Quotes
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Marcus Tullius Cicero : Mark Antony... the dog is dead I hope.
Marcus Junius Brutus : He is not.
Marcus Tullius Cicero : Mark Antony is alive? An error! I believe, a great error...
Marcus Junius Brutus : We are senators, not hired thugs...
[Short pause]
Marcus Junius Brutus : Kill him yourself.
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Servilia of the Junii : Tell us, Antony. To what do we owe this unexpected pleasure?
Mark Antony : Listen. Why so quiet? A tyrant is dead. Surely the people should be happy. Where is the cheering throng at your door? Where are the joyous cries of liberty?
Servilia of the Junii : The people fear change. A somber mood is only... natural.
Marcus Junius Brutus : When they realize they are free from tyranny, the people will be glad.
Mark Antony : The people LOVED Caesar. And they will hate you for what you've done.
Marcus Junius Brutus : They loved him once. As I did.
Mark Antony : Well, some have turned against him, no doubt. It cannot be denied, he was something of a tyrant. But a great many people will worship Caesar until they die. A great many. And those people are mine now.
Cassius : We do not need such people. Our men-at-arms have secured the city. We have received representatives from all the best elements. The Senate is with us, the knights are with us...
Marcus Junius Brutus : The pontiffs, the urban cohorts, the lictors' guild...
Mark Antony : Ooh, the lictors' guild, very good. Only rally the bakers and the flute players, and you can put on a festival. Best wait 'til after the elections, though.
Cassius : What elections?
[Antony looks around the room in astonishment]
Mark Antony : Surely you've thought this through? If Caesar was, as you insist, a tyrant, then all his acts and appointments are nullified. I am no longer consul, you're no longer praetor, you're no longer proconsul. Elections will have to be held.
Marcus Tullius Cicero : [uncomfortably] That is... so.
Mark Antony : Messy things, elections.
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[Brutus learns that Cassius went behind his back to try to have Antony murdered]
Marcus Junius Brutus : You tried to kill him, despite everything I said?
Cassius : Forgive me. Your scruples do you credit but, without your knowledge, his death could not have dishonored you.
Marcus Junius Brutus : To the contrary, I would be twice dishonored! A killer AND a fool!
Cassius : Is your honor worth more than the Republic?
Marcus Tullius Cicero : It is not too late. He's here, in your hands. I'm simply stating the facts. I do not urge you to any... particular course of action.
Marcus Junius Brutus : [distastefully] Nor will I take the course you "do not urge."
Cassius : Brother, it is the only rational thing to do.
Marcus Junius Brutus : He's broken no capital law, and he offers a truce which will preserve the public order. We have no right to take his life.
Cassius : Damn the law in his case! He's too dangerous to live!
Marcus Junius Brutus : You exaggerate him. He is a vulgar beast. Without Caesar, he will, he will destroy himself soon enough.
Cassius : He is...
Marcus Junius Brutus : He is a guest in my house!
Servilia of the Junii : He is not in the house. He is on the street.
Marcus Junius Brutus : [sadly] You too, Mother?
