Julius Caesar

Lucilius and Titinius, two men loyal to the conspirators, meet Brutus and his army near Sardis. Cassius is nearby. Brutus confides in Lucilius that he is beginning to distrust Cassius. Cassius and his armies arrive.

Brutus and Cassius confront each other. Cassius is angry that Brutus condemned Lucius Pella for taking bribes; Brutus retorts that Cassius himself has taken bribes. He calls out Cassius’s hypocrisy for doing so: they killed Caesar for justice, yet Cassius does not act justly.

Brutus also calls out Cassius for failing to help him raise money for his army, which Cassius denies doing. Cassius is heartbroken: he feels betrayed by Brutus. He wants Mark Antony and Octavius to come kill him, and he even offers Brutus his dagger to do the job himself. Brutus tells him to put the knife away, and they agree that they were both ill-tempered. They embrace each other.

Brutus and Cassius drink wine together. Cassius confesses he is surprised that Brutus was so quick to anger. Brutus reveals that Portia, under enormous stress by Brutus’s frequent absences from Rome, committed suicide by swallowing embers. Cassius is horrified.

Titinius and the messenger Messala arrive. They received letters that “by proscription and bills of outlawry/ Octavius, Antony and Lepidus/ Have put to death an hundred senators” (4.2.25-28). Cicero is one of them. Messala tells Brutus that Portia is dead, which he already knows. Brutus responds by saying, “Why, farewell, Portia. We must die, Messala./ With meditating that she must die once,/ I have the patience to endure it now” (4.2.242-244). Brutus manages to convince the others that they should march on Philippi since their armies are fresh and ready, rather than wait for the Triumvirate’s forces to come to them. They bid each other farewell, and everyone but Brutus exits.

Brutus summons two of his men, Varrus and Claudio, to sleep in the tent. He has Lucius play music for him until Lucius and the others fall asleep. Caesar’s ghost enters. It introduces itself as Brutus’s evil spirit. It tells him that they will meet again at Philippi. Brutus awakens Lucius, Varrus, and Claudio. None of them saw the ghost. Brutus sends them to tell Cassius to lead his army out, and Brutus will follow

Mark Antony and Octavius prepare to meet Cassius and Brutus in battle. In a parlay before they fight, the leaders exchange insults; Antony again blames them for killing Caesar. Octavius draws his sword and says he will sheath it “Never till Caesar’s three and thirty wounds/ Be well avenged, or till another Caesar/ Have added slaughter to the swords of traitors” (5.1.53-55). Cassius calls him a silly schoolboy.

After the parlay, Cassius tells Messala that it is his birthday today. He says that, as a follower of Epicurus, he did not believe in omens until he saw two eagles abandon his army, only to be replaced by scavenger birds. Cassius asks Brutus, who does not believe in suicide, what he will do if they lose the battle. Uncertain of what the future will bring, Brutus and Cassius bid each other a final farewell. 

Brutus orders Messala to tell Cassius’s wing of the army to attack Octavius’s army. He thinks they seem to lack a fighting spirit.

As Brutus feared, Cassius’s men flee from battle. Having slain his standard-bearer, Cassius now holds his standard himself. He sends Titinius and the bondsman Pindarus off and reflects that he will die on his birthday. Pindarus returns to report that Titinius is captured. Distressed that his best friend may be dead, he asks Pindarus, who owes him a debt, to kill him. Pindarus stabs Cassius who says “Caesar, thou art revenged,/ Even with the sword that killed me” (5.3.44-45). He dies.

Titinius, wearing a victory wreath, returns with Messala. Brutus’s forces beat Octavius’s, but Mark Antony’s beat Cassius’s. Titinius is heartbroken to find Cassius dead on the ground. Titinius says he will seek Pindarus while Messala goes to Brutus. When Messala leaves, Titinius puts the laurel wreath on Cassius’s head and kills himself with Cassius’s sword.

Brutus, Messala, and others enter the scene. Brutus laments that Cassius and Titinius are the best of all Romans. He sends their bodies to the island of Thasos so their funerals will not dishearten the troops. They prepare for a second battle. 

Brutus rallies his troops, and the armies clash. His brother-in-law Cato dies, and Lucilius is captured by Mark Antony’s soldiers who think he is Brutus. Lucilius says that Brutus will not be captured alive. Mark Antony orders his men to treat Lucilius kindly. He tells a soldier to find out if Brutus is alive and to bring the news to Octavius’s tent.

Brutus asks several of his officers to kill him. They are reluctant. Brutus reveals to them his experience with Caesar’s ghost. He is certain he will die on the fields of Philippi. He manages to convince Strato, one of his soldiers, to hold his sword while Brutus runs onto it. In his dying breath, he says, “Caesar now be still./ I killed not thee with half so good a will” (5.5.50-51).

Brutus’s soldiers retreat. Mark Antony and Octavius enter with Messala and Lucilius. Strato tells them only Brutus conquered himself. Octavius takes Brutus’s men into his service with no ill will. Mark Antony laments that Brutus was the only conspirator who acted truly in the service of Rome.