The great conspiracy against Julius Caesar - Kathryn Tempest

Prevoditelj: Katarina Mikjel Recezent: Ivan Stamenković

What would you do if you thought your country was on the path to tyranny?

Što biste učinili da mislite da vam je zemlja na rubu tiranije?

If you saw one man gaining too much power, would you try to stop him?

Da jedan čovjek postaje previše moćan, biste li ga pokušali spriječiti?

Even if that man was one of your closest friends and allies?

Čak i ako vam je on jedan od najbližih prijatelja i saveznika?

These were the questions haunting Roman Senator Marcus Junius Brutus in 44 BCE,

Ta su pitanja progonila rimskog senatora Marka Junija Bruta 44. pr. Kr.,

the year Julius Caesar would be assassinated.

godine kada je ubijen Julije Cezar.

Opposing unchecked power wasn't just a political matter for Brutus;

Otpor neograničenoj moći za Bruta nije bio tek političko pitanje;

it was a personal one.

bila je to osobna stvar.

He claimed descent from Lucius Junius Brutus,

Tvrdio je da je potomak Lucija Junija Bruta,

who had helped overthrow the tyrannical king known as Tarquin the Proud.

koji je pomogao zbaciti tiranskog kralja Tarkvinija Oholog.

Instead of seizing power himself,

Umjesto da potom zgrabi vlast za sebe,

the elder Brutus led the people in a rousing oath

stariji je Brut predvodio narod u vatrenoj zakletvi

to never again allow a king to rule.

da nikad više neće dopustiti kraljevsku vlast.

Rome became a republic

Rim je postao republika

based on the principle that no one man should hold too much power.

utemeljena na načelu da vlast ne smije biti u rukama samo jednog čovjeka.

Now, four and a half centuries later, this principle was threatened.

Četiri i pol stoljeća kasnije to je načelo bilo ugroženo.

Julius Ceasar's rise to the powerful position of consul

Uspon Julija Cezara na položaj moćnog konzula

had been dramatic.

bio je dramatičan.

Years of military triumphs had made him the wealthiest man in Rome.

Višegodišnji vojni trijumfi učinili su ga najbogatijim čovjekom u Rimu.

And after defeating his rival Pompey the Great in a bitter civil war,

Nakon što je porazio suparnika Pompeja Velikog u krvavom građanskom ratu,

his power was at its peak.

moć mu je bila na vrhuncu.

His victories and initiatives, such as distributing lands to the poor,

Njegove pobjede i inicijative, kao što je dodjela zemlje siromašnima,

had made him popular with the public,

učinile su ga popularnim među pukom,

and many senators vied for his favor by showering him with honors.

pa su se za njegovu naklonost otimali mnogi senatori obasipajući ga počastima.

Statues were built, temples were dedicated,

Podizali su mu kipove, posvećivali mu hramove,

and a whole month was renamed, still called July today.

a preimenovan je i cijeli jedan mjesec te se i danas zove juli.

More importantly, the title of dictator,

Štoviše, titula diktatora,

meant to grant temporary emergency powers in wartime,

koja je u ratu jamčila privremenu vrhovnu vlast,

had been bestowed upon Caesar several times in succession.

Cezaru je dodijeljena nekoliko puta zaredom.

And in 44 BCE, he was made dictator perpetuo,

A 44. pr. Kr. postao je „dictator perpetuo”,

dictator for a potentially unlimited term.

diktator s mogućnošću neograničenog mandata.

All of this was too much for the senators

Sve je to bilo previše senatorima

who feared a return to the monarchy their ancestors had fought to abolish,

koji su se bojali obnove monarhije, protiv koje su se njihovi preci borili,

as well as those whose own power and ambition

kao i onima čiju je moć i ambicije

were impeded by Caesar's rule.

sputavala Cezarova vlast.

A group of conspirators calling themselves the liberators

Prozvavši se osloboditeljima, skupina urotnika

began to secretly discuss plans for assassination.

u tajnosti je počela kovati planove za atentat.

Leading them were the senator Gaius Cassius Longinus

Predvodili su ih senator Gaj Kasije Longin

and his friend and brother-in-law, Brutus.

i njegov prijatelj i šurjak, Brut.

Joining the conspiracy was not an easy choice for Brutus.

Brutu nije bilo lako odlučiti se na urotu.

Even though Brutus had sided with Pompey in the ill-fated civil war,

Iako je stao na Pompejevu stranu u zlosretnom građanskom ratu,

Caesar had personally intervened to save his life,

sam mu je Cezar spasio život.

not only pardoning him but even accepting him as a close advisor

Ne samo da ga je pomilovao, već ga je i prigrlio kao bliskog savjetnika

and elevating him to important posts.

te uzdigao na važne položaje.

Brutus was hesitant to conspire against the man who had treated him like a son,

Brut se nerado urotio protiv čovjeka koji se prema njemu ponio kao prema sinu,

but in the end,

no naposljetku su

Cassius's insistence and Brutus's own fear of Caesar's ambitions won out.

