ACT FIVE

SCENE FIVE
BRUTUS, DARDANIUS, CLITUS, STRATO, and VOLUMNIUS enter.
BRUTUS
Come, poor remains of friends, rest on this rock.
Come, my few last remaining friends, and rest on this rock.
CLITUS
Statilius showed the torchlight but, my lord,He came not back. He is or ta'en or
slain.
Statilius waved the torchlight at us, but he hasn’t come back. He’s been
captured or killed.
BRUTUS
5 Sit thee down, Clitus. Slaying is the word.It is a deed in fashion. Hark thee,
Clitus.[whispers to CLITUS]
Sit down, Clitus. Killed, probably. It’s in fashion, apparently. Listen, Clitus. [He
whispers to CLITUS]

CLITUS
What, I, my lord? No, not for all the world.
Who, me, my lord? No, not for all the world.
BRUTUS
Peace then! No words.
Silence, then! Don’t say anything.
CLITUS
I’ll rather kill myself.
I’d rather kill myself.
BRUTUS
10 Hark thee, Dardanius.[whispers to DARDANIUS]
Listen, Dardanius. [He whispers to DARDANIUS]
DARDANIUS
Shall I do such a deed?
Me, do something like that?
CLITUS
O Dardanius!
Oh, Dardanius!
DARDANIUS
O Clitus!
Oh, Clitus!
 CLITUS
15 [aside to DARDANIUS]What ill request did Brutus make to thee?
[To DARDANIUS so that only he can hear] What awful request did Brutus ask of
you?
DARDANIUS
[aside to CLITUS]To kill him, Clitus. Look, he meditates.
[To CLITUS so that only he can hear] To kill him, Clitus. Look, he’s thinking
about what to do.
CLITUS
20 [aside to DARDANIUS] Now is that noble vessel full ofgrief,That it runs over
even at his eyes.
[To DARDANIUS so that only he can hear] Now that noble man is so full of grief
that it spills from his eyes.
BRUTUS
Come hither, good Volumnius. List a word.
Come here, good Volumnius. Listen for a minute.
VOLUMNIUS
What says my lord?
What is it, my lord?
BRUTUS
25 Why this, Volumnius:The ghost of Caesar hath appeared to meTwo several
times by night. At Sardis once,And this last night here in Philippi fields.I know
my hour is come.
Well, this, Volumnius. The ghost of Caesar has appeared to me two times at
night. Once at Sardis, and then last night, here in the fields of Philippi. I know
that my hour has come.
VOLUMNIUS
Not so, my lord.
No it hasn’t, my lord.
BRUTUS
30 Nay, I am sure it is, Volumnius.Thou seest the world, Volumnius, how it
goes.Our enemies have beat us to the pit.
No, I’m sure it has, Volumnius. You understand the world and how it works,
Volumnius. Our enemies have driven us to the edge of the grave.
Faint sounds of battle.
BRUTUS
 It is more worthy to leap in ourselvesThan tarry till they push us. Good
35 Volumnius,Thou know’st that we two went to school together.Even for that our
love of old, I prithee,Hold thou my sword hilts, whilst I run on it.
It’s nobler to leap in ourselves than wait until they push us. Good Volumnius,
you know that we went to school together. In the name of our old friendship, I
beg you, hold my the handle of my sword while I impale myself on it.
VOLUMNIUS
That’s not an office for a friend, my lord.
That’s not a job for a friend, my lord.
Sounds of battle.
CLITUS
Fly, fly, my lord. There is no tarrying here.
Run, run, my lord. We can’t wait here.
BRUTUS
40 Farewell to you. —And you .—And you, Volumnius.—Strato, thou hast been all
this while asleep.Farewell to thee too, Strato. —Countrymen,My heart doth joy
45 that yet in all my lifeI found no man but he was true to me.I shall have glory by
this losing dayMore than Octavius and Mark AntonyBy this vile conquest shall
attain unto.So fare you well at once, for Brutus' tongueHath almost ended his
50 life’s history.Night hangs upon mine eyes. My bones would rest,That have but
labored to attain this hour.
[To CLITUS] Farewell to you.

[To DARDANIUS] And you.

[To VOLUMNIUS] And you, Volumnius.

