Metal to be Wrought (Julius Caesar Duet Acting)

Context:

Caesar has just returned to Rome after defeating his enemy Pompey. Plebeians and Noblemen alike have left their duties to follow Caesar's procession and celebrate his victory. All of Rome follows Caesar to watch the games that are to be played in his honor. All but one man, Marcus Brutus. Upon seeing this, Cauis Cassius also left the throng. Cassius had hatched a terrible plot to overthrow Caesar, as he thought Caesar did not deserve to be king, and wants Brutus to be a part of this conspiracy. Brutus holds no personal grudge against Caesar, and loves him as a friend, but he is worried that with Caesar in charge, Rome will not remain a republic. Cassius manipulates Brutus by delving on Brutus's utmost value, honor. Brutus ultimately postpones his decision, unsure of whether to honor Rome or his friendship with Caesar.

Significance:

This passage is significant because it is the turning point where Brutus first considers joining the conspiracy. It characterizes both Brutus and Cassius, and foreshadows the main event of the play. Julius Caesar is debatably about the tragedy of Brutus, and how his honor blinds him from the truth. Evidence of that first appears in this monologue.

Act 1, Scene 2. Lines 31 - 175

CASSIUS
Brutus, I do observe you now of late:
I have not from your eyes that gentleness
And show of love as I was wont to have:
You bear too stubborn and too strange a hand
Over your friend that loves you.

BRUTUS
Cassius,
Be not deceived: if I have veil'd my look,
I turn the trouble of my countenance
Merely upon myself. Vexed I am
Of late with passions of some difference,
Conceptions only proper to myself,
Which give some soil perhaps to my behaviors;
But let not therefore my good friends be grieved--
Among which number, Cassius, be you one--
Nor construe any further my neglect,
Than that poor Brutus, with himself at war,
Forgets the shows of love to other men.

CASSIUS
Then, Brutus, I have much mistook your passion;
By means whereof this breast of mine hath buried
Thoughts of great value, worthy cogitations.
Tell me, good Brutus, can you see your face?

BRUTUS
No, Cassius; for the eye sees not itself,
But by reflection, by some other things.

CASSIUS
'Tis just:
And it is very much lamented, Brutus,
That you have no such mirrors as will turn
Your hidden worthiness into your eye,
That you might see your shadow. I have heard,
Where many of the best respect in Rome,
Except immortal Caesar, speaking of Brutus
And groaning underneath this age's yoke,
Have wish'd that noble Brutus had his eyes.

BRUTUS
Into what dangers would you lead me, Cassius,
That you would have me seek into myself
For that which is not in me?

CASSIUS
Therefore, good Brutus, be prepared to hear:
And since you know you cannot see yourself
So well as by reflection, I, your glass,
Will modestly discover to yourself
That of yourself which you yet know not of.
And be not jealous on me, gentle Brutus:
Were I a common laugher, or did use
To stale with ordinary oaths my love
To every new protester; if you know
That I do fawn on men and hug them hard
And after scandal them, or if you know
That I profess myself in banqueting
To all the rout, then hold me dangerous.

Flourish, and shout

BRUTUS
What means this shouting? I do fear, the people
Choose Caesar for their king.

CASSIUS
Ay, do you fear it?
Then must I think you would not have it so.

BRUTUS
I would not, Cassius; yet I love him well.
But wherefore do you hold me here so long?
What is it that you would impart to me?
If it be aught toward the general good,
Set honour in one eye and death i' the other,
And I will look on both indifferently,
For let the gods so speed me as I love
The name of honour more than I fear death.

CASSIUS
I know that virtue to be in you, Brutus,
As well as I do know your outward favour.
Well, honour is the subject of my story.
I cannot tell what you and other men
Think of this life; but, for my single self,
I had as lief not be as live to be
In awe of such a thing as I myself.
I was born free as Caesar; so were you:
We both have fed as well, and we can both
Endure the winter's cold as well as he:
For once, upon a raw and gusty day,
The troubled Tiber chafing with her shores,
Caesar said to me 'Darest thou, Cassius, now
Leap in with me into this angry flood,
And swim to yonder point?' Upon the word,
Accoutred as I was, I plunged in
And bade him follow; so indeed he did.
The torrent roar'd, and we did buffet it
With lusty sinews, throwing it aside
And stemming it with hearts of controversy;
But ere we could arrive the point proposed,
Caesar cried 'Help me, Cassius, or I sink!'
I, as Aeneas, our great ancestor,
Did from the flames of Troy upon his shoulder
The old Anchises bear, so from the waves of Tiber
Did I the tired Caesar. And this man
Is now become a god, and Cassius is
A wretched creature and must bend his body,
If Caesar carelessly but nod on him.
He had a fever when he was in Spain,
And when the fit was on him, I did mark
How he did shake: 'tis true, this god did shake;
His coward lips did from their colour fly,
And that same eye whose bend doth awe the world
Did lose his lustre: I did hear him groan:
Ay, and that tongue of his that bade the Romans
Mark him and write his speeches in their books,
Alas, it cried 'Give me some drink, Titinius,'
As a sick girl. Ye gods, it doth amaze me
A man of such a feeble temper should
So get the start of the majestic world
And bear the palm alone.

