The great conspiracy against Julius Caesar - Kathryn Tempest

Velika zavera protiv Julija Cezara - Ketrin Tempest (Kathryn Tempest)

Prevodilac: Milenka Okuka Lektor: Mile Živković

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

Šta biste uradili, ako biste verovali da se vaša država kreće ka tiraniji?

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

Kada bi jedan čovek postajao suviše moćan, da li biste pokušali da ga zaustavite?

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

Čak iako je taj čovek jedan od vaših najbližih prijatelja i saveznika.

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

Ova su pitanja proganjala rimskog senatora Marka Junija Bruta, 44. godine p.n.e.,

the year Julius Caesar would be assassinated.

godine kada je Julije Cezar ubijen.

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

Suprostaviti se nekontrolisanoj moći, za Bruta nije bilo samo političko pitanje;

it was a personal one.

bilo je to pitanje lične prirode.

He claimed descent from Lucius Junius Brutus,

On je tvrdio da potiče od Lucija Junija Bruta,

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

koji je pomogao u svrgavanju kralja tiranina, poznatog kao Tarkinije Ponosni.

Instead of seizing power himself,

Umesto da prigrabi vlast za sebe,

the elder Brutus led the people in a rousing oath

Brut stariji je naveo ljude da se zakunu

to never again allow a king to rule.

da nikada više neće dozvoliti kralju da dođe na vlast.

Rome became a republic

Rim je postao republika,

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

zasnovana na principu da nijedan čovek ne bi smeo da ima previše vlasti.

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

Sada, četiri i po veka kasnije, ovo načelo je bilo ugroženo.

Julius Ceasar's rise to the powerful position of consul

Uspon Julija Cezara na visoku poziciju konzula

had been dramatic.

je bio dramatičan.

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

Godine vojnih uspeha učinile su ga najbogatijim čovekom u Rimu.

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

Nakon pobede nad rivalom Pompejem Velikim u žestokom građanskom ratu,

his power was at its peak.

bio je na vrhuncu moći.

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

Njegove pobede i inicijative, poput podele zemlje siromašnima,

had made him popular with the public,

učinile su ga popularnim u narodu,

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

a mnogi senatori su se nadmetali za njegovu milost, obasipajući ga častima.

Statues were built, temples were dedicated,

Gradili su mu spomenike, posvećivali mu hramove,

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

a čitav mesec je preimenovan i danas se zove jul.

More importantly, the title of dictator,

Još važnije je da je titula diktatora,

meant to grant temporary emergency powers in wartime,

koja je obezbeđivala privremenu vlast za vreme vanrednog ratnog stanja,

had been bestowed upon Caesar several times in succession.

predata Cezaru nekoliko puta uzastopno.

And in 44 BCE, he was made dictator perpetuo,

A 44. p.n.e., imenovan je dictator perpetuo-m,

dictator for a potentially unlimited term.

diktatorom s mogućnošću neograničene vladavine.

Sve ovo je bilo suviše za senatore

All of this was too much for the senators

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

koji su strahovali od povratka monarhije, protiv koje su se njihovi preci borili,

as well as those whose own power and ambition

kao i za one čije su moć i ambicije

were impeded by Caesar's rule.

bile sputane Cezarovom vladavinom.

A group of conspirators calling themselves the liberators

Grupa zaverenika koji su sebe zvali oslobodiocima,

began to secretly discuss plans for assassination.

počela je u tajnosti da razmatra planove ubistva.

Leading them were the senator Gaius Cassius Longinus

Njih su predvodili senator Gaj Kasije Longin

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

i njegov prijatelj i zet, Brut.

Joining the conspiracy was not an easy choice for Brutus.

Pridruživanje zaverenicima nije bio lak izbor za Bruta.

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

Iako je Brut bio na Pompejevoj strani u zlokobnom građanskom ratu,

Caesar had personally intervened to save his life,

Cezar je lično intervenisao kako bi mu spasao život,

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

ne samo da ga je pomilovao, već ga je i prihvatio za bliskog savetnika

and elevating him to important posts.

i uzvisio ga do bitnih dužnosti.

