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35 pages 1 hour read

Joseph Addison

Cato, a Tragedy

Fiction | Play | Adult | Published in 1713

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Important Quotes

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“The great, the important day, big with the fate

Of Cato and of Rome—Our father’s death

Would fill up all the guilt of civil war,

And close the scene of blood. Already Caesar

Has ravaged more than half the globe, and sees

Mankind grown thin by his destructive sword:

Should he go farther, numbers would be wanting

To form new battles, and support his crimes.

Ye gods, what havoc does ambition make

Among your works!” 


(Act I, Scene 1, Page 5)

Portius’ speech (which he directs at Marcus) is the play’s first speech, and it introduces Caesar’s tyrannical reign and the current civil war, and foreshadows Cato’s death. The notion of ambition making “havoc” also ties into the play’s theme of putting virtue above ambition and personal gain.

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“But what can Cato do

Against a world, a base, degenerate world,

That courts the yoke, and bows the neck to Caesar?

Pent up in Utica, he vainly forms

A poor epitome of Roman greatness,

And, cover’d with Numidian guards, directs

A feeble army, and an empty senate,

Remnants of mighty battles fought in vain […]

Our father’s fortune

Would almost tempt us to renounce his precepts.” 


(Act I, Scene 1, Page 6)

In the opening conversation, Marcus replies to Portius, introducing the current state of Cato and the senators, as they have fled to Utica with an “empty senate.” The quote shows Caesar’s success in driving out Cato, which foreshadows his victory at the play’s end, and introduces who Cato is, as he oversees the army and senate. This description also suggests how Cato has put virtue above his own success and well-being, resulting in a “poor fortune” that makes his sons wonder if Cato’s adherence to his beliefs is worth it.

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“Cato has used me ill; he has refused

His daughter Marcia to my ardent vows.

Besides, his baffled arms, and ruin’d cause,

Are bars to my ambition. Caesar’s favour,

That show’rs down greatness on his friends, will raise me

To Rome’s first honours. If I give up Cato,

I claim, in my reward, his captive daughter.” 


(Act I, Scene 1, Page 9)

Sempronius delivers this soliloquy after talking with Portius. The words reveal the ambition and intentions that drive his actions throughout the play, as Sempronius scorns Cato in pursuit of Marcia’s hand. The speech also introduces Sempronius as a villain: he means to take Marcia as a “captive.” His emphasis on ambition also immediately contrasts him with Cato, who puts virtue above ambition and personal success.

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“I’ll conceal

My thoughts in passion (‘tis the surest way);

I’ll bellow out for Rome, and for my country,

And mouth at Caesar, till I shake the senate.” 


(Act I, Scene 1, Page 10)

Sempronius is speaking to Syphax as the two scheme against Cato. The passage introduces the tactic that Sempronius uses throughout the play of excessively praising Cato and Rome to mask his treasonous goals. The words also reemphasize the villainy that defines Sempronius as a character.

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“‘Tis pride, rank pride, and haughtiness of soul;

I think the Romans call it stoicism.

Had not your royal father thought so highly

Of Roman virtue, and of Cato’s cause,

He had not fall’n by a slave’s hand inglorious.” 


(Act I, Scene 1, Page 12)

Here, Syphax is discussing Cato with Juba. This is the only quote that identifies Cato as a Stoic, a school of philosophy that values virtue above all else. The passage also asserts how the villainous Numidian Syphax, like Sempronius, values personal gain over virtue, as he criticizes Juba’s father for dying because he believed in Roman virtue and Cato’s cause.

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“‘Tis not a set of features, or complexion,

The tincture of a skin, that I admire: […]

The virtuous Marcia tow’rs above her sex:

True, she is fair (Oh, how divinely fair!),

But still the lovely maid improves her charms,

With inward greatness, unaffected wisdom,

And sanctity of manners; Cato’s soul

Shines out in every thing she acts or speaks.” 


(Act I, Scene 1, Page 14)

Juba is speaking to Syphax about Marcia. His words illustrate Marcia’s virtuous personality and contrast Juba with Sempronius. While Sempronius views Marcia as an object to be conquered, representing his villainy, Juba’s love of Marcia’s virtue shows goodness of heart. At the same time, the passage also illustrates the lesser position of women in society at this time, as Juba notes that Marcia “tow’rs above her sex.”

