Damian's version made me revisit Brando's from the 1954 Caesar. Brando had to be more oratorical for the way his scene was shot, and a lot of the subtle rage and black sarcasm is lost. Close of up of Anthony's face, spit flying out of his mouth, the controlled rage, the subtle voice modulation between rage and heartache. I love love the delivery of 'ambition should be made of sterner stuff.' That's how I've always heard this in my head. This would have drove every Roman to rage against the senate. Thank you, Damian. I have chills. And played this on repeat a few times.
Damian Lewis acts and presents Marc Antony as a sensitive man, which he was not. I think (only in my opinion) Charlton Heston's acting - as an ambitious , powerful crowd manipulating Marc Anthony - is more true to the real historic Antony . -
Hartmut Jager They are both interpretations of Shakespeare’s work anyway. So it doesn’t really matter which we think is more historically accurate to how Mark Antony may or may not have been.
@@LouisKing995 True, I was merely referring to different acting interpretations of what we know from ancient historian writers of what Marc Antony might have been. 🙂
Hartmut Jager But also bare in mind, that Heston was delivering the speech in a scene filled with extras. Whereas Lewis is just talking directly to us, so the contexts are totally different. I imagine if Lewis was doing this to a full audience the delivery would change.
I have never heard Shakespeare sound so entirely naturally and, to use a modern descriptor, real. All while absolutely maintaining the original character of the language and diction. This is beyond impressive.
Tbf, it's one of the most modern sounding passages of Shakespeare imo. I could imagine a politician or "well spoken" person saying this in the 21st century.
I had to memorize this and recite it in class 🤦🏾♀️🤦🏾♀️ I memorize the very beginning portion and “But Brutus was an honorable man” That speech did NOT go so well
I'm not 100% sure but I think the Latin word "brutus", from which we get the English word, may have been coined after Caesar's murder. In other words, the connection between the words is no coincidence.
@@drewmandan It is the cognomen or third name of the Junii family,the first to carry the name was Lucius Junius Brutus,an ancestor of the now more famous Brutus. His ancestor founded the republic after removing the tyrant king of Rome.
@@nesossin I think he was referring to the opposite. That the origin for the word "brutish", brutus, was coined after Caesar's murder and made after Brutus the person, which is how a lot of words got their origins.
@@mrmcawesome9746 According to the etymology of the word on Wiktionary it spelled brûtish (flat over the u, but I don't know how to make that) in latin. It was apparently an Oscan loanword, which which had an indo-European root. The word has also changed meaning a bit. In latin it meant "stupid, dull". So it seems as if the word "brutish" does not stem from the Roman name "Brutus".
@Holden Mcgroine No the name Brutus, means brutish. Often Roman cognomen were discriptions of ancestors, so Brutus's ancestor was probably stupid/brutish.
The thing I loved about these little 'solos' is that it really illustrates that with Shakespeare, all you really 'need' are the words, and the will. Stages, costumes, set dressing, it's all optional. If you can see the picture the words paint, and hear the music of the performance, you have everything you need.
I love the repeat of "And Brutus is an honorable man" and how it manages to be slightly different each time. The pure fire in his eyes, and slight snarl as he says it the last time gives me chills. Truly an amazing bit of acting!
It's exactly what happened with me. I didnt know anything really about shakespeare before this, a few months on and me and my best friend try to quote it to each other drunk like damien lewis and David Morriesssy
It's amazing how clearly Shakespeare's genius shines through when his work is properly acted and not just recited by bored high school students who could not care less.
You have a sound point and perhaps high school English teachers should play this clip before kids read Shakespeare so that they can understand that there is real meaning and emotion behind the written words.
I don't disagree with you but I think it's not always just boredom. It's hard to recite this properly, it's even hard to understand it properly the first time. These things need time and often in school you arrive at 8 am, have 10 minutes to prepare, you are put on the spot as an average kid, not a talented actor and your anxiety goes through the roof.
Tears! Damian has such a realism about him that this piece feels natural and not forced or dusty. His sarcasm is on point and the emotion that gradually builds is perfect. I end up teary eyed.
It's indeed one of the most beautiful words written in English language. Marc Anthony made us all part of history in this very moment. He is talking to the Roman people but also to the public... and made us part of the scene.
Appreciable acting. It helped me understand the gist and context in the sense that Antony was giving speech to the public. It can surely be called a demographic speech as Antony indirectly stirred up hostility against the conspirators like Brutus, Cassius, Ligarius, Cinna and what not. As far as I know from the ancient Greek and Roman antiquities Marc Antony in this case proved to be a demagogue to the Roman Republic. This was all because of well association with Julius Caesar himself who was also viewed by the people of Rome as a despotic demagogue, a military tyrant, a benevolent Dictator and what not. But after Caesar's assassination Antony proved to be his only true friend by seeking revenge from the conspirators and avenging the assassination of his own friend. Antony in all ways supported Caesar's actions and was his die-hard loyalist.
@@thatperformer3879 This was recorded back in 2016, The Guardian gathered a bunch of actors and actresses to perform some of Shakespeare's greatest monologues for the 400th anniversary of his death. Many years after Band of Brothers.
Damian Lewis acts and presents Marc Antony as a sensitive man, which he was not. I think (only in my opinion) Charlton Heston's acting - as an ambitious , powerful crowd manipulating Marc Anthony - is more true to the real historic Antony . -
@Michael G Oh, - I need to go out more? - How about YOU checking out the REAL Marc Anthony and the REAL Julius Caesar ! You may discover that - In today's World they would both be condemned - as over-ambitious murdering War-Criminals !
