Why did Shakespeare make Julius Caesar's last words the Latin 'Et tu, Brute?' when Suetonius tells us they were the Greek 'Kai su, teknon?' (You too, my son?)? Plutarch, on the other hand, says that Caesar died in silence, pulling his toga over his head.

• It expresses a meaning that cannot be made in English - using tu implies a closeness, such as brother.

  p martin, nuneaton uk

• Kai su, teknon means "Even you, son!" Shakespeare put in Latin because more of his audience knew Latin than Greek. Putting the phrase in another language corresponds to what Caesar himself said.

  Mark, Henderson USA