How now, friend Eros?
What's up, Eros?
How are you, Eros?
yo eros
Eros speaks in short, efficient bursts — he is a practical man close to Antony, loyal and clear-eyed. Watch for how his brevity contrasts with Enobarbus's philosophical asides; Eros delivers facts where Enobarbus delivers analysis.
There’s strange news come, sir.
I bring you some unusual news, sir.
I've got odd news for you, sir.
got weird news
What, man?
What, man?
What, man?
what, man?
Caesar and Lepidus have made wars upon Pompey.
Caesar and Lepidus have waged war against Pompey.
Caesar and Lepidus went to war with Pompey.
caesar and lepidus fought pompey
This is old. What is the success?
That's old news. What was the outcome?
We already knew that. What happened?
old news so what
Caesar, having made use of him in the wars ’gainst Pompey, presently
denied him rivality; would not let him partake in the glory of the
action, and, not resting here, accuses him of letters he had formerly
wrote to Pompey; upon his own appeal, seizes him. So the poor third is
up, till death enlarge his confine.
Caesar used him in the war against Pompey, then immediately denied him equal status. He wouldn't let Lepidus share in the victory. Then Caesar accuses him of letters he'd once written to Pompey, and uses this to seize him. So the poor third member of our triumvirate is locked up, and only death will set him free.
Caesar used him to fight Pompey, then immediately took away his power. He wouldn't let Lepidus get any credit for the victory. Then Caesar dug up some old letters Lepidus had written to Pompey and used that as an excuse to arrest him. So now the third man in our group is in prison, and only death will get him out.
caesar used him in the war then denied him status won't let him share victory accuses him of old letters to pompey seizes him third member locked up only death frees him
Lepidus was the weakest of the three triumvirs — Enobarbus diagnosed him as the dung beetle in 3-2. Caesar's move is textbook: use him to fight Pompey (needing a third partner to avoid looking like a simple power grab), then strip him of everything the moment the war is won. The accusation of 'letters to Pompey' may or may not be true — it doesn't matter. What matters is that Caesar has accumulated enough power to make the accusation stick. The historical Lepidus lived under house arrest for decades after this, forgotten but technically alive. Shakespeare compresses this into a chilling bureaucratic note: 'the poor third is up, till death enlarge his confine.' The comedy of the dung beetle lands differently now.
Then, world, thou hast a pair of chaps, no more,
And throw between them all the food thou hast,
They’ll grind the one the other. Where’s Antony?
The world now has only two jaws, and if you threw all the food between them, they'd grind each other up. Where's Antony?
The world's got only two mouths now, and they'll destroy each other if you throw everything between them. Where's Antony?
world's got two mouths now they'll destroy each other where's antony
He’s walking in the garden, thus, and spurns
The rush that lies before him; cries “Fool Lepidus!”
And threats the throat of that his officer
That murdered Pompey.
He's walking in the garden, kicking at the reeds in front of him, calling out 'Fool Lepidus!' and threatening to cut the throat of the officer who murdered Pompey.
He's pacing in the garden, kicking at the plants, yelling 'You fool, Lepidus!' and threatening to kill the officer who murdered Pompey.
he's in the garden kicking plants calling lepidus a fool threatening to kill the officer
Our great navy’s rigged.
Our great navy is ready.
Our big fleet is all set.
our big fleet's ready
For Italy and Caesar. More, Domitius:
My lord desires you presently. My news
I might have told hereafter.
The fleet is aimed at Italy and Caesar. More than that, Domitius: my lord wants to see you right away. I could have told you this news later.
The fleet is headed for Italy and Caesar. Domitius, my lord wants you now. I could've told you all this later.
fleet headed to italy and caesar antony wants you now i could've told you this later
’Twill be naught,
But let it be. Bring me to Antony.
It doesn't matter. Never mind about it. Take me to Antony.
It's nothing. Never mind. Take me to Antony.
forget it go to antony
Come, sir.
Come, sir.
Come, sir.
come, sir.
The Reckoning
A brief but cold news bulletin. Lepidus — the dung beetle of the triumvirate, as Enobarbus called him — has been used up and discarded. Caesar stripped him of power the moment Pompey was defeated. Enobarbus's response is the sharpest line in the scene: the world now has two jaws, nothing more, and everything thrown between them will be ground to dust. The machine of empire is clarifying.
If this happened today…
Two colleagues at a startup compare notes: one has heard the co-founder who brought the investors on board just got pushed out — the investors used him to close the deal, then voted him off the board once the funding was secure. 'Well,' the sharper of the two says, 'now there are only two people at that table, and they're both going to eat each other.' Then they get a Slack notification: the CEO wants them both. Now.