The great conspiracy against Julius Caesar - Kathryn Tempest

Translator: Miftachur Rohmah Reviewer: Ade Indarta

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

Bagaimana jika negaramu terancam berubah menjadi negara tirani?

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

Jika seseorang terlalu berkuasa, akankah kau mencoba menghentikannya?

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

Bahkan jika orang itu adalah sahabat atau orang terdekatmu?

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

Itu adalah dilema yang menghantui salah satu anggota dewan Roma,

Marcus Junius Brutus, pada 44 SM, tahun ketika Julius Caesar terbunuh.

the year Julius Caesar would be assassinated.

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

Perlawanan ini bukan hanya masalah politis bagi Brutus;

it was a personal one.

melainkan masalah pribadi.

He claimed descent from Lucius Junius Brutus,

Dia adalah keturunan Lucius Junius Brutus

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

seseorang yang membantu penurunan Tarquin the Proud, seorang raja tirani.

Instead of seizing power himself,

Bukannya mengambil tahta,

the elder Brutus led the people in a rousing oath

Tetua Brutus ini mengajak rakyat

to never again allow a king to rule.

untuk tidak membiarkan seorang raja berkuasa.

Rome became a republic

Roma menjadi republik

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

berdasarkan prinsip tak seorang pun

dapat memiliki kekuasaan yang terlalu besar.

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

Empat setengah abad kemudian, prinsip itu terancam.

Julius Ceasar's rise to the powerful position of consul

Kebangkitan Julius Caesar sebagai konsulat begitu dramatis.

had been dramatic.

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

Bertahun-tahun di militer, menjadikannya pria terkaya di Roma.

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

Setelah menaklukkan Pompey the Great dalam perang saudara yang menyedihkan,

his power was at its peak.

kekuasaannya memuncak.

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

Kemenangan dan kecerdasannya, seperti dalam pembagian lahan orang miskin

had made him popular with the public,

membuatnya terkenal di mata publik,

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

dan para dewan mulai mengelu-elukannya.

Statues were built, temples were dedicated,

Patung-patung dibuat, candi-candi didirikan,

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

dan sebuah bulan dinamai ulang, Juli, demikian namanya hingga saat ini.

More importantly, the title of dictator,

Julukan diktator, dimaksudkan untuk

meant to grant temporary emergency powers in wartime,

kepemilikan kekuasaan darurat di masa perang,

had been bestowed upon Caesar several times in succession.

telah diberikan kepada Caesar beberapa kali berturut-turut.

And in 44 BCE, he was made dictator perpetuo,

Pada 44 SM, dia diangkat sebagai diktator perpetuo,

dictator for a potentially unlimited term.

diktator untuk masa yang tak terbatas.

All of this was too much for the senators

Hal tersebut dirasa keterlaluan, bagi para dewan

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

yang takut kembalinya sistem monarki

yang dilawan oleh para pendahulunya,

as well as those whose own power and ambition

serta para pemiliki kekuasaan dan ambisi

were impeded by Caesar's rule.

yang dihalangi oleh aturan Caesar.

A group of conspirators calling themselves the liberators

Sekolompok konspirator menyebut dirinya The Liberators (para pembebas)

began to secretly discuss plans for assassination.

mulai secara rahasia mendiskusikan rencana pembunuhan.

Leading them were the senator Gaius Cassius Longinus

Dipimpin oleh dewan Gaius Cassius Longinus

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

dan teman sekaligus adik ipanya, Brutus.

Joining the conspiracy was not an easy choice for Brutus.

Bergabung dengan konspirasi ini bukan pilihan yang mudah bagi Brutus.

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

Meskipun Brutus berada di pihak Pompey dalam perang saudara,

Caesar had personally intervened to save his life,

Caesar secara pribadi menyelamatkan hidupnya,

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

bukan hanya memaafkannya, namun juga menerimanya sebagai penasehat

and elevating him to important posts.

dan menempatkannya di pos-pos penting.

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

Brutus ragu untuk melawan pria yang memperlakukannya seperti anak,

but in the end,

namun pada akhirnya,

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

Bujukan Cassius dan rasa takut Brutus atas ambisi Caesar menang.

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

Saat yang mereka nantikan terjadi pada tanggal 15 Maret.

