Πώς μεταστρέφεται το εκλογικό σώμα; Εύκολα!

Ακούστε τον Patrick Wymarck, στον ρόλο του Βρούτου, να μεταστρέφει, με επιχειρήματα, τους εχθρικά διακείμενους Ρωμαίους πολίτες, και να τούς πείθει ότι ο φόνος του Καίσαρα ήταν αναγκαίος, και ότι οι δράστες είναι σωτήρες της Πατρίδος.
Ακούστε στην συνέχεια τον Peter Finch, στον ρόλο του Μάρκου Αντώνιου, να ανα-μεταστρέφει, με συναισθηματικές εκκλήσεις και παροχές, τους άρτι μεταστραφέντες Ρωμαίους πολίτες, και να τούς πείθει ότι ο φόνος του Καίσαρα ήταν στυγερό έγκλημα, και ότι οι δράστες είναι εχθροί της Πατρίδος.



Διάρκεια: 12.20
Πηγή: Julius Caesar, The Living Shakespeare Series (1LP)
Condensed Performance, directed by Dennis Vance

Julius Caesar, Act III, Sc. II

The Forum.
Enter Brutus and Cassius, and a throng of Citizens.

CITIZENS
We will be satisfied! Let us be satisfied!

BRUTUS
Then follow me and give me audience, friends.
And public reasons shall be rendered
Of Caesar’s death.

CITIZEN
The noble Brutus is ascended. Silence!

BRUTUS
Be patient till the last.
Romans, countrymen, and lovers!
Hear me for my cause, and be silent, that you may hear.
If there be any in this assembly, any dear friend of Caesar’s,
To him I say that Brutus’ love to Caesar was no less than his.
If then that friend demand why Brutus rose against Caesar,
This is my answer:
Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more.
Had you rather that Caesar were living and die all slaves,
Than that Caesar were dead to live all freemen?
As Caesar loved me, I weep for him;
As he was fortunate, I rejoice at it;
As he was valiant, I honour him;
But as he was ambitious, I slew him.
There is tears for his love, joy for his fortune,
Honour for his valour, and death for his ambition.
Who is here so base that would be a bondman?
If any, speak, for him have I offended.
Who is here so rude that would not be a Roman?
If any, speak, for him have I offended.
Who is here so vile that will not love his country?
If any, speak, for him have I offended.
I pause for a reply.

ALL
None, Brutus, none.

BRUTUS
Then none have I offended.
Enter Antony and others, with Caesar’s body.
Here comes his body, mourned by Mark Antony, who, though he
Had no hand in his death, shall receive the benefit of his dying,
A place in the commonwealth, as which of you shall not?
With this I depart- that, as I slew my best lover for the good of Rome,
I have the same dagger for myself, when it shall please my country
to need my death.

ALL
Live, Brutus, live, live!

CITIZEN
Peace! Silence! Peace, ho!

BRUTUS
Good countrymen, let me depart alone,
And, for my sake, stay here with Antony.
Do grace to Caesar’s corse, and grace his speech
Tending to Caesar’s glories, which Mark Antony,
By our permission, is allow’d to make.
I do entreat you, not a man depart,
Save I alone, till Antony have spoke.
Exit.

CITIZEN
Peace! Let us hear what Antony can say.

ANTONY
You gentle Romans-

ALL
Peace, ho! Let us hear him.

ANTONY
Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears!
I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him.
The evil that men do lives after them,
The good is oft interred with their bones;
So let it be with Caesar. The noble Brutus
Hath told you Caesar was ambitious;
If it were so, it was a grievous fault,
And grievously hath Caesar answer’d it.
Here, under leave of Brutus and the rest-
For Brutus is an honourable man;
So are they all, all honourable men-
Come I to speak in Caesar’s funeral.
He was my friend, faithful and just to me;
But Brutus says he was ambitious,
And Brutus is an honourable man.
He hath brought many captives home to Rome,
Whose ransoms did the general coffers fill.
Did this in Caesar seem ambitious?
When that the poor have cried, Caesar hath wept;
Ambition should be made of sterner stuff:
Yet Brutus says he was ambitious,
And Brutus is an honourable man.
You all did see that on the Lupercal
I thrice presented him a kingly crown,
Which he did thrice refuse. Was this ambition?
Yet Brutus says he was ambitious,
And sure he is an honourable man.
I speak not to disprove what Brutus spoke,
But here I am to speak what I do know.
You all did love him once, not without cause;
What cause withholds you then to mourn for him?
O judgement, thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason. Bear with me;
My heart is in the coffin there with Caesar,
And I must pause till it come back to me.

CITIZEN
There’s not a nobler man in Rome than Antony.

CITIZEN
Now mark him, he begins again to speak.

ANTONY
But yesterday the word of Caesar might
Have stood against the world. Now lies he there,
And none so poor to do him reverence.
O masters! If I were disposed to stir
Your hearts and minds to mutiny and rage,
I should do Brutus wrong and Cassius wrong,
Who, you all know, are honourable men.
I will not do them wrong; I rather choose
To wrong the dead, to wrong myself and you,
Than I will wrong such honourable men.
But here’s a parchment with the seal of Caesar;
I found it in his closet, ‘tis his will.
Let but the commons hear this testament-
Which, pardon me, I do not mean to read-
And they would go and kiss dead Caesar’s wounds
And dip their napkins in his sacred blood,
Yea, beg a hair of him for memory,
And, dying, mention it within their wills,
Bequeathing it as a rich legacy
Unto their issue.

