54. the part of, the duty of-'men ought.'

57-59. Really he knows the character of Casca (cf. 1. 2. 301), but here it suits his purpose to dissemble.

58. a Roman; cf. Casca's words, 41.

60. cast yourself in wonder, i.e. into: an expression like 'he threw himself into a passion.' Some editors read case='encase, clothe yourself in'; cf. Much Ado About Nothing, IV. 1. 146, "attired in wonder." It would suit the metaphor in "put on fear."

61. To see; cf. I. I. 51, note.

63, 64. Understand verbs, e.g. 'there are' in 63 and 'act' in 64. from quality and kind, contrary to their natural character. For from='differently from' cf. 35 and II. 1. 196.

65. 'Why old men act like fools and children show prudent foresight.' The 1st Folio has "Old men, Fooles, and Children." Some connection seems necessary; I have followed the 'Globe' edition. For fool, cf. Richard II. v. 5. 60, "while I stand fooling here."

66. their ordinance, that which they were ordained to be.

71. unto, pointing to; almost='of.' monstrous state, an unnatural, extraordinary state of things.

75. Craik explains—“roars in the Capitol as doth the lion." But surely the rhythm shows that "in the Capitol" qualifies "lion"; cf. also line 20. It has been suggested that Shakespeare may have supposed (of course wrongly) that lions were kept in the Capitol as they were in the Tower of London.

76. than...me. A common Elizabethan use of than as prep., especially with the relative; cf. Milton's "Beelzebub...than whom " (P. L. 11. 299), and his Sonnet to Vane. So used colloquially now. 77. prodigious grown, become portentous.

81. thews, muscles and sinews, i.e. 'bodily strength.'

82.

woe the while! alas for our times! while, see G.

84. yoke, servile state. sufferance, sufferings; cf. II. I. 115. It also has the sense 'endurance, toleration of,' as perhaps in Shylock's words, "For sufferance is the badge of all our tribe" (The Merchant of Venice, 1. 3. III).

85-88. Cæsar was on the point of starting for his campaign against the Parthians, whose defeat of Crassus, B.C. 53, had never been avenged. According to Plutarch, it was alleged that the Sibylline Books contained a prophecy that the Parthians would only be conquered by a king; hence the proposal, which the Senate was ready to accept, that Cæsar should assume royal authority outside the boundaries of Italy.

87. shall wear, i.e. is to.

91. therein, i.e. in man's power to take away his own life. Hamlet says (1. 2. 131, 132) of suicide:

95.

"O that the Everlasting had not fix'd

His canon [i.e. law] 'gainst self-slaughter!"
Can be retentive to, can confine.

97. dismiss, free.

98. If I know; implying 'as surely as I know.'

66

IOI, 102. There is probably a quibbling allusion to the phrase 'to cancel a bond,' i.e. annul a document; cf. Richard III. IV. 4. 77, " Cancel his bond of life, dear God, I pray.'

108-III. 'At present Rome and we Romans are made to serve but one purpose, viz. the personal glorification of Cæsar.'

108, 109. trash...offal; 'rubbish, refuse'; see each in G.

114. 'I shall have to answer (pay) for my words.' arm'd, i.e. with the power alluded to in line 97, viz. of taking his own life.

115. indifferent, of no importance; cf. Lat. differt, ‘it is important.' 117. fleering, grinning; see G. Hold; an interjection, ‘there!' 118. factious, active; commonly used in a bad sense, 'too active,' 'rebellious.' griefs, grievances.

120. who, the man who. There; clasping Casca's hand.

122.

Some, viz. Brutus and Cinna (cf. 135, 136), and those mentioned in 148, 149.

123. undergo, undertake.

124. honourable-dangerous. Compound adjectives, in which the first adjective qualifies the second adverbially, are not uncommon in Shakespeare: cf. 'bloody-fiery,' 130; 'daring-hardy' in Richard II. 1. 3. 43; 'childish-foolish' in Richard III. 1. 3. 142.

125. by this, i.e. time...' by now.'

126. Pompey's porch, i.e. the Portico of "Pompey's theatre" (152). Both porch (through the French) and portico come from Lat. porticus 'a gallery,' but now porch has the limited sense 'vestibule, entrance.'

128. complexion, general appearance; a word of wider scope then than now. element, sky, heaven; see G.

129. The 1st Folio has "Is Fauors, like the Worke" etc.: for which Johnson proposed the correction "In favour's like"= in appearance is like (see favour in G.). Most editors adopt this, while some prefer "Is fev'rous like"; cf. Macbeth, 11. 3. 66.

131. stand close, do not shew yourself, keep concealed.

132. Cinna; L. Cornelius Cinna, son of the great Cinna (who was supreme at Rome during the absence of Sulla in the East, 87-84 B.C.). Cinna did not take an active part in the conspiracy, though Plutarch represents him as doing so, but afterwards spoke publicly in praise of it. His sister Cornelia was Cæsar's first wife; and he owed his Prætorship in this year 44 to Caesar.

134. Metellus Cimber; so Plutarch in the Life of Cæsar; but his real name was Lucius Tillius Cimber. Like several of his comrades (see 148, note), he was indebted to Cæsar, who had nominated him governor of Bithynia, whither he retired after the murder. But he resented the exile of his brother (III. 1. 49-51).

135. incorporate, united, joined; a past participle; see G.

137. I am glad on't; either that he has found Cassius and so will not have to search for him any more on so "fearful a night"; or that Casca has joined the conspiracy.

