Come, poor remains of friends, rest on this rock.
Come, poor remains of friends, rest on this rock.
Come, poor remains of friends, rest on this rock.
come, poor remains of friends, rest on this rock
Statilius show’d the torch-light; but, my lord,
He came not back: he is or ta’en or slain.
Statilius show’d the torch-light; but, my lord, He came not back: he is or ta’en or slain.
Statilius show’d the torch-light; but, my lord, He came not back: he's or ta’en or slain.
statilius show’d the torch-light; but, my lord, he came not back: he is or ta’en or slain
Sit thee down, Clitus. Slaying is the word;
It is a deed in fashion. Hark thee, Clitus.
Sit you down, Clitus. Slaying is the word; It is a deed in fashion. Hark you, Clitus.
Sit you down, Clitus. Slaying is the word; It is a deed in fashion. Hark you, Clitus.
sit thee down, clitus
What, I, my lord? No, not for all the world.
What, I, my lord? No, not for all the world.
What, I, my lord? No, not for all the world.
what, i, my lord
Peace then, no words.
Peace then, no words.
Peace then, no words.
peace then, no words
I’ll rather kill myself.
I’ll rather kill myself.
I’ll rather kill myself.
i’ll rather kill myself
Hark thee, Dardanius.
Hark you, Dardanius.
Hark you, Dardanius.
hark thee, dardanius
Shall I do such a deed?
Shall I do such a deed?
Shall I do such a deed?
shall i do such a deed
Antony's elegy for Brutus is one of Shakespeare's most carefully crafted speeches — and one of the most morally complex. On its surface, it is generous: Antony says Brutus alone among the conspirators acted from honest motives, from concern for the common good rather than personal jealousy. He calls Brutus 'gentle' and says Nature itself could point to him as the ideal of a man. But read it again: Antony is also writing the official history of the assassination in a way that benefits himself. By singling out Brutus as uniquely honest, Antony implicitly condemns everyone else — Cassius, Casca, Decius — as motivated by envy. This serves Antony's narrative: he didn't fight honest men with legitimate grievances; he fought jealous schemers, except for one tragically misguided idealist. The elegy is true. It is also convenient. Shakespeare gives us both readings at once, which is why Antony remains the play's most fully drawn political actor — even in grief, he's managing the room.
O Dardanius!
O Dardanius!
O Dardanius!
o dardanius
O Clitus!
O Clitus!
O Clitus!
o clitus
What ill request did Brutus make to thee?
What ill request did Brutus make to you?
What ill request did Brutus make to you?
what ill request did brutus make to thee
To kill him, Clitus. Look, he meditates.
To kill him, Clitus. Look, he meditates.
To kill him, Clitus. Look, he meditates.
to kill him, clitus
Now is that noble vessel full of grief,
That it runs over even at his eyes.
Now is that noble vessel full of grief, That it runs over even at his eyes.
Now is that noble vessel full of grief, That it runs over even at his eyes.
now is that noble vessel full of grief, that it runs over even at his eyes
Come hither, good Volumnius; list a word.
Come here, good Volumnius; list a word.
Come here, good Volumnius; list a word.
come hither, good volumnius; list a word
What says my lord?
What says my lord?
What says my lord?
what says my lord
Why, this, Volumnius:
The ghost of Caesar hath appear’d to me
Two several times by night; at Sardis once,
And this last night here in Philippi fields.
I know my hour is come.
Why, this, Volumnius: The ghost of Caesar has appear’d to me Two several times by night; at Sardis once, And this last night here in Philippi fields. I know my hour is come.
Why, this, Volumnius: The ghost of Caesar has appear’d to me Two several times by night; at Sardis once, And this last night here in Philippi fields. I know my hour is come.
why, this, volumnius: the ghost of caesar hath appear’d to me two several times by night; at sardis once, and this last night here in philippi fields
Not so, my lord.
Not so, my lord.
Not so, my lord.
not so, my lord
Nay I am sure it is, Volumnius.
Thou seest the world, Volumnius, how it goes;
Our enemies have beat us to the pit.
no I am sure it is, Volumnius. you seest the world, Volumnius, how it goes; Our enemies have beat us to the pit.
no I'm sure it is, Volumnius. you seest the world, Volumnius, how it goes; Our enemies have beat us to the pit.
nay i am sure it is, volumnius
Brutus's last speech before his death does not mention Caesar. It does not mention the assassination, the conspiracy, or the cause of Roman liberty. What it mentions is this: in all my life, I found no man who was not true to me. Of everything Brutus could have said at the end — justification, regret, philosophical conclusion — what he actually says is gratitude for his friends' loyalty. This is a man shaped by his relationships more than his ideology, finally admitting it. He was recruited by friendship (Cassius's), betrayed by ambition (his own), sustained by loyalty (Portia, Lucius, Lucilius, Strato), and brought down by over-reliance on his own judgment. The speech is the character in miniature. And the final couplet — 'Caesar, now be still: I killed thee not with half so good a will' — is the only time in the play Brutus directly addresses the dead Caesar. The conversation that was never had, in two lines, at the end.
