Julius Caesar

Act II Scene i - Julius Caesar

meaning of the following

Act II Scene 1 (Lines 162-184)

DECIUS Shall no man else be touched but only Caesar?

CASSIUS Decius, well urged. I think it is not meet Mark Antony, so well beloved of Caesar, Should outlive Caesar. We shall find of him A shrewd contriver. And, you know, his means, If he improve them, may well stretch so far As to annoy us all; which to prevent, Let Antony and Caesar fall together.

BRUTUS Our course will seem too bloody, Caius Cassius, To cut the head off and then hack the limbs, Like wrath in death and envy afterwards, For Antony is but a limb of Caesar. Let us be sacrificers but not butchers, Caius. We all stand up against the spirit of Caesar, And in the spirit of men there is no blood. Oh, that we then could come by Caesar’s spirit And not dismember Caesar! But, alas, Caesar must bleed for it. And, gentle friends, Let’s kill him boldly but not wrathfully. Let’s carve him as a dish fit for the gods, Not hew him as a carcass fit for hounds. And let our hearts, as subtle masters do, Stir up their servants to an act of rage And after seem to chide 'em. This shall make

Asked by
Last updated by Aslan
Answers 1
Add Yours

They are discussing how Antony and Caesar are related in power and purpose. They also talk about their motivations for killing Caesar. They do not want to kill him out of malice but rather for the good of the Republic.