Et Tu Brute? — Anime illustration of a wounded blonde Caesar being embraced by a dark-haired Brutus holding a dagger, with 'Et tu....Brute?' text at top.

Et Tu Brute?

2013catchphraseclassic

Published October 3, 2026

"Et Tu Brute?" is a Latin catchphrase from Shakespeare's 1599 play "Julius Caesar" that English speakers deploy whenever a friend betrays them. In 2013, the line jumped onto image macro sites, where users slapped it over photos of cats, dudes, and Pepe the Frog getting metaphorically stabbed in the back.

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Overview

"Et Tu Brute?" translates from Latin as "You too, Brutus?" and gets quoted whenever someone wants to dramatize a stab in the back from a friend1. The line was invented by William Shakespeare for Act III of "Julius Caesar," and no Roman historian actually recorded Caesar saying it before dying1. The joke in meme form leans entirely on that dramatic register, pairing a theatrical death cry with a petty or trivial grievance.

The image macro format is simple. A photo shows two figures (friends, cats, cartoon frogs, politicians) at the exact moment one appears to turn on the other, with the Latin phrase laid across the picture2. Users also swap "Brute" for the name of whoever did the betraying, as in the "Et Tu Pepe?" variant that ran on Imgur2. Urban Dictionary entries from users describe modern usage as a stock reaction when a best friend rats you out or a fandom gets burned by a disappointing sequel3.

Origin & Background

Platform
Shakespeare's Julius Caesar (source) / deviantArt and ICanHazCheezburger (viral spread)
Date
2013

The phrase itself dates to 1599, when Shakespeare put it in Caesar's mouth in the assassination scene of "Julius Caesar"4. The quote stayed in rotation through centuries of European literature and classroom readings before anyone thought to meme it2.

The earliest documented meme use came on July 20th, 2013, when deviantArt user ishthuyokkay uploaded a photograph of two men captioned "Et Tu Brute"5. The post pulled around 1,000 favorites over the next two weeks2.

How It Spread

After the deviantArt post, the format jumped to ICanHazCheezburger on August 7th, 2013, when user I<3Cats posted a two-cat version of "Et Tu Brute?" that pulled over 8,000 votes within three months6. A week later, on August 14th, an Imgur user flipped the formula into "Et Tu Pepe?" with Pepe the Frog standing in for the betrayer, pulling more than 300 upvotes2.

Video riffs followed on YouTube. On August 24th, 2013, the channel Jared Thinks uploaded an "Et Tu Brute" video that passed 58,000 views in two months7. The KYM entry documenting the 2013 wave groups these posts together as the meme's main run, after which the catchphrase settled back into its longer life as a stock betrayal line rather than a continuously trending format2.

Outside the 2013 image macros, the quote still gets casual deployment online as shorthand for being sold out by someone you trusted. Urban Dictionary definitions cite examples like fans reacting to "Mass Effect: Andromeda" with "Et tu, Brute?" when the series disappointed them3.

Timeline

1599

Shakespeare publishes "Julius Caesar," placing the Latin line "Et Tu Brute?" in the assassination scene.

2013-07-20

DeviantArt user ishthuyokkay posts a photo of two men captioned "Et Tu Brute," the earliest documented meme use.

2013-08-07

ICanHazCheezburger user I<3Cats posts a two-cat "Et Tu Brute?" image macro that gains over 8,000 votes.

2013-08-14

An Imgur user adapts the format into "Et Tu Pepe?" starring Pepe the Frog.

2013-08-24

YouTube channel Jared Thinks uploads an "Et Tu Brute" video that hits 58,000+ views in two months.

Frequently Asked Questions