Julius Caesar Flashcards
Cassius on fate
The fault dear Brutus is not in our stars,
But in ourselves that we are underlings
Caesar on danger and lions
Danger knows full well
That Caesar is more dangerous than he:
We are two lions littered in one day,
And I the elder and more terrible
Antony on Lepidus
It is a creature that I teach to fight,
To wind, to stop, to run directly on,
His corporal motion governed by my spirit
Cicero on fate
Men may construe things after their fashion,
Clean from the purpose of the things themselves
Caesar as the northern star
“I am constant as the Northern Star,
Of whose true fixed and resting quality
There is no fellow in the firmament.”
Why Brutus rose against Caesar
Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more.
Brutus’ Conflict between private and public through honor and friendship/loyalty(death
“Set honor in one eye and death in the other, And I will look on both indifferently.”
Antony apologizing to Caesar
“O, pardon me, thou bleeding piece of earth, That I am meek and gentle with these butchers! Thou art the ruins of the noblest man That ever livèd in the tide of times. “
Antony describes Caesar’s wounds in great detail
“See what a rent the envious Casca made: Through this the well-beloved Brutus stabb’d; And as he pluck’d his cursed steel away, Mark how the blood of Caesar follow’d it.”
Cassius criticising Rome
“What trash is Rome, What rubbish and what offal, when it serves For the base matter to illuminate So vile a thing as Caesar!”
Cassius on Brutus not seeing his own worthiness
“And it is very much lamented, Brutus, That you have no such mirrors as will turn Your hidden worthiness into your eye That you might see your shadow.”
Brutus on his blood
“You are my true and honourable wife, as dear to me as are the ruddy drops that visit my sad heart”
Caesar on death and bravery
“Cowards die many times before their deaths. The valiant only taste of death but once.”
Caesar on those that threaten him
“Caesar shall forth. The things that threatened me Ne’er looked but on my back. When they shall see The face of Caesar, they are vanishèd.“
Calphurnia on fate
“When beggars die, there are no comets seen; the heavens themselves blaze forth the death of princes.”
Casca on the owl
“And yesterday, the bird of night did sit, even at noon-day, upon the market-place, hooting and shrieking”
Cinna the poet on fate
I have no will to wander forth of doors, yet something leads me forth”
Falavius on Caear’s wings and feathers
These growing feathers pluck’d from Caesar’s wing
Will make him fly an ordinary pitch,
Who else would soar above the view of men
And keep us all in servile fearfulness.
Cassius on honor to Brutus
Well, honour is the subject of my story
Cassius on him saving Caesar
Caesar cried, “Help me, Cassius, or I sink!”
Cassius on Caesar as a sick girl
Alas, it cried ‘Give me some drink, Titinius,’
As a sick girl.
Cassius on Caesar as a colossus
Why, man, he doth bestride the narrow world
Like a Colossus, and we petty men
Walk under his huge legs and peep about
To find ourselves dishonourable graves.
Cassius asking why Caesar has become so great
Now, in the names of all the gods at once,
Upon what meat doth this our Caesar feed,
That he is grown so great?
Cassius on Brutus’ ancestor
There was a Brutus once that would have brook’d
The eternal devil to keep his state in Rome
As easily as a king.
Brutus on being a villager v.s. a roman
Brutus had rather be a villager
Than to repute himself a son of Rome
Cassius’ manipulation of Brutus through letters
In several hands, in at his windows throw, as if they came from several citizens.
Brutus on Caesar as a serpent
And therefore think him as a serpent’s egg
Which, hatch’d, would, as his kind, grow mischievous,
And kill him in the shell.
Brutus on Antony as a limb
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.
Brutus to Cassius on his greed and corruption
Let me tell you Cassius, you yourself
Are much condemned to have an itching palm,
To sell and mart your offices for gold
To underservers
Brutus on his honor to the plebeians
Believe me for mine honor, and have respect to mine honor that you may believe.
Brutus to Cassius on their friendship
Judge me, you gods! Wrong I mine enemies? And if not so, how should I wrong a brother?
Brutus on how his honesty helps him
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
Cassius on Antony as a threat
I think it is not meet Mark Antony, so well beloved of Caesar, Should outlive Caesar. We shall find of him A shrewd contriver.
Octavius defending Lepidus
You may do your will, But he’s a tried and valiant soldier.
