No Fear Shakespeare
Julius Caesar
Get this No Fear to go!
Act 2, Scene 1, Page 14
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Enter LUCIUS and
LIGARIUS
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LUCIUS and LIGARIUS
enter. Ligarius wears a cloth wrapped around his head, indicating that
he’s sick. |
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320 |
LUCIUS
He is a sick man that would speak with you.
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LUCIUS
Here’s a sick man who wants to speak with you.
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BRUTUS
Caius Ligarius, that Metellus spake of.—
Boy, stand aside.—Caius Ligarius, how?
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BRUTUS
It’s Caius Ligarius, whom Metellus spoke of. Boy, stand
aside. Caius Ligarius! How are you?
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LIGARIUS
Vouchsafe good morrow from a feeble tongue.
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LIGARIUS
Please accept my feeble “good
morning.”
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BRUTUS
O, what a time have you chose out, brave Caius,
To wear a kerchief! Would you were not sick!
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BRUTUS
Oh, what a time you’ve chosen to be sick, brave Caius!
How I wish you felt better!
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LIGARIUS
I am not sick if Brutus have in hand
Any exploit worthy the name of honor.
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LIGARIUS
I’m not sick if you’ve prepared some honorable
exploit for me.
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BRUTUS
Such an exploit have I in hand, Ligarius,
Had you a healthful ear to hear of it.
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BRUTUS
Indeed, I would have such an exploit for you, Ligarius, if you
were healthy enough to hear it.
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330 335 |
LIGARIUS
(removes his kerchief)
By all the gods that Romans bow before,
I here discard my sickness! Soul of Rome,
Brave son derived from honorable loins,
Thou, like an exorcist, hast conjured up
My mortifièd spirit. Now bid me run,
And I will strive with things impossible,
Yea, get the better of them. What’s to do?
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LIGARIUS
(takes off his head covering) By
all the gods that Romans worship, I hereby throw off my sickness!
Soul of Rome! Brave son of honorable ancestors! You’ve
conjured up my deadened spirit like an exorcist. Now say the word,
and I will tackle all kinds of impossible things, and succeed too.
What is there to do?
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BRUTUS
A piece of work that will make sick men whole.
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BRUTUS
A deed that will make sick men healthy.
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LIGARIUS
But are not some whole that we must make sick?
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LIGARIUS
But aren’t there some healthy men whom we have to make
sick?
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BRUTUS
That must we also. What it is, my Caius,
I shall unfold to thee as we are going
To whom it must be done.
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BRUTUS
That too. My dear Caius, I’ll explain the task at hand to
you as we walk toward the man we must do it to.
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