Click on any scene below for a side-by-side translation from the original Shakespeare into modern English.
Act 1, Scene 1
Murullus and Flavius, Roman tribunes who are friends of Brutus and Cassius, come upon a group of common people running about the street in their Sunday best when they should be working. The pair as...
Act 1, Scene 2
Caesar calls his wife, Calphurnia over and tells her to stand right in front of Antony when he "runs his course." Then he tells Antony to be sure to "touch" Calphurnia. Um...what?Here's the deal: C...
Act 1, Scene 3
Cicero runs into Casca on the street that night. Casca's a little shaken up. Though he's seen his fair share of bad nights, he says the sky dropping hot fire is definitely a first. Casca thinks may...
Act 2, Scene 1
Brutus sends his servant Lucius to light a candle in his room, and then paces around his garden contemplating the conspiracy against Caesar. He has reached the conclusion that Julius Caesar must di...
Act 2, Scene 2
Caesar's having trouble sleeping, too, mainly because his wife has cried out about him being murdered three times in her sleep, which he's taken as a bad sign.
Act 2, Scene 3
Artemidorius, a soothsayer, reads aloud a note that he's written to Caesar. In the note, he lists all the conspirators that Caesar should stay away from and warns of their plot. Artemidorius plans...
Act 2, Scene 4
Portia, Brutus' wife, is a mess. She tells Lucius, the servant, to run to the Capitol, then yells at him for not leaving, even though she hasn't yet given him any instruction on what to do when he...
Act 3, Scene 1
The crowd of traitorous senators and a bunch of hangers-on surround Julius Caesar just outside the Capitol. Decius, a traitor, offers a request from Trebonius to Caesar while Artemidorius...
Act 3, Scene 2
Brutus and Cassius hit the streets, surrounded by crowds of common folks. So many people are clamoring to hear them that Cassius takes one group off while the others stay to listen to Brutus speak.
Act 3, Scene 3
The poet Cinna, who is traveling the streets, gets caught up by the mob. The mobbers ask him a bunch of questions and demand quick and direct answers.
Act 4, Scene 1
Antony, Octavius, and Lepidus are gathered with a checklist of the men they plan to murder for conspiracy. Lepidus agrees that his brother can be killed as long as Antony agrees for his nephew to b...
Act 4, Scene 2
Brutus and his friend Lucilius meet Pindarus, servant and friend to Cassius, with Titinius, another mutual buddy. (Wow, that's a lot of "us"es.)
Act 4, Scene 3
The root of Cassius and Brutus' argument comes out: Brutus has condemned a man, Lucius Pella, for taking bribes from the Sardians. Cassius wrote a letter saying Pella shouldn't be punished, but Bru...
Act 5, Scene 1
Act 5, Scene 2
Brutus sends Messala to ride out and instruct the soldiers to bear down on Octavius' side of the enemy's army. He thinks that group lacks spirit and might easily fall after a good push.
Act 5, Scene 3
Cassius and Titinius are watching the battle from another part of the field. Cassius says that when his standard-bearer (the guy who carries his battle flag) tried to run away, Cassius killed him a...
Act 5, Scene 4
Everyone goes out onto the battlefield in a blaze of glory. Young Cato runs around shouting his name as a challenge to anyone who stands for tyranny and against the Roman Republic.
Act 5, Scene 5
Elsewhere in the field, Brutus stops and asks his remaining friends to rest on a rock. He calls Clitus aside and asks him to do something in a whisper. Clitus declines to do the mystery deed, sayin...