MODERN TRANSLATION
The same. A street.
Thunder and lightning. Enter from opposite sides, CASCA, with his sword drawn, and CICERO.
CICERO Good evening, Casca: did you bring Caesar home?
Why are you breathless? And why are you staring like that?
CASCA Aren’t you disturbed, when the whole earthly realm
Is shaking like shifting sands? Oh Cicero, I have seen storms, in which the angry winds
Have split gnarled oaks, and I have seen The forceful ocean swell, rage and foam,
As if it wanted to be raised up to the storm clouds;
But never until tonight, never until now, Have I experienced a storm which drops fire.
Either there is a civil war in heaven, Or else the world, too insolent to the gods,
Has provoked them to send destruction.
CICERO
What - have you ever seen anything that was more awe-inspiring than the things you mention?
CASCA A common slave—you know him well by sight—
Held up his left hand which flamed and burned Like twenty torches together; and yet his hand,
Not feeling the pain of the fire, remained unburnt.
Also—since I saw this, I have kept my sword unsheathed—
Near to the Capitol I met a lion, Who gazed fixedly at me, and walked grumpily by,
Without harming me. And there were Huddled together a hundred women,
Clearly terrified, who swore they saw Men, totally on fire,
walking up and down the streets. And yesterday the screech-owl was sitting,
At midday, in the market- place, Hooting and shrieking.
When these extraordinary things Happen together, we should not say,
‘These things can be explained rationally’; Because I believe, they are ominous things
Pointing to what’s going to happen in this country.
CICERO Indeed, it is an abnormally upset time:
But men tend to interpret things in their own way,
Quite differently from their true meaning. Is Caesar coming to the Capitol tomorrow?
CASCA He is; because he asked Antonius
To pass on a message to you that he would be there tomorrow.
CICERO Good night then,
Casca: this unsettled weather Is not good for walking in.
CASCA Farewell, Cicero.
Exit CICERO. Enter CASSIUS.
CASSIUS Who’s there?
CASCA A Roman.
CASSIUS I can tell it’s Casca, by your voice.
CASCA You hear correctly. Cassius, what a night this is!
CASSIUS It is a very pleasing night to honest men.
CASCA Who ever saw the heavens look so ominous?
CASSIUS Those who have
known how bad things are here on earth.
As for me, I have walked around the streets, Subjecting myself to the perilous night,
And with my jacket open like this, Casca, as you can see,
I have bared my chest to the thunderbolt; And when the forked blue lightning seemed to bare
The chest of heaven, I put myself At the very spot at which it was aimed.
CASCA But why did you
so defiantly tempt the heavens like that? It is the role of man to fear and tremble
When the mightiest gods send signs As dreadful warnings to dismay us.
CASSIUS You are acting
as if you’re stupid, Casca, and the quick wits That a Roman should have, are lacking in you,
Or else you don’t use them. You look pale and stare,
And manifest fear and a state of astonishment, When you see the strange
restlessness of the heavens; But if you thought about the real reason
For all these fires and for all these gliding ghosts,
Why birds and animals are acting contrary to their usual natures,
Why old men, born idiots and children prophesy, Why all these things change from their usual
behaviour which was given by nature, From their natural characteristics,
To unnatural ways, well, then you would find That heaven has imparted these spirits to them
To make them instruments of fear and warning Of an unnatural state of affairs to come.
Now, Casca, I could name a man to you Who is just like this dreadful night,
Who thunders, shoots lightning, splits open graves, and roars
Like the lion in the Capitol; A man who is no mightier than you or me,
In his personal abilities, and yet has become supernatural,
And as dreadful as these strange unnatural happenings are.
CASCA You mean Caesar; is that right Cassius?
CASSIUS
Let it be who it is: Romans these days Have muscles and limbs like their ancestors;
But alas for these days! We no longer have their manly spirits,
And are, instead, governed by our mothers’ spirits:
Our submission to tyranny and our patient acceptance of it, reveal us to be weak like women.