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“How, Lucia! wouldst thou have me sink away

In pleasing dreams, and lose myself in love,

When ev’ry moment Cato’s life is at stake?

Caesar comes arm’d with terror and revenge,

And aims his thunder at my father’s head.

Should not the other occasion swallow up

My other cares?” 


(Act I, Scene 1, Page 16)

Marcia says these words after Lucia questions why Marcia has been so cold to Juba. Marcia’s desire to “swallow up” her love illustrates her adherence to virtue, which resonates with the play’s broader theme of putting virtue and the greater good above personal gain.

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“My thoughts, I must confess, are turn’d on peace.

Already have our quarrels fill’d the world

With widows, and with orphans […]

‘Tis time to sheathe the sword, and spare mankind.

Already have we shown our love to Rome,

Now let us show submission to the gods.” 


(Act II, Scene 1, Page 19)

Lucius makes this declaration to Cato and the other senators after Cato asks for opinions on how to respond to Caesar. The speech breaks from the war-positive language that marks much of the play, as Lucius instead argues for peace and surrender. However, it adheres to the play’s recurring theme of virtue, as Lucius advocates that they sacrifice their own liberty to protect the lives of others and stop the ongoing bloodshed.

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“Let us appear nor rash nor diffident;

Immod’rate valour swells into a fault;

And fear, admitted into public councils,

Betrays like treason. Let us shun them both. […]

While there is hope, do not distrust the gods;

But wait, at least, till Caesar’s near approach

Force us to yield. […]

Why should Rome fall a moment ere her time?

No, let us draw her term of freedom out

In its full length, and spin it to the last,

So shall we gain still one day’s liberty;

And let me perish, but in Cato’s judgment,

A day, an hour, of virtuous liberty,

Is worth a whole eternity in bondage.”


(Act II, Scene 1, Page 20)

Cato gives this speech in the senate after Sempronius urges war and Lucius urges peace. Cato’s words displays his sense of honor and adherence to virtue, as well as the importance he places on liberty over tyranny. The quote also foreshadows the rest of the play, both in the plan of preparing for battle until they are forced to yield, which they do, and the suggestion that Cato is willing to perish for his values, which he later does.

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“Bid him disband his legions,

Restore the commonwealth to liberty,

Submit his actions to the public censure,

And stand the judgment of a Roman senate.

Bid him do this, and Cato is his friend.” 


(Act II, Scene 1, Page 21)

Here, Cato replies to the messenger Decius about how Caesar can win his approval. The speech demonstrates Cato’s issues with Caesar’s reign and his strong preference for a republic-based government over Caesar’s monarchical power. He wants to “restore the commonwealth to liberty,” suggesting they are not free under the current tyrannical reign, and emphasizes the importance of the “Roman senate.”

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“I would not hear a word

Should lessen thee in my esteem. Remember,

The hand of fate is over us, and Heav’n

Exacts severity from all our thoughts.

It is not now a time to talk of aught

But chains or conquest, liberty or death.” 


(Act II, Scene 1, Page 26)

Cato says these words to Juba after Juba mentions his love for Marcia. Cato demonstrates his belief that one should put virtue above personal gain and happiness. The phrase “liberty or death” in this passage is considered a likely source of inspiration for Patrick Henry’s famous line during the American Revolution: “Give me liberty or give me death.”

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“Honour’s a fine imaginary notion,

That draws in raw and inexperienced men

To real mischiefs, while they hunt a shadow.” 


(Act II, Scene 1, Page 27)

Syphax is trying to convince Juba to kidnap Marcia since Cato does not approve of their union. The passage immediately contrasts Syphax with the other “good” characters by showing that he places no value on honor and will instead do what’s in his own interest.

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“These words, rash boy, may chance to cost thee dear.

My heart had still some foolish fondness for thee;

But hence, ‘tis gone! I give it to the winds:

Caesar, I’m wholly thine.” 


(Act II, Scene 1, Page 30)

Syphax says this about Juba after Juba first is angry at Syphax, then forgives him and promises to make him his second-in-command. Syphax’s villainy and deceit are once again on display as he shows false kindness to Juba and allegiance to Caesar.

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“I laugh, to see how your unshaken Cato

Will look aghast, while unforeseen destruction

Pours in upon him thus from every side. […]

The helpless traveler, with wild surprise,

Sees the dry desert all around him rise,

And, smother’d in the dusty whirlwind, dies.” 