138. There's two. A singular verb preceding a plural subject is common in Shakespeare, especially with the phrase 'There is.' Cf. Cymbeline, IV. 2. 371, “ There is no more such masters." Coming first, before the plural subject has been mentioned, the singular verb appears less unnatural. Cf. 148 and III. 2. 29, "There is tears."

232.

have seen, i.e. who have; note the frequent omission of the relative after 'there is,' 'there are' etc.; see II. 2. 14, 16; III. 1. 65; III. 2. 231, It is an illustration of "Elizabethan brevity" (see p. 202). 140, 141. They all feel that the cooperation of Brutus is necessary to their plot, because he is beloved and respected by the people (157)— known to be a man of noble, disinterested character and lofty patriotism. See Extract 11 from Plutarch.

142. take this paper; see Extracts 9, 10 from Plutarch.

144. i.e. where only Brutus may find it; see I. 2. 322, note.

145.

at his window; cf. I. 2. 320.

146. old Brutus'; see I. 2. 159, note.

148. Decius; a mistake for Decimus; Shakespeare copied the error (a misprint) from the Life of Julius Cæsar in North's Plutarch; in the Life of Octavius the name is printed correctly. Decimus Brutus served with Cæsar in Gaul, and had recently been appointed by him to the great post of governor of Cisalpine Gaul. Moreover, "Cæsar put such confidence [in him], that in his last will and testament he had appointed him to be his next heir," i.e. next after Octavius (North's Plutarch, p. 98). He showed his gratitude by decoying his friend and patron into the snare (II. 2. 58--107).

Trebonius; Caius Trebonius; he had been one of Cæsar's legates in Gaul, and, like Decimus, was under great personal obligations to him.

152. Pompey's theatre; in the Campus Martius; the first theatre in Rome built of stone; opened B.C. 55; held 40,000 people; an imitation of the theatre at Mitylene; considerable remains of it exist.

"Outside the theatre...was a very large and magnificent building supported by several parallel ranges of columns, forming a great Porticus or court, with an open area in the centre, planted with avenues of sycamore trees and decorated with fountains and rows of statues in marble and gilt bronze. This Porticus Pompeii was also known as the Hecatostylon or 'Hall of the hundred columns"" (J. H. Middleton, The Remains of Ancient Rome, II. 67, 68).

154, 155. Three parts...is; a singular verb because the subject, implying ‘amount,' may be regarded as singular in sense, though not in form. Thus we might say colloquially 'three-fourths is a big majority.' 156. him; reflexive='himself'; see 1. 2. 325, note.

159. countenance, approval. alchemy, the art of changing base metals into gold; see G., and cf. Sonnet 33, "Gilding pale streams with heavenly alchemy" (said of the sunlight).

162. conceited, judged, estimated; see G.

ACT II.

Scene 1.

Details suggested by Plutarch.

I. No oath of secrecy taken by the conspirators. 2. Their decision not to include Cicero. 3. The mistake of Brutus in sparing Antony. 4. The scene between Brutus and Portia (note especially her speeches 280-287, 292-297 as illustrations of Shakespeare's way of using the very words of North's translation: also Portia's allusion to her wound). 5. The interview with Ligarius.

Brutus's Orchard, i.e. garden. orchard, see G.

I, 5. what...when; used in exclamations through some ellipse, e.g. 'what is the matter?,' 'when are you coming?'

IO. It must be. Continuing the train of his thoughts before he comes on the stage. It; the preventing Cæsar from becoming king. II. I know no personal cause. On the contrary, Brutus had every reason to be grateful to Cæsar, who had shown him much affection and favour. Herein his position was different from that of Cassius, Metellus Cimber, and Ligarius, each of whom had some 'personal cause for hating the Dictator.

12. the general, i.e. cause. Some take the general substantively= 'the people,' as in Hamlet, II. 2. 457, "'twas caviare to the general." For the sentiment, cf. "the general good," 1. 2. 85; "the general wrong of Rome,' III. 1. 170; “a general honest thought...common good to all," V. 5. 71, 72. In these variations on the same themeoccurring, as we see, at the beginning, the middle, and the end of the play-lies the one, comprehensive, motive of the action of Brutus.

12--34. He would be crown'd. The point of this speech seems to me to lie in the fact that it expresses the extreme, almost pedantic, horror which Brutus feels for kingship and the mere name 'king': a horror born of the old Roman hatred of 'rex' and all its associations, and increased in his case by family tradition. Practically Cæsar was king already could it really make much difference to Rome if he assumed the name when he possessed the reality? He had wielded immense power for years, and was then a man of fifty-six: would the assumption of royalty be likely to make any change in his character? Brutus says 'yes': if Cæsar were made 'king,' all the evil in him would be developed, so that Rome would find herself in the hands of a tyrant without "remorse." Brutus speaks as if the bare fact of "crowning" Cæsar would "change his nature” (13), a change fraught with "danger" (17) to Rome. Here, as ever, "Rome" is his first consideration.

13. Cf. Hamlet, III. 1. 56, "To be, or not to be: that is the question"='the doubtful point.'

15. craves, requires, necessitates. that 'yes, even so.'

16. sting; carrying on the metaphor of the 'adder' (14).

19. remorse, kindly feeling for others, considerateness; cf. The Merchant of Venice, IV. 1. 20, "Thou'lt show...mercy and remorse. Brutus means that the evil side of greatness is seen when a man is so carried away by ambition as to lose all scruples and become quite heedless of the rights and feelings of other men. This, however, has not been the case with Cæsar: his passions ("affections"), e.g. his love of power, have always been under the restraint of reason.