et tu Brute
You too, friend?
Et tu, Brute is Latin for "you too, Brutus?"—the words Shakespeare gave Julius Caesar upon recognizing his friend Marcus Brutus among his assassins.
The phrase expresses shocked betrayal by someone trusted: When my own sister sided with them, I thought, et tu, Brute?
It's often used with dramatic irony for minor betrayals among friends.
- betrayalBreaking of trust
- stab in the backTreachery against an ally
- CaesarRoman imperial title
- Julius CaesarRoman dictator and general
- stabbingWounding with a blade
treachery · false friend · Shakespeare · Roman · ancient Rome · Roman Senate · Senate · Brutus · assassination · Ides · Ides of March · March · toga · dagger · trust · friend · conspiracy · Julius
- Caesar quotesveni vidi vici, the die is cast
- ShakespeareRomeo, Juliet, Hamlet, Macbeth, Othello
- Famous Sayingsbetter late than never, ignorance is bliss, haste makes waste, carpe diem, seize the day
- Shakespeare phrasesto be or not to be, all the world's a stage, out damned spot, friends Romans countrymen, once more unto the breach
- AllusionsAchilles heel, Pandora's box, Trojan horse, forbidden fruit, Midas touch
- classic excerptsto be or not to be, call me Ishmael, once upon a time, nevermore, all the world's a stage
et tu Brutetrue friend
Genuinely loyal companion
ride or die · through thick and thin · undying loyalty · loyal companion · forgiveness
et tu BruteSamwise Gamgee
Horatio · Patroclus · Sancho Panza · Dr. Watson · loyal retainer
et tu Bruteforgiveness
Releasing resentment toward offenders
absolution · reconciliation · grace · mercy · letting bygones be bygones
brutal, brutality, brutally, brute, brutes, brutish, brutalize, brutalization