The Sunday News
METELLUS Cimber kneels before Caesar and asks him to call back from banishment his brother, Publius Cimber. Caesar shows arrogance as he prevents Metellus Cimber from kneeling. He says: “These couchings and these lowly courtesies might fire the blood of ordinary men and turn pre-ordinance and first decree into the law of children.”
By this Caesar is telling Metellus Cimber that these bowings and humiliating salutations may warm the blood of ordinary persons and make what is pre-destined and decreed, as liable to change as if they were rules made by children. He says he should not think that there runs in Caesar’s veins the blood of fools due to which he is liable to change his decisions by flatteries like these base kneelings and sweet words.
Caesar adds that Metellus Cimber’s brother has been banished by a fair judicial order. If he bends and pray and flatter for him, then he spurns him like a cur out of his way. He should realise that Caesar does not ever do any wrong and cannot be convinced to reverse his order without a proper cause. Caesar remains unmoved even though Brutus joins in to request him to repeal the banishment order.
Caesar tells Brutus that he could have been moved by words if he was like Brutus. But he is as firm as the northern star, of which one cannot find its equal in terms of constancy in the entire firmament. In this world too there are men who have flesh, blood and intelligence. Yet among them there is only one man who never changes, who is constant in his motion, and that man is him who is firm that Cimber should be banished and will remain rigid in that decision.
Caesar’s arrogance goes to extremes at times when Cinna asks him to reverse Cimber’s banishment, Caesar tells him to go away, asking him whether he will attempt to lift Mount Olympus. In other words he is saying he is all powerful and equates his power to Mount Olympus. When words fail the conspirators to move Caesar, they stab him, starting with Casca, the others follow suit and Brutus last of all. Caesar dies with the phrase: “Et tu Brute! —
Then fall Caesar!” on his lips.
Cinna, one of the conspirators cries out immediately after that: “Liberty! Freedom! Tyranny is dead! Cassius commands that some of them should go to the common platforms and shout out loudly: “Liberty, freedom and enfranchisement!” Really! Let us wait and see if this will come to fruition. The senators are shocked by the turn of events while the citizens cry out and run as if it were doomsday. Brutus and Cassius try to quell the commotion by shouting that liberty has been preserved by the death of the ambitious Caesar and that no one else is to die.
In simpler language Brutus says Caesar has paid his debt for his ambition. Brutus ironically says that by killing Caesar they have actually done him a great service; men always live in fear of death, but Caesar has been spared many years of such fearing. Meanwhile, as all this takes place, Antony has fled to his house. He sends a message to the conspirators asking to be assured of safe conduct if he returns to the Senate House to be told why Caesar deserved death.
Antony promises more friendship to the living Brutus than to the dead Caesar. Cassius declares that he has misgivings about Antony and a feeling that something might go wrong. Filled with grief on seeing Caesar’s body, Antony says that if they hate him too, they should choose this moment, when their hands are red with blood, to kill him as well.
But Brutus assures him that, though their action might appear bloody, it was motivated by the great injustice done to the Republic, so their pity for Rome forced them to swallow their pity for Caesar, as for Antony they had nothing but admiration and respect for him and intend him no harm. Brutus already misjudges Antony’s character. He underestimates Antony. Remember he has already overridden Cassius’s wiser decision to have Antony fall together with Caesar.
He said Antony was but a limb of Caesar, and without the rest of the body he could not do anything. After Brutus and Cassius have given him assurance of no harm towards him, Antony seems satisfied and shakes the hand of every conspirator in turn. Antony tells them that, though, they shall never be able to say he approved their deed, he anxiously awaits to hear convincing reasons that Caesar was dangerous.
In a sudden turn of events, Antony asks to be allowed to address the crowd in the marketplace on the day of Caesar’s funeral. Brutus consents to this, but Cassius objects and, drawing Brutus aside, warns him that the mob may be stirred to sympathy for Caesar by what Antony will say in his oration.
However, Brutus overrides this objection by saying that he will speak first, giving the reasons for Caesar’s death and telling the people that Antony is only allowed to speak with the conspirators’ permission.
Turning to Antony, Brutus informs him that Caesar is to have all due honour accorded him at the funeral, but that, while Antony is to speak good of Caesar he shall not say anything harmful about them. All seems well with Brutus having laid down these conditions. But as we know, Antony left alone with the plebians moves them to mutiny. They rise up against the conspirators and rush to burn their houses. Brutus does not take heed to Cassius’ better judgement.
Next week we shall look at how Mark Antony manages to turn the crowd against the conspirators.
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