in Caesar and Pompey (The Wars of Caesar and Pompey) — Chapman, George
Metadata
Play
Caesar and Pompey (The Wars of Caesar and Pompey)
Author
Chapman, George
Year (catalogued)
1631
First performance
1605
Decade
1630s
Genre
Tragedy
Play type
Adult Professional (?); Unacted (?)
Company
Unacted (?)
Speech prefix(es)
Ath. | Athen.
Words
273
Characters
1494
Typicality
0.41 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP id
A18425
BritDrama no.
1499
Cluster
Cluster 10 — Mourners, mothers & doleful voices
Important excerpts
No keyword-matching excerpt could be extracted (the cluster label doesn't share vocabulary with this character's speech).
Full speech
From whence presage you this? No: Would you only ask life, he would think His own life given more strength in giving yours But Statilius Death is not free for any men election, Till nature, or the law, impose it on him. By death must they enlarge their lives? A man's not bound to that. They are. Then wherefore is there law for death? Suppose. Not to destroy it. The body lives not When death hath rest it. It shall not join with her again. In reason shall it? Hold you our bodies shall revive, resuming Our souls again to heaven? Your happy exposition of that place (Whose sacred depth I never herd so sounded) E cts glad grant from m you hold a truth. The gods wills secret are, nor must we measure Their chaste-reserved deeps by our dry shallows. Suffices us, we are entirely such As betwixt them and our consciences we know Their graces, in our virtues, shall present Unspotted with the earth; to'th high throne That overlooks us: for this giant world Let's not contend with it, when heaven it self Fails to reform it: why should we affect The least hand over it, in that ambition? A heap 'tis of digested villainy; Virtue in labour with eternal Chaos Pressed to a living death, and racked beneath it. Her throws unpitied; every worthy man Limb by limb sawn out of her virgin womb, To live here peecemeall tortured, fly life then; Your life and death made presidents for men. Exit. Come; let him go, Statilius ; and your fright; This man hath inward guard, passed your young sighed. Exeunt
Plot summary
Plot — Caesar and Pompey (The Wars of Caesar and Pompey)
The armies of Caesar and Pompey are both dangerously close to Italy: Pompey’s has been summoned by the Senate, fearful of Caesar’s ambition, and this provoked Caesar to bring up his own forces. The Senate meets to discuss the issue. Caesar’s agents unsuccessfully try to keep out his incorruptible enemy, Cato. Caesar arranges for a motion to be put to allow Pompey’s army to enter Italy, as a pretext to allow his to do the same; but this meets with the opposition of Cato. A quarrel erupts between Caesar and Pompey, and the Senate orders Caesar to disband his army, whilst requiring Pompey to mobilize in defence of the state. Civil war ensues. Fearing that the war will put a stop to his long criminal career, Fronto tries to hang himself. The devil Ophioneus prevents him and offers him a senior position in the priesthood in return for his service. Fronto declines ecclesiastical preferment, but is content to accept a more secular office. Pompey flees Rome to avoid an early battle. His ally Vibius is taken prisoner after a daring exploit goes wrong; Caesar salutes his bravery and sends him back to Pompey with an offer of peace. Pompey’s troops are gathering: Brutus joins him, despite bearing him a grudge, and so do the kings of five of Rome’s satellite states. Meanwhile the convergence of Caesar’s forces is hindered by Pompey’s navy, until it is dispersed by a tempest. Vibius brings Caesar’s offer of peace, but Brutus persuades Pompey that it must be a trap. Pompey prepares for his last stand at Pharsalus, but his men are uncertain: all omens point to Caesar’s victory. The portents are fulfilled: Pompey is routed in the battle. He flees in disguise to join his wife, who initially doesn’t recognize him; he reveals himself only after he has made sure of her stoic acceptance of the defeat. He is murdered by agents of the King of Egypt. Brutus surrenders to Caesar, who hastens to rendezvous with Cato, but Cato decides to kill himself rather than submit to tyranny. His household tries to stop him by hiding his sword, but he insists, and disembowels himself before Caesar arrives. Caesar is disgusted when Pompey’s assassins present him with his enemy’s head, and he orders them tortured. He also has a fine tomb built for Cato.