More Brutus/Cassius stuff
Joy of joys - reading a book of essays on Julius Caesar today, I came across one which actually thinks Brutus and Cassius are really slashy! (Not that he puts it like that, of course ;) ). Appropriate passages behind the cut.
The particular essay is called "The crisis of the aristocracy in Julius Caesar", by Wayne Rebhorn; he starts by wittering on about various stuff concerning Brutus and his emulation of Julius Caesar, etc, etc, then, and I quote
" Despite their professed Stoic attitudes, Shakespeare's Romans are distinctly passionate beings, especially in their commitments to one another; they are bound by ties of fraternal love that are at once both political and personal...Note that with practically his first words in the second scene of the play, Cassius complains that he has lost some of Brutus' affection, and although the soliloquy at the end of that scene reveals that Cassius is cunningly manipulating Brutus in order to bring him into the conspiracy, the soliloquy identifies his treatment of Brutus as a seduction, a word that, albeit meant primarily as a metaphor here, retains a strong suggestion of passionate, if not sexual, involvement. [My italics.] Passionate love is also the key to the quarrel that breaks out between Brutus and Cassius in the fourth act of the play...the vehemence of the insults traded points directly to deep feelings of personal betrayal. These feelings emerge directly when Cassius blurts out "You love me not"...and with bowls of wine they finally make a lovers pledge [Yup. My italics again.] "
In this chap's recommended reading at the end of the essay he mentions an essay entitled "Lovers in peace", Brutus and Cassius: A re-examination, by John Roland Dove and Peter Gamble, which I am going to hunt down, and will post either a link or the essay when I have found it. It's great to have a pairing which the academics agree with ;).
And also, I have to mention, re-reading J. C. I came across a couple of lines which my twisted mind completely re-interpreted. Everyone's left the tent after the argument scene, and Brutus calls Claudius and Varro to sleep in his tent.
Varro: So please you, we will stand and watch your pleasure. [My interpretation: Um...I think my interpretation should be quite obvious.]
Brutus: I will not have it so, lie down, good sirs. [My interpretation: Sorry, lads, not up to it tonight; just lie down and I'll watch you getting it on.]
But that's just my mind...
And I've also noticed; just before the argument scene, when Brutus is chatting to...Messala I think, and says "Thou hast described a hot friend cooling"; if you, for instance, spill Tippex or something on it, it becomes "Thou hast described a hot friend."
End of ramble.