Home
This site uses cookies
log out

Julius Caesar: Act V, Scene 1

Sign in with Google to add your annotations.

Julius Caesar
Act V, Scene 1

Scene 1

The plains of Philippi.

  1. Enter Octavius, Antony, and their army.

Octavius

1 - 6
  1. Now, Antony, our hopes are answered.
  2. You said the enemy would not come down,
  3. But keep the hills and upper regions.
  4. It proves not so: their battles are at hand;
  5. They mean to warn us at Philippi here,
  6. Answering before we do demand of them.

Mark Antony

7 - 12
  1. Tut, I am in their bosoms, and I know
  2. Wherefore they do it. They could be content
  3. To visit other places, and come down
  4. With fearful bravery, thinking by this face
  5. To fasten in our thoughts that they have courage;
  6. But ’tis not so.
  1. Enter a Messenger.

Messenger

13 - 16
  1.                  Prepare you, generals.
  2. The enemy comes on in gallant show;
  3. Their bloody sign of battle is hung out,
  4. And something to be done immediately.

Mark Antony

17 - 18
  1. Octavius, lead your battle softly on
  2. Upon the left hand of the even field.

Octavius

19
  1. Upon the right hand I, keep thou the left.

Mark Antony

20
  1. Why do you cross me in this exigent?

Octavius

21
  1. I do not cross you; but I will do so.
  1. March.
  1. Drum. Enter Brutus, Cassius, and their army; Lucilius,
  2. Titinius, Messala, and others.

Brutus

22
  1. They stand, and would have parley.

Cassius

23
  1. Stand fast, Titinius; we must out and talk.

Octavius

24
  1. Mark Antony, shall we give sign of battle?

Mark Antony

25 - 26
  1. No, Caesar, we will answer on their charge.
  2. Make forth, the generals would have some words.

Octavius

27
  1. Stir not until the signal.

Brutus

28
  1. Words before blows; is it so, countrymen?

Octavius

29
  1. Not that we love words better, as you do.

Brutus

30
  1. Good words are better than bad strokes, Octavius.

Mark Antony

31 - 33
  1. In your bad strokes, Brutus, you give good words;
  2. Witness the hole you made in Caesar’s heart,
  3. Crying, “Long live! Hail, Caesar!”

Cassius

34 - 37
  1.                                    Antony,
  2. The posture of your blows are yet unknown;
  3. But for your words, they rob the Hybla bees,
  4. And leave them honeyless.

Mark Antony

38
  1.                           Not stingless too?

Brutus

39 - 41
  1. O yes, and soundless too;
  2. For you have stol’n their buzzing, Antony,
  3. And very wisely threat before you sting.

Mark Antony

42 - 47
  1. Villains! You did not so, when your vile daggers
  2. Hack’d one another in the sides of Caesar.
  3. You show’d your teeth like apes, and fawn’d like hounds,
  4. And bow’d like bondmen, kissing Caesar’s feet;
  5. Whilst damned Casca, like a cur, behind
  6. Struck Caesar on the neck. O you flatterers!

Cassius

48 - 50
  1. Flatterers? Now, Brutus, thank yourself;
  2. This tongue had not offended so today,
  3. If Cassius might have rul’d.
Joseph Haworth as Cassius

Joseph Haworth as Cassius

Burr McIntosh, circa 1893

Octavius

51 - 58
  1. Come, come, the cause. If arguing make us sweat,
  2. The proof of it will turn to redder drops.
  3. Look,
  4. I draw a sword against conspirators;
  5. When think you that the sword goes up again?
  6. Never, till Caesar’s three and thirty wounds
  7. Be well aveng’d; or till another Caesar
  8. Have added slaughter to the sword of traitors.

Brutus

59 - 60
  1. Caesar, thou canst not die by traitors’ hands,
  2. Unless thou bring’st them with thee.

Octavius

61 - 62
  1.                                      So I hope;
  2. I was not born to die on Brutus’ sword.

Brutus

63 - 64
  1. O, if thou wert the noblest of thy strain,
  2. Young man, thou couldst not die more honorable.

