Julius Caesar (34 page)

²⁴⁶
drachmas
silver coins; seventy-five would be a generous sum

²⁵²
orchards
gardens

²⁵⁴
common pleasures
public parks, pleasure gardens

²⁵⁵
recreate
enjoy

²⁵⁹
brands
burning logs

²⁵⁹
fire
set fire to

²⁶³
forms
benches

²⁶³
windows
shutters

²⁶⁴
Mischief
evil, harm

²⁶⁹
straight
(go) straight away

²⁷⁰
upon a wish
just as I would have wished

²⁷⁰
merry
in good spirits, inclined toward us

²⁷³
Are rid
have ridden

²⁷⁴
Belike
probably

²⁷⁴
notice of
news about

3.3
Location: a street in Rome

¹
tonight
last night

²
unluckily … fantasy
ominously burden my imagination

³
forth
out

⁹
directly
without evasion/immediately

¹⁸
bear … bang
get a beating

²⁷
he’s a conspirator
the First Plebeian confuses Cinna with the conspirator of the same name

³²
Pluck
tear, wrench

³³
turn him going
set him on his way

4.1
Location: A private place, Rome

¹
pricked
marked down

²
Your brother
Lucius Aemilius Paulus, a supporter of Brutus

⁷
spot
mark (against his name); may play on the sense of “moral stain,” which would cause
damn
to resonate with its religious sense

⁷
damn
condemn (legally)

¹⁰
cut … legacies
reduce some of the cost entailed by Caesar’s legacies (to the people; the suggestion is that the will is to be altered)

¹²
Or
either

¹³
slight
worthless, insignificant

¹⁴
Meet
fit

¹⁵
The … divided
after Caesar’s fall, the Roman empire was divided into three parts, each ruled by one of the triumvirs (Octavius, Antony, and Lepidus)

¹⁸
voice
vote (regarding)

¹⁹
black sentence
sentencing of men to death

¹⁹
proscription
branding of men as outlaws (which meant their property was confiscated)

²⁰
have … days
i.e. am older

²²
divers sland’rous loads
various burdensome accusations

²⁴
business
task/load

²⁶
will
want it

²⁷
off
away

²⁸
empty
unburdened, idle

²⁹
commons
public fields

³¹
tried
experienced

³³
appoint … provender
provide him with plenty of food

³⁵
wind
turn sharply

³⁶
corporal
bodily

³⁷
taste
degree, sense

³⁹
barren-spirited
dull-minded, lacking initiative

⁴⁰
objects … imitations
i.e. trivialities, curiosities, things of fashion

⁴¹
staled
worn out, made stale

⁴²
Begin his fashion
i.e. he takes as fashionable

⁴³
property
means to an end

⁴⁴
Listen
hear

⁴⁵
levying powers
raising armies

⁴⁵
make head
muster troops

⁴⁶
combined
united, of one mind

⁴⁷
made
decided (upon), secured

⁴⁷
stretched
extended as far as possible

⁴⁸
presently
immediately

⁴⁸
sit in counsel
i.e. discuss, be advised

⁴⁹
covert … disclosed
hidden affairs may best be revealed

⁵⁰
open
visible, apparent

⁵⁰
surest
most securely and decisively

⁵¹
at the stake
tied to a stake, like a bear being baited with dogs

⁵²
bayed about
surrounded

⁵⁴
mischiefs
evils, harms

4.2
Location: a camp near Sardis (the capital of the ancient kingdom of Lydia, Asia Minor); outside Brutus’ tent, into which the action then moves

¹
Stand ho
halt

²
Give … ho
pass on the command (to halt)

