Julius Caesar (30 page)

¹³¹
bade
ordered

¹³⁶
start of
advantage over

¹³⁷
palm
palm leaf, symbol of victory

¹⁴²
Colossus
giant; the Colossus of Rhodes, a gigantic statue of the sun god Apollo, supposedly stood astride the entrance to the harbor

¹⁴⁵
at some time
at times

¹⁴⁶
our stars
i.e. fate

¹⁴⁹
be sounded
be spoken/resound/be celebrated

¹⁵²
conjure
invoke spirits

¹⁵³
start
raise, awake

¹⁵⁵
meat
food

¹⁵⁶
great
powerful (plays on the sense of “fat”)

¹⁵⁶
Age
i.e. the present time

¹⁵⁷
breed of
ability to produce/supply of

¹⁵⁸
the great flood
feature of both the Bible and Greek mythology; in the classical flood, Zeus drowns all mankind except for Deucalion and his wife Pyrrha

¹⁶²
room
puns on Rome (the words were pronounced in a similar way)

¹⁶⁵
a Brutus once
i.e. Lucius Junius Brutus, who expelled the last king of Rome and founded the Roman republic

¹⁶⁵
brooked
tolerated, endured

¹⁶⁶
state
throne/kingship

¹⁶⁸
nothing jealous
in no doubt

¹⁶⁹
work
persuade

¹⁶⁹
aim
idea, understanding

¹⁷²
so … you
if I may entreat you in friendship

¹⁷³
moved
urged, persuaded

¹⁷⁶
meet
fitting

¹⁷⁶
high
important

¹⁷⁹
repute
consider

¹⁸¹
like
likely

train
retinue

¹⁸⁶
after
according to

¹⁸⁷
worthy
that is worthy of

¹⁹⁰
chidden
scolded, rebuked

¹⁹²
ferret
ferret-like, i.e. small and red

¹⁹⁴
crossed
challenged

¹⁹⁴
conference
debate

¹⁹⁹
Sleek-headed
well-groomed, smooth-haired

²⁰⁰
yond
i.e. yonder, over there

²⁰³
given
disposed

²⁰⁴
Would
I wish

²⁰⁵
my name
i.e. I

²⁰⁷
spare
lean, gaunt

²⁰⁸
looks … deeds
i.e. sees right through to the motives behind men’s actions

²¹¹
sort
way

²¹⁵
greater
i.e. greater man

²¹⁸
Caesar
i.e. not liable to fear

²²³
chanced
happened

²²⁴
sad
serious/downcast

²²⁷
crown
laurel crown, symbol of kingship

²²⁸
put it by
waved it away, declined it

²³⁵
marry
indeed (literally, “by the Virgin Mary”)

²³⁶
gentler
more courteously/with less insistence

²⁴²
mere
complete

²⁴⁴
coronets
smaller crowns, inferior to that worn by a king

²⁴⁵
fain
willingly

²⁴⁸
still as
whenever

²⁴⁹
rabblement
crowd, rabble

²⁵⁰
chopped
chapped, roughened

²⁵⁰
nightcaps
a slighting reference to their headgear, not to caps worn in bed

²⁵³
durst
dared

²⁵⁶
soft
wait a moment

²⁵⁹
like
likely

²⁵⁹
the falling sickness
epilepsy

²⁶¹
we … sickness
i.e. our fortunes are falling, we are neglected

²⁶³
tag-rag
ragged

²⁶⁵
use
are accustomed

²⁶⁵
true
honest

²⁶⁸
plucked me
plucked (me is an intensifier)

²⁶⁹
ope
open

²⁶⁹
doublet
close-fitting Elizabethan man’s jacket

²⁶⁹
an
if

²⁷⁰
a … occupation
i.e. a working man, one of the crowd (plays on sense of “a man of action”)

²⁷⁰
taken … word
taken him at his word (taken plays on sense of “struck”)

²⁷¹
would
wish

²⁷⁷
stabbed
plays on sense of “penetrated sexually”

²⁸⁵
Greek to me
i.e. unintelligible

²⁸⁷
put to silence
i.e. removed from office (or possibly “put to death”)

