![]() So he deliberately misinterprets the dream. Decius is a quick thinker, and he knows he's got to get Caesar to the Capitol to kill him.He confides in Decius that Calphurnia had a dream in which Caesar's statue poured blood from a hundred spouts, like a fountain, and that happy Romans surrounded the statue bathing their hands in the blood.Still, Caesar says, because he loves Decius, he'll tell him the real reason he's staying home. Caesar tells Decius to just tell the Senate he won't come-they don't deserve any more of an explanation than that.Caesar points out that he's conquered nations and is not worried about some old senators knowing why he had to stay home. Caesar tells him he won't be going, and Calphurnia adds that Decius should tell the Senate that Caesar is sick. ![]() It's about morning now, and Decius shows up as promised to take Caesar to the Capitol.He decides to humor her and have Antony cover for him with some excuse about feeling ill. He doesn't agree until she's gotten down on her knees. If anyone asks, he can say it's his wife that kept him home so he won't look like a coward for not showing up at the Capitol. Calphurnia pleads with Caesar to stay home.He then claims he's more dangerous than danger itself (very Johnny Bravo). Caesar then gets word that the sacrifice didn't go so well: the beast they killed didn't have a heart! Caesar-maybe arrogant, maybe brave-takes this to mean that he would have no heart (or courage) if he stayed home today.Here he delivers the famous line, "Cowards die many times before their deaths the Valiant never taste of death, but once." He sees no reason to fear death, since death comes to everyone in the end. Caesar points out that the gods will get their way, no matter what he does.Plus, she's dreamt of the Capitol covered in blood. She's not a superstitious lady, but she's seen lions walking around, the dead rising from their graves, and warriors in the sky. Still, Calphurnia is pretty dead-set against Caesar leaving.He claims that danger can't look him in the eye. The now-awake Calphurnia approaches Caesar and demands that he not leave the house that day.Caesar tells a servant to order the priests to make a sacrifice and see if they can rustle up a good omen.His wife Calphurnia has cried out "Help, ho! They murder Caesar" three times in her sleep, which he's taken as a bad sign. Caesar's also up late, pacing around in his nightgown, with lightning and thunder as the backdrop.
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