Caesar act 5: spoiler- its not the happy ending octavius claims

5.1

The scene opens with Octavius lauding Antony for calling out Brutus' choice to meet them instead of staying in the mountains. Octavius refuses to listen to Antony and is stubborn about doing the exact opposite just to show his power. This whole play is just full of jerks. Brutus and Cassius come to parlay with the other side before the fight and theres a lot of manly man teasing about words vs. fighting.

I love that after octavius and antony leave Cassius lets us know it is his birthday. there's something wonderful about that. and sad. Cassius and Brutus basically make a suicide pact= death before slavery/being led captive by the other side and then say their goodbyes.

5.2

A 6 line scene with brutus talking to mesella as they enter battle. you can tell its going to be a bloody mess.

5.3

We find out that Brutus' eagerness in the last scene/in general has screwed his and Cassius' side and now Antony and Octavius are going to win. Cassius decides its time to die on his birthday fulfuilling his pact with Brutus and has his servant Pindarus stab him. Pindarus says he is free now but would rather not be then runs away to seek a new country. Messala enters with hope but of course it is too late. Cassius has already died. New vocal warm up:

Clouds, dews, and dangers come; our deeds are done!
Mistrust of my success hath done this deed.

I feel like if Shakespeare teaches us anything its not to kill ourselves because as sure as you are nothing can ever have hope or get better, the more likely that hope will come to manifest seconds after you die... Titinus plays the Juliet to Cassius' romeo and kills himself to show his love and devotion.Brutus enters and sees the destruction but he doesnt have the proper time to morn (again, echoes of Macbeth. so strange reading the two back to back.)

5.4

Soldiers confuse lucilius for brutus until Antony comes and sets them straight. Lucilius assures everyone that brutus will die before surrendering/being taken captive. Antony asserts he'd rather have lucilius for a friend than an enemy because he is a great man. What exactly makes a great man in this play and in life seems to be the question I keep coming back to while reading this...

5.5 the final scene of the play

Basically Brutus tries to get all his men to help him kill himself the way Cassius had help, but no one will do it except strato. as soon as Brutus finally dies Octavius, Antony, & company enter to find Brutus dead. oh roman plays. you cant help but end with mass amounts of bodies huh? Antony acknowledges that brutus was the only well meaning conspirator and that they should use him well in his death. Octavius tries to pretend everything is peachy with this closing couplet:

So call the field to rest; and let's away,
To part the glories of this happy day.

Uh... yeah... super happy Octavius....

And that's all for Caesar. Quick. dirty. glorious moments but i still dont think i'll be listing it among my favorites any time soon.