STAGE AND SCREEN



Why did Shakespeare make Julius Caesar's last words the Latin 'Et tu, Brute?' when Suetonius tells us they were the Greek 'Kai su, teknon?' (You too, my son?)? Plutarch, on the other hand, says that Caesar died in silence, pulling his toga over his head. THE answer is simple. The ancient historians such as Suetonius and Plutarch were as much in the entertainment business as the great playwright. Phrases like Suetonius's 'Kai su, teknon' and Plutarch's dramatic descriptions, were as much for the enjoyment of the reader/listener as for the true recording of fact. Shakespeare simply used the line 'Et tu Brute' because it suited his dramatic purpose, just as Plutarch and Suetonius had used what suited them. Personally, I suspect Julius Caesar's last words were 'aaaaaaaaaaah'. Jonathan Munn, Whitchurch, Cardiff. I THINK it's generally accepted that Caesar's dying words were the Greek 'Kai su, teknon'. Romans of his class moved easily between Latin and Greek. But it's important to recognise that he was not asking 'You too, my son?' The words 'Kai su' - found in Greek comedy and on mosaics - mean 'Screw you!' and the 'teknon' ('kid') just makes it fiercer. Greg Rowe, The Queen's College, Oxford. I MUST point out that Shakespeare does not make Caesar's last words 'Et tu, Brute?' Shakespeare gives him another three words after the famous quotation: 'Then fall Caesar!' Eric Standidge, London SE10. As we all know, the old Greek language doesn't have anything to do with a modern Greek language and no Greeks can understand the old one. The only people who do understand it are Albanians. The etymology of the word KAI SU TEKNON (Kai s'u te knon)means Cry like you are singing. Kai -Cray SU- like you Te`knon- singing Shakespeare was in Albania a few times and he maybe understood the Albanian language. Lamun Dardanian, Kosova Albania It expresses a meaning that cannot be made in English - using tu implies a closeness, such as brother. p martin, nuneaton uk Kai su, teknon means "Even you, son!" Shakespeare put in Latin because more of his audience knew Latin than Greek. Putting the phrase in another language corresponds to what Caesar himself said. Mark, Henderson USA



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