Act 2, Scene 2

ORIGINAL TEXT MODERN TEXT

Thunder and lightning Enter Thunder and

Julius CAESAR in his nightgown lightning. CAESAR enters in his
nightgown.
CAESAR CAESAR
Nor heaven nor earth have been Neither the sky nor the earth
at peace tonight. have been quiet tonight.
Thrice hath Calphurnia in her Calphurnia cried out three times
sleep cried out, in her sleep, Help, someone!
Help, ho! They murder Caesar! Theyre murdering Caesar!
Whos within? Whos there?
Enter a SERVANT A SERVANT enters.
SERVANT SERVANT
My lord. My lord?
CAESAR CAESAR
5 Go bid the priests do present Go tell the priests to perform a
sacrifice sacrifice immediately, and bring
And bring me their opinions of me their interpretation of the
success. results.
SERVANT SERVANT
I will, my lord. I will, my lord.
Exit SERVANT The SERVANT exits.
Enter CALPHURNIA CALPHURNIA enters.
CALPHURNIA CALPHURNIA
What mean you, Caesar? Think What are you doing, Caesar? Are
you to walk forth? you planning to go out? Youre
You shall not stir out of your house not leaving the house today.
today.
CAESAR CAESAR
10 Caesar shall forth. The things that I will go out. The things that
threatened me threaten me have only seen my
Ne'er looked but on my back. back. When they see the face of
When they shall see Caesar, they will vanish.
The face of Caesar, they are
vanishd.
CALPHURNIA CALPHURNIA
 Caesar, I never stood on Caesar, I never believed in
ceremonies, omens, but now they frighten
15 Yet now they fright me. There is me. A servant told me the night-
one within, watchmen saw horrid sights too,
Besides the things that we have but different ones from what we
heard and seen, heard and saw. A lioness gave
Recounts most horrid sights seen birth in the streets, and graves
by the watch. cracked open and thrust out their
A lioness hath whelpd in the dead.
streets,
And graves have yawned and
yielded up their dead.
Fierce fiery warriors fought upon the Fierce, fiery warriors fought in the
20 clouds clouds in the usual formations of war
In ranks and squadrons and right form ranks and squadronsuntil the
of war, clouds drizzled blood onto the Capitol.
Which drizzled blood upon the Capitol. The noise of battle filled the air, and
The noise of battle hurtled in the air. horses neighed, and dying men
25 Horses did neigh, and dying men did groaned, and ghosts shrieked and
groan, squealed in the streets. Oh, Caesar!
And ghosts did shriek and squeal about These things are beyond anything
the streets. weve seen before, and Im afraid.
O Caesar! These things are beyond all
use,
And I do fear them.
CAESAR CAESAR
What can be avoided How can we avoid what the gods want
Whose end is purposed by the mighty to happen? But I will go out, for these
gods? bad omens apply to the world in
Yet Caesar shall go forth, for these general as much as they do to me.
predictions
Are to the world in general as to
Caesar.
CALPHURNIA CALPHURNIA
30 When beggars die there are no comets When beggars die there are no
seen. comets in the sky. The heavens only
The heavens themselves blaze forth announce the deaths of princes.
the death of princes.
CAESAR CAESAR
Cowards die many times before their Cowards die many times before their
deaths. deaths. The brave experience death
The valiant never taste of death but only once. Of all the strange things
35 once. Ive ever heard, it seems most strange
Of all the wonders that I yet have to me that men fear death, given that
heard, death, which cant be avoided, will
It seems to me most strange that men come whenever it wants.
should fear,
Seeing that death, a necessary end,
 Will come when it will come.
Enter SERVANT The SERVANT enters.
What say the augurers? What do the priests say?
SERVANT SERVANT
They would not have you to stir forth They dont want you to go out today.
today. They pulled out the guts of the
40 Plucking the entrails of an offering sacrificed animal and couldnt find its
forth, heart.
They could not find a heart within the
beast.
CAESAR CAESAR
The gods do this in shame of The gods do this to test my bravery.
cowardice. Theyre saying Id be an animal
Caesar should be a beast without a without a heart if I stayed home today
heart out of fear. So, I wont.
If he should stay at home today for
fear.
No, Caesar shall not. Danger knows full
well
45 That Caesar is more dangerous Danger knows that Caesar is more
than he. dangerous than he is. Were two
We are two lions littered in one lions born on the same day in the
day, same litter, and Im the older and
And I the elder and more terrible. more terrible. I will go out.
And Caesar shall go forth.
CALPHURNIA CALPHURNIA
Alas, my lord, Alas, my lord, your confidence is
Your wisdom is consumed in getting the better of your
50 confidence. wisdom. Dont go out today. Say
Do not go forth today. Call it my that its my fear that keeps you
fear inside and not your own. Well
That keeps you in the house, and send Mark Antony to the senate
not your own. house, and hell say that youre
Well send Mark Antony to the sick today. (she kneels) Let me,
senate house, on my knees, win you over to this
And he shall say you are not well plan.
today.
(kneels) Let me, upon my knee,
prevail in this.
CAESAR CAESAR
55 Mark Antony shall say I am not All right. Mark Antony will say Im
well, not well, and to please you Ill
And for thy humor I will stay at stay at home.
home.
CALPHURNIA rises CALPHURNIA gets up.
 Enter DECIUS DECIUS enters.

