Julius Caesar, Act 4 Scene 1 runs 54 lines of dialogue, spoken by 3 speakers. That is shorter than the play’s average scene length of about 144 lines. This scene is part of Act 4 of Julius Caesar.
Full Dialogue
Antony ♂
These many, then, shall die; their names are prick'd.
Octavius ♂
Your brother too must die; consent you, Lepidus?
Lepidus ♂
I do consent–
Octavius ♂
Prick him down, Antony.
Lepidus ♂
Upon condition Publius shall not live,
Who is your sister's son, Mark Antony.
Who is your sister's son, Mark Antony.
Antony ♂
He shall not live; look, with a spot I damn him.
But, Lepidus, go you to Caesar's house;
Fetch the will hither, and we shall determine
How to cut off some charge in legacies.
But, Lepidus, go you to Caesar's house;
Fetch the will hither, and we shall determine
How to cut off some charge in legacies.
Lepidus ♂
What, shall I find you here?
Octavius ♂
Or here, or at the Capitol.
Antony ♂
This is a slight unmeritable man,
Meet to be sent on errands: is it fit,
The three-fold world divided, he should stand
One of the three to share it?
Meet to be sent on errands: is it fit,
The three-fold world divided, he should stand
One of the three to share it?
Octavius ♂
So you thought him;
And took his voice who should be prick'd to die,
In our black sentence and proscription.
And took his voice who should be prick'd to die,
In our black sentence and proscription.
Antony ♂
Octavius, I have seen more days than you:
And though we lay these honours on this man,
To ease ourselves of divers slanderous loads,
He shall but bear them as the ass bears gold,
To groan and sweat under the business,
Either led or driven, as we point the way;
And having brought our treasure where we will,
Then take we down his load, and turn him off,
Like to the empty ass, to shake his ears,
And graze in commons.
And though we lay these honours on this man,
To ease ourselves of divers slanderous loads,
He shall but bear them as the ass bears gold,
To groan and sweat under the business,
Either led or driven, as we point the way;
And having brought our treasure where we will,
Then take we down his load, and turn him off,
Like to the empty ass, to shake his ears,
And graze in commons.
Octavius ♂
You may do your will;
But he's a tried and valiant soldier.
But he's a tried and valiant soldier.
Antony ♂
So is my horse, Octavius; and for that
I do appoint him store of provender:
It is a creature that I teach to fight,
To wind, to stop, to run directly on,
His corporal motion govern'd by my spirit.
And, in some taste, is Lepidus but so;
He must be taught and train'd and bid go forth;
A barren-spirited fellow; one that feeds
On abjects, orts and imitations,
Which, out of use and staled by other men,
Begin his fashion: do not talk of him,
But as a property. And now, Octavius,
Listen great things:–Brutus and Cassius
Are levying powers: we must straight make head:
Therefore let our alliance be combined,
Our best friends made, our means stretch'd
And let us presently go sit in council,
How covert matters may be best disclosed,
And open perils surest answered.
I do appoint him store of provender:
It is a creature that I teach to fight,
To wind, to stop, to run directly on,
His corporal motion govern'd by my spirit.
And, in some taste, is Lepidus but so;
He must be taught and train'd and bid go forth;
A barren-spirited fellow; one that feeds
On abjects, orts and imitations,
Which, out of use and staled by other men,
Begin his fashion: do not talk of him,
But as a property. And now, Octavius,
Listen great things:–Brutus and Cassius
Are levying powers: we must straight make head:
Therefore let our alliance be combined,
Our best friends made, our means stretch'd
And let us presently go sit in council,
How covert matters may be best disclosed,
And open perils surest answered.
Octavius ♂
Let us do so: for we are at the stake,
And bay'd about with many enemies;
And some that smile have in their hearts, I fear,
Millions of mischiefs.
And bay'd about with many enemies;
And some that smile have in their hearts, I fear,
Millions of mischiefs.
54 lines rendered verbatim from the dialogue corpus.
Who’s On Stage
Speaking characters in this scene
| Character | Lines | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Antony | 38 | 70.4% |
| Octavius | 12 | 22.2% |
| Lepidus | 4 | 7.4% |
Line distribution
The top speaker in this scene delivers 38 lines, while the scene’s average per speaker is about 18 lines.
Total speakers on stage
3 named characters speak in this scene.
Scene in Context
Position within Act 4
This is Scene 1 of 3 in Act 4 of Julius Caesar.
Scene length vs. play average
At 54 lines, this scene is shorter than the Julius Caesar average scene in Julius Caesar (~144 lines).
Adjacent scenes
Previous: Act 3 Scene 3 · Next: Act 4 Scene 2
About Act 4 Scene 1 of Julius Caesar
Who carries Act 4 Scene 1 of Julius Caesar?
Antony, with 38 lines — about 70% of the scene.
Is the scene a dialogue or a solo?
With 3 speakers and the lead holding 70% of the lines, this scene is a showcase for the lead voice.