What was Big Willy Shakes going for?
We've got the context down. Now let's figure out what this passage means. We should tell you that "havoc" was a military command. It was given when soldiers were about to pillage a city and create mass chaos. We also see it in some of Shakespeare's other plays, such as King John and Coriolanus. Nowadays, we say "wreak havoc on," but it means the same thing.
Who's crying havoc? Ate and Caesar, that's who. Antony calls on Ate, the goddess of ruin, mischief, delusion, and strife to help out, because, well, he does want to cause mayhem. Dude's mad. And Caesar will join in the party to get revenge for his death. Sure, he might be dead, but he can still fight. Or at least scare the living daylights out of people.
Ate and Caesar aren't going to fight by themselves. They'll use the "dogs" of war to get back at Brutus and the conspirators. So, if we put that all together, we'll see that this phrase means:
- Antony is calling for revenge.
- He wants Brutus and gang to pay for what they did to Caesar.
- And he's not going to do it alone. Enter ghost and goddess.
His little speech reminds us that not everyone is ready to take Caesar's death lying down. Antony is one of the only characters who is willing to stand up against the masses for his own principles.