ALL CLEAR SHAKESPEARE www.LitCharts.com Julius Caesar Act 1, Scene 1 Original Text All Clear Enter FLAVIUS, MURELLUS, a CARPENTER, a COBBLER, and certain other FLAVIUS and MURELLUS enter, as do a CARPENTER, a COBBLER, and COMMONERS over the stage some other commoners from the other end of the stage. FLAVIUS FLAVIUS Hence! Home, you idle creatures get you home! Go away! Go home, you lazy creatures, go home! Is today a holi- Is this a holiday? What, know you not, day? Do you not know that, as working-class men, you shouldn’t Being mechanical, you ought not walk walk around on a workday without wearing your work clothes? Upon a laboring day without the sign Hey you, tell me, what’s your profession? 5 Of your profession?—Speak, what trade art thou? CARPENTER CARPENTER Why, sir, a carpenter. Well, sir, I’m a carpenter. MURELLUS MURELLUS Where is thy leather apron and thy rule? Where’s your leather apron and ruler? Why are you wearing your What dost thou with thy best apparel on? finest clothes? And you, sir, what’s your job? —You, sir, what trade are you? COBBLER COBBLER 10 Truly, sir, in respect of a fine workman, I am but, as you would say, a Well, sir, compared to a skilled workman, you might call me, as cobbler. they say, a cobbler. MURELLUS MURELLUS But what trade art thou? Answer me directly. But what’s your trade? Answer me straightforwardly. COBBLER COBBLER A trade, sir, that I hope I may use with a safe conscience, which is, I work a trade, sir, that I hope I can practice with a clear con- indeed, sir, a mender of bad soles. science. I am a mender of worn soles. MURELLUS MURELLUS 15 What trade, thou knave? Thou naughty knave, what trade? What trade, boy? You good-for-nothing boy, what trade? COBBLER COBBLER Nay, I beseech you, sir, be not out with me. Yet, if you be out, sir, I can I beg you, sir, don’t be angry. Yet, if your soles are worn out, I can mend you. mend you. MURELLUS MURELLUS What mean’st thou by that? “Mend” me, thou saucy fellow? What do you mean by that? “Mend” me, you insolent boy? COBBLER COBBLER Why, sir, cobble you. Well, cobble you, sir. FLAVIUS FLAVIUS 20 Thou art a cobbler, art thou? You’re a cobbler, are you? COBBLER COBBLER Truly, sir, all that I live by is with the awl. I meddle with no tradesman’s Yes, sir, I make my living through use of an awl. I don’t meddle in matters nor women’s matters, but withal I am indeed, sir, a surgeon to politics or in affairs of women. I’m just a surgeon to old shoes. old shoes. When they are in great danger, I recover them. As proper When they’re in bad shape, I fix them. The most noble men who 25 men as ever trod upon neat’s leather have gone upon my handiwork. have ever walked on leather have walked on my handiwork. FLAVIUS FLAVIUS But wherefore art not in thy shop today? But why aren’t you in your shop today? Why are you leading Why dost thou lead these men about the streets? these men through the streets? COBBLER COBBLER Truly, sir, to wear out their shoes to get myself into more work. But in- Well, sir, to wear out their shoes and get myself more work. 30 deed, sir, we make holiday to see Caesar and to rejoice in his triumph. Actually, sir, we took the day off to see Caesar and celebrate his triumph. Julius Caesar all clear www.LitCharts.com MURELLUS MURELLUS Wherefore rejoice? What conquest brings he home? Why celebrate it? What foreign lands has he conquered for What tributaries follow him to Rome Rome to rule? What foreign princes are chained to his chariot To grace in captive bonds his chariot wheels? wheels and who will earn Rome ransom? You blockheads, you You blocks, you stones, you worse than senseless things, unfeeling men, you worse than stupid things! Oh, you with hard 35 O you hard hearts, you cruèl men of Rome, hearts, you cruel men of Rome, didn’t you know Pompey? Many Knew you not Pompey? Many a time and oft a time you climbed up on walls and battlements, towers and Have you climbed up to walls and battlements, windows, yeah, even chimney tops, with your babies in your To towers and windows, yea, to chimney tops, arms, and sat there all day just waiting to see great Pompey ride Your infants in your arms, and there have sat through the streets of Rome. And when you saw his chariot, 40 The livelong day with patient expectation didn’t all of you shout all at once