CITIZEN
We’ll hear the will. Read it, Mark Antony.

ALL
The will, the will! We will hear Caesar’s will.

ANTONY
Have patience, gentle friends, I must not read it;
It is not meet you know how Caesar loved you.
You are not wood, you are not stones, but men;
And, being men, hearing the will of Caesar,
It will inflame you, it will make you mad.
‘Tis good you know not that you are his heirs,
For if you should, O, what would come of it!

CITIZEN
Read the will; we’ll hear it, Antony.
You shall read us the will, Caesar’s will.

ANTONY
Will you be patient? Will you stay awhile?
I have o’ershot myself to tell you of it.
I fear I wrong the honourable men
Whose daggers have stabb’d Caesar; I do fear it.

ALL
The will!

ANTONY
You will compel me then to read the will?
Then make a ring about the corse of Caesar,
And let me show you him that made the will.
Shall I descend? And will you give me leave?

ALL
Come down.

CITIZEN
Room for Antony, most noble Antony.

ANTONY
Nay, press not so upon me, stand far off.

ALL
Stand back; room, bear back!

ANTONY
If you have tears, prepare to shed them now.
You all do know this mantle. I remember
The first time ever Caesar put it on;
‘Twas on a summer’s evening, in his tent,
That day he overcame the Nervii.
Look, in this place ran Cassius’ dagger through;
See what a rent the envious Casca made;
Through this the well-beloved Brutus stabb’d;
And as he pluck’d his cursed steel away,
Mark how the blood of Caesar follow’d it,
As rushing out of doors, to be resolved
If Brutus so unkindly knock’d, or no;
For Brutus, as you know, was Caesar’s angel.
Judge, O you gods, how dearly Caesar loved him!
This was the most unkindest cut of all;
For when the noble Caesar saw him stab,
Ingratitude, more strong than traitors’ arms,
Quite vanquish’d him. Then burst his mighty heart,
And, in his mantle muffling up his face,
Even at the base of Pompey’s statue,
Which all the while ran blood, great Caesar fell.
O, what a fall was there, my countrymen!
Then I, and you, and all of us fell down,
Whilst bloody treason flourish’d over us.
O, now you weep, and I perceive you feel
The dint of pity. These are gracious drops.
Kind souls, what weep you when you but behold
Our Caesar’s vesture wounded? Look you here,
Here is himself, marr’d, as you see, with traitors.

CITIZEN
We will be revenged.

ALL
Revenge! About! Seek! Burn! Fire! Kill!
Slay! Let not a traitor live!

ANTONY
Stay, countrymen.

CITIZEN
Peace there! Hear the noble Antony.

SECOND CITIZEN
We’ll hear him, we’ll follow him, we’ll die with him.

ANTONY
Good friends, sweet friends, let me not stir you up
To such a sudden flood of mutiny.
They that have done this deed are honourable.
What private griefs they have, alas, I know not,
That made them do it. They are wise and honourable,
And will, no doubt, with reasons answer you.
I come not, friends, to steal away your hearts.
I am no orator, as Brutus is;
But, as you know me all, a plain blunt man,
That love my friend, and that they knew full well
That gave me public leave to speak of him.
For I have neither wit, nor words, nor worth,
Action, nor utterance, nor the power of speech,
To stir men’s blood. I only speak right on;
I tell you that which you yourselves do know;
Show you sweet Caesar’s wounds, poor, poor dumb mouths,
And bid them speak for me. But were I Brutus,
And Brutus Antony, there were an Antony
Would ruffle up your spirits and put a tongue
In every wound of Caesar that should move
The stones of Rome to rise and mutiny.

ALL
We’ll mutiny.

CITIZEN
We’ll burn the house of Brutus.

CITIZEN
Away, then! Come, seek the conspirators.

ANTONY
Yet hear me, countrymen; yet hear me speak.

ALL
Peace, ho! Hear Antony, most noble Antony!

ANTONY
Why, friends, you go to do you know not what.
Wherein hath Caesar thus deserved your loves?
Alas, you know not; I must tell you then.
You have forgot the will I told you of.

ALL
Most true, the will! Let’s stay and hear the will.

ANTONY
Here is the will, and under Caesar’s seal.
To every Roman citizen he gives,
To every several man, seventy-five drachmas.

CITIZEN
Most noble Caesar! We’ll revenge his death.

CITIZEN
O royal Caesar!

ANTONY
Hear me with patience.

ALL
Peace, ho!

ANTONY
Moreover, he hath left you all his walks,
His private arbors, and new-planted orchards,
On this side Tiber; he hath left them you,
And to your heirs forever- common pleasures,
To walk abroad and recreate yourselves.
Here was a Caesar! When comes such another?

CITIZEN
Never, never. Come, away, away!
We’ll burn his body in the holy place
And with the brands fire the traitors’ houses.
Take up the body.

CITIZEN
Go fetch fire.

CITIZEN. Pluck down benches.

CITIZEN
Pluck down forms, windows, anything.
Exeunt Citizens with the body.

Υ.Γ. Ο Filboid Studge διατυπώνει εγκαίρως το προφανές πολιτικό συμπέρασμα: ούτε Βρούτος, ούτε Αντώνιος.
Σπάρτακος!!!