Julius Caesar Julius Caesar Quotes

Julius Caesar

Quote 4

CAESAR
Calphurnia here, my wife, stays me at home.
She dreamt tonight she saw my statue,
Which, like a fountain with an hundred spouts,
Did run pure blood, and many lusty Romans
Came smiling and did bathe their hands in it.
And these does she apply for warnings and portents
And evils imminent, and on her knee
Hath begged that I will stay at home today. (2.2.80-87)

When Calphurnia dreams of Caesar's body spurting blood like a fountain, she correctly interprets this to mean that something bad is going to happen to her husband and warns him to stay home that day. (It turns out that Caesar is stabbed 33 times and does, in fact, look like a bloody fountain.) At first it seems like Caesar is going to heed his wife's warning. But Calphurnia's attempts to protect him are completely undermined when Decius shows up and says women don't know how to interpret dreams. If this dream hadn't come from Calphurnia (who is a woman, so implicitly considered less insightful during Caesar's day), would Caesar have listened?  

CAESAR
The ides of March are come.
SOOTHSAYER 
Ay, Caesar; but not gone. (3.1.1-2)

Geez, could Caesar be any more arrogant or misguided?  After being warned in advance to watch his back on March 15 and blowing off Calpurnia's ominous dream about being killed, Caesar ventures out to the Capitol (on the Ides of March!) and mocks the soothsayer.  Of course, we all know what happens to him a few lines later – he's stabbed by the conspirators, who wash their hands in his blood.  We do, however, wonder: even if Caesar had paid attention to the warnings, would it have made any difference?

Julius Caesar

Quote 6

CAESAR
Et tu, Brutè?—Then fall, Caesar. (3.1.85)

This is one of the most famous and moving lines in literature.  After being stabbed by his so-called pals (33 times, according to Octavius in 5.1), Caesar looks up at his friend and says something like "Even you, Brutus?  I thought we were homies!"