Ant. Cæsar did write for him to come to Rome. Serv. He did receive his letters, and is coming, And bid me say to you by word of mouth,

O Cæsar!

Ant. Thy heart is big, get thee apart and weep.
Passion, I see, is catching; 59 for mine eyes,
Seeing those beads of sorrow stand in thine,
Began to water. Is thy master coming?

[Seeing the body.

Serv. He lies to-night within seven leagues of Rome.
Ant. Post back with speed, and tell him what hath chanc'd.
Here is a mourning Rome, a dangerous Rome,

No Rome 60 of safety for Octavius yet.

Hie hence, and tell him so. Yet stay a while;
Thou shalt not back, till I have borne this corse
Into the market-place: there shall I try,
In my oration, how the people take
The cruel issue of these bloody men;
According to the which thou shalt discourse
To young Octavius of the state of things.
Lend me your hand. 61

[Exeunt, with CAESAR'S body.

SCENE II.

The Same. The Forum.

Enter BRUTUS and CASSIUS, and a throng of Citizens. 1

Cit. We will be satisfied: let us be satisfied.

Bru.

Then follow me, and give me audience, friends.

Cassius, go you into tho other street,

And part the numbers.

Those that will hear me speak, let them stay here;

Those that will follow Cassius, go with him;

And public reasons 2 shall be rendered

Of Cæsar's death.

59) Der Affect des Schmerzes, wie er sich kundthut (passion), wirkt ansteckend. mine eyes verbessert die zweite Fol. das from mine eyes der ersten.

60) Vgl. A. 1. Sc. 2, Anm. 34.

61) d. h. zum Wegschaffen der Leiche.

1) Die Bühnenweisung der Fol. lautet, indem sie zum Theil anticipirt: Enter Brutus and goes into the pulpit, and Cassius with the Plebeians.

2) public reasons sind Gründe des Gemeinwohls, Staatsgründe, welche Cäsar's Tod nothwendig machten.

Den public reasons stellt Antonius in der folgenden Scene die

private griefs gegenüber.

2 Cit. I will hear Cassius; and compare 3 their reasons,

When severally we hear them rendered.

[Exit CASSIUS, with some of the Citizens. BRUTUS goes into the Rostrum.

3 Cit. The noble Brutus is ascended.

Bru. Be patient till the last.

7

Silence!

8

Romans, countrymen, and lovers! 5 hear me for my cause, 6 and be silent, that you may hear: believe me for mine honour, and have respect to mine honour, that you may believe: censure me in your wisdom, and awake your senses If there be any in this assembly, any dear that Brutus' love to Cæsar was no less than

that you may the better judge. friend of Cæsar's, to him I say,

answer:

his. If then that friend demand, why Brutus rose against Cæsar, this is my Had Not that I loved Cæsar less, but that I loved Rome more. you rather Cæsar were living, and die all slaves, than that Cæsar were dead, to live all free men? As Cæsar loved me, I weep for him; as he was fortunate, I rejoice at it; 9 as he was valiant, I honour him: but, as he was ambitious, I slew him. There is tears for his love; joy for his fortune; honour for his valour; and death for his ambition. Who is here so base, that would be a bondman? If any, speak; for him have I offended. Who is here so rude, 10 that would not be a Roman? If any, speak; for him have I offended. Who is here so vile, that will not love his country? If any, speak; for him have I offended. I pause for a reply.

Bru. Then none have I offended. I have done no more to Cæsar than

12

you shall do to Brutus: The question of his death is enrolled in the Capitol: his glory 13 not extenuated, wherein he was worthy, nor his offences enforced, for which he suffered death.

3) Zu compare ist kein I aus dem Vorhergehenden, sondern ein we aus dem Folgenden zu suppliren.

4) Brutus ist mittlerweile zur Rednerbühne emporgestiegen.

Die classische Bezeichnung

derselben als Rostrum rührt, sowie die ganze Bühnenweisung an dieser Stelle, von den
Hgg. her.
Sh. nennt die Rednerbühne überall nur pulpit, wie er es bei Plutarch
fand. Vgl. Anm. 1 dieser Scene.

Freund, Jeder, der Einen lieb hat, in der Sprache der Sh.'schen Zeit.

6) hört mich an in Betreff der Sache, die ich zu führen habe.

7) to censure = beurtheilen, ein Urtheil über Jemanden sprechen.

8) Der Plural senses steht hier nicht Sinne, sondern nur weil er Mehrere anredet, für Sinn, Auffassungsvermögen.

sense

9) scil. at Caesar's fortune, wie er das nachher wiederholt: joy for his fortune.

10) rude roh, barbarisch, im Gegensatz zu dem civilisirten Römer.

11) Die Hgg. fügen die Bühnenweisung hinzu: Several speaking at once, und haben Cit. statt All. 12) Wie ich Casar nur sein Recht widerfahren liess, so sollt Ihr es mir widerfahren lassen.

13) his glory, sowie his offences etc. bezieht sich auf question of his death: der Hergang seines Todes, wie er, protocollarisch aufgenommen und verzeichnet, auf dem Capitol bewahrt wird.

Enter ANTONY and others, 14 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 15 for the good of Rome, I have the same dagger for myself, when it shall please my country to need my death.