(Act II, Scene 1, Page 32)

Syphax and Sempronius are scheming to fight on Caesar’s side against Cato. Syphax’s words here illustrates his hatred of Cato and his ultimate aim (to kill Cato). In retrospect, the passage also reveals the villains’ foolishness, as their treasonous plan does not come to pass and they end up dead themselves.

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“No, Portius, no; I see thy sister’s tears,

Thy father’s anguish, and thy brother’s death,

In the pursuit of our ill-fated loves;

And, Portius, here I swear, to Heav’n I swear,

To Heav’n, and all the powers that judge mankind,

Never to mix my plighted hands with thine,

While such a cloud of mischief hangs upon us,

But to forget our loves, and drive thee out

From all my thoughts—as far as I am able.” 


(Act III, Scene 1, Page 35)

Lucia refuses Portius’ love due to its potential effect on Marcus and, by extension, the rest of his family. Her words show Lucia’s “Roman goodness” and ability to put virtue and the greater good above her own feelings and needs, which is a theme running throughout the play. Portius’s agreement that they cannot be together demonstrates his sense of honor as well.

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“Compassionates my pains, and pities me!

What is compassion, when ‘tis void of love?

Fool that I was, to choose so cold a friend

To urge my cause!”


(Act III, Scene 1, Page 37)

Marcus reacts to Portius’ report that Lucia does not love Marcus but has only compassion and pity for him. Marcus’s anger and immediate criticism of Portius as “cold” illustrates the temper that Portius and Lucia repeatedly cite as a reason for not revealing their romance.

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Cato: “When by just vengeance guilty mortals perish,

The gods behold the punishment with pleasure,

And lay th’ uplifted thunderbolt aside.”

 

Sempronius: “Cato, I execute thy will with pleasure.”

 

Cato: “Meanwhile, we’ll sacrifice to liberty. […]

Do thou, great liberty, inspire our souls,

And make our lives in thy just possession happy,

Or our deaths glorious in thy just defiance.” 


(Act III, Scene 2, Pages 40-41)

Cato and Sempronius have this exchange when Cato comes upon Sempronius’s fellow mutiny leaders, immediately recognizes them as traitors, and orders them to death. It illustrates Cato’s adherence to liberty and morality, as he makes the distinction between dying as punishment for dishonorable actions and sacrificing oneself for a greater cause. Sempronius’s response seems an attempt to falsely ingratiate himself with Cato, but it turns out to be genuine, as he shows his own villainy and heartlessness by still ordering the men to death.

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“Think not thy friend can ever feel the soft

Unmanly warmth and tenderness of love.

Syphax, I long to clasp that haughty maid,

And bend her stubborn virtue to my passion:

When I have gone thus far, I’d cast her off.” 


(Act III, Scene 2, Page 42)

Sempronius speaks these lines to Syphax about Marcia. The passage immediately contrasts Sempronius with Juba, who genuinely loves Marcia, and emphasizes Sempronius’s villainy through his desire to possess and dominate rather than love. The speech also emphasizes Sempronius’ unwillingness to adhere to virtue like the “good” characters, as he specifically says he wants to bend Marcia’s “stubborn virtue” to his own “passion.”

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“Curse on my stars! Am I then doom’d to fall

By a boy’s hand, disfigured in a vile

Numidian dress, and for a worthless woman?

Gods, I’m distracted! this is my close of life!

Oh, for a peal of thunder, that would make

Earth, sea, and air, and heav’n, and Cato tremble!” 


(Act IV, Scene 1, Page 44)

These are Sempronius’ dying words (Juba has stabbed him). Sempronius is wicked and selfish, even in his most vulnerable moment, as he scorns Marcia as a “worthless woman” who was not worth dying for, discriminates against the Numidians and their “vile” dress, and, with his final breath, declares that he wants to make “Cato tremble.”

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Cato: “Justice gives way to force: the conquer’d world

Is Caesar’s! Cato has no business in it.”

 

Lucius: “While pride, oppression, and injustice reign,

The world will still demand her Cato’s presence.

In pity to mankind submit to Caesar,

And reconcile thy mighty soul to life.” 


