Julius Caesar (31 page)

¹²³
set … mine
i.e. commit myself, proceed

¹²⁴
who
whoever

¹³⁰
this
this time, now

¹³⁰
stay
wait

¹³¹
Pompey’s porch
colonnade built by Pompey in 55 BC to provide shelter for spectators attending the Theatrum Pompei (Pompey’s theatre) that was constructed at the same time

¹³³
complexion
appearance/disposition

¹³³
element
sky, heavens

¹³⁴
favour
appearance/face

¹³⁶
close
concealed

¹⁴⁰
incorporate To
united to, part of

¹⁴¹
stayed
waited

¹⁴²
on’t
of it

¹⁴⁹
praetor
high-ranking magistrate, i.e. Brutus

¹⁵⁰
may … it
i.e. cannot avoid finding it

¹⁵¹
set this up
attach this

¹⁵³
Repair
make your way

¹⁵⁶
hie
hurry

¹⁶⁵
countenance
approval/face, appearance

¹⁶⁵
alchemy
pseudoscience that sought to turn base metals into gold

¹⁶⁸
conceited
conceived of, understood/expressed with an elaborate image

2.1
Location: Brutus’ garden, Rome

2.1
orchard
garden

⁵
When
exclamation of impatience

⁷
taper
candle

¹⁰
his
i.e. Caesar’s; Brutus is in mid-thought

¹¹
spurn
strike, kick

¹²
general
general cause, public good

¹⁵
craves
requires

¹⁵
crown him that
i.e. crown him

¹⁹
Remorse
pity, compassion

²⁰
affections
emotions

²⁰
swayed
influenced, ruled (him)

²¹
proof
experience

²²
lowliness
humility/pretended humbleness

²²
ladder
i.e. means of rising to power

²⁴
upmost round
highest rung

²⁶
base degrees
lower rungs/those of lower social status

²⁸
the … is
our cause for complaint cannot be justified on the grounds of his current behavior

²⁹
colour
good reason/pretext

³⁰
Fashion
contrive/fabricate, pervert

³⁰
augmented
i.e. once he has been given more power

³³
as his kind
like the rest of its species

³³
mischievous
harmful, dangerous

³⁵
closet
private room

⁴⁴
exhalations
meteors (considered bad omens, these were thought to consist of noxious vapors that had been drawn up, or “exhaled,” from the earth by the sun)

⁵¹
piece it out
add to it, fill it out

⁵⁴
Tarquin
Tarquinius Superbus, the last king of Rome, who was expelled by Lucius Junius Brutus

⁵⁸
petition
request

⁶¹
whet
incite (literally refers to sharpening of a knife)

⁶⁴
motion
suggestion/impulse

⁶⁵
phantasma
illusion, hallucination

⁶⁶
genius
attendant guardian spirit thought to influence a man throughout his life

⁶⁶
mortal instruments
human functions (mental and physical; these should obey the genius)

⁶⁷
council
intense debate, dispute

⁶⁷
state
condition/commonwealth

⁶⁹
insurrection
rebellion

⁷⁰
brother
brother-in-law; Cassius was married to Brutus’ sister

⁷⁵
plucked about
pulled down over

⁷⁷
discover
identify

⁷⁸
mark of favour
facial feature

⁸²
free
unconfined

⁸⁴
visage
face

⁸⁶
thou … on
pursue (i.e. maintain) your natural appearance

⁸⁷
Erebus
in classical mythology, the dark place through which the dead must pass before they reach the underworld, Hades

⁸⁸
prevention
being (recognized and) forestalled

⁸⁹
are too bold
intrude too boldly

¹⁰³
watchful cares
sleep-preventing anxieties

¹⁰⁴
night
i.e. sleep

¹⁰⁸
yon
yonder, those

¹⁰⁹
fret
adorn, lace

¹¹⁰
deceived
mistaken

¹¹¹
as
i.e. where

¹¹²
growing on
advancing toward

¹¹³
Weighing
considering, taking into account

¹¹⁷
all over
all of you

¹¹⁹
face of men
i.e. troubled look of the people

¹²⁰
sufferance
suffering

¹²¹
betimes
quickly

¹²²
idle
unoccupied/lazy

¹²³
high-sighted
ambitious, with the sight directed upward/soaring beyond view (image from falconry)

