Mark Antony (Latin: M. ANTONIVS ¡¤ M. F. M. N, born in Rome on January 14, 83 BC, died on August 1, 30 BC) was an ancient Roman statesman and strategist. He was one of Caesar's most important army commanders and administrators. After Caesar's assassination, he formed the Late Triple Alliance with Octavian and Lepida. The Triple Alliance split after 33 BC, and Mark Antony committed suicide with Queen Cleopatra VII of Egypt 30 BC.

Comments: The speech at Caesar's funeral was impressive. Click on the next page for the full translation of "Caesar's Funeral Speech [Anthony]".

Speech at Caesar's Funeral [Anthony]

Friends, Romans, compatriots, listen to me; I have come to bury Caesar, not to praise him. People who do evil things are inevitably cursed after death, but the good things they do are often buried with their bones; let Caesar do the same. The noble Brutus has told you that Caesar was ambitious; if such a thing were to happen, it would have been a great mistake, and Caesar would have paid a cruel price for it. Now I have the permission of Brutus and his comrades-for Brutus was a gentleman, and they are all gentlemen-to come here and say a few words at Caesar's funeral. He was my friend, and he was so loyal and fair to me; yet Brutus said he was ambitious, and Brutus was a gentleman. He once returned to Rome with many prisoners, whose ransoms enriched the public treasury; could this be said to be the act of an ambitious person? When the poor cried, Caesar shed tears for them; ambitious people should not be so kind. However, Brutus said he was ambitious and Brutus was a gentleman. You all saw that on Lubeck Day I offered him a crown three times, and he refused it three times; is this ambition? However, Brutus said that he was ambitious, and Brutus was indeed a gentleman. I am not trying to refute what Brutus said, I am only saying the facts as I know them. You have all loved him in the past, and it was not without reason; so what reason prevents you from mourning him now? Alas, rationality! You have disappeared into the hearts of beasts, and people have lost the ability to distinguish right from wrong. Forgive me; my heart is now with Caesar in his coffin, and I must pause for a moment until it returns to my own chest.

Just yesterday, one word from Caesar could withstand the whole world; now he lies there, and no humble man salutes him. Ah, gentlemen! If I intended to stir your hearts and cause a rebellion, I would let Brutus down and Cassius down; you all know they are all upright men. I don't want to do anything that lets them down; I would rather let down the dead, myself, and you, than let down these upright people. But here is a parchment with Caesar's seal on it; it is a will I found in his bedroom. As soon as the people hear the words of this will-forgive me, I don't want to read it now-they will kiss the wound on Caesar's body, dip a handkerchief in his sacred blood, and beg for a hair of his hair to go back as a memorial, which will be solemnly mentioned in their will when they die, as a valuable legacy to their heirs.

If you have any tears, prepare to shed them now. You all know this coat; I remember Caesar wearing it for the first time on a summer evening, in his camp, on the day he conquered the Navi. Look! Cassius' knife passed through this place; look how deep a rift was cut by the cruel Cesca; from here Brutus, whom he loved so much, stabbed in, and when he drew out his wicked weapon, see how Caesar's blood gurgled and gurgled with it, as if eager to rush outside, to know if it was Brutus' ruthless hand; for you know that Brutus is an angel in Caesar's mind. Judge, O God, how much Caesar loved him! This was the most merciless blow, because when the noble Caesar saw him assassinate, he was disheartened, and this sword, sharper than the weapon of the traitor, was pierced into his heart, and then his great heart was shattered; his face was covered by his coat, and his blood kept flowing, and under the pedestal of Pompeii, the great Caesar fell. Ah! What a stunning fall it was, my fellow citizens; I, you, we all fell with him, and cruel rebellion flashed its might on our heads. Ah! Now you shed tears, and I see that you have discovered it; these are sincere tears. Good people, what! Did you cry when you only saw the scars on our Caesar's clothes? Look here, this is himself, you see, hurting the traitors like this.

Good friends, dear friends, don't let me stir you up with such a frozen rage. The people who did this were all decent men; alas! I don't know what private grudges they had that caused them to do this, but they are all intelligent and honest, and must have reasons to answer you. Friends, I have not come to steal your hearts; I am not an eloquent man like Brutus; you all know that I am nothing more than an honest man who loves my friend; they know that too, and that's why I am allowed to speak a few words publicly on his behalf. For I have neither wisdom, nor eloquence, nor skill, nor do I stir the blood of men with deeds or words; I speak only as my heart thinks; I only remind you of what you already know, and show you the wounds of dear Caesar, the poor, poor wordless mouths, and let them speak for me. But if I were Brutus, and Brutus were Antony, then that Antony would have stirred your anger, and made a tongue grow out of every wound of Caesar, and even the stones of Rome would have been greatly moved to rise up and fight against the traitors.