The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (897 page)

Then I haven’t offended anyone. I have done no more to Caesar than you would do to me. Now you know the reasons for his death. He was a man worthy of glory, but his offences for which he died could not be tolerated.

Enter Antony and others with Caesar’s body.

Here comes his body, mourned by Mark Antony, who, though he had no hand in his death, shall receive the benefit of his dying, a place in the commonwealth; as which of you shall not? With this I depart-- that, as I slew my best lover for the good of Rome, I have the same dagger for myself, when it shall please my country to need my death.

Here comes his body, carried by Mark Antony, who had no part in his death but will benefit by taking a place in the senate. Is there anyone who objects? Now, I will depart saying I killed my best friend for the good of Rome. I hold the same dagger for myself, if it is for the good of Rome.

All

Live, Brutus! live, live!

Live, Brutus, live, live!

First Citizen

Bring him with triumph home unto his house.

Take him home with triumph.

Second Citizen

Give him a statue with his ancestors.

Erect a statue in his honor.

Third Citizen

Let him be Caesar.

Let him be Caesar.

Fourth Citizen

Caesar's better parts


Shall be crown'd in Brutus.

Let him be crowned as an equal to Caesar.

First Citizen

We'll bring him to his house with shouts and clamours.

Let’s carry him to his house and shout in victory.

Brutus

My countrymen,--

My countrymen…

Second Citizen

Peace! silence! Brutus speaks.

Be quiet! Silence! Brutus speaks.

First Citizen

Peace, ho!

Be quiet!

Brutus

Good countrymen, let me depart alone,


And, for my sake, stay here with Antony:


Do grace to Caesar's corpse, and grace his speech


Tending to Caesar's glory; which Mark Antony,


By our permission, is allow'd to make.


I do entreat you, not a man depart,


Save I alone, till Antony have spoke.

My good countrymen, let me depart alone. Stay here with Antony and honor Caesar’s body and listen to Antony’s speech glorifying Caesar. We are allowing Mark Antony to speak, so I’m asking that you stay until Antony is finished.

Exit.

First Citizen

Stay, ho! and let us hear Mark Antony.

Stay everyone! Let’s listen to Mark Antony.

Third Citizen

Let him go up into the public chair;


We'll hear him.--Noble Antony, go up.

Let him go up to the podium. We’ll listen to him. Go on, noble Antony.

Antony

For Brutus' sake, I am beholding to you.

For Brutus’s sake, I will.

Goes into the pulpit.

Fourth Citizen

What does he say of Brutus?

What did he say about Brutus?

Third Citizen

He says, for Brutus' sake,


He finds himself beholding to us all.

He said he was going to speak for Brutus’s sake and he owed it to us.

Fourth Citizen

'Twere best he speak no harm of Brutus here.

He better not talk poorly about Brutus here.

First Caesar

This Caesar was a tyrant.

This Caesar was a tyrant.

Third Citizen

Nay, that's certain:


We are blest that Rome is rid of him.

That’s for sure. We are blessed that Rome is rid of him.

Second Citizen

Peace! let us hear what Antony can say.

Be quiet! Let’s hear what Antony has to say.

Antony

You gentle Romans,--

Gentle Romans…

Citizens

Peace, ho! let us hear him.

Silence! Let’s hear what he has to say.

Antony

Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears;


I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him.


The evil that men do lives after them;


The good is oft interred with their bones:


So let it be with Caesar. The noble Brutus


Hath told you Caesar was ambitious:


If it were so, it was a grievous fault;


And grievously hath Caesar answer'd it.


Here, under leave of Brutus and the rest,--


For Brutus is an honourable man;


So are they all, all honorable men,--


Come I to speak in Caesar's funeral.


He was my friend, faithful and just to me:


But Brutus says he was ambitious;


And Brutus is an honourable man.


He hath brought many captives home to Rome,


Whose ransoms did the general coffers fill:


Did this in Caesar seem ambitious?


When that the poor have cried, Caesar hath wept:


Ambition should be made of sterner stuff:


Yet Brutus says he was ambitious;


And Brutus is an honourable man.


You all did see that on the Lupercal


I thrice presented him a kingly crown,


Which he did thrice refuse: was this ambition?


Yet Brutus says he was ambitious;


And, sure, he is an honourable man.


I speak not to disprove what Brutus spoke,


But here I am to speak what I do know.


