![\"death_of_caesar.GIF\"](\"https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/death_of_caesar.GIF\")
<\/p>\nIn the current climate in the United States (which … you honestly have to be here to experience the full effect) … the time is ripe for a soothsayer, whispering into the ears of paranoid men, launching rumors that fly through the air, hoping to hit their mark. Things are pretty damn spooky. <\/p>\n
The Ides of March. <\/p>\n
\n<\/p>\n
Let’s read the scene in Shakespeare\u2019s play where Caesar ignores the warning from the soothsayer. Because wouldn\u2019t we all ignore a warning from a random-crazy-person in the street? I mean, I HAVE ignored such warnings. Some shuffling nut-bag screams at me I’m going to die if I don’t repent? What, I’m gonna ask to hear MORE? No. And neither does Caesar and therein lies his ruin.<\/p>\n
(I have to add that it must be hard to listen to anything anyone<\/em> says when you are constantly bombarded by \u201cflourishes\u201d.)<\/p>\n \nSCENE II. A public place<\/b><\/p>\n Flourish<\/em>.<\/p>\n Enter CAESAR; ANTONY, CALPURNIA, PORTIA, DECIUS BRUTUS, CICERO, BRUTUS, CASSIUS, and CASCA; a great crowd following, among them a SOOTHSAYER<\/p>\n CAESAR CASCA CAESAR CALPURNIA CAESAR ANTONY CAESAR ANTONY CAESAR Flourish<\/i><\/p>\n SOOTHSAYER CAESAR CASCA CAESAR SOOTHSAYER CAESAR BRUTUS CAESAR CASSIUS CAESAR SOOTHSAYER CAESAR \n \nA psychic told me some years ago that I would meet my future husband the following year, and that he would be blonde. In general, I don’t go for blondes, but I listened to what she had to say, paid my money, went on my way. Strangely enough, I ended up dating someone that following year who happened to be blonde – I didn’t remember the psychic’s prediction until after it was over. It ended pretty quickly. And weirdly. In fact, I refer to him as Jackass McGee<\/a>. After that, I thought, “1. That psychic was full of it. and 2. I KNEW I should have stayed away from blondes.” Caesar writing The Soothsayer off is understandable. <\/p>\n I just re-read Julius Caesar<\/i>, in my ongoing Shakespeare Chronological Reading project last year. The conspiracy scene (Act II, scene 1) is one of my favorites in the play.<\/p>\n The conspirators visit Brutus at his house. They all stand in the orchard, and decide to do the deed on the morrow.<\/p>\n Here’s a fun exercise (this came straight from a classics class I took in grad school): read it out loud and notice how often Shakespeare uses the letter “s” in the scene, or an “s” sound. First of all, all of their names have “s”s in them, so automatically there’s an “s” sound in almost every sentence. When you hear the language (and it only becomes perceivable when you hear it out loud), just the sound<\/i> of the scene, never mind the words they’re actually saying, it sounds like a bunch of snakes hissing. It SOUNDS like whispered gossip. “Psst.” “Psst.” “Psst. Secrets secrets secrets …” “Whissssper …” “Whisssper” “Psst …” “Psst.”<\/p>\n “S” is a sound that carries. If people whisper over the water cooler about the layoffs coming down, they’re pretty safe in not being overheard if they say vowel sounds: “o” or “e” don’t really carry, but an “S” will ricochet across an office as though there is a megaphone attached to it. <\/p>\n That’s the effect that Shakespeare has achieved in the sounds in this scene. The ACTION of the scene is IN the language itself. Ssssssssss gives an impression of a crowd of men whispering “psst”, the hissing “psst” whisper of conspiracy. <\/p>\n \nRe-enter LUCIUS.<\/p>\n LUCIUS. BRUTUS. LUCIUS. BRUTUS. Do you know them?<\/p>\n LUCIUS. BRUTUS. Let ’em enter.<\/p>\n [Exit LUCIUS.<\/p>\n They are the faction. O conspiracy! Enter the Conspirators, CASSIUS, CASCA, CASSIUS. BRUTUS. CASSIUS. BRUTUS. CASSIUS. BRUTUS. He is welcome too.<\/p>\n CASSIUS. BRUTUS. CASSIUS. [BRUTUS and CASSIUS whisper.<\/p>\n DECIUS. CASCA. CINNA. CASCA. BRUTUS. CASSIUS. \n \nAnd so, in honor of the Ides of March, here’s the “moment before” the poor ignored SOOTHSAYER comes back into the picture: Act II, scene iv.<\/b> The sense of foreboding grows. Portia can feel the wrongness in the air.<\/p>\n PORTIA SOOTHSAYER PORTIA SOOTHSAYER PORTIA SOOTHSAYER PORTIA SOOTHSAYER PORTIA SOOTHSAYER Exit<\/i><\/p>\n PORTIA \n \n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In the current climate in the United States (which … you honestly have to be here to experience the full effect) … the time is ripe for a soothsayer, whispering into the ears of paranoid men, launching rumors that fly … Continue reading
\nCalpurnia!<\/p>\n
\nPeace, ho! Caesar speaks.<\/p>\n
\nCalpurnia!<\/p>\n
\nHere, my lord.<\/p>\n
\nStand you directly in Antonius’ way,
\nWhen he doth run his course. Antonius!<\/p>\n
\nCaesar, my lord?<\/p>\n
\nForget not, in your speed, Antonius,
\nTo touch Calpurnia; for our elders say,
\nThe barren, touched in this holy chase,
\nShake off their sterile curse.<\/p>\n
\nI shall remember:
\nWhen Caesar says ‘do this,’ it is perform’d.<\/p>\n
\nSet on; and leave no ceremony out.<\/p>\n
\nCaesar!<\/p>\n
\nHa! who calls?<\/p>\n
\nBid every noise be still: peace yet again!<\/p>\n
\nWho is it in the press that calls on me?
