Caesar & Brutus - Rome & Pisa

Rome & Pisa

         

As I mentioned in my earlier post, Shakespeare’s play  'Julius Caesar' has influenced my perception and imagination of Rome & Romans  extensively. Although I was in Italy for a week all of it was purposely spent  in Rome, except for the last day’s visit to Pisa. Another visit, on some other lucky occasion would make amends to go and see the other wonders of Italy. 

Choice of Pisa as the left over destination was influenced not more by the famous tower of the town, than of another compelling personal reason - that Pisa was the town of Galileo.

As a child my mother had told me that it was in this City’s Cathedral Galileo watched the swing of a chandelier in wind, which led to the discovery of telescope.  I had a desire to see the chandelier as much as the leaning tower.

But later I learned this event,  was unrelated to telescope  and other than telescope and the famous “ world-is-not-flat” statements, for which he is known, Galileo has credit for numerous other scientific inventions.

ഗലീലിയൊ

 Galileo conducted several experiments with pendulums. It is believed  that these began by watching the swings of the bronze chandelier in the cathedral of Pisa , using his pulse as a timer. ( and so pertinent to me personally from my mother’s tale). Galileo claimed that a simple pendulum is isochronous i.e. that its swings always take the same amount of time, independently of the amplitude. But my companion, born 400 years after him, who was a student of physics tells me in fact, this is only approximately true, as was discovered later by Huygens.

So this story is dedicated to  Rome and Pisa, with its renowned tower.

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Shakespeare’s’ Julius Caesar - A complicated and different drama.

Heroes vs. Villains

Both Cesar and Brutus are perceived to be heroes and villains in Julius Caesar. At the opening of the play, Caesar is hailed for his conquests and is admired for his apparent humility upon refusing the crown. However, once murdered, Caesar is painted (by Brutus and friends) as a power hungry leader with the intentions of enslaving all of Rome.

 Brutus' speech, which follows Caesar's death, successfully manipulates the common man’s  perspective. By the end of his speech, the crowd is hailing Brutus for killing Caesar, whom they now consider as a great villain. But, the crowd is easily swayed once again when Antony speaks. Following Brutus' remarks, Antony gives Caesar's eulogy, manipulating the crowd with stories of Caesar's kindness, and sharing the details of Caesar's will, which leaves money to every Roman. At the end of Antony's speech, the crowd is once again supportive of Caesar, mourns his death, and seeks to kill Brutus, Cassius, and the other murderers. The swaying opinions of the plebeians( common people), and the great differences in opinion that the play presents leave the reader/ student  to determine who, if anyone, is the hero of the play, and who, is the villain.

സീസര്‍        ബ്രൂടുസ്

Idealism

Brutus wishes for an ideal world. He is happily married, lives in a beautiful home, and is successful according to all measures of Roman living. However, Brutus - although he loves Caesar, fears Caesar is too power hungry, and might possibly destroy the Republic. Cassius understands Brutus' idealism and takes advantage of it in order to manipulate Brutus into joining the conspiracy against Caesar. At heart, it is Brutus' idealism that causes his ultimate downfall. Antony recognizes this fact when addressing Brutus' dead body at the conclusion of the play, saying "This was the noblest Roman of them all".

Some Quotes from the Play.

   
 Act 1, scene 2,

Caesar:  Antonio!

Marcus Antonius:  Caesar?

Caesar:  Let me have men about me that are fat,

Sleek-headed men and such as sleep a-nights. [രാത്രി മുഴുവന്‍ ]

Yond Cassius has a lean and hungry look,
He thinks too much; such men are dangerous.

Marcus Antonius tries to calm Caesar:

"Fear him not, Caesar, he's not dangerous,
He is a noble Roman, and well given."

Ironically, the superstitious Caesar, who understands  Cassius better will die, while Antony will survive  and later to take power.