Hartmut Jager um I don’t think you understand that this is completely made up by Shakespeare, and that whilst you are correct that in real life Antony and Caesar were ambitious and cruel, this is fictional. Shakespeare wrote it this way for the theatre.
Leader of Anti-Bennism Well it’s not completely made up. Anthony did speak at Caesar’s funeral, and this was the general gist of it. Just the exact words he used are lost to history.
Honestly, this is the single most compelling and powerful reading I have ever seen of Shakespeare. The small slice of a performance here is astonishing.
But yes. The remarkable point is that the same video was of great help. I am indebted to it as it helped me perform well for my "Character Enactment Activity".
I think it's pretty cool Shakespeare wrote: "I am here at leave of Brutus..." as to imply Marc Anthony needed permission from Brutus to speak at Ceaser's funeral, which would of course have been scandalous to the average Roman, since Marc Anthony was a consul of Rome at the time.
Yes. In fact it was Caesar himself who chose to become a consul and Antony, his co-consul for the year 44 B.C. But, Antony speaking that very line "Here under the leave of Brutus and the rest." has its different context. Caesar was assassinated by a bunch of five to six conspirators who declared "Liberty! Freedom! Tyranny is dead!" William Shakespeare in his play writes that when Antony learnt of Caesar's fate he fled to his home. His servant told the conspirators that he himself would be coming soon. The conspirators as per Shakespeare then pooled their hands and swords and daggers 🗡 with Caesar's blood so as to indicate the legitimacy of their acts by slaughtering a tyrant. Antony then entered the Senate house only to see and mourn at Caesar's corpse. He then asked the conspirators their intention of murdering Caesar. They said that the cause of Caesar's death would be rendered after Brutus gave the speech to the public. When Antony also requested to speak in the pulpit, Brutus granted that permission only to speak after him. Also he put another condition that he would not criticise Brutus during the speech which he was going to deliver.
I'm sorry, but with Caeser dead, there wasn't a soldier in Rome who would talk over Antony. That Centurion might have had the thought, but when the Hero of Alesia spoke, he would listen.
A lot of people compare Lewis with Brando and Heston without considering that the context of this performance and the others is clearly different (Lewis is more intimate and gives the impression of a quiet funeral or a modern press release), and that it's part of the actor's job to find a new angle and a uniqueness to the text and not carbon-copy what others have done. Lewis rhythm here is outstanding, from the emotional and sarcastic crescendo of every "...Brutus is an honorable man", to the vulnerable pausing from "...bear with me.." and onwards. Really powerful stuff.
I don't know if I will ever find this not stunnig. I don't even like "Julius Caesar" that much or at least others of Shakespeares plays more but this... This is wonderful. Just a couple of minutes and a character, a whole story comes to life.
You may not like "Julius Caesar" play by William Shakespeare but yes there are antiquities which support the fact that Caesar really existed. Even that calendar which is almost identical to the Western Calendar also exists in his name-the Julian Calendar. He was actually most popular with the public than any other ancient Roman senators of that age.
@@karthikparameswaran7813 Not sure what you're trying to achieve with that comment since I never questioned that the historical person Caesar existed, but okay? Btw, I'm also well-aware that Caesar was popular with many people although he also was a (repeated) sign of crisis of the Roman Republic and pretty unpopular with parts of the senate bc of that. (And I also was well-aware of these things, same as the existence of the Julian Calender, when I wrote my initial comment *five years ago*, just sayin'.)
@@Hekabeswelt Understood. But actually Caesar was a coup de' grace to the Roman Republic. It was because the soldiers were out of the control of the Roman Republican law but instead were controlled by their generals. That's why that Social War in 85 B.C. exposed some flaws in the Republican system. Caesar also knew it fully but in some ways proved to be a demagogue. When Caesar was to pass the ambitious "Land Reform Bill" in 59 B.C. he painstakingly read the bill sentence by sentence and asked that whether or not anybody had doubts. Cato, a prominent politician rose up only to filibuster Caesar's Bill. When Caesar ordered his arrest the other senators began to call him a "Tyrant". But Pompey and Crassus, a billionaire in Rome supported Caesar's Bill paving way to bypass the Senate. After having invited his co-consul Bibulus for an important voting decision Caesar, in the public assembly was about to read the bill when he saw the majority of the people dragging down his co-consul, thrashing him and throwing a bucket 🪣 of excrement on Bibulus. Caesar learnt that Bibulus vetoed his bill and that he couldn't hear it.
The thing I love about this speech is that it starts out as if Antony would betray Caesar's memory, but in the end it's quite clear that he's showing his loyalty to Caesar and his memory, with sarcasm toward Brutus and the senate, and by remembering Caesar's virtues.
I agree with the some of the comments listed below, absolutely brilliant. I knew before that this speech is Anthony's way of showing his anger to those that murdered Cesar, but THIS was the first time I GOT IT, SAW IT, FELT IT. Bravo, BRILLIANT
To the channel owners, Guardian Culture: You need a minimum of three _more_ seconds of silence (than you currently have) after his last word is spoken and before playing the snippet of another actor delivering another great monologue.
The beauty of that delivery! I was literally in tears watching this. I've never seen it done with so many layers, such depth of emotion. He portrayed the desperation, the mourning, ironic polity, even a touch of scorn. All while giving an audience that sees no more of the play than this, the feeling of menace and precarious position that the character is speaking under.
