 120 | Cassius points out that if they lose, Brutus will be dragged through the streets of Rome. |
BRUTUS
No, Cassius, no. Think not, thou noble Roman,
That ever Brutus will go bound to Rome.
He bears too great a mind. But this same day
Must end that work the ides of March begun.
And whether we shall meet again, I know not. 125
Therefore our everlasting farewell take.
Forever and forever farewell, Cassius.
If we do meet again, why we shall smile;
If not, why then this parting was well made. | Without explicitly saying he's decided to kill himself if they fail, Brutus declares that he'll never be taken to Rome in chains. (Unless Brutus plans to catch the next plane to Vegas, we've just seen the great man commit himself to suicide.) Brutus then adds that they are parting nobly, so even if they never see each other again, at least this was a good goodbye. |
CASSIUS
Forever and forever farewell, Brutus. 130
If we do meet again, we’ll smile indeed;
If not, ’tis true this parting was well made. BRUTUS
Why then, lead on.—O, that a man might know
The end of this day’s business ere it come!
But it sufficeth that the day will end, 135
And then the end is known.—Come ho, away! They exit. | Cassius agrees, and then Brutus ends on a sort of Darryl Downer note, saying that although they don't know how, this day will come to an end. This is nice foreshadowing if you like that sort of "death is inevitable" talk. |