Shout. Flourish

BRUTUS
Another general shout!
I do believe that these applauses are
For some new honours that are heap'd on Caesar.

CASSIUS
Why, man, he doth bestride the narrow world
Like a Colossus, and we petty men
Walk under his huge legs and peep about
To find ourselves dishonourable graves.
Men at some time are masters of their fates:
The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars,
But in ourselves, that we are underlings.
Brutus and Caesar: what should be in that 'Caesar'?
Why should that name be sounded more than yours?
Write them together, yours is as fair a name;
Sound them, it doth become the mouth as well;
Weigh them, it is as heavy; conjure with 'em,
Brutus will start a spirit as soon as Caesar.
Now, in the names of all the gods at once,
Upon what meat doth this our Caesar feed,
That he is grown so great? Age, thou art shamed!
Rome, thou hast lost the breed of noble bloods!
When went there by an age, since the great flood,
But it was famed with more than with one man?
When could they say till now, that talk'd of Rome,
That her wide walls encompass'd but one man?
Now is it Rome indeed and room enough,
When there is in it but one only man.
O, you and I have heard our fathers say,
There was a Brutus once that would have brook'd
The eternal devil to keep his state in Rome
As easily as a king.

BRUTUS
That you do love me, I am nothing jealous;
What you would work me to, I have some aim:
How I have thought of this and of these times,
I shall recount hereafter; for this present,
I would not, so with love I might entreat you,
Be any further moved. What you have said
I will consider; what you have to say
I will with patience hear, and find a time
Both meet to hear and answer such high things.
Till then, my noble friend, chew upon this:
Brutus had rather be a villager
Than to repute himself a son of Rome
Under these hard conditions as this time
Is like to lay upon us.

CASSIUS
I am glad that my weak words
Have struck but thus much show of fire from Brutus

Brandon See and I will be performing this monologue.

Beauty and Brains

“The School of Athens” (by Raphael) mirrors society by depicting elements of the Renaissance era. The Renaissance was Europe’s ‘rebirth’ of knowledge that was lost in the middle ages. Society began to break free of the Church’s absolute control so that they could observe and discover the world around them. They turned to their Greek and Roman roots for ideas and inspiration that would later mould their culture. “The School of Athens” mirrors all of these elements. It is a gathering of all the major humanist figures of the Renaissance era. They represent science, mathematics and philosophy, three things that were revolutionized during the Renaissance. The fact that they are gathered in the school of Athens, shows that the root of all their genius came from their past. The room itself is a secular fantasy. Plato and Aristotle stand at the focal point, dividing the room into two sections of practical and abstract. People are discussing and learning about geography from Ptolemy, Astronomy from Zoroaster, and Math from Pythagoras himself. There is a debate going on between several individuals, and many hold books and are writing. These events mirror those that were happening at the time in Europe. Explorers were venturing farther than ever before, bringing back exotic concepts from faraway lands and gaining a better picture of the Earth. Astronomers were observing the stars and planets, so that they may deepen their understanding of the universe. Math was evolving into an essential concept that was needed to live life successfully. The debating represents all the turmoil that was forming between the church and the humanists. The books and writing represent the printing press, which was revolutionizing Europe at the time by spreading secular ideas, educating the lower classes, forming critical thinking, spurring the urge to question the church’s authority, creating national identity and promoting individualism. Raphael has created a masterpiece on the walls of the papal palace. A masterpiece that not only epitomizes the beauty of classical renaissance artwork, but also emulates a wide variety of events that was significant to the Renaissance and its development.

Who Would I Be?

If I were to be included in the painting, “The School of Athens” I would see myself as Heraclitus. In the painting, he is depicted sitting on the bottom step, resting his head on one hand atop of a marble table and scribbling a few notes on a piece of paper. Heraclitus was a Greek philosopher. He was Pre-Socratic, which meant that he lived before classical western philosophy was developed by Socrates, and rejected using traditional mythological stories to explain the phenomenon around him. He took a more rational route, asking questions like “From where does everything come?” “How might we describe nature mathematically” or “From what is everything created?” He was of a distinguished family, and regarded himself as self-taught and a pioneer of wisdom. He was sometimes called “The obscure” or “The weeping philosopher” for the lonely life he led, and his contempt for the human race. He was famous for thinking of time as something that is infinite and constantly in flux, and for believing in the unity of opposites. He stated “The path up and down is one and the same.” This means that though two things may be opposites, they are connected and can change at any one time. He also created Logos, an important term in philosophy, rhetoric, religion, and analytical psychology. I see myself as him, because I too like to spend long periods of time mulling over single events in my life. I have a curiosity about the questions of pre-Socratic philosophy. Though I am faithful to my religion, I don’t feel I fully believe all that it states. I spend time wondering if anything really does happen after death, and about how infinite the universe is. Like him, at times I feel I am leading a lonely life. However I do not consider myself a self-taught pioneer of wisdom, nor do I have any contempt for the human race. Heraclitus is placed on the philosophical side of the painting. This relates to me because I like to picture what cannot be seen in our day to day lives through my imagination. Heraclitus made significant contributions that affected the lives of many to this day, and I aspire to do the same in my career.

