Julius Caesar — Act 2, Scene 3
original text and modern English, side by side
A street near the Capitol · Artemidorus
Artemidorus, a teacher who has learned of the plot, stands in a street near the Capitol reading over a warning letter that names every conspirator — Brutus, Cassius, Casca, Cinna, Trebonius, Metellus Cimber, Decius Brutus and Caius Ligarius. He plans to press it on Caesar as he passes, like an ordinary petitioner. The short scene sharpens the suspense: Caesar's life now depends on whether he bothers to read one piece of paper.
Enter Artemidorus, reading a paper.
Artemidorus
_“Caesar, beware of Brutus;
"Caesar, watch out for Brutus.
take heed of Cassius;
Be careful of Cassius.
come not near Casca;
Don't go near Casca.
have an eye to Cinna;
Keep an eye on Cinna.
trust not Trebonius;
Don't trust Trebonius.
mark well Metellus Cimber;
Study Metellus Cimber closely.
Decius Brutus loves thee not; thou hast wrong’d Caius Ligarius.
Decius Brutus is no friend of yours, and you have wronged Caius Ligarius.
There
is but one mind in all these men, and it is bent against Caesar.
These men are all of one mind, and that mind is set against you.
If
thou be’st not immortal, look about you:
Unless you're immortal, look around you:
security gives way to
conspiracy.
feeling safe is what opens the door to conspiracy.
The mighty gods defend thee!
May the great gods protect you.
Thy lover, Artemidorus.”_
Your friend, Artemidorus."
Here will I stand till Caesar pass along, And
as a suitor will I give him this.
I'll wait here until Caesar comes by, and hand him this as though I were a petitioner.
My heart laments that virtue cannot
live Out of the teeth of emulation.
It breaks my heart that a good man can't live free of envy's bite.
If thou read this, O Caesar, thou
mayest live;
Caesar, if you read this, you may live.
If not, the Fates with traitors do contrive.
If not, fate is working with the traitors.
Exit.
Julius Caesar Act 2, Scene 3 summary
Artemidorus, a teacher who has learned of the plot, stands in a street near the Capitol reading over a warning letter that names every conspirator — Brutus, Cassius, Casca, Cinna, Trebonius, Metellus Cimber, Decius Brutus and Caius Ligarius. He plans to press it on Caesar as he passes, like an ordinary petitioner. The short scene sharpens the suspense: Caesar's life now depends on whether he bothers to read one piece of paper.
Who appears in this scene
Artemidorus — A street near the Capitol.
Famous lines in Julius Caesar Act 2, Scene 3, explained
- “If thou read this, O Caesar, thou / mayest live; If not, the Fates with traitors do contrive.” (line 9)
- Artemidorus lays out the scene's whole tension in a couplet: reading the letter saves Caesar, ignoring it kills him. The word "contrive" means to plot, so he pictures the Fates and the conspirators as co-conspirators — destiny working alongside human scheming rather than instead of it. This is the play's recurring question about whether Caesar's death is fated or chosen, and in 3.1 Caesar himself makes the choice, brushing the letter aside because it concerns him personally and he insists his own business comes last.
Keep reading
- Act 2, Scene 2 — modern English translation
- Act 2, Scene 4 — modern English translation
- All Julius Caesar scenes
About this translation: the original text follows the public-domain Project Gutenberg Globe edition; the modern English translation was written in-house for Polytranslator and is reviewed on an ongoing basis (last revised August 2026). Free to print and photocopy for classroom use. Cite as: “Julius Caesar, Act 2, Scene 3. Polytranslator side-by-side translation, polytranslator.com/shakespeare/julius-caesar/act-2-scene-3.”
Studying the language itself? Our Shakespearean English course teaches thou/thee, the verbs, and the meter — free through Unit 2. Or try the Shakespearean English translator.
Free side-by-side translation — polytranslator.com/shakespeare/julius-caesar/act-2-scene-3