Julius Caesar: Duet Performance Assessment

My partner, Alara and I have chosen to perform a duet from Act 2 Scene 2 Lines 58-107 in the play Julius Ceasar by William Shakespear.

Copy of Passage:

DECIUS BRUTUS

Caesar, all hail! good morrow, worthy Caesar:
I come to fetch you to the senate-house.

CAESAR

And you are come in very happy time,
To bear my greeting to the senators
And tell them that I will not come to-day:
Cannot, is false, and that I dare not, falser:
I will not come to-day: tell them so, Decius.

CALPURNIA

Say he is sick.

CAESAR

Shall Caesar send a lie?
Have I in conquest stretch'd mine arm so far,
To be afraid to tell graybeards the truth?
Decius, go tell them Caesar will not come.

DECIUS BRUTUS

Most mighty Caesar, let me know some cause,
Lest I be laugh'd at when I tell them so.

CAESAR

The cause is in my will: I will not come;
That is enough to satisfy the senate.
But for your private satisfaction,
Because I love you, I will let you know:
Calpurnia here, my wife, stays me at home:
She dreamt to-night she saw my statue,
Which, like a fountain with an hundred spouts,
Did run pure blood: and many lusty Romans
Came smiling, and did bathe their hands in it:
And these does she apply for warnings, and portents,
And evils imminent; and on her knee
Hath begg'd that I will stay at home to-day.

DECIUS BRUTUS

This dream is all amiss interpreted;
It was a vision fair and fortunate:
Your statue spouting blood in many pipes,
In which so many smiling Romans bathed,
Signifies that from you great Rome shall suck
Reviving blood, and that great men shall press
For tinctures, stains, relics and cognizance.
This by Calpurnia's dream is signified.

CAESAR

And this way have you well expounded it.

DECIUS BRUTUS

I have, when you have heard what I can say:
And know it now: the senate have concluded
To give this day a crown to mighty Caesar.
If you shall send them word you will not come,
Their minds may change. Besides, it were a mock
Apt to be render'd, for some one to say
'Break up the senate till another time,
When Caesar's wife shall meet with better dreams.'
If Caesar hide himself, shall they not whisper
'Lo, Caesar is afraid'?
Pardon me, Caesar; for my dear dear love
To our proceeding bids me tell you this;
And reason to my love is liable.

CAESAR

How foolish do your fears seem now, Calpurnia!
I am ashamed I did yield to them.
Give me my robe, for I will go.

Context:
Ceasar decides not to attend to the Capitol and remain at home with his wife,Calpurnia, moments later Decius as one of the conspirators was responsible of bringing him to the capitol and is able to completely change Ceasar’s mind through flattery.

Meaning and Significance of Passage:
This passage was included by William Shakespeare for the characterization of Ceasar and also to express Caesar’s image as a public figure, and in his private life. It’s shown that Calpurnia is the main priority in his private life, and thus, when she sees a bad omen, Caesar gets frightened and considers the bad omens where internally he grows a conflict of apprehension whether these omens were relating to reality. The significance of Calpurnia’s dream is to create an imagery of the scenario that is to happen and foreshadow his death caused by the conspirators. This passages also to characterizes Caesar as gullible, as he immediately switched between the two interpretations after being flattered by Decius Brutus that this dream was a good omen, as publicly, Caesar would not like to be represented as superstitious but however wants to take in Decius’ words to come off with his hubris.