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Thunder and lightning Enter Julius
CAESAR in his nightgown
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Thunder and lightning. CAESAR enters in
his nightgown.
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CAESAR Nor heaven nor earth have been at peace tonight.
Thrice hath Calphurnia in her sleep cried out,
“Help, ho! They murder
Caesar!”—Who’s within?
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CAESAR Neither the sky nor the earth have been quiet tonight. Calphurnia
cried out three times in her sleep, “Help, someone!
They’re murdering Caesar!” Who’s
there?
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Enter a SERVANT
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A SERVANT
enters.
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SERVANT My lord.
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SERVANT My lord?
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CAESAR
5Go bid the priests do present sacrifice
And bring me their opinions of success.
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CAESAR Go tell the priests to perform a sacrifice immediately, and bring
me their interpretation of the results.
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SERVANT I will, my lord.
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SERVANT I will, my lord.
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Exit SERVANT
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The SERVANT
exits.
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Enter CALPHURNIA
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CALPHURNIA
enters.
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CALPHURNIA What mean you, Caesar? Think you to walk forth?
You shall not stir out of your house today.
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CALPHURNIA What are you doing, Caesar? Are you planning to go out?
You’re not leaving the house today.
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CAESAR
10Caesar shall forth. The things that threatened me
Ne'er looked but on my back. When they shall see
The face of Caesar, they are vanishèd.
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CAESAR I will go out. The things that threaten me have only seen my back.
When they see the face of Caesar, they will vanish.
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CALPHURNIA Caesar, I never stood on ceremonies,
Yet now they fright me. There is one within,
15Besides the things that we have heard and seen,
Recounts most horrid sights seen by the watch.
A lioness hath whelpèd in the streets,
And graves have yawned and yielded up their dead.
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CALPHURNIA Caesar, I never believed in omens, but now they frighten me. A
servant told me the night-watchmen saw horrid sights too, but
different ones from what we heard and saw. A lioness gave birth in
the streets, and graves cracked open and thrust out their
dead.
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