Rome 1x10

Triumph

Season 1, Episode 10

& Cicero: ... On this eve of his most glorious triumph, I move that Gaius Julius Caesar be made imperator and granted absolute power over Rome for a period of 10 years.

& Caesar: Many of you here today fought against me. Many of you wished me dead. Many of you perhaps still do. But I hold no grudges and seek no revenge. I demand only this... That you join with me in building a new Rome, a Rome that offers justice, peace and land to all its citizens, not just the privileged few.
    Support me in this task, And old divisions will be forgotten.
    Oppose me... And Rome will not forgive you a second time.
    Senators... the war is over.

& Octavia: This is the Great Mother's house. The Great Mother wants nothing from me. I'm a worm in her sight.
    Octavian: You are not a worm. You are a daughter of the Julii. It looks very ill, you running away like this. Reflects badly on the whole family if it were known publicly.
    Octavia: For a moment I thought you wanted me back because you missed me.
    Octavian: Don't be silly. We've missed you terribly. Your mother has missed you. I believe even the servants and other animals have missed you.

& Caesar: I think it’s too purple. I want to suggest purple without actually wearing it.
    Posca: It will look less loud in direct light.
    Caesar: What do you think?
Mark Antony: Jupiter in life. Resemblance is uncanny*.
    Caesar: What do you find amusing?
    Mark Antony: It’s absurd, isn’t it? Dressing up, playing at being god?..
    Caesar: Playing? I’m not playing. This is not a game.
    Mark Antony: As you wish.
    Caesar: It is not a game. Something more red.

---

& Posca: ... So you see the fourth clause of the previous statute only applies in cases of fire and flood, unless otherwise stipulated in the appendix. Do you see?
    Lucius: Not clearly.
    Posca: I’m not sure I can explain it in simpler terms. Surely this can wait until after the election.
    Lucius: There’s no point learning all this if I lose.
    Posca: You will not lose.
    Lucius: You’re very sure of that. There are other candidates... I believe I warned you about mocking me!
    Posca: Forgive me, sir. I had thought you understood the system. The other candidates are straw men*.
    Lucius: Straw men?!
    Posca: It saves a great deal of useless strife* if there’s no opposition, but it would look ill if Caesar’s man was the only one standing. These facts disturb you somehow?
    Lucius: The elections are sanctioned by Jupiter Capitolinus! They are sacred.
    Posca: Caesar also is sanctioned by Jupiter, is he not? By augury, by triumph, by acclaim of the people. Anything he does is sacred. In a way, he is a demigod.
    Lucius: For one day only. For the rest, he is a mortal man like you and me.
    Posca: Mortal or not, he is trying to save the republic.
    Lucius: By corrupting the elections?
    Posca: The Roman people are not crying out for clean elections. They are crying out for jobs. They are crying out for clean water, for food. For stability and peace. You can do great things for your people. You can help save the republic. Or you can go back to your shop and resume selling mutton* and pig... Have dirty hands but a clean conscience.

& Servilia: Rome has fallen into the hands of a corrupt monster. You, direct descendant of the father of the republic, what do you do?
    Brutus: What would you have me do?

& Brutus: You do believe me?
    Caesar: My dear friend, of course I believe you. You have never lied to me. Besides, why would you put your name to a thing and then deny it?
    Brutus: Well, exactly! And anyone... Anyone may forge my name to a thing to give it weight.
    Caesar: We shall just have to become used to it, no doubt. I wonder who it was that wrote it...
    Brutus: I wish I knew.
    Caesar: Someone of talent. Anyhow, I’ve seldom seen a bad case so well put. I shall have to write a reply...
    Brutus: Well, as long as you and I know where we stand...
    Caesar: Where do we stand?
    Brutus: I hope we are the best of friend, are we?
    Caesar: We are, we are. Brutus, I have never doubted your friendship or fidelity. Even when we were enemies.

& Erastes Fulmen: I will always have a job for you...
    Pullo: I’m a soldier, not a murderer!
    Erastes Fulmen: These days, Pullo, is there really any difference?.. Have a drink on me. When you’ve sobered up, come and see me. We’ll talk a little business...


-- Dict:
uncanny — сверхъестественный; жуткий
straw men — подставные лица
strife — борьба
mutton — баранина

+ on Imdb.