Cowards die many times before their deaths;
The valiant never taste of death but once.
Of all the wonders that I yet have heard,
It seems to me most strange that men should fear;
Seeing that death, a necessary end,
Will come when it will come. (2.2.34)

How many ages hence
Shall this our lofty scene be acted o'er,
In states unborn, and accents yet unknown! (3.1.111)

O mighty Caesar! dost thou lie so low?
Are all thy conquests, glories, triumphs, spoils,
Shrunk to this little measure? (3.1.148)

ബ്രുടസിന്റെ പ്രസങ്ങതിതില്‍നിന്നുമൂന്നുവരികള്‍ 

 Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more. (3.2.22)

As he was valiant, I honour him: but, as he was ambitious, I slew him. (3.2.27)

Who is here so base that would be a bondman? (3.2.31) [bondman = അടിമ ]

കാഷ്യസ് ബ്രൂട്ടസ്സിനെ സ്വാധീനിക്കുന്നു 

Men at some time are masters of their fates:
The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars,
But in ourselves, that we are underlings. (1.2.135) അടിമ

മാര്‍ക്ക് ആന്റണി

Famous speech of Mark Antony.

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. (3.2.79) [കുഴിച്ചുമൂടുക ]

He was my friend, faithful and just to me:
But Brutus says he was ambitious;
And Brutus is an honourable man. (3.2.91)

When that the poor have cried, Caesar hath wept;
Ambition should be made of sterner stuff. (3.2.97)

O judgement! thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason. (3.2.110)

But yesterday the word of Caesar might
Have stood against the world; now lies he there,
And none so poor to do him reverence. (3.2.124)

This was the most unkindest cut of all;
For when the noble Caesar saw him stab,
Ingratitude, more strong than traitors' arms,
Quite vanquished him: then burst his mighty heart;
And, in his mantle muffling up his face,
Even at the base of Pompey's statue,
Which all the while ran blood, great Caesar fell.
O! what a fall was there, my countrymen;
Then I, and you, and all of us fell down,
Whilst bloody treason flourished over us.
O! now you weep, and I perceive you feel
The dint of pity; these are gracious drops. (3.2.189)

I come not, friends, to steal away your hearts:
I am no orator, as Brutus is;
But, as you know me all, a plain, blunt man,
That love my friend. (3.2.221)

Were I Brutus,
And Brutus Antony, there were an Antony
Would ruffle up your spirits, and put a tongue
In every wound of Caesar, that should move
The stones of Rome to rise and mutiny. (3.2.231)

He hath left you all his walks,
His private arbours, and new-planted orchards,
On this side Tiber; he hath left them you,
And to your heirs for ever; common pleasures,
To walk abroad, and recreate yourselves. (3.2.252)

Fortune is merry,
And in this mood will give us anything. (3.2.271)

When love begins to sicken and decay,
It useth an enforcèd ceremony.
There are no tricks in plain and simple faith. (4.2.20)

Let me tell you, Cassius, you yourself
Are much condemned to have an itching palm. (4.3.7)

Shall we now
Contaminate our fingers with base bribes? (4.3.23)

I had rather be a dog, and bay the moon,
Than such a Roman. (4.3.27)

There is no terror, Cassius, in your threats;
For I am armed so strong in honesty
That they pass by me as the idle wind,
Which I respect not. (4.3.67)

By heaven, I had rather coin my heart,
And drop my blood for drachmas, than to wring
From the hard hands of peasants their vile trash
By any indirection. (4.3.72)

A friend should bear his friend's infirmities,
But Brutus makes mine greater than they are. (4.3.86)

All his faults observed,
Set in a note-book, learn’d, and conn’d by rote. (4.3.92)

There is a tide in the affairs of men
Which taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;
Omitted, all the voyage of their life
Is bound in shallows and in miseries. (4.3.218)

We must take the current when it serves,
Or lose our ventures. (4.3.247)

The deep of night is crept upon our talk,
And nature must obey necessity. (4.3.251)

Forever, and forever, farewell, Cassius!
If we do meet again, why, we shall smile;
If not, why then this parting was well made. (5.1.125)

O! that a man might know
The end of this day's business, ere it come;
But it sufficeth that the day will end,
And then the end is known. (5.1.131)

This day I breathèd first: time is come round,
And where I did begin, there shall I end;
My life is run his compass. (5.3.23)

O hateful error, melancholy's child!
Why dost thou show, to the apt thoughts of men,
The things that are not? (5.3.67)

I had rather have
Such men my friends than enemies. (5.4.28)

Thou art a fellow of a good respect;
Thy life hath had some smatch of honour in it.
Hold then my sword, and turn away thy face,
While I do run upon it. (5.5.45)

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 mixed in him that Nature might stand up
And say to all the world, 'This was a man!' (5.5.68)