That’s not an office for a friend, my lord.
That’s not an office for a friend, my lord.
That’s not an office for a friend, my lord.
that’s not an office for a friend, my lord
Fly, fly, my lord! there is no tarrying here.
Fly, fly, my lord! there is no tarrying here.
Fly, fly, my lord! there's no tarrying here.
fly, fly, my lord
Farewell to you; and you; and you, Volumnius.
Strato, thou hast been all this while asleep;
Farewell to thee too, Strato.—Countrymen,
My heart doth joy, that yet in all my life
I found no man but he was true to me.
I shall have glory by this losing day
More than Octavius and Mark Antony
By this vile conquest shall attain unto.
So fare you well at once; for Brutus’ tongue
Hath almost ended his life’s history.
Night hangs upon mine eyes; my bones would rest,
That have but labour’d to attain this hour.
Farewell to you; and you; and you, Volumnius. Strato, you hast been all this while asleep; Farewell to you too, Strato.—Countrymen, My heart does joy, that yet in all my life I found no man but he was true to me. I shall have glory by this losing day More than Octavius and Mark Antony By this vile conquest shall attain unto. So fare you well at once; for Brutus’ tongue has almost ended his life’s history. Night hangs upon mine eyes; my bones would rest, That have but labour’d to attain this hour.
Farewell to you; and you; and you, Volumnius. Strato, you hast been all this while asleep; Farewell to you too, Strato.—Countrymen, My heart does joy, that yet in all my life I found no man but he was true to me. I shall have glory by this losing day More than Octavius and Mark Antony By this vile conquest shall attain unto. So fare you well at once; for Brutus’ tongue has almost ended his life’s history. Night hangs upon mine eyes; my bones would rest, That have but labour’d to attain this hour.
farewell to you; and you; and you, volumnius
Fly, my lord, fly!
Fly, my lord, fly!
Fly, my lord, fly!
fly, my lord, fly
Strato is a minor character in this play — he appears briefly in the tent scene (4-3) and has a handful of lines in 5-5. But the role he plays is enormous. When Clitus and Dardanius and Volumnius all refuse to help Brutus die, Strato agrees. He takes Brutus's hand first — the gesture of a soldier before battle, a human being honoring the moment. He holds the sword, turns his face away, and Brutus runs on it. Then, when Octavius and Antony arrive, Strato says the most perfect thing possible: 'Brutus only overcame himself, and no man else hath honour by his death.' This is exactly what Lucilius said would happen. This is what Brutus's life was. Strato becomes Octavius's man afterward — historical fact, which Shakespeare preserves. Messala recommends him. The man who helped Brutus die is absorbed into the new order, carrying the knowledge of how a great man ended.
Hence! I will follow.
Hence! I will follow.
Hence! I will follow.
hence
Give me your hand first. Fare you well, my lord.
Give me your hand first. Fare you well, my lord.
Give me your hand first. Fare you well, my lord.
give me your hand first
Farewell, good Strato.—Caesar, now be still:
I kill’d not thee with half so good a will.
Farewell, good Strato.—Caesar, now be still: I kill’d not you with half so good a will.
Farewell, good Strato.—Caesar, now be still: I kill’d not you with half so good a will.
farewell, good strato
Julius Caesar ends with no answer. Caesar is dead. Brutus is dead. Cassius is dead. Portia is dead. The conspiracy that was supposed to preserve the Roman Republic has instead enabled the very thing it was designed to prevent: the consolidation of power by a single man, now Octavius, who will become Augustus Caesar, Rome's first emperor and the end of the republic forever. The irony is complete and historical — Shakespeare's Elizabethan audience knew what happened next, which makes Brutus's 'tide' speech even darker: the current he seized carried Rome straight into empire. But Antony's elegy complicates any simple moral. Brutus was the noblest Roman. His motives were pure. The outcome was catastrophic. Shakespeare refuses to resolve this — a play that begins with 'Beware the Ides of March' ends with all sides honoring a dead man who proved them all right and all wrong at the same time. That unresolved tension is why the play is still performed, still argued about, four hundred years later.
