Who is Caesar?
Act one Scene two is the arrival on stage of Caesar. What kind of man is he? He arrives with great ceremony yet his first utterances are to insult his wife, Calpurnia. See Feast of Lupercal in previous post
CAESAR
Forget not, in your speed, Antonius,
To touch Calpurnia; for our elders say,
The barren, touched in this holy chase,
Shake off their sterile curse.
Are we meant to like Caesar? From this scene and his words on stage and from the reports of Cassius and Casca, it seems not. Cassius’ words we can take with a pinch of salt as he has selfish motives, but Caesar himself comes across as proud and disrespectful. from his dismissive attitude of the soothsayer.
Cæs. Who is it in the press that calls on me?
I hear a tongue, shriller than all the music,
Cry ‘Cæsar.’ Speak; Caesar is turn’d to hear.
Sooth. Beware the ides of March.
Cæs. What man is that?
Bru. A soothsayer bids you beware the ides
of March.
Cæs. Set him before me; let me see his face.
Cas. Fellow, come from the throng; look
upon Cæsar.
Cæs. What sayst thou to me now? Speak
once again.
Sooth. Beware the ides of March.
Cæs. He is a dreamer; let us leave him: pass.
Alone, Cassius starts to “work” on Brutus and talks down Caesar
CASSIUS
For once, upon a raw and gusty day,
The troubled Tiber chafing with her shores,
Cæsar said to me, ‘Dar’st thou, Cassius, now
Leap in with me into this angry flood,
And swim to yonder point?’ Upon the word,
Accoutred as I was, I plunged in
And bade him follow; so, indeed he did.
The torrent roar’d, and we did buffet it
With lusty sinews, throwing it aside
And stemming it with hearts of controversy;
But ere we could arrive the point propos’d,
Cæsar cried, ‘Help me, Cassius, or I sink!’
I, as Æneas, our great ancestor,
Did from the flames of Troy upon his shoulder
The old Anchises bear, so from the waves of
Tiber
Did I the tired Cæsar. And this man
Is now become a god, and Cassius is
A wretched creature and must bend his body
If Cæsar carelessly but nod on him.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLfcf-8eA4A
CASSIUS
Why, man, he doth bestride the narrow world
Like a Colossus, and we petty men
Walk under his huge legs and peep about
To find ourselves dishonourable graves.
After the festivities where shouting from the crowds are heard, Caesar returns. He sees Cassius and in a flash of insight says
CAESAR
Let me have men about me that are fat;
Sleek-headed men and such as sleep o’ nights:
Yond Cassius has a lean and hungry look;
He thinks too much: such men are dangerous.ANTONY
Fear him not, Caesar; he’s not dangerous;
He is a noble Roman and well given.CAESAR
Would he were fatter! But I fear him not:
Yet if my name were liable to fear,
I do not know the man I should avoid
So soon as that spare Cassius. He reads much;
He is a great observer and he looks
Quite through the deeds of men: he loves no plays,
As thou dost, Antony; he hears no music;
Seldom he smiles, and smiles in such a sort
As if he mock’d himself and scorn’d his spirit
That could be moved to smile at any thing.
Such men as he be never at heart’s ease
Whiles they behold a greater than themselves,
And therefore are they very dangerous.
I rather tell thee what is to be fear’d
Than what I fear; for always I am Caesar.
Come on my right hand, for this ear is deaf,
And tell me truly what thou think’st of him.
Casca gives a summary of what took place off stage. Caesar was offered the crown but refused it, although Casca seemed to think that he was loath to do so. Caesar fainted after the third time
CASSIUS
But, soft, I pray you: what, did Caesar swound?
CASCA
He fell down in the market-place, and foamed at
mouth, and was speechless.BRUTUS
‘Tis very like: he hath the failing sickness.
CASSIUS
No, Caesar hath it not; but you and I,
And honest Casca, we have the falling sickness.CASCA
I know not what you mean by that; but, I am sure,
Caesar fell down.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epilepsy
Caesar is shown in this scene to be infirm, proud and disrespectful. But does that mean he must die?
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