As if he mock'd himself and scorn'd his spirit
That could be moved to smile at anything. William Shakespeare – Julius Caesar Act 1 Scene 2
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While for many people it might be true that
Cassius' smile, paradoxically, only reveals that deep inside he despises and mocks the very notion that someone, including himself, could ever be inspired to grin.
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Caesar doesn’t trust Cassius because he is very thin
(a symbol for his cunning and tricky personality);
he wishes he were fat, lazy, and content
– and therefore not a threat to the throne.
Not that Caesar’s actually afraid; he’s in charge after all. It’s just he’d feel better if Cassius looked more like this:
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Speech Background: Caesar voices his suspicions about Cassius to Marc Antony, believing him untrustworthy for a variety of reasons:
- he is skinny
- he reads and observes
- he knows secret motives
- he dislikes music and theater
- he smiles not often
Yet, Caesar is also quick to remind Antony that Caesar is afraid of no one. Rather, Caesar tells his followers of whom they should be afraid.
And not dismember Caesar! William Shakespeare – Julius Caesar Act 2 Scene 1
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Were it that we could capture Caesar’s spirit without killing him physically!
Let's kill him boldly, but not wrathfully; William Shakespeare – Julius Caesar Act 2 Scene 1
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Let’s act as gentlemen with this murder. Though it is a bold undertaking, we should not make a bloody mess born from rage but rather kill him with honor.
Of course, the irony is that there is little ‘gentle’ or honorable about stabbing someone to death 23 times.
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Praying to the entire pantheon of Roman gods, we ask the following question.
But in ourselves, that we are underlings William Shakespeare – Julius Caesar Act 1 Scene 2
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It is not Fate that makes Cassius or Brutus an underling, that is, a subordinate, a person of lesser rank or authority, but rather their own weakness.
Cassius mentions “stars” in reference to Roman astrology and related concepts of fate and destiny.
More on Hellenistic astrology.
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This is a deeper thirst of the soul that, ironically, “Swimming Pools” of alcohol will never quench. Rather, Kendrick needs the baptismal pool to cleanse his soul from sin.
As St. Paul details in verses 3-4 of Romans 6, the baptismal waters represent, when one is plunged beneath them, identification with Jesus in his crucifixion, death to sin, and a subsequent resurrection into life with Christ.
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What is this?
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The sacrifice should be fit as a meal for the gods, religious in nature and without excessive violence.
It is a simile