so loudly that the river Tiber To see great Pompey pass the streets of Rome. shook from the sound echoing within its banks? And now you put And when you saw his chariot but appear, on your finest clothes? And now you choose to take a holiday? Have you not made an universal shout And now you toss flowers in the path of the man who comes in That Tiber trembled underneath her banks triumph having defeated Pompey’s sons? Get out of here! Run to 45 To hear the replication of your sounds your houses, fall on your knees, and pray to the gods to spare you Made in her concave shores? from the terrible punishment that is certain to come down upon And do you now put on your best attire? you for such ingratitude. And do you now cull out a holiday? And do you now strew flowers in his way 50 That comes in triumph over Pompey’s blood? Be gone! Run to your houses, fall upon your knees, Pray to the gods to intermit the plague That needs must light on this ingratitude. FLAVIUS FLAVIUS 55 Go, go, good countrymen, and for this fault, Go, go, good countrymen, and to atone for this error in judgment, Assemble all the poor men of your sort, gather together all the poor men like you, lead them to the banks Draw them to Tiber banks, and weep your tears of the Tiber river, and weep into the water until it overflows. Into the channel till the lowest stream Do kiss the most exalted shores of all. Exeunt CARPENTER, COBBLER, and all the other commoners The CARPENTER, COBBLER, and all of the commoners exit. 60 See whether their basest metal be not moved. That should move even these coarse and unrefined men. They’re They vanish tongue-tied in their guiltiness. leaving, and feel so guity they can’t speak. You go that way Go you down that way towards the Capitol. towards the Capitol building, and I’ll go this way. Undress any This way will I. Disrobe the images statues you see that have been decorated in honor of Caesar. If you do find them decked with ceremonies. MURELLUS MURELLUS 65 May we do so? Can we do that? You know it’s the feast of Lupercal. You know it is the feast of Lupercal. FLAVIUS FLAVIUS It is no matter. Let no images It doesn’t matter. None of the statues should be decorated Be hung with Caesar’s trophies. I’ll about in honor to Caesar. I’ll make sure the commoners get off the And drive away the vulgar from the streets. streets, and you do the same wherever you see a bunch of them 70 So do you too, where you perceive them thick. together. If we can pluck the feathers of Caesar’s growing sup- These growing feathers plucked from Caesar’s wing port among the commoners now, he’ll have to fly at a normal Will make him fly an ordinary pitch, height. If we don’t, he’ll soar to such heights of power that all of Who else would soar above the view of men us will live in fear and be his servants. And keep us all in servile fearfulness. Exeunt severally They exit in different directions. Act 1, Scene 2 Original Text All Clear Flourish Enter CAESAR, ANTONY, dressed for the course, CALPHURNIA, A trumpet sounds. CAESAR enters, along with ANTONY who is dressed PORTIA, DECIUS, CICERO, BRUTUS, CASSIUS, CASCA, and a SOOTHSAYER for a traditional foot race, as well as CALPHURNIA, PORTIA, DECIUS, in a throng of plebians. After them, MURELLUS and FLAVIUS CICERO, BRUTUS, CASSIUS, and CASCA, followed by a great crowd of commoners, including a SOOTHSAYER. MURELLUS and FLAVIUS follow after. CAESAR CAESAR Calphurnia! Calphurnia! CASCA CASCA Peace, ho! Caesar speaks. Quiet! Caesar speaks. Julius Caesar all clear www.LitCharts.com CAESAR CAESAR Calphurnia! Calphurnia! CALPHURNIA CALPHURNIA Here, my lord. Here I am, my lord. CAESAR CAESAR 5 Stand you directly in Antonius’ way Stand directly in Antonius’s path as he runs the race. Antonius! When he doth run his course.—Antonius! ANTONY ANTONY Caesar, my lord. Yes, my lord? CAESAR CAESAR Forget not in your speed, Antonius, Antonius, while you’re running don’t forget to touch Calphurnia. To touch Calphurnia, for our elders say As our elders say, if an infertile woman is touched during this 10 The barren, touchèd in this holy chase, holy race, she’ll escape the curse of sterility. Shake off their sterile curse. ANTONY ANTONY I shall remember. I will remember. When Caesar says “do this,” it is done. When Caesar says, “do this,” it is performed.