Heres Decius Brutus. He shall tell Heres Decius Brutus. Hell tell
them so. them so.
DECIUS DECIUS
Caesar, all hail! Good morrow, Hail, Caesar! Good morning,
worthy Caesar. worthy Caesar. Ive come to take
I come to fetch you to the senate you to the senate house.
house.
CAESAR CAESAR
60 And you are come in very happy And youve come at a good time,
time so you can convey my greetings
To bear my greeting to the to the senators and tell them I
senators wont come today. It wouldnt be
And tell them that I will not come true to say that I cant come, and
today. even less true to say that I
Cannot is false, and that I dare dont dare come. I
not, falser. simplywont come today. Tell
I will not come today. Tell them so, them so, Decius.
Decius.
CALPHURNIA CALPHURNIA
65 Say he is sick. Say hes sick.

CAESAR CAESAR
Shall Caesar send a lie? Would I send a lie? Have I
Have I in conquest stretched mine accomplished so much in battle,
arm so far but now Im afraid to tell some
To be afraid to tell graybeards the old men the truth?
truth?
Deci Decius, go tell them that Caesar wont come.
us,
go
tell
the
m
Cae
sar
will
not
com
e.
DECIUS DECIUS
Most mighty Caesar, let me know some Most mighty Caesar, give me some reason,
70 cause, so I wont be laughed at when I tell them so.
Lest I be laughed at when I tell them so.
CAESAR CAESAR
The cause is in my will. I will not come. The reason is that its what I want. Im not
 That is enough to satisfy the senate.
But for your private satisfaction,
Because I love you, I will let you know.
75 Calphurnia here, my wife, stays me at home.
She dreamt tonight she saw my statue,
Which, like a fountain with an hundred
spouts,
Did run pure blood. And many lusty Romans
80 Came smiling and did bathe their hands in it.
And these does she apply for warnings and
portents
And evils imminent, and on her knee
Hath begged that I will stay at home today.
DECIUS
This dream is all amiss interpreted.
It was a vision fair and fortunate.
85 Your statue spouting blood in many pipes,
In which so many smiling Romans bathed,
Signifies that from you great Rome shall suck
Reviving blood, and that great men shall
press
90 For tinctures, stains, relics, and cognizance.
This by Calphurnias dream is signified.
CAESAR
And this way have you well expounded it.
DECIUS
I have, when you have heard what I can say.
And know it now: the senate have concluded
To give this day a crown to mighty Caesar.
95 If you shall send them word you will not
come,
Their minds may change.
CAESAR
105 How foolish do your fears seem now,
Calphurnia!
I am ashamd I did yield to them.
Give me my robe, for I will go.
Enter BRUTUS, LIGARIUS, METELLUS, C
ASCA, TREBONIUS, CINNA, and PUBLIUS
CAESAR
Good friends, go in and taste some wine with me.
And we, like friends, will straightway go together.
coming. Thats enough for the senate. But
for your private satisfaction, because I love
you, Ill tell you. Calphurnia, my wife, is
keeping me at home. Last night, she
dreamed she saw a statue of me with a
hundred holes in it, like a fountain with pure
blood flowing from it, and many happy
Romans came smiling and washed their
hands in it. She takes these signs for
warnings and predictions of terrible evils to
come, and, on her knee, she begged me to
stay home today.
DECIUS
This dream has been interpreted all wrong.
It was a good and lucky vision. Your statue
spouting blood through many holes, in
which many smiling Romans bathed,
means that youll provide great Rome with
sustaining blood, and that great men will
strive to get some token of approval from
your holy blood. This is what Calphurnias
dream means.
CAESAR
Youve offered an excellent interpretation.
DECIUS
I will have when you hear the rest of what I
have to say. The senate has decided to give
mighty Caesar a crown today.
If you send them word that you wont
come, they might change their minds.
CAESAR
How foolish your fears seem now,
Calphurnia! Im ashamed that I yielded
to them. Give me my robe, because Im
going.
PUBLIUS, BRUTUS, LIGARIUS, METELL
US, CASCA, TREBONIUS,
and CINNA enter.
CAESAR
Good friends, go in and
have some wine with me.
And well leave together,
like friends.
 BRUTUS BRUTUS
(aside) That every like is not the same, O Caesar, (quietly to himself) That
130 The heart of Brutus earns to think upon. we are now only like
friendsOh Caesar
makes my heart ache.
Exeunt They all exit.