[To STRATO] Strato, you’ve slept all this while. Farewell to you too, Strato.

[To all of his soldiers] Countrymen, my heart rejoices that, throughout my life,
I've only known men who were true to me. I’ll have glory in defeat this day—
more than Octavius and Mark Antony will gain by their foul victory. So farewell,
without further ado, for my tongue has almost finished speaking. I see only
darkness before my eyes. My bones, which have worked to hold me up until
this time, now want to rest.
Sounds of battle. Offstage, someone cries, “Run, run, run!”
 CLITUS
Fly, my lord, fly.
Run, my lord, run.
BRUTUS
Hence. I will follow.
Go on! I’ll follow.
CLITUS, DARDANIUS, and VOLUMNIUS exit.
BRUTUS
55 I prithee, Strato, stay thou by thy lord.Thou art a fellow of a good respect.Thy
life hath had some smatch of honor in it.Hold then my sword and turn away thy
faceWhile I do run upon it. Wilt thou, Strato?
I beg you, Strato, stay by me, your lord. You’re a man with a good reputation.
Your life has had some taste of honor in it. So hold my sword, and turn your
face away while I run myself onto it. Will you, Strato?
STRATO
60 Give me your hand first.[holds BRUTUS' sword] Fare you well, my lord.
Shake my hand, first. [He holds BRUTUS' sword] Farewell, my lord.
BRUTUS
Farewell, good Strato.[runs on his sword] Caesar, now be still.I killed not thee
with half so good a will.[dies]
Farewell, good Strato. [He runs onto his sword] Caesar, now rest. I killed you
half as willingly as I kill myself. [He dies]
Sounds of battle. Trumpets sound a retreat. OCTAVIUS, ANTONY, MESSALA, and
LUCILLIUS enter with the army.
OCTAVIUS
65 What man is that?
What man is that?
MESSALA
My master’s man.—Strato, where is thy master?
My master’s man. Strato, where’s your master?
STRATO
Free from the bondage you are in, Messala.The conquerors can but make a fire
70 of him.For Brutus only overcame himself,And no man else hath honor by his
death.
He's free from the captivity you are in, Messala. The conquerors can do nothing
but make a fire of him, because Brutus alone defeated himself. And no other
man can gain honor from his death.
LUCILLIUS
 So Brutus should be found.—I thank thee, Brutus,That thou hast proved
Lucillius' saying true.
This is how Brutus should be found. Thank you, Brutus, for proving my
prediction true.
OCTAVIUS
All that served Brutus, I will entertain them.—Fellow, wilt thou bestow thy time
with me?
I will gladly take anyone who served Brutus into my own service.

[To STRATO] Will you serve me, man?

STRATO
75 Ay, if Messala will prefer me to you.
Yes, if Messala recommends me to you.
OCTAVIUS
Do so, good Messala.
Do so, good Messala.
MESSALA
How died my master, Strato?
How did my master die, Strato?
STRATO
I held the sword and he did run on it.
I held the sword and he impaled himself on it.
MESSALA
80 Octavius, then take him to follow thee,That did the latest service to my master.
Then take this man into your service, Octavius, for he did the final service to
my master.
ANTONY
This was the noblest Roman of them all.All the conspirators save only heDid
85 that they did in envy of great Caesar.He only in a general honest thoughtAnd
common good to all, made one of them.His life was gentle, and the elementsSo
mixed in him that Nature might stand upAnd say to all the world, “This was a
man.”
This was the noblest Roman of them all. All the conspirators except for Brutus
did what they did because they were jealous of great Caesar. He alone acted
from high ideals, and for the general good. His life was noble, and the elements
 were so perfectly balanced in him that Nature might stand up and say to all the
world, “This was a man.”
OCTAVIUS
90 According to his virtue let us use him,With all respect and rites of burial.Within
my tent his bones tonight shall lieMost like a soldier, ordered honorably.So call
the field to rest, and let’s awayTo part the glories of this happy day.
We will treat him according to his virtue, with the highest respect and all the
proper burial rites. His body will rest tonight in my tent with all the honorable
ceremony owed to a soldier. So order the armies in the fields to rest, and let’s
go share the glories of this happy day.
All exit.