All. Live, Brutus! live! live!

1 Cit. Bring him with triumph home unto his house.

2 Cit.

Give him a statue with his ancestors. 16

3 Cit. Let him be Cæsar.

4 Cit.

Shall 17 be crowned in Brutus.

Cæsar's better parts

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

Bru.

2 Cit.

1 Cit.

My countrymen,

Peace, ho!

Peace! silence! Brutus speaks.

Bru. Good countrymen, let me depart alone,
And, for my sake, stay here with Antony.

Do grace to Cæsar's corpse, and grace his speech
Tending to Caesar's glories, 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.

1 Cit. Stay, ho! and let us hear Mark Antony.
3 Cit. Let him go up into the public chair; 18
We'll hear him. Noble Antony, go up.
Ant. For Brutus' sake, I am beholding
4 Cit. What does he say of Brutus?
3 Cit.

He finds himself beholding to us all.

19 to you.

He says, for Brutus' sake,

4 Cit. "T were best he speak no harm of Brutus here.

1 Cit. This Cæsar was a tyrant.

14) and others ist ein Zusatz der Hgg. Antonius erscheint hier als der officielle Leidtragende 15) Vgl. Anm. 5 dieser Scene.

Di

16) Vielleicht ist ancestor's zu schreiben, scil. statue, das Standbild des alten Brutus, der die Tarquinier vertrieb. Vgl. A. 1, Sc. 3.: set this up with wax upon old Brutu statue. Im Plutarch fand Sh.: Marcus Brutus came of that Junius Brutus, for whom the ancient Romans made his statue of brass to be set up in the Capitol etc. Fol. unterscheidet selten das s des Plurals von dem s des Genitiv Singularis. 17) Die Hgg. fügen ein Flickwort now hinter Shall ein, um den Vers zu verbessern. 18) public chair ist dasselbe, was vorher pulpit hiess, zu dem auch Antonius emporsteigen soll (go up).

19) Für das Sh.'sche beholding setzten, als es veraltete, schon die späteren Folioausgaben beholden, und die meisten Hgg. folgen ihnen stillschweigend darin. — beholding to: eigentJemanden anblickend, auf Jemanden hinsehend, ist dann Jemandem verpflich

lich:

3.Cit.

Nay, that 's certain.

We are bless'd that Rome is rid of him.

2 Cit. Peace! let us hear what Antony can say.
Ant. You gentle Romans,

Cit.

Peace, ho! let us hear him.

Ant. Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears:

I come to bury Cæsar, 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 Cæsar. The noble Brutus
Hath told you, Cæsar was ambitious: 20
If it were so, it was a grievous fault,
And grievously hath Cæsar answer'd it.
Here, under leave of Brutus and the rest,
(For Brutus is an honourable man,

So are they all, all honourable men)
Come I to speak in Cæsar'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 21 fill:

Did this in Cæsar seem ambitious?

When that the poor have cried, Cæsar 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;

22

My heart is in the coffin there with Cæsar,

And I must pause till it come back to me.

20 Sh. hatte hier ausser Acht gelassen, dass Brutus die Worte, auf welche Antonius sich hier bezieht, vor dem Auftreten des Letzteren sprach.

22) Habt Nachsicht mit mir, wenn mir vor Uebermass des Schmerzes das Wort versagt, und

ich erst neuen Muth schöpfen muss, um weiter zu reden.

1 Cit. Methinks, there is much reason in his sayings. 2 Cit. If thou consider rightly of the matter, Cæsar has had great wrong. 23

I fear, there will a worse come in his place.

4 Cit. Mark'd ye his words? He would not take the crown: Therefore, 't is certain, he was not ambitious.

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

2 Cit.

3 Cit.

4 Cit.

Poor soul! his eyes are red as fire with weeping.
There's not a nobler man in Rome than Antony.
Now mark him; he begins again to speak.

Ant. But yesterday, the word of Cæsar might
Have stood against the world: now lies he there,
And none so poor to do him reverence.

25

O masters! if I were dispos'd to stir
Your hearts and minds to mutiny and rage, 26
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 Cæsar;
I found it in his closet, 't is 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 Cæsar's wounds,
And dip their napkins 27 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.

4 Cit. We'll hear the will. Read it, Mark Antony. All. The will, the will! we will hear Cæsar's will.

Ant. Have patience, 28 gentle friends; I must not read it:

It is not meet you know how Cæsar lov'd you.

23)

--

so ist dem Cäsar grosses Unrecht widerfahren. wrong ist bald das Unrecht, das man erträgt, bald dasjenige, welches man begeht.

2) Diese Frage ist hier keine Frage der Verwunderung oder des Zweifels, sondern eher ein Ausruf der Betheuerung: Ob ihm Unrecht geschehen ist! wobei hinzugedacht wird: das will ich meinen.

25) Jeder, selbst der Aermste, hält sich noch für zu gut, um der Leiche Cäsar's seine Ehrerbietung zu bezeigen.

26) fast wörtlich aus Plutarch: the people fell presently into such a rage and mutiny. Vgl. Einleitung pag. IX.

27) napkin

Tuch, namentlich Taschentuch bei Sh.