Shakespeare (II) - Brutus instead of Julius Caesar

“BRUTUS No, not an oath. If not the face of men,

The sufferance of our souls, the time’s abuse,

If these be motives weak, break off betimes,

And every man hence to his idle bed;

So let high-sighted tyranny range on

Till each man drop by lottery. But if these,

As I amsure they do, bear fire enough

To kindle cowards and to steel with valour

The melting spirits of women, then,

countrymen,

What need we any spur but our own cause

To prick us to redress? What other bond

Than secret Romans that have spoke the word

And will not palter? And what other oath

Than honesty to honesty engag´d

That this shall be or we will fall for it?

Swear priests and cowards and men cautelous,

Old feeble carrions and such suffering souls

That welcome wrongs; unto bad causes swear

Such creatures as men doubt; but do not stain

The even virtue of our enterprise,

Nor the insuppressive mettle of our spirits,

To think that or our cause or our performance

Did need an oath; when every drop of blood

That every Roman bears, and nobly bears,

Is guilty of a several bastardy

If he do break the smallest particle

Of any promise that hath pass’d from him.

(…)

DECIUS Shall no man else be touch’d but only Caesar?

CASSIUS Decius, well urged. I think it is not meet

Mark Antony, so well beloved of Caesar,

Should outlive Caesar. We shall find of him

A shrewd contriver; and you know his means,

If he improve them, may well stretch so far

As to annoy us all, which to prevent,

Let Antony and Caesar fall together.

BRUTUS Our course will seem too bloody, Caius

Cassius,

To cut the head off and then hack the limbs

Like wrath in death and envy afterwards;

For Antony is but a limb of Caesar.

Let´s be sacrificers, but not butchers, Caius.

We all stand up against the spirit of Caesar,

And in the spirit of men there is no blood.

O, that we then could come by Caesar’s spirit,

And not dismember Caesar! But, alas,

Caesar must bleed for it! And, gentle friends,

Let’s kill him boldly, but not wrathfully;

Let’s carve him as a dish fit for the gods,

Not hew him as a carcass fit for hounds;

And let our hearts, as subtle masters do,

Stir up their servants to an act of rage

And after seem to chide ‘em. This shall make

Our purpose necessary and not envious;

Which so appearing to the common eyes,

We shall be call’d purgers, not murderers.

And for Mark Antony, think not of him;

For he can do no more than Caesar’s arm

When Caesar’s head is off”.

SHAKESPEARE, W. Julius Caesar, act II scene I.

Shouldn’t be titled this work Brutus instead of Julius Caesar?