“Under your pardon. You must note beside,That we have tried the utmost of our friends,Our legions are brim-full, our cause is ripe.The enemy increaseth every day.We, at the height, are ready to decline.There is a tide in the affairs of men,Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;Omitted, all the voyage of their lifeIs bound in shallows and in miseries.On such a full sea are we now afloat,And we must take the current when it servesOr lose our ventures.”(Brutus, Act IV, Scene 3, Lines 211-222)
Modernization: Hey, let me interrupt. You guys need to understand that we have asked for all we can from our allies. Our armies are well numbered and armed, our followers are loyal to our cause, and the enemy is growing more powerful as I speak. We can only loose power as time passes. Let us not waste readiness to fight because it is unlikely that another opportunity will arise that is of equal advantage. If we wait, we will be doomed the fate of defeat and will regret it. We have to strike when the iron is hot, and do so with the full might of our armies.
Importance: These lines are spoken by Brutus to persuade Cassius, Titinius and Messala that an attack on the triumvirate currently would be the best. Brutus concentrates his argument on the fact that currently their army is very strong and their supporters are motivated. These strong words reflect Brutus’s belief that free-will can overpower fate. He says if they wait they will be at the mercy of defeat because their armies will decline in strength, and they can triumph over this fate by choosing to initiate the battle.
*Surfturf12*
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