Julius Caesar - Marc Antony's Oratory by Marlon Brando

ANTONY 
Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears;
I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him.
The evil that men do lives after them;
The good is oft interred with their bones;
So let it be with Caesar. The noble Brutus
Hath told you Caesar was ambitious:
If it were so, it was a grievous fault,
And grievously hath Caesar answer'd it.
Here, under leave of Brutus and the rest--
For Brutus is an honourable man;
So are they all, all honourable men--
Come I to speak in Caesar's funeral.
He was my friend, faithful and just to me:
But Brutus says he was ambitious;
And Brutus is an honourable man.
He hath brought many captives home to Rome
Whose ransoms did the general coffers fill:
Did this in Caesar seem ambitious?
When that the poor have cried, Caesar hath wept:
Ambition should be made of sterner stuff:
Yet Brutus says he was ambitious;
And Brutus is an honourable man.
You all did see that on the Lupercal
I thrice presented him a kingly crown,
Which he did thrice refuse: was this ambition?
Yet Brutus says he was ambitious;
And, sure, he is an honourable man.
I speak not to disprove what Brutus spoke,
But here I am to speak what I do know.
You all did love him once, not without cause:
What cause withholds you then, to mourn for him?
O judgment! thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason. Bear with me;
My heart is in the coffin there with Caesar,
And I must pause till it come back to me.

First Citizen 
Methinks there is much reason in his sayings.

Second Citizen 
If thou consider rightly of the matter,
Caesar has had great wrong.

Third Citizen 
Has he, masters?
I fear there will a worse come in his place.

Fourth Citizen 
Mark'd ye his words? He would not take the crown;
Therefore 'tis certain he was not ambitious.

First Citizen 
If it be found so, some will dear abide it.

Second Citizen 
Poor soul! his eyes are red as fire with weeping.

Third Citizen 
There's not a nobler man in Rome than Antony.

Fourth Citizen 
Now mark him, he begins again to speak.

ANTONY 
But yesterday the word of Caesar might
Have stood against the world; now lies he there.
And none so poor to do him reverence.
O masters, if I were disposed to stir
Your hearts and minds to mutiny and rage,
I should do Brutus wrong, and Cassius wrong,
Who, you all know, are honourable men:
I will not do them wrong; I rather choose
To wrong the dead, to wrong myself and you,
Than I will wrong such honourable men.
But here's a parchment with the seal of Caesar;
I found it in his closet, 'tis his will:
Let but the commons hear this testament--
Which, pardon me, I do not mean to read--
And they would go and kiss dead Caesar's wounds
And dip their napkins in his sacred blood,
Yea, beg a hair of him for memory,
And, dying, mention it within their wills,
Bequeathing it as a rich legacy
Unto their issue.

Fourth Citizen 
We'll hear the will: read it, Mark Antony.

All 
The will, the will! we will hear Caesar's will.

ANTONY 
Have patience, gentle friends, I must not read it;
It is not meet you know how Caesar loved you.
You are not wood, you are not stones, but men;
And, being men, bearing the will of Caesar,
It will inflame you, it will make you mad:
'Tis good you know not that you are his heirs;
For, if you should, O, what would come of it!

Fourth Citizen 
Read the will; we'll hear it, Antony;
You shall read us the will, Caesar's will.

ANTONY 
Will you be patient? will you stay awhile?
I have o'ershot myself to tell you of it:
I fear I wrong the honourable men
Whose daggers have stabb'd Caesar; I do fear it.

Fourth Citizen 
They were traitors: honourable men!

All 
The will! the testament!

Second Citizen 
They were villains, murderers: the will! read the will.

ANTONY 
You will compel me, then, to read the will?
Then make a ring about the corpse of Caesar,
And let me show you him that made the will.
Shall I descend? and will you give me leave?

Several Citizens 
Come down.

Second Citizen 
Descend.

Third Citizen 
You shall have leave.

ANTONY comes down

Fourth Citizen 
A ring; stand round.

