Brutus's Orchard

Scene summary

In the early hours of the Ides, Brutus, who has not slept since Cassius worked on him, orders his servant Lucius to light a candle and, alone, concludes that Caesar must die. He has no personal grievance against him and has never seen him let emotion overrule reason, but he fears that the crown will change him, as it changes anyone who rises, and he asks that he be thought of as a serpent's egg, which must be killed while still in the shell. Lucius brings an anonymous letter found at the window, calling Brutus to wake and act, and Brutus promises Rome that he will do what it asks.

Cassius arrives with the conspirators, their faces hidden: Trebonius, Decius, Casca, Cinna, and Metellus Cimber. Brutus refuses the oath, saying honorable men need no promise, rejects Cicero, who would never follow what others begin, and prevents Antony from being killed along with Caesar: they want to be sacrificers, not butchers, and Antony can do nothing without Caesar's head. They agree that Decius, who knows how to bend Caesar through flattery, will lead him to the Capitol, and Metellus recalls Ligarius, who resents Caesar. Brutus asks his friends to hide the plan behind cheerful faces, like Roman actors.

Alone, Brutus is approached by Portia, who complains of his coldness in recent days and, on her knees, demands to know the secret in the name of their marriage, relying on her descent from Cato and on the wound she has made in her thigh. Brutus promises to tell her. Caius Ligarius arrives, sick: on learning that Brutus has in hand a deed of honor, he sets aside his illness and follows him without knowing what will be done.