You all did love him once,--not without cause:


What cause withholds you, then, to mourn for him?--


O judgment, thou art fled to brutish beasts,


And men have lost their reason!--Bear with me;


My heart is in the coffin there with Caesar,


And I must pause till it come back to me.

Friends, Romans, and countrymen, listen to me. I have come to bury Caesar, not to praise him. The evil men do doesn’t die with them, but the good is often buried with them. So, it will be true of Caesar. Brutus has told you of Caesar’s ambition, and he is noble man. He has brought many prisoners home to Rome whose ransoms filled Rome’s banks. Did Caesar seem ambitious when the he cried with the poor? Yet, Brutus said Caesar was ambitious, and Brutus is an honorable man. You all saw at the Lupercal I offered the crown to Caesar three times, and he refused each time. Did this seem like ambition? Yet, honorable Brutus said he was. I am not speaking to disagree with Brutus. I only speak of what I know. You all loved Caesar once and not without cause. Why aren’t you mourning for him, now? Let you be judged as beasts without reason. Give me a moment; my heart is with Caesar. I must pause a moment until it comes back to me.

First Citizen

Methinks there is much reason in his sayings.

He makes a lot of sense.

Second Citizen

If thou consider rightly of the matter,


Caesar has had great wrong.

If you think about it, Caesar has been wronged.

Third Citizen

Has he not, masters?


I fear there will a worse come in his place.

I’m afraid someone worse than him will take his place.

Fourth Citizen

Mark'd ye his words? He would not take the crown;


Therefore 'tis certain he was not ambitious.

Listen to his words. He refused the crown; therefore, he was not ambitious.

First Citizen

If it be found so, some will dear abide it.

Some will agree to that.

Second Citizen

Poor soul! his eyes are red as fire with weeping.

Poor man! Look at Antony’s eyes. They are as red as fire from crying.

Third Citizen

There's not a nobler man in Rome than Antony.

There is not a nobler man than Antony in all of Rome.

Fourth Citizen

Now mark him; he begins again to speak.

Listen! He is starting to speak again.

Antony

But yesterday the word of Caesar might


Have stood against the world: now lies he there,


And none so poor to do him reverence.


O masters, if I were disposed to stir


Your hearts and minds to mutiny and rage,


I should do Brutus wrong and Cassius wrong,


Who, you all know, are honourable men:


I will not do them wrong; I rather choose


To wrong the dead, to wrong myself, and you,


Than I will wrong such honourable men.


But here's a parchment with the seal of Caesar,--


I found it in his closet,--'tis his will:


Let but the commons hear this testament,--


Which, pardon me, I do not mean to read,--


And they would go and kiss dead Caesar's wounds,


And dip their napkins in his sacred blood;


Yea, beg a hair of him for memory,


And, dying, mention it within their wills,


Bequeathing it as a rich legacy


Unto their issue.

Yesterday, Caesar’s words would have stood up against any in the world. Now, he lies there, and no one is revering him. If I caused you men to be angry with honorable Brutus and Cassius, I would do them a wrong, as well as you and myself. Here’s the will of Caesar, I found in his study. If you could hear his last will and testament, you would kiss Caesar’s wounds and beg for a hair to remember him by, which you would leave as a legacy in your will to pass down. I don’t mean to read it though.

First Citizen

We'll hear the will: read it, Mark Antony.

We’ll hear it. Read it Mark Antony!

All

The will, the will! We will hear Caesar's will.

The will! The will! We want to hear Caesar’s will!

Antony

Have patience, gentle friends, I must not read it;


It is not meet you know how Caesar loved you.


You are not wood, you are not stones, but men;


And, being men, hearing the will of Caesar,


It will inflame you, it will make you mad.


'Tis good you know not that you are his heirs;


For if you should, O, what would come of it!

Gentle friends, be patient. I mustn’t read it. You shouldn’t know how much Caesar loved you. You are not made of wood or stone, and if you hear it, you will be angry. You should not hear that you were his heirs. I am scared to think what would happen next!

Fourth Citizen

Read the will! we'll hear it, Antony;


You shall read us the will,--Caesar's will!

Read the will. We want to hear it, Antony. Read us the will of Caesar.

Antony

Will you be patient? will you stay awhile?


I have o'ershot myself to tell you of it:


I fear I wrong the honorable men


Whose daggers have stabb'd Caesar; I do fear it.

Will you be patient and stay a little longer? I shouldn’t have told you about it. I am afraid I have caused harm to the honorable men who killed Caesar.