From Julius Caesar - anthology. The great English dramatist William Shakespeare showed his mastery of the art of rhetoric in this excerpt from Julius Caesar (1599?). The scene, the funeral of Roman ruler Julius Caesar, opens with a well-received speech by Marcus Brutus, one of Caesar's assassins. Brutus, who was highly respected by the people of Rome, argues that Caesar had become overly ambitious. Here, Roman statesman Mark Antony replies with a virtuoso address that turns the crowd against Brutus, but leaves the impression that Antony is a noble bystander, rather than a cunning agitator. From Julius Caesar By William Shakespeare ANTONY: 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 interrèd 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! [He weeps] Bear with me. My heart is in the coffin there with Caesar, And I must pause till it come back to me. FIRST PLEBEIAN: Methinks there is much reason in his sayings. FOURTH PLEBEIAN: If thou consider rightly of the matter, Caesar has had great wrong. THIRD PLEBEIAN: Has he not, masters? I fear there will a worse come in his place. FIFTH PLEBEIAN: Marked ye his words? He would not take the crown, Therefore 'tis certain he was not ambitious. FIRST PLEBEIAN: If it be found so, some will dear abide [pay dearly for] it. FOURTH PLEBEIAN: Poor soul, his eyes are red as fire with weeping. THIRD PLEBEIAN: There's not a nobler man in Rome than Antony. FIFTH PLEBEIAN: Now mark him; he begins again to speak. ANTONY: But yesterday the word of Caesar might Have stood against the world. Now lies he there, And none so poor to do him reverence. O masters, if I were disposed to stir Your hearts and minds to mutiny and rage, I should do Brutus wrong, and Cassius wrong, Who, you all know, are honourable men. I will not do them wrong. I rather choose To wrong the dead, to wrong myself and you, Than I will wrong such honourable men. But here's a parchment with the seal of Caesar. I found it in his closet. 'Tis his will. Let but the commons hear this testament-- Which, pardon me, I do not mean to read-- And they would go and kiss dead Caesar's wounds, And dip their napkins in his sacred blood, Yea, beg a hair of him for memory, And, dying, mention it within their wills, Bequeathing it as a rich legacy Unto their issue. FIFTH PLEBEIAN: We'll hear the will. Read it, Mark Antony. ALL THE PLEBEIANS: The will, the will! We will hear Caesar's will. ANTONY: Have patience, gentle friends, I must not read it. It is not meet you know how Caesar loved you. You are not wood, you are not stones, but men; And, being men, hearing the will of Caesar, It will inflame you, it will make you mad. 'Tis good you know not that you are his heirs, For if you should, O what would come of it? FIFTH PLEBEIAN: Read the will. We'll hear it, Antony. You shall read us the will, Caesar's will. ANTONY: Will you be patient? Will you stay a while? I have o'ershot myself to tell you of it. I fear I wrong the honourable men Whose daggers have stabbed Caesar; I do fear it. FIFTH PLEBEIAN: They were traitors. Honourable men? ALL THE PLEBEIANS: The will, the testament! FOURTH PLEBEIAN: They were villains, murderers. The will, read the will! ANTONY: You will compel me then to read the will? Then make a ring about the corpse of Caesar, And let me show you him that made the will. Shall I descend? And will you give me leave? ALL THE PLEBEIANS Come down. FOURTH PLEBEIAN: Descend. THIRD PLEBEIAN: You shall have leave. [ANTONY descends from the pulpit] FIFTH PLEBEIAN: A ring. Stand round. FIRST PLEBEIAN: Stand from the hearse. Stand from the body. FOURTH PLEBEIAN: Room for Antony, most noble Antony! [Enter ANTONY below] ANTONY: Nay, press not so upon me. Stand farre [farther] off. ALL THE PLEBEIANS: Stand back! Room! Bear back! ANTONY: If you have tears, prepare to shed them now. You all do know this mantle. I remember The first time ever Caesar put it on. 