The Sunday News
THE battle lines are drawn between the armies of Mark Antony and Octavius on one hand, and those of Brutus and Cassius on the other. It is time for action rather than procrastination and indecision. Brutus proves beyond reasonable doubt that he is a poor general, insists on marching to Phillipi, gives the word for battle too early, and allows his soldiers to plunder.
All the blunders Brutus commits are against Cassius’s better judgment. Brutus asks what Cassius thinks of marching to Phillipi, the latter says he does not think it is a good idea. Cassius states that the enemy should seek them. This would waste his means, weary his soldiers, while they rest and will put up a strong defence and be ready when the hour of action arrives. But Brutus quashes that saying good reasons must be replaced by better ones.
The people between Phillipi and Sardis are not willing to fight on their side, for they have a grudge against them. They have reluctantly agreed to give them supplies they need. They will, however, join the enemy on their march through their country. The enemy will come on refreshed, with added strength and pounce on them. Brutus says they can cut off their enemy from this advantage of additional manpower.
Brutus tells Cassius to note that they have tried their utmost to improve their power, their army is completely equipped, they have obtained the trust of their allies and their cause is now ripe. Having the power and resources in abundance, they cannot delay action while their enemy gains in strength everyday. He says: “There is a tide in the affairs of men, which taken at the flood, leads to fortune; Omitted, all the voyage of their life is bound in shallows and in miseries, on such a full sea we are now afloat and we must take the current when it serves, or lose our ventures.”
By this Brutus is saying if a man fails to take advantage of the right moment, all his efforts come to naught and like the ship stuck up in the shallow water of the harbour, he cannot sail into the open sea of prosperity. They too are now sailing into the high sea of fortune and unless they can take advantage of that opportunity which has come their way they are bound to lose whatever they have staked for their ventures.
Cassius gives in to Brutus’s idea and we know what happened. This will be revealed as the discussion goes on. When all others have gone to sleep, including Lucius Brutus’s servant, Brutus finds a page he was reading. Suddenly, he realises his taper burns dimly. He realises something has come into his room but he thinks it is a weakness of his sight that gives shape to the monstrous apparition. It comes to him and he asks whether it is real or an illusion?
“Are you some god, some angel, or some devil, that mak’st my blood cold, and my hair to stare?” Brutus continues to ask the apparition. The ghost replies: “Thy evil spirit, Brutus.” It comes to tell him that he shall see it at Phillipi.
Octavius is happy that the enemy has come down to them. This is contrary to what Antony had thought, that the enemy would not come down but would remain on the high grounds and upper hills.
Antony says he knows the intention of the enemy. They would be happy to move in the other direction and come down with courage in order to scare them, thinking that by that approach they would impress them that they are full of courage, but in reality that is untrue. A discussion is held between the leaders of the armies before the battle. When Brutus asks whether it is words before blows, Octavius says, “Not that we love words better, as you do.” Brutus responds: “Good words are better than bad strokes, Octavius.” Antony weighs in telling Brutus that in his bad strokes, he gives good words. He reminds him of the wound he made in Caesar’s heart crying: “Long live! Hail, Caesar!”
Cassius is stung by Antony’s words and he says: “The posture of your blows are yet unknown; But for your words, they rob the Hybla bees and leave them honeyless.”
By this he means that, the position of Antony’s blows are uncertain. But his words are so sweet that it appears as if he (Antony) has robbed the bees of Hybla and left them without any honey. Antony retorts: “Not stingless too”. Antony is blunt and calls the conspirators villains telling them that they showed their teeth like apes, and fawned like hounds and had no courage to attack him in his very face, and bowed like slaves, kissing his feet while the damned Casca, like a dog, came from behind and struck Caesar in the neck.
Cassius takes a swipe at Brutus saying he should thank himself alone for this insult, because Antony’s tongue would not have uttered such a foul word if he had agreed to murder him along with Caesar as he told him. Brutus had misjudged Antony’s character, saying he is just but a limb of Caesar. He could not be a threat without the head, Caesar. Octavius is impatient with discussions and challenges the conspirators to tell them the cause they have in hand.
Octavius is ready for battle as he says he draws his sword against the conspirators, and his sword will not be placed inside his scabbard until Caesar’s 33 wounds are completely avenged or till another Cesar is also killed by the sword of these traitors. Cassius says of Octavius, “A peevish schoolboy, worthless of such honour, joined with a masker and a reveller.”
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