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

Brut se nerado zaverio protiv čoveka koji ga je tretirao poput sina,

but in the end,

ali na kraju su

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

Kasijevo ubeđivanje i Brutov lični strah od Cezarovih ambicija prevladali.

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

Trenutak na koji su čekali došao je 15. marta.

At a senate meeting

Na sednici senata

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

koja se održavala neposredno pred Cezarov odlazak u sledeću vojnu kampanju,

as many as 60 conspirators surrounded him,

čak 60 zaverenika ga je opkolilo,

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

vadeći bodeže iz toga i ubadajući ga sa svih strana.

As the story goes,

Prema predanju,

Caesar struggled fiercely until he saw Brutus.

Cezar se žestoko borio sve dok nije video Bruta.

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

Uprkos čuvenoj Šekspirovoj replici: "Zar i ti, Brute?",

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

ne znamo da li su to zaista Cezarove poslednje reči.

Some ancient sources claim he said nothing,

Neki antički izvori tvrde da nije rekao ništa,

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

dok su drugi zabeležili frazu: "I ti, dete?",

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

raspirujući tako spekulacije da je Brut možda bio Cezarov nepriznati sin.

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

Ali svi se slažu da kada je Cezar video Bruta među napadačima,

he covered his face and gave up the fight,

pokrio je lice i prestao da se bori,

falling to the ground after being stabbed 23 times.

padajući na zemlju nakon 23 uboda.

Unfortunately for Brutus,

Na Brutovu žalost,

he and the other conspirators had underestimated Caesar's popularity

on i drugi zaverenici su potcenili Cezarovu popularnost

among the Roman public,

među Rimljanima,

many of whom saw him as an effective leader,

koji su većinom gledali na Cezara kao uspešnog vođu,

and the senate as a corrupt aristocracy.

a na senat kao korumpiranu aristokratiju.

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

Odmah nakon Cezarovog ubistva, Rim je zahvatila panika.

Most of the other senators had fled,

Većina drugih senatora je pobegla,

while the assassins barricaded themselves on the Capitoline Hill.

dok su se ubice zabarakadirale na Kapitolu.

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

Marko Antonije, Cezarov prijatelj i konzul,

was swift to seize the upper hand,

brzo se domogao vlasti,

delivering a passionate speech at Caesar's funeral days later

održivši strastven govor na Cezarovoj sahrani nekoliko dana kasnije

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

koji je kod prisutnih uzburkao osećanja tuge i besa.

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

Kao posledica toga, oslobodioci su proterani 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.

tokom kojih je Brut, suočen sa izvesnim porazom, oduzeo sebi život.

Ironically, the ultimate result

Ironično je da će krajnji rezultat

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

biti potpuna suprotnost onoga što su zaverenici želeli da postignu:

the end of the Republic

a to je 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 Cezarovom ubistvu su od početka podeljena

and have remained so.

i danas je tako.

As for Brutus himself,

Što se tiče Bruta,

few historical figures have inspired such a conflicting legacy.

nema mnogo istorijskih ličnosti koje su inspirisale tako oprečne sudove.

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

Dante ga je u "Paklu" smestio u sami centar pakla,

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

gde ga Satana večno žvaće zbog njegovog zločina izdaje.

But Swift's "Gulliver's Travels"

Ali u Sviftovim "Guliverovim putovanjima"

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

opisan je kao jedan od najvrlijih i najdobroćudnijih ljudi što su ikad živeli.

The interpretation of Brutus as either a selfless fighter against dictatorship

Doživljaji Bruta bilo kao nesebičnog borca protiv diktature

or an opportunistic traitor

ili kao oportunističkog izdajnika

has shifted with the tides of history and politics.

menjali su se zajedno sa istorijskim i političkim strujama.

But even today, over 2000 years later,

No čak i danas, preko 2000 godina kasnije,

questions about the price of liberty,

pitanja cene slobode,

the conflict between personal loyalties and universal ideals,

sukob između lične odanosti i univerzalnih ideala,

and unintended consequences remain more relevant than ever.

kao i neželjene posledice aktuelniji su nego ikad pre.