'Twas on a summer's evening in his tent, That day he overcame the Nervii [a Gallic tribe]. Look, in this place ran Cassius' dagger through. See what a rent the envious Casca made. Through this the well-belovèd Brutus stabbed; And as he plucked his cursèd steel away, Mark how the blood of Caesar followed it, As rushing out of doors to be resolved If Brutus so unkindly knocked or no-- For Brutus, as you know, was Caesar's angel. Judge, O you gods, how dearly Caesar loved him! This was the most unkindest cut of all. For when the noble Caesar saw him stab, Ingratitude, more strong than traitors' arms, Quite vanquished him. Then burst his mighty heart, And in his mantle muffling up his face, Even at the base of Pompey's statue, Which all the while ran blood, great Caesar fell. O, what a fall was there, my countrymen! Then I, and you, and all of us fell down, Whilst bloody treason flourished over us. O now you weep, and I perceive you feel The dint of pity. These are gracious drops. Kind souls, what, weep you when you but behold Our Caesar's vesture wounded? Look you here. Here is himself, marred, as you see, with traitors. [He uncovers Caesar's body] FIRST PLEBEIAN: O piteous spectacle! FOURTH PLEBEIAN: O noble Caesar! woeful day! FIFTH PLEBEIAN: O traitors, villains! FIRST PLEBEIAN: O most bloody sight! FOURTH PLEBEIAN: We will be revenged. ALL THE PLEBEIANS: Revenge! About! Seek! Burn! Fire! Kill! Slay! Let not a traitor live! ANTONY: Stay, countrymen. FIRST PLEBEIAN: Peace there, hear the noble Antony. FOURTH PLEBEIAN: We'll hear him, we'll follow him, we'll die with him! ANTONY: Good friends, sweet friends, let me not stir you up To such a sudden flood of mutiny. They that have done this deed are honourable. What private griefs they have, alas, I know not, That made them do it. They are wise and honourable, And will no doubt with reasons answer you. I come not, friends, to steal away your hearts. I am no orator as Brutus is, But, as you know me all, a plain blunt man That love my friend; and that they know full well That gave me public leave to speak of him. For I have neither wit, nor words, nor worth, Action, nor utterance, nor the power of speech, To stir men's blood. I only speak right on [straightforwardly]. I tell you that which you yourselves do know, Show you sweet Caesar's wounds, poor poor dumb mouths, And bid them speak for me. But were I Brutus, And Brutus Antony, there were an Antony Would ruffle up your spirits, and put a tongue In every wound of Caesar that should move The stones of Rome to rise and mutiny. ALL THE PLEBEIANS: We'll mutiny. FIRST PLEBEIAN: We'll burn the house of Brutus. THIRD PLEBEIAN: Away then! Come, seek the conspirators. ANTONY: Yet hear me, countrymen, yet hear me speak. ALL THE PLEBEIANS: Peace, ho! Hear Antony, most noble Antony. ANTONY: Why, friends, you go to do you know not what. Wherein hath Caesar thus deserved your loves? Alas, you know not. I must tell you then. You have forgot the will I told you of. ALL THE PLEBEIANS: Most true. The will. Let's stay and hear the will. ANTONY: Here is the will, and under Caesar's seal. To every Roman citizen he gives-- To every several man--seventy-five drachmas. FOURTH PLEBEIAN: Most noble Caesar! We'll revenge his death. THIRD PLEBEIAN: O royal Caesar! ANTONY: Hear me with patience. ALL THE PLEBEIANS: Peace, ho! ANTONY: Moreover he hath left you all his walks, His private arbours, and new-planted orchards, On this side Tiber. He hath left them you, And to your heirs for ever--common pleasures To walk abroad and recreate yourselves. Here was a Caesar. When comes such another? FIRST PLEBEIAN: Never, never! Come, away, away! We'll burn his body in the holy place, And with the brands fire the traitors' houses. Take up the body. FOURTH PLEBEIAN: Go, fetch fire! THIRD PLEBEIAN: Pluck down benches! FIFTH PLEBEIAN: Pluck down forms, windows, anything! Exeunt PLEBEIANS [with Caesar's body] ANTONY: Now let it work. Mischief, thou art afoot. Take thou what course thou wilt. THIRD PLEBEIAN: O Source: The Complete Oxford Shakespeare. Wells, Stanley, Gary Taylor, John Jowett, and William Montgomery, eds. © 1994. Reproduced by permission of Oxford University Press.