\nI hear a tongue, shriller than all the music,
\nCry ‘Caesar!’ Speak; Caesar is turn’d to hear.<\/p>\n
\nBeware the ides of March.<\/p>\n
\nWhat man is that?<\/p>\n
\nA soothsayer bids you beware the ides of March.<\/p>\n
\nSet him before me; let me see his face.<\/p>\n
\nFellow, come from the throng; look upon Caesar.<\/p>\n
\nWhat say’st thou to me now? speak once again.<\/p>\n
\nBeware the ides of March.<\/p>\n
\nHe is a dreamer; let us leave him: pass.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/caesar_brutus1.jpg\" "\\"caesar_brutus\\"")
<\/a><\/p>\n
\nSir, ’tis your brother Cassius at the
\ndoor,
\nWho doth desire to see you.<\/p>\n
\nIs he alone?<\/p>\n
\nNo, sir, there are more with him.<\/p>\n
\nNo, sir; their hats are pluck’d about
\ntheir ears,
\nAnd half their faces buried in their cloaks,
\nThat by no means I may discover them
\nBy any mark of favour.<\/p>\n
\nSham’st thou to show thy dangerous brow by
\nnight,
\nWhen evils are most free? O! then by day
\nWhere wilt thou find a cavern dark enough
\nTo mask thy monstrous visage? Seek none, con-
\nspiracy;
\nHide it in smiles and affability:
\nFor if thou path, thy native semblance on,
\nNot Erebus itself were dim enough
\nTo hide thee from prevention.<\/p>\n
\nDECIUS,CINNA, METELLUS CIMBER,
\nand TREBONIUS.<\/p>\n
\nI think we are too bold upon your rest:
\nGood morrow, Brutus; do we trouble you?<\/p>\n
\nI have been up this hour, awake all
\nnight.
\nKnow I these men that come along with you?<\/p>\n
\nYes, every man of them; and no man
\nhere
\nBut honours you; and every one doth wish
\nYou had but that opinion of yourself
\nWhich every noble Roman bears of you.
\nThis is Trebonius.<\/p>\n
\nHe is welcome hither.<\/p>\n
\nThis, Decius Brutus.<\/p>\n
\nThis, Casca; this, Cinna;
\nAnd this, Metellus Cimber.<\/p>\n
\nThey are all welcome.
\nWhat watchful cares do interpose themselves
\nBetwixt your eyes and night?<\/p>\n
\nShall I entreat a word?<\/p>\n
\nHere lies the east: doth not the day
\nbreak here?<\/p>\n
\nNo.<\/p>\n
\nO! pardon, sir, it doth; and yon grey
\nlines
\nThat fret the clouds are messengers of day.<\/p>\n
\nYou shall confess that you are both
\ndeceiv’d.
\nHere, as I point my sword, the sun arises;
\nWhich is a great way growing on the south,
\nWeighing the youthful season of the year.
\nSome two months hence up higher toward the
\nnorth
\nHe first presents his fire; and the high east
\nStands, as the Capitol, directly here.<\/p>\n
\nGive me your hands all over, one by
\none.<\/p>\n
\nAnd let us swear our resolution.<\/p>\n![\"zpage184\"](\"https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/zpage184.gif\")
<\/a><\/p>\n
\nCome hither, fellow: which way hast thou been?<\/p>\n
\nAt mine own house, good lady.<\/p>\n
\nWhat is’t o’clock?<\/p>\n
\nAbout the ninth hour, lady.<\/p>\n
\nIs Caesar yet gone to the Capitol?<\/p>\n
\nMadam, not yet: I go to take my stand,
\nTo see him pass on to the Capitol.<\/p>\n
\nThou hast some suit to Caesar, hast thou not?<\/p>\n
\nThat I have, lady: if it will please Caesar
\nTo be so good to Caesar as to hear me,
\nI shall beseech him to befriend himself.<\/p>\n
\nWhy, know’st thou any harm’s intended towards him?<\/p>\n
\nNone that I know will be, much that I fear may chance.
\nGood morrow to you. Here the street is narrow:
\nThe throng that follows Caesar at the heels,
\nOf senators, of praetors, common suitors,
\nWill crowd a feeble man almost to death:
\nI’ll get me to a place more void, and there
\nSpeak to great Caesar as he comes along.<\/p>\n
\nI must go in. Ay me, how weak a thing
\nThe heart of woman is! O Brutus,
\nThe heavens speed thee in thine enterprise!
\nSure, the boy heard me: Brutus hath a suit
\nThat Caesar will not grant. O, I grow faint.
\nRun, Lucius, and commend me to my lord;
\nSay I am merry: come to me again,
\nAnd bring me word what he doth say to thee.<\/p>\n![\"Vincenzo](\"https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/VincenzoCamuccini-The-Ides-of-March-18001.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n