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Plays › The Tragedy of Julius Caesar › Act 5, Scene 2

The Tragedy of Julius Caesar

Act V, Scene II — The field of battle

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Alarum. Enter Brutus and Messala.

Marcus Brutus

Ride, ride, Messala, ride, and give these bills

Unto the legions on the other side:

Loud alarum.

Let them set on at once; for I perceive

But cold demeanour in Octavius' wing,

And sudden push gives them the overthrow.

Ride, ride, Messala: let them all come down.

Exeunt.

Modern translation & notes

In plain English

Ride quickly, Messala, and deliver these orders to the legions on the other flank. Tell them to attack immediately—I can see Octavius's forces are hesitant, and a sudden charge will defeat them. Hurry, Messala, bring all our forces down upon them!

What’s happening

Brutus has just taken a deeply emotional farewell of Cassius, believing they may never meet again. Now he snaps into military command mode, seizing a tactical opportunity he's spotted on the battlefield. This is the last coherent strategic decision Brutus will make before everything unravels. The urgency is genuine—he sees a weakness and knows the battle's outcome hangs in the balance.

Worth knowing

"Bills" here means written military orders or dispatches, not invoices. The word derives from medieval Latin 'bulla' (sealed document). In Shakespeare's source, Plutarch describes Brutus sending orders to his legions, though the specific tactical detail about Octavius's wing appears to be Shakespeare's invention.

Playing the moment

The repetition of 'Ride, ride, Messala, ride' demands escalating urgency—each iteration should build in intensity. Many actors deliver this with a voice breaking slightly from the preceding farewell scene, military command clashing with residual emotion. The tactical observation (lines 2411-2413) should shift to a sharper, more focused register—a general who sees his opening. The final 'Let them all come down' is typically played with decisive finality, sometimes with a sweeping physical gesture toward the battlefield. Some productions have Messala already mounted or departing, with Brutus calling after him.

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