Cassius

65 - 66
  1. A peevish schoolboy, worthless of such honor,
  2. Join’d with a masker and a reveller!

Mark Antony

67
  1. Old Cassius still!

Octavius

68 - 71
  1.                    Come, Antony; away!
  2. Defiance, traitors, hurl we in your teeth.
  3. If you dare fight today, come to the field;
  4. If not, when you have stomachs.
  1. Exeunt Octavius, Antony, and army.

Cassius

72 - 73
  1. Why now blow wind, swell billow, and swim bark!
  2. The storm is up, and all is on the hazard.

Brutus

74
  1. Ho, Lucilius, hark, a word with you.
  1. Lucilius and then Messala stand forth.

Lucilius

75
  1. My lord.
  1. Brutus and Lucilius converse apart.

Cassius

76
  1. Messala!

Messala

77
  1.          What says my general?

Cassius

78 - 96
  1.                       Messala,
  2. This is my birthday; as this very day
  3. Was Cassius born. Give me thy hand, Messala.
  4. Be thou my witness that against my will
  5. (As Pompey was) am I compell’d to set
  6. Upon one battle all our liberties.
  7. You know that I held Epicurus strong,
  8. And his opinion; now I change my mind,
  9. And partly credit things that do presage.
  10. Coming from Sardis, on our former ensign
  11. Two mighty eagles fell, and there they perch’d,
  12. Gorging and feeding from our soldiers’ hands,
  13. Who to Philippi here consorted us.
  14. This morning are they fled away and gone,
  15. And in their steads do ravens, crows, and kites
  16. Fly o’er our heads, and downward look on us
  17. As we were sickly prey. Their shadows seem
  18. A canopy most fatal, under which
  19. Our army lies, ready to give up the ghost.
The Henry Irving Shakespeare

Enter Octavius, Antony, and their army.

From: The Henry Irving Shakespeare

Henry, Sir Irving; Edward Dowden; Gordon Browne; 1888

Messala

97
  1. Believe not so.

Cassius

98 - 100
  1.                 I but believe it partly,
  2. For I am fresh of spirit, and resolv’d
  3. To meet all perils very constantly.

Brutus

101
  1. Even so, Lucilius.

Cassius

102 - 109
  1.                    Now, most noble Brutus,
  2. The gods today stand friendly, that we may,
  3. Lovers in peace, lead on our days to age!
  4. But since the affairs of men rests still incertain,
  5. Let’s reason with the worst that may befall.
  6. If we do lose this battle, then is this
  7. The very last time we shall speak together:
  8. What are you then determined to do?

Brutus

110 - 117
  1. Even by the rule of that philosophy
  2. By which I did blame Cato for the death
  3. Which he did give himself—I know not how,
  4. But I do find it cowardly and vile,
  5. For fear of what might fall, so to prevent
  6. The time of life—arming myself with patience
  7. To stay the providence of some high powers
  8. That govern us below.

Cassius

118 - 120
  1.                       Then, if we lose this battle,
  2. You are contented to be led in triumph
  3. Thorough the streets of Rome?

Brutus

121 - 129
  1. No, Cassius, no. Think not, thou Roman,
  2. That ever Brutus will go bound to Rome;
  3. He bears too great a mind. But this same day
  4. Must end that work the ides of March begun.
  5. And whether we shall meet again I know not;
  6. Therefore our everlasting farewell take:
  7. For ever, and forever, farewell, Cassius!
  8. If we do meet again, why, we shall smile;
  9. If not, why then this parting was well made.

Cassius

130 - 132
  1. For ever, and forever, farewell, Brutus!
  2. If we do meet again, we’ll smile indeed;
  3. If not, ’tis true this parting was well made.

Brutus

133 - 136
  1. Why then lead on. O that a man might know
  2. The end of this day’s business ere it come!
  3. But it sufficeth that the day will end,
  4. And then the end is known. Come ho, away!
  1. Exeunt.
© 2021 Unotate.com • contact • privacy policy • Creative Commons text from PlayShakespeare.com • All illustrations are public domain or Creative Commons • Header illustration by Byam Shaw