CASCA: Indeed,
they say that tomorrow the senators Intend to proclaim Caesar king;
And he shall wear his crown at sea and on land, Everywhere, except here in Italy.
CASSIUS I know where I will wear this dagger then:
Cassius will save himself from slavery. In the ability to commit suicide,
you gods make the weak strong; In the ability to commit suicide,
you gods allow tyrants to be defeated. No stony tower, no brass walls,
No airless dungeon, no strong iron chains, Can imprison a strong mind;
But man, if he becomes weary of these worldly restraints,
Always has the power to end it all. If I know this, then let everyone else know,
That the tyranny that I am enduring Can be shaken off whenever I please.
Thunder still
CASCA So can I;
So every slave carries in his own hands The power to annul his captivity.
CASSIUS And how can Caesar be a tyrant then?
Poor man! I know that he could not be a wolf, If he didn’t see that the Romans are like sheep.
He would be no lion, if the Romans weren’t like easily preyed upon deer.
Those who want to quickly make a huge fire Start it with little pieces of straw.
What a pile of little twigs Rome becomes, What a load of litter and wood chips,
when it is used For the vile purpose of igniting the ambitions
Of someone as worthless as Caesar! But, oh grief, What have you caused me to say?
Perhaps I am saying this To someone who is willing
to be a slave; then I know I shall be called to account
for my speech. But I am armed, And indifferent to danger.
CASCA You are talking to Casca and this man
Is no sneering tell-tale. Let us shake hands on it;
If you form a party to redress all these grievances,
I will walk alongside you, as far as Whoever walks the furthest.
CASSIUS That’s a deal.
Now I have to tell you, Casca, I have already inspired
Certain individuals from amongst the noblest-minded Romans
To undertake with me a bold mission Of honourable but dangerous consequence;
And I know, by this time, they are waiting for me In the porch of Pompey’s theatre:
because now, on this fearful night, There is no activity and no
one walking in the streets; And the appearance of the skies
Is, like the work that we must do, Most bloody, fiery and terrible.
CASCA Remain hidden
for a while, because someone is approaching in a hurry.
CASSIUS It’s Cinna;
I recognise him by his walk; He is a friend.
Enter CINNA
Cinna, where are you going in such a hurry?
CINNA To look for you. Who is that? Metellus Cimber?
CASSIUS No, it is Casca, who is in league
With us. Are the others waiting for me, Cinna?
CINNA I am glad that
Casca is with us. What a fearful night this is!
There are two or three of us who have seen strange things.
CASSIUS Are the others waiting for me? Tell me.
CINNA Yes, they are.
Oh Cassius, if only you could Persuade the noble Brutus to join us –
CASSIUS Set your
mind at rest. Good Cinna, take this paper,
And ensure you lay it on the chair of the chief Roman magistrate,
Where Brutus alone will find it; and throw this one
In his window; fix this one with wax To the statue of Brutus’ ancestor,
old Brutus. When you’ve done all this, Return to the porch of Pompey’s Theatre,
where you will find us. Are Decius Brutus and Trebonius there?
CINNA Everyone is there except
Metellus Cimber; and he has gone To look for you at your house.
Well, I will go quickly, And distribute these papers as you asked me to.
CASSIUS When you
have done that, return to Pompey’s Theatre.
Exit CINNA
Come on, Casca, you and I will, before daylight,
Go to see Brutus at his house: three quarters of him
Is already on our side, and the entire man Will join our faction at our next encounter.
CASCA Oh, all the people have taken him to their hearts;
And the exact same things which would appear bad if we did them,
Brutus’ face, like richest alchemy,
Will change to appear virtuous and good if he does them.
CASSIUS Brutus and his worth and our great need of him
You have fully understood. Let’s go, Because it is after midnight, and before daylight
We will awake him and secure him as a member of our faction.
Exeunt