Ceaser's last words

[Sethik]

Watching the season finale of Rome on HBO the other day I was struck by something in the episode. As Ceaser is about to be stabbed by Brutus (Not much of a spoiler, since the show is pretty accurate historically) he says nothing. He sort of just looks up at Brutus with these powerful eyes. After a tense moment of gazing Brutus preceeds to stab to and kill Gaius Julius Ceaser.

My question is one about Caeser's final words. Did he utter anything before he died? Shakespeare's "Et tut Brutus?/And you too Brutus?" is apparantly simply an invention of his. What other accounts of his death are there and do any mention his final phrase?


I, for one, think it would be: "Ouch."

[TheSilverKnight]

I would think it would be 'ouch' as well. Usually is for most people. Like this guy here ---> :croc:

[Kraxis]

"Bite me!"

or

"Aww crap!"

[ajaxfetish]

Probably something forum rules would prohibit posting. ~:)

Ajax

[Mouzafphaerre]

.
Foreword (skip you may):

Nûreddin Sevin was probably the greatest translator Turkey has ever seen (and with this pace will ever have seen). He translated, amongst other things, quite a few of Shakespeare's plays. Too bad there are so few of them available...

The magnificence of his work lies in his great scientific and artistic effort to

Accurately analyse the work in terms not only of literature but also of history;
Capture the essence of the work in its native language (English) with all possible tricks here and there, and perfectly transplant them into the target language (Turkish) with native yet fitting idioms and everything;
Give a great insight of the work, both literally and historically.

Thus, his notes covering more than half of the volume, his Shakespeare translations are at the top of the "reliable list" for me.

Sevin notes that Shakespeare modified what he saw in Plutarkhos in his play; while Caesar actually said "Et tu fili? ― You too my son?" to his own adopted son, who panicked and stubbed him with the fear of the plotters would kill him too and that he would evade their rage by betraying his father, according to Plutarkhos; Shakespeare unified the two different people in one character, a traitor friend, for dramatic purposes: "Et tu Brute?"

:book2:
.

[VAE VICTUS]

well if i remember correctly, pompey had been deified and some say he prayed to his statue.dont know if its true, but thats what wiki said.
or as been stated et tu fili-et tu brute
many of his assassins he himself had pardoned.

[Cronos Impera]

Well, who cares what Cesar said?
Let's talk about more recent, more documented epithaphs like Charles I's "Remember!". Caesar died with a smile on his face, I can be sure of that. It is ironic that the last Brutus marked the end of the Republic of his ancestors.

[Kraxis]

Caesar died with a smile on his face, I can be sure of that. It is ironic that the last Brutus marked the end of the Republic of his ancestors.
A smile? Why would anybody without a deathwish die with a smile on their face?
Anyway, the Republic had already been pretty much dead since Sulla, and it woul take some time yet before it died completely (in fact the first Emperors until Vespasian were careful not to upset the Senate too much, and one of their titles was First Citizen).
In reality there was little difference between Augustus and Caesar, the latter 'just' got killed by those who thought that he would crown himself king of Rome (which none of the Emperors ever did, and Caesar had had ample opportunity to do if he had wanted to do it).

[Strategy]

From Plutarch:


Casca gave him the first cut in the neck, which was not mortal nor dangerous, as coming from one who at the beginning of such a bold action was probably very much disturbed; Caesar immediately turned about, and laid his hand upon the dagger and kept hold of it. And both of them at the same time cried out, he that received the blow, in Latin, "Vile Casca, what does this mean?" and he that gave it, in Greek to his brother, "Brother, help!" Upon this first onset, those who were not privy to the design were astonished, and their horror and amazement at what they saw were so great that they durst not fly nor assist Caesar, nor so much as speak a word. But those who came prepared for the business enclosed him on every side, with their naked daggers in their hands. Which way soever he turned he met with blows, and saw their swords levelled at his face and eyes, and was encompassed like a wild beast in the toils on every side.

For it had been agreed they should each of them make a thrust at him, and flesh themselves with his blood; for which reason Brutus also gave him one stab in the groin. Some say that he fought and resisted all the rest, shifting his body to avoid the blows, and calling out for help, but that when he saw Brutus's sword drawn, he covered his face with his robe and submitted, letting himself fall, whether it were by chance or that he was pushed in that direction by his murderers, at the foot of the pedestal on which Pompeius's statue stood, and which was thus wetted with his blood.


From Suetonius:


As he took his seat, the conspirators gathered about him as if to pay their respects, and straightway Tillius Cimber, who had assumed the lead, came nearer as though to ask something; and when Caesar with a gesture put him off to another time, Cimber caught his toga by both shoulders; then as Caesar cried, "Why, this is violence!" one of the Cascas stabbed him from one side just below the throat. Caesar caught Casca's arm and ran it through with his stylus, but as he tried to leap to his feet, he was stopped by another wound. When he saw that he was beset on every side by drawn daggers, he muffled his head in his robe, and at the same time drew down its lap to his feet with his left hand, in order to fall more decently, with the lower part of his body also covered. And in this wise he was stabbed with three and twenty wounds, uttering not a word, but merely a groan at the first stroke, though some have written that when Marcus Brutus rushed at him, he said in Greek, 'You too, my child?" All the conspirators made off, and he lay there lifeless for some time, until finally three common slaves put him on a litter and carried him home, with one arm hanging down. And of so many wounds none turned out to be mortal, in the opinion of the physician Antistius, except the second one in the breast.

In short, both versions could be right, as not even the ancient sources agree on it.