What man is that?
What man is that?
What man is that?
what man is that
My master’s man. Strato, where is thy master?
My master’s man. Strato, where is your master?
My master’s man. Strato, where is your master?
my master’s man
Free from the bondage you are in, Messala.
The conquerors can but make a fire of him;
For Brutus only overcame himself,
And no man else hath honour by his death.
Free from the bondage you are in, Messala. The conquerors can but make a fire of him; For Brutus only overcame himself, And no man else has honour by his death.
Free from the bondage you're in, Messala. The conquerors can but make a fire of him; For Brutus only overcame himself, And no man else has honour by his death.
free from the bondage you are in, messala
So Brutus should be found. I thank thee, Brutus,
That thou hast prov’d Lucilius’ saying true.
So Brutus should be found. I thank you, Brutus, That you hast prov’d Lucilius’ saying true.
So Brutus should be found. I thank you, Brutus, That you hast prov’d Lucilius’ saying true.
so brutus should be found
All that serv’d Brutus, I will entertain them.
Fellow, wilt thou bestow thy time with me?
All that serv’d Brutus, I will entertain them. Fellow, will you bestow your time with me?
All that serv’d Brutus, I will entertain them. Fellow, will you bestow your time with me?
all that serv’d brutus, i will entertain them
Ay, if Messala will prefer me to you.
Ay, if Messala will prefer me to you.
Ay, if Messala will prefer me to you.
ay, if messala will prefer me to you
Do so, good Messala.
Do so, good Messala.
Do so, good Messala.
do so, good messala
How died my master, Strato?
How died my master, Strato?
How died my master, Strato?
how died my master, strato
I held the sword, and he did run on it.
I held the sword, and he did run on it.
I held the sword, and he did run on it.
i held the sword, and he did run on it
Octavius, then take him to follow thee,
That did the latest service to my master.
Octavius, then take him to follow you, That did the latest service to my master.
Octavius, then take him to follow you, That did the latest service to my master.
octavius, then take him to follow thee, that did the latest service to my master
This was the noblest Roman of them all.
All the conspirators save only he,
Did that they did in envy of great Caesar;
He only, in a general honest thought
And common good to all, made one of them.
His life was gentle, and the elements
So mix’d in him that Nature might stand up
And say to all the world, “This was a man!”
This was the noblest Roman of them all. All the conspirators save only he, Did that they did in envy of great Caesar; He only, in a general honest thought And common good to all, made one of them. His life was gentle, and the elements So mix’d in him that Nature might stand up And say to all the world, “This was a man!”
This was the noblest Roman of them all. All the conspirators save only he, Did that they did in envy of great Caesar; He only, in a general honest thought And common good to all, made one of them. His life was gentle, and the elements So mix’d in him that Nature might stand up And say to all the world, “This was a man!”
this was the noblest roman of them all
According to his virtue let us use him
With all respect and rites of burial.
Within my tent his bones tonight shall lie,
Most like a soldier, order’d honourably.
So call the field to rest, and let’s away,
To part the glories of this happy day.
According to his virtue let us use him With all respect and rites of burial. Within my tent his bones tonight shall lie, Most like a soldier, order’d honourably. So call the field to rest, and let’s away, To part the glories of this happy day.
According to his virtue let us use him With all respect and rites of burial. Within my tent his bones tonight shall lie, Most like a soldier, order’d honourably. So call the field to rest, and let’s away, To part the glories of this happy day.
according to his virtue let us use him with all respect and rites of burial
The Reckoning
The play ends with the man it was always really about: not Caesar, who died in Act 3, but Brutus — the man who killed him out of love for Rome and spent the rest of the play paying for it. His final speech is not a lament but a reckoning, almost serene: he has found no man who wasn't true to him. He's proud of the friends he kept. And Antony's closing elegy is complicated — generous in its tribute to Brutus's sincerity, but still framed as a contrast to the other conspirators, still in Antony's service. The play ends with order restored and a question unanswered: was it worth it?
If this happened today…
A whistleblower, facing prosecution after a failed attempt to expose corporate corruption, gathers the last of his legal team in a parking garage. He asks two of them to help him destroy the evidence that would implicate himself. They refuse. A third agrees. He does it himself, with the third one's help. When the case collapses and the CEO delivers the eulogy, he says the whistleblower was the only one who really believed in the company's values — unlike the others who were just after power. The CEO is now running the company. The eulogy is true and slightly self-serving at the same time.