At a senate meeting

Pada sidang dewan

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

yang diadakan tidak lama sebelum kepergian Caesar ke kampanye militer ,

as many as 60 conspirators surrounded him,

sebanyak 60 konspirator mengerumuninya,

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

mengeluarkan belati dari jubah mereka dan menusuknya dari segala sisi.

As the story goes,

Sebagaimana dalam cerita,

Caesar struggled fiercely until he saw Brutus.

Caesar melawan dengan sengit hingga dia melihat Brutus.

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

Di samping kalimat terkenal, "Et tu, Brute?" yang ditulis Shakespeare,

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

tidak diketahui pesan kematian Caesar yang sebenarnya.

Some ancient sources claim he said nothing,

Beberapa sumber kuno menyebutkan bahwa dia tidak mengatakan apapun,

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

sementara itu, "Dan kau, nak?" [Et tu, Brute?]

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

memunculkan spekulasi bahwa Brutus mungkin memang anak tidak sah Caesar.

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

Namun semua setuju bahwa ketika ia melihat Brutus di antara penyerangnya,

he covered his face and gave up the fight,

Caesar menutupi mukanya dan tidak melawan,

falling to the ground after being stabbed 23 times.

ambruk setelah ditusuk sebanyak 23 kali.

Unfortunately for Brutus,

Sayangnya bagi Brutus,

he and the other conspirators had underestimated Caesar's popularity

dia dan konspirator lain telah meremehkan popularitas Caesar

among the Roman public,

di antara rakyat Roma,

many of whom saw him as an effective leader,

banyak yang memandangnya sebagai pemimpin yang efektif,

and the senate as a corrupt aristocracy.

sedangkan dewan merupakan bangsawan korup.

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

Semasa pembunuhan Caesar, Roma dilanda kepanikan.

Most of the other senators had fled,

Mayoritas dewan lain telah kabur,

while the assassins barricaded themselves on the Capitoline Hill.

sementara para pembunuh membarikade diri di Capitoline Hill.

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

Mark Antony, teman serta konsultan Caesar,

was swift to seize the upper hand,

segera turun tangan,

delivering a passionate speech at Caesar's funeral days later

memberikan pidato hebat dalam pemakaman Caesar

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

yang memecut kesedihan dan kemarahan masyarakat.

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

Alhasil, The Liberators diusir keluar dari Roma.

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

Kekosongan kekuasaan mengarah pada serangkaian perang saudara,

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

di mana Brutus mengalami kekalahan dan kehilangan nyawanya.

Ironically, the ultimate result

Secara ironis, hasil akhirnya

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

merupakan kebalikan dari apa yang diharapkan para konspirator:

the end of the Republic

yaitu akhir dari sistem republik

and the concentration of power under the office of Emperor.

dan pemusatan kekuasaan pada Kekaisaran.

Opinions over the assassination of Caesar were divided from the start

Sejak awal, pembunuhan Caesar memunculkan opini-opini berbeda

and have remained so.

dan terus berlanjut demikian.

As for Brutus himself,

Sementara itu,

few historical figures have inspired such a conflicting legacy.

Brutus menginspirasi tokoh-tokoh sejarah sebagai warisan yang bertentangan.

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

Dalam "Inferno" karya Dante, dia ditempatkan dalam inti neraka

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

dan selamanya disiksa oleh iblis atas kejahatannya yaitu berkhianat.

But Swift's "Gulliver's Travels"

Namun, "Gulliver's Travels" karya Swift

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

mendeskripsikannya sebagai orang yang paling baik di dunia.

The interpretation of Brutus as either a selfless fighter against dictatorship

Interpretasi atas Brutus sebagai entah pribadi yang mengorbankan perasaan

or an opportunistic traitor

demi melawan kediktatoran atau musuh dalam selimut

has shifted with the tides of history and politics.

telah bergeser sebagaimana arus sejarah dan politik.

But even today, over 2000 years later,

Namun bahkan hari ini, atau 2000 tahun ke depan,

questions about the price of liberty,

pertanyaan mengenai harga kebebasan,

the conflict between personal loyalties and universal ideals,

konflik antara kesetiaan pribadi dan idealisme universal,

and unintended consequences remain more relevant than ever.

serta hasil-hasil yang tidak diinginkan akan terus bertahan lama.