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Allusion
Explanation and Analysis—Hybla Bees:
In Act 5, Scene 1, Cassius, Brutus, and Antony trade insults as their armies face each other in battle. Cassius makes an allusion to Hyblean honeybees as he mocks Antony for his bluster:
CASSIUS:
Antony,
The posture of your blows are yet unknown,
But, for your words, they rob the Hybla bees
And leave them honeyless.ANTONY:
Not stingless too.BRUTUS:
O yes, and soundless too,
For you have stolen their buzzing, Antony,
And very wisely threat before you sting.
Hybla is an area of Sicily renowned for its bees. Cassius and Brutus use this allusion to insult Antony for his flowery language and lack of decisive action as a warrior: Antony has taken the “honey” from the Hybla bees and used it in his sweet speech, and has also “stolen their buzzing”: he makes a lot of noise with his words without any actual aggression, like a Shakespearean post-classical version of the idiom “all bark and no bite.” These jabs from Cassius and Brutus are direct attacks on Antony’s fitness as a soldier and political and military leader, reflecting both Cassius's preoccupation with status and Brutus's preoccupation with honor.
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