Julius Caesar: Act 4, Scene 1 Translation

A side-by-side translation of Act 4, Scene 1 of Julius Caesar from the original Shakespeare into modern English.

Original Text	Translated Text
Source: Folger Shakespeare Library
Enter Antony, Octavius, and Lepidus. ANTONY These many, then, shall die; their names are pricked. OCTAVIUS Your brother too must die. Consent you, Lepidus? LEPIDUS I do consent. OCTAVIUS Prick him down, Antony. 5 LEPIDUS Upon condition Publius shall not live, Who is your sister’s son, Mark Antony. ANTONY He shall not live; look, with a spot I damn him. But, Lepidus, go you to Caesar’s house; Fetch the will hither, and we shall determine 10 How to cut off some charge in legacies. LEPIDUS What, shall I find you here? OCTAVIUS Or here, or at the Capitol. Lepidus exits.	Antony, Octavius, and Lepidus are gathered with a checklist of the men they plan to murder for conspiracy. Lepidus agrees that his brother can be killed as long as Antony agrees for his nephew to be killed. With that settled, Lepidus is sent to collect Caesar's will, to see if they can divert some of his money their way.
ANTONY This is a slight, unmeritable man, Meet to be sent on errands. Is it fit, 15 The threefold world divided, he should stand One of the three to share it? OCTAVIUS So you thought him And took his voice who should be pricked to die In our black sentence and proscription. 20 ANTONY Octavius, I have seen more days than you, And, though we lay these honors on this man To ease ourselves of diverse sland’rous loads, He shall but bear them as the ass bears gold, To groan and sweat under the business, 25 Either led or driven, as we point the way; And having brought our treasure where we will, Then take we down his load and turn him off (Like to the empty ass) to shake his ears And graze in commons. 30	As soon as Lepidus has gone, Antony begins to talk trash about him. Antony thinks Lepidus is weak, so it's a shame that he'll be sharing power with Antony and Octavius in the triumvirate. Octavius points out that Antony let Lepidus help determine who should die, but Antony says that he only did that so that Lepidus would have to share the responsibility for those decisions with them. His real aim is to let Lepidus bear the burden of ruling while doing as he's told by the other two. They can cut him loose when they don't need him anymore.
OCTAVIUS You may do your will, But he’s a tried and valiant soldier.	Octavius is more in the pro-Lepidus camp and insists that he's a good solider.
ANTONY So is my horse, Octavius, and for that I do appoint him store of provender. It is a creature that I teach to fight, 35 To wind, to stop, to run directly on, His corporal motion governed by my spirit; And, in some taste, is Lepidus but so. He must be taught and trained and bid go forth— A barren-spirited fellow, one that feeds 40 On objects, arts, and imitations Which, out of use and staled by other men, Begin his fashion. Do not talk of him But as a property. And now, Octavius, Listen great things. Brutus and Cassius 45 Are levying powers. We must straight make head. Therefore let our alliance be combined, Our best friends made, our means stretched; And let us presently go sit in council How covert matters may be best disclosed 50 And open perils surest answerèd. OCTAVIUS Let us do so, for we are at the stake And bayed about with many enemies, And some that smile have in their hearts, I fear, Millions of mischiefs. 55 They exit.	Antony says,"Yeah. So's my horse." He adds that like his horse, Lepidus should be considered their property. (Ouch.) He then mentions that Brutus and Cassius are raising an army, which they will have to fight by allying their friends and funds. They go off to sit in council and discuss how they'll fight their enemies and weed out the traitors.