The evil that men do lives after Julius Caesar

The evil that men do lives after them; The good is oft interred with their bones;

Quote Analysis

This quote belongs to Mark Anthony, the character from Julius Caesar” by Shakespeare. We meet these words in Act 3, Scene 2 in his speech in front of the plebs. Caesar is dead, Brutus and Cassius assassination succeeded. Anthony’s words are the final attempt to prevent the rewriting of the history, because he knows that it’s not enough to physically murder Caesar.

Brutus’ and Cassius’ victory will not be full without erasing the good memory left after Caesar. So with his words Mark Anthony tries to encourage the people (who, mostly, loved Caesar) to remember him and what he did. And also, more subtly, he asks them to remember the treason of Brutus and Cassius, so even if they will not be punished, their deed won’t be forgotten long after their deaths.