Scene 5.3
Scene 5.3 – Another part of the field
Cassius’
army is losing to Mark Antony’s army. Titinius regrets that Brutus gave the
order to start too soon for Cassius’ army. Pindarus, Cassius’ slave, enters
to tell Cassius that Antony’s army overruns his camp. Cassius tells Titinius
to see if an approaching army is friend or foe. Cassius asks Pindarus to tell
him what is happening because he has better eyes than Cassius. Pindarus fools
him into thinking that Antony’s army has captured Titinius. Cassius calls
himself a coward for sending Titinius to his death and orders Pindarus to stab
him, and he does. Pindarus is now a free man, and to avoid capture, he runs far
away.
Titinius
enters with Messala to share with Cassius to news that Brutus has defeated
Octavius. Pindarus gave Cassius a false report that Titinius was surrounded
killed by a group of Antony’s soldiers; they were actually a group of soldiers
from Brutus’ army that gathered around Titinius to celebrate Brutus’ victory
over Octavius. When they find Cassius dead on the ground, Titinius declares that
they have lost the battle, even in light of Brutus’ victory, because Cassius
is dead. Messala says that he will go tell Brutus of this news, which he fears
might very will kill Brutus to hear.
Titinius, now
alone with Cassius’ body, asks in vain why Cassius misunderstood what happened
when he met up with their friends. Titinius seeks to honor Cassius by stabbing
himself with the same knife that killed Cassius. Brutus, Messala and others
enter on the scene. Brutus blames their unfortunate deaths on the power of
Caesar’s ghost to force them to use their swords on themselves. Brutus
expresses his sorrow and promises more, but he knows that for now he must move
on because the battle is only half over.
