ACT 2 SCENE 2 LINES 65~108
CAESAR
Shall Caesar send a lie?
Have I in conquest stretch'd mine arm so far,
To be afraid to tell graybeards the truth?
Decius, go tell them Caesar will not come.
DECIUS BRUTUS
Most mighty Caesar, let me know some cause,
Lest I be laugh'd at when I tell them so.
CAESAR
The cause is in my will: I will not come;
That is enough to satisfy the senate.
But for your private satisfaction,
Because I love you, I will let you know:
Calpurnia here, my wife, stays me at home:
She dreamt to-night she saw my statua,
Which, like a fountain with an hundred spouts,
Did run pure blood: and many lusty Romans
Came smiling, and did bathe their hands in it:
And these does she apply for warnings, and portents,
And evils imminent; and on her knee
Hath begg'd that I will stay at home to-day.
DECIUS BRUTUS
This dream is all amiss interpreted;
It was a vision fair and fortunate:
Your statue spouting blood in many pipes,
In which so many smiling Romans bathed,
Signifies that from you great Rome shall suck
Reviving blood, and that great men shall press
For tinctures, stains, relics and cognizance.
This by Calpurnia's dream is signified.
CAESAR
And this way have you well expounded it.
DECIUS BRUTUS
I have, when you have heard what I can say:
And know it now: the senate have concluded
To give this day a crown to mighty Caesar.
If you shall send them word you will not come,
Their minds may change. Besides, it were a mock
Apt to be render'd, for some one to say
'Break up the senate till another time,
When Caesar's wife shall meet with better dreams.'
If Caesar hide himself, shall they not whisper
'Lo, Caesar is afraid'?
Pardon me, Caesar; for my dear dear love
To our proceeding bids me tell you this;
And reason to my love is liable.
CAESAR
How foolish do your fears seem now, Calpurnia!
I am ashamed I did yield to them.
Give me my robe, for I will go.
Context: Decius has come to get Caesar to the Senate with him. It is the Ides of March and Decius uses his smart brain to persuade Caesar while Caesar is still doubtful of going to the Senate.
Significance of the passage:
This passage is where Decius Brutus comes to Caesar's house to go with him to the Senate. First, Caesar is full of anxiety and is scared of going because of Calpurnia's dream and because it is the Ides of March. However, sneaky Decius persuades Caesar by interpreting Calpurnia's dream in a different way which flattered Caesar. This passage is very significant in the play because it is the part where Caesar gets to choose his destiny. It is the Ides of March which had been foreshadowed from the start of the play which makes this day the day with most tension and anxiety. The audience will watch the beginning of the passage with a nervous feeling, and then become very sorry for Caesar once he falls in for Decius's trick. This part of Act 2 Scene 2 will make the audience guess about what will most likely happen so this passage plays a major role in this play.
Duet: with JeKyun Yu
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