Julius Caesar — Act 3, Scene 3
original text and modern English, side by side
The same. A street · Cinna, First Citizen, Second Citizen, Third Citizen, Fourth Citizen
Cinna the poet, uneasy after dreaming he dined with Caesar, is stopped in the street by the rioting crowd. They interrogate him in a mock-legal routine — name, destination, address, marital status — until he gives his name, which happens to match one of the conspirators. When he protests that he is Cinna the poet, not Cinna the conspirator, they decide to tear him apart anyway for his bad poetry, then run off to burn the houses of Brutus, Cassius, Decius, Casca and Ligarius.
Enter Cinna, the poet, and after him the citizens.
Cinna
I dreamt tonight that I did feast with Caesar,
And things unluckily charge my fantasy.
Last night I dreamed I was at a banquet with Caesar, and grim thoughts have been weighing on my imagination ever since.
I have no will to wander forth of doors,
Yet something leads me forth.
I have no wish to go outside, but something is pulling me out.
First Citizen
What is your name?
What's your name?
Second Citizen
Whither are you going?
Where are you going?
Third Citizen
Where do you dwell?
Where do you live?
Fourth Citizen
Are you a married man or a bachelor?
Are you married or single?
Second Citizen
Answer every man directly.
Answer everyone straight.
First Citizen
Ay, and briefly.
Yes, and keep it short.
Fourth Citizen
Ay, and wisely.
Yes, and be smart about it.
Third Citizen
Ay, and truly, you were best.
Yes, and be honest — you'd better be.
Cinna
What is my name? Whither am I going? Where do I dwell? Am I a married
man or a bachelor?
What's my name, where am I going, where do I live, am I married or single?
Then, to answer every man directly and briefly,
wisely and truly. Wisely I say I am a bachelor.
Well then, to answer everyone straight and short, smartly and honestly: smartly, I say I'm single.
Second Citizen
That’s as much as to say they are fools that marry;
That's as good as calling married men fools.
you’ll bear me a
bang for that, I fear.
I think you're going to get a smack for that.
Proceed, directly.
Carry on — straight.
Cinna
Directly, I am going to Caesar’s funeral.
Straight, then: I'm going to Caesar's funeral.
First Citizen
As a friend, or an enemy?
As a friend or an enemy?
Cinna
As a friend.
As a friend.
Second Citizen
That matter is answered directly.
That one's answered straight.
Fourth Citizen
For your dwelling, briefly.
Now your address — short.
Cinna
Briefly, I dwell by the Capitol.
Short, then: I live near the Capitol.
Third Citizen
Your name, sir, truly.
Your name, sir — honestly.
Cinna
Truly, my name is Cinna.
Honestly, my name is Cinna.
First Citizen
Tear him to pieces!
Rip him apart!
He’s a conspirator.
He's one of the conspirators.
Cinna
I am Cinna the poet,
I'm Cinna the poet!
I am Cinna the poet.
I'm Cinna the poet!
Fourth Citizen
Tear him for his bad verses,
Then rip him apart for his terrible poetry.
tear him for his bad verses.
Rip him apart for his terrible poetry.
Cinna
I am not Cinna the conspirator.
I'm not Cinna the conspirator.
Fourth Citizen
It is no matter,
Doesn't matter.
his name’s Cinna;
His name is Cinna.
pluck but his name out of his heart,
and turn him going.
Just cut the name out of his heart and send him on his way.
Third Citizen
Tear him, tear him!
Rip him apart, rip him apart!
Come; brands, ho! firebrands.
Come on — torches, get torches!
To Brutus’, to
Cassius’; burn all.
To Brutus's house, to Cassius's, burn them all.
Some to Decius’ house, and some to Casca’s, some to
Ligarius’.
Some of you to Decius's house, some to Casca's, some to Ligarius's.
Away, go!
Go on, move!
Exeunt.
Julius Caesar Act 3, Scene 3 summary
Cinna the poet, uneasy after dreaming he dined with Caesar, is stopped in the street by the rioting crowd. They interrogate him in a mock-legal routine — name, destination, address, marital status — until he gives his name, which happens to match one of the conspirators. When he protests that he is Cinna the poet, not Cinna the conspirator, they decide to tear him apart anyway for his bad poetry, then run off to burn the houses of Brutus, Cassius, Decius, Casca and Ligarius.
Who appears in this scene
Cinna, First Citizen, Second Citizen, Third Citizen, Fourth Citizen — The same. A street.
Famous lines in Julius Caesar Act 3, Scene 3, explained
- “I am Cinna the poet, I am Cinna the poet.” (line 27)
- An innocent man is killed for having the wrong name, and his desperate correction only supplies the crowd with a new excuse — they will tear him apart for his verses instead. The scene is short and almost comic in its logic, which is exactly what makes it frightening: the mob does not care about guilt, only about the pleasure of having someone to destroy. Shakespeare places it immediately after Antony's speech to show what the rhetoric actually produced, and it turns Antony's triumph into a warning.
Keep reading
- Act 3, Scene 2 — modern English translation
- Act 4, Scene 1 — 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 3, Scene 3. Polytranslator side-by-side translation, polytranslator.com/shakespeare/julius-caesar/act-3-scene-3.”
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