(Act IV, Scene 2, Page 49)

This exchange takes place after Portius informs Cato that Syphax has attacked Marcus’s troops. It shows Cato’s first acknowledgment that Caesar has proved victorious and hints at his decision to commit suicide, as he “has no business” in the world. Lucius’s quote again shows how Cato puts honor and virtue above himself, as Cato rebukes Lucius’s suggestion to surrender to Caesar to stay alive.

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“How beautiful is death, when earn’d by virtue!

Who would not be that youth? What pity is it,

That we can die but once, to serve our country! […]

Thy life is not thy own when Rome demands it. […]

Why mourn you thus? let not a private loss

Afflict your hearts. ‘Tis Rome requires our tears.” 


(Act IV, Scene 2, Page 51)

Cato gives this speech after Marcus is killed in battle and his corpse is brought in. It again highlights his sense of virtue and liberty above all else, both in the values he espouses and his prideful and seemingly happy response to his own son’s death.

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“Lose not a thought on me; I’m out of danger:

Heaven will not leave me in the victor’s hand.

Caesar shall never say, he conquer’d Cato.

But oh, my friends! your safety fills my heart

With anxious thoughts; a thousand secret terrors

Rise in my soul. How shall I save my friends?

‘Tis now, O Caesar, I begin to fear thee! […]

Let him know,

Whate’er was done against him, Cato did it.” 


(Act IV, Scene 2, Page 52)

In a farewell speech to friends, Cato recognizes Caesar’s victory. His statement that he’s “out of danger” acknowledges his decision to commit suicide. Though Cato is driven by virtue over personal concerns, this quote also shows the care and compassion he feels for his friends, whose well-being is his paramount concern.

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“The wide, the unbounded prospect lies before me;

But shadows, clouds, and darkness rest upon it.

Here will I hold. If there’s a Power above us

(And that there is, all Nature cries aloud

Through all her works), He must delight in virtue;

And that which He delights in must be happy.

But when, or where?—this world was made for Caesar:

I’m weary of conjectures—this must end them.

[Laying his hand upon his sword]

Thus am I doubly arm’d: my death and life,

My bane and antidote, are both before me.

This in a moment brings me to an end;

But this informs me I shall never die.

The soul, secured in her existence, smile

At the drawn dagger, and defies its point.” 


(Act V, Scene 1, Page 54)

Cato delivers this soliloquy as he prepares to commit suicide. It not only shows his resolve to die and sense of honor about doing so, but also a rare sense of personal struggle and doubt in the strength of his values, as he wonders whether his virtuous life will be rewarded in heaven.

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“Whilst I live, let me not live in vain— […]

Make Portius happy in thy daughter Lucia—

Marcia, my daughter—

Oh, bend me forward!—Juba loves thee, Marcia—

A senator of Rome, when Rome survived,

Would not have match’d his daughter with a king—

But Caesar’s arms have thrown down all distinction—

I’m sick to death—Oh, when shall I get loose

From this vain world, th’ abode of guilt and sorry!

And yet, methinks, a beam of light breaks in

On my departing soul—Alas, I fear

I’ve been too hasty! Oh, ye powers, that search

The heart of man, and weigh his inmost thoughts,

If I have done amiss, impute it not—

The best may err, but you are good, and—Oh!—” 


(Act V, Scene 1, Pages 59-60)

Cato speaks these words to his assembled family and friends before he dies; the quote ends with his death. It shows his compassion toward others in his final moments and ties up the play’s love plots. It also humanizes the steadfast Cato in his final moments, as he fears he’s “been too hasty” by killing himself and seemingly eschewing his Roman virtues by allowing his daughter to be with Juba because of love. His blessing of their union suggests that Cato believes this sense of Roman purity will die with him and pave the way for Caesar’s tyranny to conquer all.

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“There fled the greatest soul that ever warm’d

A Roman breast;—

From hence, let fierce contending nations know,

What dire effects from civil discord flow:

‘Tis this that shakes our country with alarms;

And gives up Rome a prey to Roman arms;

Produces fraud, and cruelty, and strife,

And robs the guilty world of Cato’s life.”


(Act V, Scene 1, Page 60)

Portius speaks these final lines of the play following Cato’s death. By warning against “civil discord” beyond Rome and making a final assertion that Cato should be praised for sacrificing his life instead of his liberty, these words present a broader message that resonates even with modern audiences.

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