¹²³
range
move freely

¹²⁴
lottery
chance

¹²⁶
steel
make firm

¹³⁰
Than
than that of

¹³⁰
secret
trustworthy/concealed

¹³¹
palter
equivocate, use trickery

¹³²
engaged
pledged, committed

¹³³
fall
i.e. die

¹³⁴
Swear
i.e. those who take oaths are

¹³⁴
cautelous
cautious

¹³⁵
carrions
corpses (used here of sick old men)

¹³⁷
Such … doubt
the sort of wretches one can have little faith in

¹³⁸
even
true, steady

¹³⁹
th’insuppressive
the indomitable, not suppressible

¹⁴⁰
or
either

¹⁴³
several
individual

¹⁴³
bastardy
i.e. act that shows he is no true, legitimate Roman

¹⁴⁶
sound
sound out, question

¹⁵⁰
silver hairs
i.e. old age/wisdom (silver also suggests money, an image picked up in purchase and buy)

¹⁵⁵
gravity
sober authority/wisdom

¹⁵⁶
break
speak, broach the matter

¹⁶¹
touched
affected, i.e. killed

¹⁶²
meet
fitting

¹⁶⁵
shrewd contriver
cunning schemer/astute strategist

¹⁶⁵
means
resources/power

¹⁶⁶
improve
exploit, make good use of

¹⁶⁷
annoy
injure

¹⁷¹
envy
malice

¹⁷⁴
spirit
influence/essence/disposition

¹⁷⁵
spirit
soul

¹⁸²
subtle
cunning

¹⁸³
Stir up
provoke

¹⁸³
their servants
i.e. our hands

¹⁸⁴
chide
rebuke

¹⁸⁵
purpose
purpose seem

¹⁸⁷
purgers
cleansers, healers (of the state)

¹⁹²
ingrafted
firmly implanted (gardening term referring to the practice of grafting a shoot from one plant onto the stem of another)

¹⁹⁵
take thought
become depressed, sunk in grief

¹⁹⁶
that … should
it would be extreme if he did

¹⁹⁸
no fear
nothing to fear

²⁰⁶
from the main
contrary to the solid

²⁰⁷
ceremonies
ritual divination of omens

²⁰⁸
apparent
conspicuous, plainly visible

²¹⁰
augurers
Roman religious officials who predicted the future by interpreting a variety of signs and portents

²¹³
o’ersway him
influence him, change his mind

²¹⁴
unicorns … trees
supposedly the fierce unicorn could be goaded into charging at a tree, where it would become trapped when its horn got embedded in the trunk

²¹⁵
glasses
mirrors (into which the bear would gaze, distracted)

²¹⁵
holes
holes in the ground, booby traps

²¹⁶
toils
nets, snares

²²⁰
humour
mood/disposition

²²⁰
true bent
right inclination, proper direction

²²³
uttermost
latest time

²²⁵
bear Caesar hard
bear a grudge toward Caesar, dislike him

²²⁶
rated
reproached, rebuked

²²⁸
by
i.e. to

²²⁹
reasons
i.e. reasons to love me

²³⁰
fashion him
work on him, shape him to our purposes

²³¹
upon’s
upon us

²³⁵
put on
show, reflect

²³⁷
untired
inexhaustible (may play on the sense of “uncostumed” although this is not historically accurate)

²³⁷
formal constancy
outward integrity, fidelity to one’s role

²⁴¹
figures … fantasies
imaginings

²⁴²
busy
constantly active/interfering

²⁴⁵
mean you
are you doing

²⁴⁸
ungently
unkindly, rudely

²⁵¹
arms a-cross
conventional gesture of melancholy or introspection

²⁵⁷
wafture
(dismissive) wave

²⁶⁰
withal
in addition

²⁶¹
humour
(a bad) mood, (a disordered) temperament

²⁶⁴
shape
physical appearance

²⁶⁵
condition
state of mind

²⁶⁶
know
recognize

²⁷³
unbracèd
with clothing unbuttoned

²⁷³
humours
dampness, noxious vapors

²⁷⁵
wholesome
healthful

²⁷⁶
dare
risk/defy

²⁷⁷
rheumy
moist

²⁷⁷
unpurgèd
impure (the sun having yet to purge its moisture)

²⁷⁹
sick offence
harmful disorder