²⁹⁰
promised forth
engaged to dine elsewhere

²⁹²
mind hold
inclination doesn’t change

²⁹⁶
blunt
forthright/dull

²⁹⁷
quick mettle
lively spirited, quick-witted

³⁰⁰
tardy
sluggish, reluctant

³⁰¹
rudeness
rough, uncouth manner

³⁰¹
wit
intelligence

³⁰²
stomach
appetite, inclination

³⁰⁶
home to you
to your house

³⁰⁸
the world
i.e. the state of Rome/your civic duty

³⁰⁹
noble
begins an alchemical metaphor: “noble” metals (gold and silver) cannot be transmuted into base substances (though despite this, Cassius thinks he can alter Brutus)

³¹⁰
mettle
spirit, disposition (puns on “metal”)

³¹⁰
wrought
manipulated/transmuted

³¹¹
that … disposed
its usual inclination/its natural disposition

³¹¹
meet
right, fitting

³¹²
their likes
those like them

³¹³
who
i.e. who is

³¹⁴
bear me hard
tolerate me grudgingly, dislike me

³¹⁶
He … me
i.e. Brutus would not be able to sway my views (as I do his)/Caesar would still not be able to entice me

³¹⁷
several hands
different styles of handwriting

³¹⁹
tending to
concerning

³²⁰
obscurely
covertly, subtly

³²¹
glanced
hinted

³²²
seat him sure
seat himself most securely (in the chair of power), i.e. “take great care”

¹
even
evening

¹
Brought
accompanied

³
moved
upset, affected

³
sway
order, rule, authority (plays on sense of “swinging movement”)

⁵
scolding
clamoring/rebuking

⁶
rived
split

⁸
exalted with
raised up to

¹²
saucy
insolent, defiant

¹⁴
wonderful
astonishing, extraordinary

¹⁸
sensible of
feeling

¹⁹
put up
sheathed

²⁰
Against
close to/in front of

²¹
glazed
stared

²²
annoying
harming

²³
Upon
into

²³
heap
crowd

²³
ghastly
terrified

²⁶
bird of night
the owl, considered a bird of ill omen; its cry was thought to herald death

²⁸
prodigies
unnatural things/bad omens

²⁹
conjointly meet
happen in unison, coincide

³²
climate
region

³²
point upon
are directed at, happen in

³⁴
after their fashion
in their own way

³⁵
Clean
utterly

⁴⁵
what
what kind of

⁵¹
unbracèd
with doublet unbuttoned

⁵²
thunder-stone
thunderbolt

⁵³
cross
forked/hostile

⁵⁸
tokens
signs, omens

⁵⁹
dreadful
inspiring dread and fear

⁵⁹
heralds
messengers

⁶¹
want
lack

⁶²
use not
ignore them

⁶⁴
impatience
anger

⁶⁷
from … kind
against their natures

⁶⁸
calculate
(are able to) interpret events

⁶⁹
ordinance
appointed function

⁷⁰
preformèd
established, innate

⁷¹
monstrous
unnatural

⁷⁴
state
condition, state of affairs/commonwealth (i.e. Rome)

⁷⁷
lightens
flashes lightning

⁸⁰
prodigious
ominous/unnatural

⁸¹
fearful
frightening

⁸¹
eruptions
disturbances

⁸⁴
thews
sinews, muscles

⁸⁵
fathers
(noble) forefathers, ancestors

⁸⁷
yoke and sufferance
patience in servitude

⁹⁰
by … land
i.e. in all dominions

⁹³
from … Cassius
i.e. will commit suicide

⁹⁴
Therein
i.e. through suicide

⁹⁸
be retentive to
confine, restrict

⁹⁹
bars
prison bars/obstacles

¹⁰¹
know … besides
let it be known by all the world

¹⁰²
bear
endure

¹⁰³
pleasure
will

¹⁰⁵
bondman
slave

¹¹⁰
hinds
female deer/servants

¹¹¹
make … fire
i.e. achieve fame, power

¹¹²
weak straws
i.e. the Roman people

¹¹²
trash
twigs, hedge cuttings (i.e. paltry but flammable)

¹¹³
rubbish
debris from decayed buildings

¹¹³
offal
rubbish/wood shavings

¹¹⁵
vile
base, corrupt

¹¹⁸
My … made
I must answer for it (i.e. be punished/fight you)

¹²¹
fleering
sneering

¹²¹
Hold, my
enough, take my

¹²²
factious
prepared to form a faction