First Citizen 
Stand from the hearse, stand from the body.

Second Citizen 
Room for Antony, most noble Antony.

ANTONY 
Nay, press not so upon me; stand far off.

Several Citizens 
Stand back; room; bear back.

ANTONY 
If you have tears, prepare to shed them now.
You all do know this mantle: I remember
The first time ever Caesar put it on;
'Twas on a summer's evening, in his tent,
That day he overcame the Nervii:
Look, in this place ran Cassius' dagger through:
See what a rent the envious Casca made:
Through this the well-beloved Brutus stabb'd;
And as he pluck'd his cursed steel away,
Mark how the blood of Caesar follow'd it,
As rushing out of doors, to be resolved
If Brutus so unkindly knock'd, or no;
For Brutus, as you know, was Caesar's angel:
Judge, O you gods, how dearly Caesar loved him!
This was the most unkindest cut of all;
For when the noble Caesar saw him stab,
Ingratitude, more strong than traitors' arms,
Quite vanquish'd him: then burst his mighty heart;
And, in his mantle muffling up his face,
Even at the base of Pompey's statua,
Which all the while ran blood, great Caesar fell.
O, what a fall was there, my countrymen!
Then I, and you, and all of us fell down,
Whilst bloody treason flourish'd over us.
O, now you weep; and, I perceive, you feel
The dint of pity: these are gracious drops.
Kind souls, what, weep you when you but behold
Our Caesar's vesture wounded? Look you here,
Here is himself, marr'd, as you see, with traitors.

First Citizen 
O piteous spectacle!

Second Citizen 
O noble Caesar!

Third Citizen 
O woful day!

Fourth Citizen 
O traitors, villains!

First Citizen 
O most bloody sight!

Second Citizen 
We will be revenged.

All 
Revenge! About! Seek! Burn! Fire! Kill! Slay!
Let not a traitor live!

ANTONY 
Stay, countrymen.

First Citizen 
Peace there! hear the noble Antony.

Second Citizen 
We'll hear him, we'll follow him, we'll die with him.

ANTONY 
Good friends, sweet friends, let me not stir you up
To such a sudden flood of mutiny.
They that have done this deed are honourable:
What private griefs they have, alas, I know not,
That made them do it: they are wise and honourable,
And will, no doubt, with reasons answer you.
I come not, friends, to steal away your hearts:
I am no orator, as Brutus is;
But, as you know me all, a plain blunt man,
That love my friend; and that they know full well
That gave me public leave to speak of him:
For I have neither wit, nor words, nor worth,
Action, nor utterance, nor the power of speech,
To stir men's blood: I only speak right on;
I tell you that which you yourselves do know;
Show you sweet Caesar's wounds, poor poor dumb mouths,
And bid them speak for me: but were I Brutus,
And Brutus Antony, there were an Antony
Would ruffle up your spirits and put a tongue
In every wound of Caesar that should move
The stones of Rome to rise and mutiny.

All 
We'll mutiny.

First Citizen 
We'll burn the house of Brutus.

Third Citizen 
Away, then! come, seek the conspirators.

ANTONY 
Yet hear me, countrymen; yet hear me speak.

All 
Peace, ho! Hear Antony. Most noble Antony!

ANTONY 
Why, friends, you go to do you know not what:
Wherein hath Caesar thus deserved your loves?
Alas, you know not: I must tell you then:
You have forgot the will I told you of.

All 
Most true. The will! Let's stay and hear the will.

ANTONY 
Here is the will, and under Caesar's seal.
To every Roman citizen he gives,
To every several man, seventy-five drachmas.

Second Citizen 
Most noble Caesar! We'll revenge his death.

Third Citizen 
O royal Caesar!

ANTONY 
Hear me with patience.

All 
Peace, ho!

ANTONY 
Moreover, he hath left you all his walks,
His private arbours and new-planted orchards,
On this side Tiber; he hath left them you,
And to your heirs for ever, common pleasures,
To walk abroad, and recreate yourselves.
Here was a Caesar! when comes such another?