Friends, readers, bloggers, lend me your eyes and ears; I come to review Julius Caesar!
This was a WS play I had not read before, but was familiar with the well-known lines of "Friends, Romans, countrymen..." "Beware the ides of March" and "Et tu Brute?" Beyond that I knew little of the history of Caesar or WS's take on it.
I surprisingly discovered another famous line:
Act 1, Scene 2
Cassius: The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars,
But in ourselves, that we are underlings.
Recognize it? Yup, John Green's book and the movie The Fault in Our Stars.
Since Caesar is killed off (oops! Spoiler!) fairly early (Act III,Scene 1) the play is actually more about Brutus. A complicated character who believes he is doing the wrong thing for the right reasons (patriotism), egged on by his brother(in-law) Cassius who is in it all for the wrong reasons (envy).
Brutus considers the actions the conspirators are going to take against Caesar and why:
Act II, Scene 1
Brutus: Th' abuse of greatness is, when it disjoins
Remorse from power;...
Meanwhile Cassius is simply envious of Caesar and self-absorbed.
Cassius: How many ages hence
Shall this our lofty scene be acted over...
(Turns out many Cassius, many times over!!)
But Brutus and Cassius don't always see eye to eye and get into a sibling style spat:
Act IV, Scene 3
Cassius: You love me not.
Brutus: I do not like your faults.
Cassius: A friendly eye could never see such faults.
Brutus: A flatterer's would not, though they do appear
As huge as high Olympus.
And while the women, Portia and Calpurnia have small roles, they speak volumes. Calpurnia's vision could have changed history if Caesar had only listened to her.
And Portia laments women's limitations and lack of equality and respect:
Act II, Scene 4
Portia: I have a man's mind, but a woman's might...
Act II, Scene 1
Portia (to Brutus): Within the bond of marriage...
Is it excepted I should know no secrets
That appertain to you? Am I your self
But, as it were, in sort or limitation?
To keep with you at meals, comfort your bed,
And talk to you sometimes? Dwell I but in the suburbs
Of your good pleasure? If it be no more,
Portia is Brutus' harlot, not his wife.
Even though Julius Caesar is a tragedy, WS can still have fun with word play:
Act 1, Scene 1
Second Citizen: ...I am but, as you would say, a cobbler.
***
Second Citizen: A trade, sir, that I hope I may use with a safe conscience, which is indeed, sir, a mender of bad soles.
***
Second Citizen: Nay, I beseech you, sir, be not out with me; yet, if you be out, sir, I can mend you.
Marullus: What mean'st thou by that? Mend me, thou saucy fellow!
Second Citizen: Why, sir, cobble you.
***
Flavius:...Why dost thou lead these men about the streets?
Second Citizen: Truly, sir, to wear out their shoes, to get myself into more work.
The final exchange between Brutus and Cassius seems fitting for these times of quarantine and self-isolation:
Act V, Scene 1
Brutus:...If we do meet again, why, we shall smile;...
Cassius:...If we do meet again, we'll smile indeed;...
No comments:
Post a Comment