Publius Servilius Casca was one of the assassins of Gaius Julius Caesar 44 BC. Though his family was loyal to Caesar, his brother Gaius even being a close friend of Caesar, both siblings joined in the assassination.
Contents |
History
According to Appian and Plutarch, Casca was the first to strike Caesar with a dagger. When the signal was given, he rushed upon him and plunged a dagger into his breast (Appian) or the back of his neck (Plutarch), but was so nervous that he did not badly wound Caesar. Caesar turned around quickly, writes Plutarch, and caught Casca by the arm, crying in Latin, "Casca, you villain, what are you doing?". Casca, frightened, called to Gaius in Greek: "Help, brother!" The other conspirators then closed in on Caesar.
Appian also reports that Casca was nearly startled into betraying the assassination plan the day before of the ides of March.
He committed suicide after the Battle of Philippi in 42 BC.
Fictional depictions
- He is called "envious Casca" by Marc Antony in William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar:
"See what a rent the envious Casca made". This, in turn, becomes the title of a mystery novel by Georgette Heyer.
- In the TV series Rome, Servilius Casca is portrayed by Peter Gevisser.
- In the 1970 film of Julius Caesar, Casca is portrayed by Robert Vaughn.
- In the 1953 film of Julius Caesar, Casca is portrayed by Edmond O'Brien.
See also
External links
- Appian, The Civil Wars, Book 2 Chapter 16 from the Perseus Project
- Plutarch, Lives, Caesar, Chapter 66 from the Perseus Project
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
