Quotes (Julius Caesar)

This section includes the key quotes from the play Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare. These quotes from Julius Caesar are pivotal in understanding the characters, themes, and dramatic developments of the play. Each quote serves to highlight significant moments, reveal character motivations, and advance the central conflicts. Familiarity with these quotes and their contexts will enhance your appreciation and analysis of Shakespeare’s work.

Here are key quotes from Julius Caesar, explained in terms of their significance and context within the play:

"Beware the Ides of March."

Speaker: Soothsayer (Act 1, Scene 2)

Significance: This quote is a forewarning to Caesar about the dangers he will face on March 15th. It establishes the theme of fate and foreshadows Caesar's assassination.

"The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves, that we are underlings."

Speaker: Cassius (Act 1, Scene 2)

Significance: Cassius argues that their destiny is shaped by their own actions, not predetermined by the stars. This reflects the theme of free will versus fate and is part of his attempt to persuade Brutus to join the conspiracy.

"Cowards die many times before their deaths; The valiant never taste of death but once."

Speaker: Caesar (Act 2, Scene 2)

Significance: Caesar speaks about the nature of bravery and fear. He implies that fearing death is more burdensome than facing it. This quote highlights Caesar’s arrogance and belief in his own invincibility.

"Et tu, Brute?—Then fall, Caesar!"

Speaker: Caesar (Act 3, Scene 1)

Significance: Caesar’s last words upon seeing Brutus among his assassins. This quote shows Caesar’s profound sense of betrayal by Brutus, whom he regarded as a friend.

"Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more."

Speaker: Brutus (Act 3, Scene 2)

Significance: Brutus explains his motivation for participating in Caesar’s assassination. He claims his actions were driven by patriotism rather than personal animosity, reflecting his idealism and sense of duty.

"Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears; I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him."

Speaker: Antony (Act 3, Scene 2)

Significance: Antony opens his funeral speech, initially appearing to honour Caesar. This rhetorical strategy is part of his plan to subtly turn the crowd against the conspirators.

"I am constant as the northern star."

Speaker: Caesar (Act 3, Scene 1)

Significance: Caesar asserts his own stability and reliability, comparing himself to the unchanging North Star. This quote underscores his arrogance and sense of superiority, which ultimately contributes to his downfall.

"Brutus is an honourable man."

Speaker: Antony (Act 3, Scene 2)

Significance: Antony repeatedly calls Brutus “honourable” while highlighting his and the other conspirators’ actions that contradict this honour. This use of irony helps turn the public opinion against Brutus and the conspirators.

 "There is a tide in the affairs of men which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune."

Speaker: Brutus (Act 4, Scene 3)

Significance: Brutus advises Cassius to seize the opportunity for action when it is at its peak. This metaphor about the tides reflects the theme of seizing moments of opportunity.

"This was the noblest Roman of them all."

Speaker: Antony (Act 5, Scene 5)

Significance: Antony speaks of Brutus after his death, recognising Brutus’s genuine intentions and honour. This quote shows Antony’s respect for Brutus despite their opposition and underscores Brutus’s tragic nobility.

"The evil that men do lives after them; The good is oft interred with their bones."

Speaker: Antony (Act 3, Scene 2)

Significance: Antony reflects on how people remember the negative aspects of one’s life more than the positive. This quote highlights the theme of legacy and the perception of public figures.

"I have made a vow. If it be not a sin, let me die."

Speaker: Brutus (Act 5, Scene 1)

Significance: Brutus expresses his resolve and sense of duty. His willingness to face death reflects his commitment to his principles, even in the face of defeat.

"O, what a fall was there, my countrymen!"

Speaker: Antony (Act 3, Scene 2)

Significance: Antony laments Caesar’s death and its impact on Rome. This expression of grief is part of his rhetorical strategy to incite the crowd to rebel against the conspirators.

"The heavens themselves blaze forth the death of princes."

Speaker: Horatio (Act 1, Scene 1)

Significance: Horatio comments on the unnatural events that accompany Caesar’s assassination, suggesting that the cosmos reflects the significance of such events. This quote connects to the play’s use of omens and supernatural signs.

"When that the poor have cried, Caesar hath wept."

Speaker: Antony (Act 3, Scene 2)

Significance: Antony highlights Caesar’s compassion for the common people. This quote is used to contrast Caesar’s genuine care for the public with the conspirators' betrayal.

"The name of Caesar has a certain power in it."

Speaker: Cassius (Act 1, Scene 2)

Significance: Cassius acknowledges Caesar’s influence and the fear he inspires. This comment underscores the power dynamics and the political tensions surrounding Caesar.

"I am as constant as the northern star."

Speaker: Caesar (Act 3, Scene 1)

Significance: Caesar’s self-comparison to the unchanging North Star reflects his belief in his own steadfastness and authority, contributing to his tragic overconfidence.

"And therefore think him as a serpent’s egg which, hatched, would as his kind grow mischievous."

Speaker: Brutus (Act 2, Scene 1)

Significance: Brutus likens Caesar to a serpent’s egg, suggesting that although Caesar appears harmless now, his potential to become dangerous justifies pre-emptive action. This metaphor illustrates Brutus’s reasoning for participating in the conspiracy.

"A friend should bear his friend’s infirmities, but Brutus makes mine greater than they are."

Speaker: Cassius (Act 4, Scene 3)

Significance: Cassius accuses Brutus of magnifying his faults and misjudging him. This quote reveals the tension and deteriorating relationship between the two conspirators.

"If you have tears, prepare to shed them now."

Speaker: Antony (Act 3, Scene 2)

Significance: Antony invites the crowd to mourn Caesar’s death, appealing to their emotions. This quote is part of Antony’s manipulation of the crowd to turn them against the conspirators.