Kasijevo navaljivanje i Brutov strah od Cezarovih ambicija prevladali.

The moment they had been waiting for came on March 15.

Trenutak koji su čekali stigao je 15. ožujka.

At a senate meeting

Na zasjedanju Senata

held shortly before Caesar was to depart on his next military campaign,

održanom netom prije Cezarova odlaska u sljedeći vojni pohod

as many as 60 conspirators surrounded him,

okružilo ga je čak 60 urotnika

unsheathing daggers from their togas and stabbing at him from all sides.

vadeći bodeže iz tóga i ubadajući ga sa svih strana.

As the story goes,

Prema predaji

Caesar struggled fiercely until he saw Brutus.

Cezar se žestoko borio sve dok nije ugledao Bruta.

Despite the famous line, "Et tu, Brute?" written by Shakespeare,

Unatoč čuvenoj Shakespearovoj rečenici: „Zar i ti, sine Brute?”,

we don't know Caesar's actual dying words.

Cezarove posljednje riječi zapravo nam nisu poznate.

Some ancient sources claim he said nothing,

Prema nekim antičkim izvorima nije rekao ništa,

while others record the phrase, "And you, child?",

dok drugi bilježe frazu: „I ti, dijete?”,

fueling speculation that Brutus may have actually been Caesar's illegitimate son.

potičući nagađanja da je Brut zapravo bio Cezarov nezakoniti sin.

But all agree that when Caesar saw Brutus among his attackers,

No svi se slažu da je ugledavši Bruta među napadačima

he covered his face and gave up the fight,

Cezar pokrio lice i odustao od borbe

falling to the ground after being stabbed 23 times.

te pao na zemlju nakon 23 uboda.

Unfortunately for Brutus,

Na Brutovu nesreću,

he and the other conspirators had underestimated Caesar's popularity

on i ostali urotnici podcijenili su Cezarovu popularnost

among the Roman public,

među Rimljanima,

many of whom saw him as an effective leader,

od kojih su ga mnogi smatrali uspješnim vođom,

and the senate as a corrupt aristocracy.

a Senat korumpiranom aristokracijom.

Within moments of Caesar's assassination, Rome was in a state of panic.

Odmah nakon Cezarova ubojstva, Rim je zahvatila panika.

Most of the other senators had fled,

Većina je drugih senatora pobjegla,

while the assassins barricaded themselves on the Capitoline Hill.

dok su se ubojice zabarikadirali na Kapitolu.

Mark Antony, Caesar's friend and co-consul,

Cezarov prijatelj i konzul Marko Antonije

was swift to seize the upper hand,

brzo se domogao vlasti

delivering a passionate speech at Caesar's funeral days later

održavši vatreni govor na Cezarovu pogrebu nekoliko dana kasnije,

that whipped the crowd into a frenzy of grief and anger.

kojim je razbuktao bijes ožalošćene gomile.

As a result, the liberators were forced out of Rome.

Posljedica je bila protjerivanje osloboditelja iz Rima.

The ensuing power vacuum led to a series of civil wars,

Novonastali vakuum moći doveo je do niza građanskih ratova

during which Brutus, facing certain defeat, took his own life.

tijekom kojih je Brut, suočen s izvjesnim porazom, oduzeo sebi život.

Ironically, the ultimate result

Ironijom sudbine, krajnji rezultat

would be the opposite of what the conspirators had hoped to accomplish:

bio je potpuno suprotan onome što su urotnici željeli postići:

the end of the Republic

kraj Republike

and the concentration of power under the office of Emperor.

i koncentracija moći u carskoj funkciji.

Opinions over the assassination of Caesar were divided from the start

Mišljenja o Cezarovu ubojstvu podijeljena su od početka,

and have remained so.

a tako je i danas.

As for Brutus himself,

Što se tiče Bruta,

few historical figures have inspired such a conflicting legacy.

rijetke su povijesne ličnosti nadahnule tako oprečna stajališta.

In Dante's "Inferno," he was placed in the very center of Hell

Dante ga je u „Paklu” smjestio u samo središte pakla,

and eternally chewed by Satan himself for his crime of betrayal.

gdje ga Sotona vječno proždire zbog zločina izdaje.

But Swift's "Gulliver's Travels"

Ali Swift ga u „Gulliverovim putovanjima”

described him as one of the most virtuous and benevolent people to have lived.

opisuje kao jednog od najmoralnijih i najdobrohotnijih ljudi u povijesti.

The interpretation of Brutus as either a selfless fighter against dictatorship

Percepcija Bruta bila je kao nesebičnog borca protiv diktature

or an opportunistic traitor

ili kao oportunističkog izdajnika

has shifted with the tides of history and politics.

ovisila je o povijesnim mijenama i političkim strujama.

But even today, over 2000 years later,

No čak i danas, više od 2000 godina kasnije

questions about the price of liberty,

pitanja cijene slobode,

the conflict between personal loyalties and universal ideals,

sukoba između osobne odanosti i univerzalnih ideala

and unintended consequences remain more relevant than ever.

te neželjenih posljedica aktualnija su nego ikad prije.