see below?

What does this passage mean?

Blood and destruction shall be so in use And dreadful objects so familiar That mothers shall but smile when they behold Their infants quarter'd with the hands of war; All pity choked with custom of fell deeds : And Caesar's spirit, ranging revenge?

1 Answer
Jan 27, 2017

More bloody imagery from Shakespeare I think.

Explanation:

Blood and destruction shall be so in use And dreadful objects so familiar That mothers shall but smile when they behold Their infants quarter'd with the hands of war; All pity choked with custom of fell deeds : And Caesar's spirit, ranging revenge?

Blood and destruction (Bloody warfare) shall be so in use (common) and dreadful objects so familiar ( People will well trained in Weapons because of fighting) That mothers shall but smile when their children are killed (quartered=literally cut in 4 parts by warfare) (War perversely causes mothers to show smiles on hearing of the deaths of their children ) because All pity choked with custom of fell deeds (because it is so common to have bad deeds by people there is no empathy any more)

and Caesar's spirit, ranging revenge.

This is the revenge of Caesar's ghost spread over the country (ranging)