Brutus on his loyalty to the general
It must be by his death, and for my part I know no personal cause to spurn at him But for the general.
Portia proving herself
“I grant I am a woman, but withal A woman that Lord Brutus took to wife. I grant I am a woman, but withal A woman well-reputed, Cato’s daughter.” … “Giving myself a voluntary wound Here in the thigh.”
The madness of the mob
I am not Cinna the conspirator. . . . It is no matter. His name’s Cinna. Pluck but his name out of his heart and turn him going. . . . Come, brands, ho, firebrands. To Brutus’s, to Cassius’s, burn all. Some to Decius’s house and some to Casca’s. Some to Ligarius’s. Away, go!
Cassius on a mighty fire
Those that with haste will make a mighty fire
Begin it with weak straws
Cassius on suicide
Therein, ye gods, you make the weak most strong; Therein, ye gods, you tyrants do defeat: Nor stony tower, nor walls of beaten brass, nor airless dungeon, nor strong links of iron, can be retentive to the strength of spirit; but life, being weary of these worldly bars, never lacks power to dismiss itself.
Brutus on the abuse of power
The abuse of greatness is, when it disjoins
Remorse from power
Brutus asking himself to wake up
Brutus, thou sleep’st; awake, and see thyself. Shall Rome, etc. Speak, strike, redress!
Artemidorus warning Caesar
Caesar, beware of Brutus; take heed of Cassius; come not near Casca; have an eye to Cinna; trust not Trebonius; mark well Metellus Cimber; Decius Brutus loves thee not; thou hast wrong’d Caius Ligarius. There is but one mind in all these men, and it is bent against Caesar.
Caesar and the soothsayer on the Ides of March
“the ides of March are come.”
Soothsayer: “Ay, Caesar, but not gone.”
Antony on mutiny and rage
O Masters! if I were dispos’d to stir your hearts and minds to mutiny and rage, I should do Brutus wrong, and Cassius wrong, who, you all know, are honorable men. I will not do them wrong…
Marulus critizcising the plebes
You blocks, you stones, you worse than senseless things
Brutus’ internal war
poor Brutus, with himself at war,
Forgets the shows of love to other men.
Brutus’ love for honour
For let the gods so speed me as I love
The name of honour more than I fear death.
Cassius as a wrteched creature
Cassius is
A wretched creature and must bend his body,
If Caesar carelessly but nod on him.
Caesar on Cassius
Yond Cassius has a lean and hungry look;
He thinks too much: such men are dangerous.
Cassius on how Caesar distrusts him
Caesar doth bear me hard; but he loves Brutus:
If I were Brutus now and he were Cassius,
He should not humour me.
Cassius on Caesar as a wolf
Poor man! I know he would not be a wolf,
But that he sees the Romans are but sheep:
Brutus on Caesar augmented
And, since the quarrel
Will bear no colour for the thing he is,
Fashion it thus; that what he is, augmented,
Would run to these and these extremities:
Brutus on his sleep
Since Cassius first did whet me against Caesar,
I have not slept.
Portia on Brutus’ sick offence
You have some sick offence within your mind,
Which, by the right and virtue of my place,
I ought to know of
Portia on herself as a man
I have a man’s mind, but a woman’s might.
How hard it is for women to keep counsel!
Caesar acting selfless
What touches us ourself shall be last served.
Cassius threatening suicide to Brutus
If this be known,
Cassius or Caesar never shall turn back,
For I will slay myself.
Caesar on Olympus
Hence! wilt thou lift up Olympus?
Brutus on Caesar and slaves
Had you rather Caesar were living and
die all slaves, than that Caesar were dead, to live
all free men?
Antony marking people to die
He shall not live; look,which a spot I damn him
Antony questioning Lepidus
This is a slight unmeritable man,
Meet to be sent on errands: is it fit,
The three-fold world divided, he should stand
One of the three to share it?
Brutus on Cassius’ hypocrisy
O Cassius, you are yoked with a lamb
That carries anger as the flint bears fire;
Who, much enforced, shows a hasty spark,
And straight is cold again.
Brutus’ goodbye to portia
Why, farewell, Portia. We must die, Messala:
Ghost of Caesar speaking
Thy evil spirit, Brutus.
Brutus’ reply to the Ghost
Why, I will see thee at Philippi, then.
