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CASCA
160Indeed he is not fit.
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CASCA Indeed, he’s not right for this.
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DECIUS Shall no man else be touched but only Caesar?
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DECIUS But should we only go after Caesar? No one else?
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CASSIUS Decius, well urged. I think it is not meet
Mark Antony, so well beloved of Caesar,
Should outlive Caesar. We shall find of him
165A shrewd contriver. And, you know, his means,
If he improve them, may well stretch so far
As to annoy us all; which to prevent,
Let Antony and Caesar fall together.
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CASSIUS Good point, Decius. I don’t think it would be wise to let
Mark Antony, whom Caesar is so fond of, outlive Caesar.
We’d find that he was a dangerous plotter. And as you know,
his connections, if he put them to good use, might be enough to hurt
us all. To prevent this, Mark Antony should die along with
Caesar.
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BRUTUS Our course will seem too bloody, Caius Cassius,
170To cut the head off and then hack the limbs,
Like wrath in death and envy afterwards,
For Antony is but a limb of Caesar.
Let us be sacrificers but not butchers, Caius.
We all stand up against the spirit of Caesar,
175And in the spirit of men there is no blood.
Oh, that we then could come by Caesar’s spirit
And not dismember Caesar! But, alas,
Caesar must bleed for it. And, gentle friends,
Let’s kill him boldly but not wrathfully.
180Let’s carve him as a dish fit for the gods,
Not hew him as a carcass fit for hounds.
And let our hearts, as subtle masters do,
Stir up their servants to an act of rage
And after seem to chide 'em. This shall make
185Our purpose necessary and not envious,
Which so appearing to the common eyes,
We shall be called purgers, not murderers.
And for Mark Antony, think not of him,
For he can do no more than Caesar’s arm
190When Caesar’s head is off.
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BRUTUS Our action will seem too bloody if we cut off Caesar’s
head and then hack at his arms and legs too, Caius
Cassius—because Mark Antony is merely one of
Caesar’s arms. It’ll look like we killed Caesar
out of anger and Mark Antony out of envy. Let’s be
sacrificers but not butchers, Caius. We’re all against what
Caesar stands for, and there’s no blood in that. Oh, how I
wish we could oppose Caesar’s spirit—his
overblown ambition—and not hack up Caesar himself! But,
unfortunately, Caesar has to bleed if we’re going to stop
him. Noble friends, let’s kill him boldly but not with
anger. Let’s carve him up like a dish fit for the gods, not
chop him up like a carcass fit for dogs. Let’s be angry
only long enough to do the deed, and then let’s act like
we’re disgusted by what we had to do. This will make our
actions seem practical and not vengeful. If we appear calm to the
people, they’ll call us surgeons rather than murderers. As
for Mark Antony—forget him. He’ll be as useless
as Caesar’s arm after Caesar’s head is cut
off.
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