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All Site ContentJulius CaesarAct 1Scene 2
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"noble," "metal," and "wrought"
Wordplay
Act 1,
Scene 2
Lines 305-319

An explanation of the wordplay on “noble”, “metal”, and “wrought” in Act 1, Scene 2 of myShakespeare’s Julius Caesar.

Cassius

Well, Brutus, thou art noble, yet I see
Thy honorable metal may be wrought
From that it is disposed.  Therefore it is meet
That noble minds keep ever with their likes;
For who so firm that cannot be seduced?
Caesar doth bear me hard, but he loves Brutus.
If I were Brutus now, and he were Cassius,
He should not humor me. I will this night,
In several hands, in at his windows throw,
As if they came from several citizens,
Writings, all tending to the great opinion
That Rome holds of his name, wherein obscurely
Caesar's ambition shall be glancèd at.
And after this let Caesar seat him sure,
For we will shake him, or worse days endure.
[Exit.]

The wordplay here gives two possible meanings to these lines:

  • "Wrought" is the past tense of the verb to work. And "metal" sounds like "mettle," which refers to one's strength of character. Cassius' obvious meaning is that the noble Brutus' honorable mettle, i.e. his character, can be worked upon to change how he is normally disposed (and make him more willing to conspire against Caesar).
  • In another sense, Brutus is like one of the "noble metals," gold and silver, which can be wrought, pounded and bent—as with wrought iron to give the metal whatever shape one wishes.