A Beacon of Light

Leonardo Da Vinci was by far one of the most revolutionary people of the Renaissance. He was not only a painter, but a scientist, architect, inventor, astronomer and probably much more that we are not aware of. His creative imagination and ingenuity acted as a beacon light, leading the people of Europe away from the middle ages and into the Renaissance. Da Vinci heightened the knowledge in every field of study he encountered. He inspired the way people painted with the Mona Lisa. He made life (and exploring it) easier with his multiple inventions. He opened new doors and revealed new insights in the field of science. He altered the way people would design buildings and contributed to the world of astronomy, all in about 60 years. One could say that Leonardo was the sun, in the solar system of the Renaissance. His life and achievements truly characterize him as a Renaissance man.

Impossible is Nothing

Mao's Last Dancer

In 1961, three years of Mao's Great Leap Forward--along with three years of poor harvests--had left rural China suffering terribly from disease and deprivation. Li Cunxin, his parents' sixth son, lived in a small house with twenty of his relatives and, along with the rest of his family, subsisted for years on the verge of starvation. But when he was eleven years old, Madame Mao decided to revive the Peking Dance Academy, and sent her men into the countryside searching for children to attend.

Chosen on the basis of his physique alone, Li Cunxin was taken from his family and sent to the city for rigorous training. What follows is the story of how a small, terrified, lonely boy became one of the greatest ballet dancers in the world. One part Falling Leaves, one part Billy Eliot, Mao's Last Danceris an unforgettable memoir of hope and courage.

The above was taken directly from:

http://www.bookbrowse.com/reviews/index.cfm?book_number=1388

Mao's Last Dancer is a luminous story of the persistence, courage and determination of a young boy. Cunxin, the protagonist, is the sixth child in a family of seven who live in one of the poorest provinces of China. His family had been reduced to eating dried yams which would get stuck in their throats when consumed. His mother and father would work over twelve hours a day to earn a mere 17 cents; a scarce amount to support a family of 9. Though they were poor, Cunxin’s parents always taught him to keep his dignity and pride. When Madame Mao sent her men to the countryside to find people for her academy, Cunxin proved his worth by withstanding the immensely difficult stretching the men made him do. He refused to scream out in pain, even when they tore his hamstrings. Cunxin is accepted into the academy in Beijing, and is overwhelmed by his first experience with city life. For the first few years he feels like a fish out of water, but eventually develops a passion for the art of ballet, and plunges into a frenzy of practicing over 5 times a day. His effort earns him a scholarship to the Houston Academy of Ballet, and Cunxin goes down in history as the first official exchange artist between China and America since 1949. After much political issues, Cunxin settles abroad and discovers the freedom he is offered there is far greater than that of a communist country. He goes on to become one of the most notable performers of ballet in the world. Cunxin’s story truly shows that nothing is impossible if you set your mind to it. His life is a tribute to the fact that you can be world famous even if you are born in the slums. He inspires all of us, through all ages and cultures, to pursue our dreams and shows us that anything is possible if you set your mind to it. Cunxin's story will forever serve as an example to the saying, impossible is nothing

Paper Doors Lead to the Past

Adventure

Adventure hammers on your door,
Enveloped in a cloak of uncertainty,
Dragging you away to an alien land

In The Alchemist, adventure is an underlying theme that the author, Paulo Coelho has displayed throughout the book. Coelho shows that adventure is unexpected, and puts you in alien situations that are often difficult to overcome. However, in the end you will appreciate all the hardships you have experienced because they help you to grow and mature. He shows that what’s waiting at the end isn’t as relevant as the journey itself. This idea transcends throughout time and all cultures. All religions have legends of adventure which teach that effort and persistent are rewarded. There are also many real accounts of how adventure has been beneficial. These tales are evident, from centuries ago, to this day. In The Alchemist, the protagonist, Santiago, is traveling in pursuit of his destiny. Through the extent of his quest, he matures from an ignorant, carefree shepherd boy to a wise, determined alchemist who can serve as god’s vessel. Without the journey, Santiago would not have been able to transform into what he is today. Coelho has shown, as many have before him, that the adventure is more significant than what lies at the end. It’s not about what’s waiting on the other side… It’s the climb.