Julius Caesar
1599
Julius Caesar
1599
Translated by Paavo Emil Cajander
A historical play written in the late 16th century. The narrative revolves around the assassination of Julius Caesar, focusing on the themes of betrayal, power, and the consequences of ambition. The central characters include Caesar, Brutus, Cassius, and Mark Antony, portraying the political intrigue and moral complexities of Roman leadership. The opening of the play sets the stage in Rome, where the common citizens are celebrating Caesar’s recent victory, much to the dismay of the tribunes Flavius and Marullus, who resent the populace's fickle love for Caesar. As the plot unfolds, various characters express their concerns about Caesar's rising power. The scene introduces pivotal figures like Brutus and Cassius, who are increasingly drawn into political conspiracy against Caesar, even as Brutus grapples with his feelings of loyalty and honor. This tension foreshadows the upheaval and conflict that will arise from their actions.
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“The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves.””
— William Shakespeare
“Cowards die many times before their deaths; The valiant never taste of death but once. Of all the wonders that I yet have heard, It seems to me most strange that men should fear; Seeing that death, a necessary end, Will come when it will come.””
— William Shakespeare
“Men at some time are masters of their fates. The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves, that we are underlings.””
— William Shakespeare
“Et tu, Brute?””
— William Shakespeare
“A coward dies a thousand times before his death, but the valiant taste of death but once. It seems to me most strange that men should fear, seeing that death, a necessary end, will come when it will come.””
— William Shakespeare
“There is a tide in the affairs of menWhich, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;Omitted, all the voyage of their lifeIs 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.””
— William Shakespeare
“Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war!””
— William Shakespeare
“The evil that men do lives after them;The good is oft interred with their bones.””
— William Shakespeare
“Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears; I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him; The evil that men do lives after them, The good is oft interred with their bones, So let it be with Caesar ... The noble Brutus Hath told you Caesar was ambitious: If it were so, it was a grievous fault, And grievously hath Caesar answered it ...Here, under leave of Brutus and the rest, (For Brutus is an honourable man; So are they all; all honourable men) Come I to speak in Caesar's funeral ...He was my friend, faithful and just to me: But Brutus says he was ambitious; And Brutus is an honourable man…. He hath brought many captives home to Rome, Whose ransoms did the general coffers fill: Did this in Caesar seem ambitious? When that the poor have cried, Caesar hath wept: Ambition should be made of sterner stuff: Yet Brutus says he was ambitious; And Brutus is an honourable man. You all did see that on the Lupercal 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. I speak not to disprove what Brutus spoke, But here I am to speak what I do know. You all did love him once, not without cause: What cause withholds you then to mourn for him? O judgement! thou art fled to brutish beasts, And men have lost their reason…. Bear with me; My heart is in the coffin there with Caesar, And I must pause till it come back to me””
— William Shakespeare