⁵
his master
i.e. Cassius

⁷
change
i.e. changed behavior, altered attitude

⁷
ill officers
unruly, poor subordinates

⁸
worthy
justifiable/substantial

¹⁰
be satisfied
be resolved, have an explanation

¹³
regard
respect

¹⁵
he
i.e. Cassius

¹⁵
resolved
informed

¹⁷
familiar instances
signs of friendship

¹⁸
conference
conversation

²¹
hot
eager, devoted

²¹
ever
always

²³
useth … ceremony
manifests itself with forced courtesy

²⁵
hollow
insincere

²⁵
hot at hand
eager at the outset

²⁶
gallant
fine, splendid

²⁶
mettle
vigor, spirit

march
i.e. march played on drums

²⁷
bloody
i.e. spattered with blood from the horse’s sides

²⁸
fall
let fall

²⁸
crests
necks

²⁸
jades
worn-out horses

²⁹
Sink … trial
fail when put to the test

³⁰
quartered
billeted, lodged

³¹
horse in general
entire cavalry

powers
troops

³⁴
gently
nobly/in an unthreatening manner

⁴⁰
brother
brother-in-law

⁴²
should
i.e. could I possibly

⁴⁶
griefs
grievances

⁵⁰
enlarge
give free voice to

⁵¹
give you audience
listen to you

⁵³
charges
troops

⁵³
off
away

⁵⁹
noted
disgraced, discredited

⁶¹
praying
entreating

⁶²
slighted off
slightingly dismissed

⁶⁴
meet
appropriate

⁶⁵
nice
petty

⁶⁵
bear his comment
be subject to such criticism

⁶⁷
condemned … palm
to blame for your greed

⁶⁸
mart
trade, barter

⁶⁸
offices
positions of responsibility

⁷¹
You … last
i.e. if you weren’t my friend Brutus, I’d kill you for saying this

⁷³
honours
gives honor to

⁷⁴
chastisement
punishment

⁷⁴
hide his head
i.e. is not enforced (with the suggestion of a head hung in shame)

⁸¹
But
merely

⁸¹
supporting robbers
i.e. permitting corruption

⁸³
large honours
great reputations/powerful positions

⁸⁴
trash
money

⁸⁵
bay
howl at

⁸⁹
hedge me in
restrict me, challenge my authority

⁹¹
make conditions
manage affairs

⁹²
Go to
expression of dismissive contempt

⁹⁵
forget myself
i.e. lose my temper

⁹⁶
Have mind upon
remember, be concerned for

⁹⁷
slight
worthless, insignificant/thin, lean

¹⁰⁰
way and room
scope

¹⁰⁰
choler
rage

¹⁰⁵
budge
flinch/give way

¹⁰⁶
observe
honor, wait upon

¹⁰⁶
crouch
cringe

¹⁰⁷
testy humour
irritable mood

¹⁰⁸
digest
i.e. be obliged to swallow

¹⁰⁸
spleen
bad temper, anger (the spleen was thought to be the seat of strong emotions)

¹¹⁴
vaunting
boasting

¹¹⁶
of
from/about

¹²¹
durst … me
would not have dared provoke me in such a manner

¹²⁷
presume
rely

¹³²
idle
useless/frivolous/inactive

¹³⁵
vile means
shameful methods (i.e. corruption, extortion)

¹³⁶
coin
turn into money

¹³⁷
drop
shed

¹³⁷
drachmas
silver coins

¹³⁸
hard
toughened with work/ungenerous

¹³⁸
vile
worthless, lowly, contemptible

¹³⁹
indirection
deceit, dishonesty

¹⁴⁴
rascal counters
worthless coins

¹⁵⁰
rived
split

¹⁵¹
infirmities
flaws, weaknesses

¹⁶²
braved
challenged, defied

¹⁶³
Checked
rebuked/restrained

¹⁶⁴
conned by rote
memorized through repetition

¹⁶⁸
Dearer
more valuable

¹⁶⁸
Pluto
fabulously rich Greek god of the underworld

¹⁶⁸
mine
silver and gold mines

¹⁶⁹
take it forth
i.e. tear this heart out

¹⁷⁶
dishonour … humour
i.e. your dishonorable behavior shall be attributed to a bad mood

¹⁷⁷
lamb
i.e. the supposedly gentle Brutus

¹⁷⁹
enforcèd
acted upon by force (i.e. struck to create a spark)

¹⁷⁹
hasty
quick, brief

¹⁸³
blood ill-tempered
a disordered temperament (physical and mental health was thought to be governed by the four bodily fluids or “humours”; the excess of one would lead to illness or an imbalanced mood)