Caesar Act II: where I remember why I don't love this play...

2.1

Having just read Macbeth, Brutus' envy of the boy sleeping hits a bit harder.
Ah the kill it in the egg speech. Marvelous in that the way Brutus describes Caesar he's a much better guy than I found Caesar in the last scene- yet he still concludes that absolute power corrupts absolutely.

We really hit the idea of march thing pretty hard in this play huh?

This scene makes me imagine an absurd school of acting where there's a whole class on cloak acting. Cassius and the cloaked men enter and do exactly what Cassius told us they'd do. It's funny that they come in cloaks and then introduce themselves.

Ok i start remembering why I find this play tiresome about now. I like it so much more when heavily cut or when in only seeing scenes from it...

Let’s kill him boldly, but not wrathfully;

Let’s carve him as a dish fit for the gods,

Not hew him as a carcass fit for hounds;

that's nice? as long as we kill him well no one will mind, right? and surely nothing will go wrong if we just leave Antony to his own devices...

I do love that there's a clock sound effect in this play. I'd be interested in seeing this play as a world of characters obsessed with time. Hourglasses and tick tock tick tock noises.... could be super interesting

Of course we all know the actual good stuff in this scene comes after the consiprators leave and we get the gorgeous Portia/Brutus exchange. not only is the language gorgeous and the misogyny of the male romans highlighted, but this picture of marriage is really lovely, the back and forth, the reasoning, the genuine concern. ONe just wishes it was taking place in a marriage a bit more functional.  And after this mini scene of domesticity- the boy comes and says there's a sick man at the door. LIgarius then immediately "throws off" his sickness when he finds brutus is on the anti-caesar train. truly honorable men up in here... brutus leaves and we move to domestic scene part 2 with a different husband/wife pairing.

 

2.2

Caesar starts the scene telling us his wife has been dreaming he's murdered. Calpurnia enters and urges Caesar to stay inside with her and then lists a TON OF VERY GOOD REASONS HE SHOULD LISTEN. a favorite line fromt his speech: And ghosts did shriek and squeal about the streets. Those sounds are so good! Caesar is not into this saying if its time to die its time to die. This scene has what I think is Caesar's greatest line: Cowards die many times before their deaths; The valiant never taste of death but once. although I think it would be more effecting if we hadnt heard stories/seen Caesar's false confidence so much before this. (or does that make it more poignant and sad?) A servant enters to let caesar know that the offering he requested sent to the gods was a BAD omen since they happened to sacrifice a beast THAT HAD NO HEART. WHA??!?!?!? Caesar of course interprets this to the meaning he wants. surprise surprise. It seems for a moment that for the sake of his wife he will listen and stay home, but he wants to make it VERY CLEAR that it is NOT because he is afraid. (methinks the gentleman doth protest too much). All it takes to change Caesar's mind about this decision is Decius Brutus re-interpreting Octavia's very vivid dream with a positive spin. The falseness of signs is a very interesting component of this play. Maybe it stands out to me because i've been reading Game of Thrones recently and there's a similar exploration there?
Several other senators show up and there's a lovely play on the dramatic irony of the audience knowing what Caesar does not until he finally leaves with this line:
Good friends, go in, and taste some wine with me;
And we, like friends, will straightway go together.
Incidentally, another quote that was on those coasters. and said just before all his "friends" kill him.
2.3
One of the shortest scenes yet. literally just a monologue (which no one does! and i would be so interested to see! I know there's no big turn but there's a hell of a lot of urgency and some lovely language. bonus points for including the phrase LOOK ABOUT YOU)
2.4
My least favorite scene in the play because the whole oh he was right I'm a woman and I can't handle anything sentiments from Portia. ugh. How hard it is for women to keep counsel! SHENANS PORTIA! Your wrongs do set a scandal on my sex... I have nothing else to say about this scene. it just makes me mad. and let me be clear that i have no problem with PORTIA being concerned/"weak"/wanting to tell all. I have a problem that instead of taking personal responsibility for it she blames it on being a woman.
That's act 2.