During the time of Julius Caesar, people believe in omens and the supernatural because they feared their gods’ powers. They believe a sudden rainstorm could affect a thing as important as who becomes the next great emperor of Rome. This is because they think the Gods’ opinions decided all that happens in the world. In the play Julius Caesar, by William Shakespeare, there are many occurrences of omens and the supernatural. Three supernatural occurrences eventually affected the decisions made by certain characters in Julius Caesar: the storm that occurs before Caesar is crowned, the dream Calpurnia has before Caesar leaves to become king, and the visit of Caesar’s ghost to Brutus before the final battle. To begin, the storm that occurs at …show more content…
Calpurnia interprets this dream as a negative omen from the gods, and believes it means Caesar should not go to the Senate that day, since it may threaten his life. This is the day of Caesar’s crowning as king, and just happens to be the ides of March as well, the date the Soothsayer warns him to beware. He reluctantly agrees with Calpurnia that he will not go to the Senate, Decius convinces him otherwise. Decius tells Caesar that Calpurnia interpreted the dream wrong, when in fact , it is a positive omen. Decius says himself, “Your statue spouting blood in many pipes, In which so many smiling Romans bathed, Signifies that from you great Rome shall suck Reviving blood, and that great men shall press For tinctures, stains, relics, and cognizance” (II.ii.85-89). This convinces Caesar to go to the Senate, even though all signs warn him not to. Caesar is ambitious enough to believe any reason for him to go, because Caesar wants the power he has strived for. He is willing to ignore his wife’s pleas and endanger his life and reputation for power. The omen in the form of Calpurnia’s dream is the only thing that convinces Caesar that it may dangerous to go to the Senate. If there was no omen in the form of Calpurnia’s dream, Caesar does not have to think twice about going to the Senate. Thus, the omen directly influenced Caesar’s decision to go the Senate, and his …show more content…
Caesar's ghost visits Brutus in the middle of the night and warns him that they will meet again in Philippi. Brutus is completely calm during this encounter, and doesn’t act afraid or angry. He acknowledges the ghost and tells it he will meet the ghost at Philippi. Philippi is where Brutus and Antony's armies will meet and battle for who will rule Rome. In fact, they do meet Caesar’s ghost at Philippi, but not in the manner Brutus expects. Cassius stabs and kills himself during the battle, and this is when Brutus realizes what the ghost means. Soon after, Brutus commits suicide as well by running onto his own sword, and acknowledges Caesar as he dies. Brutus says “Caesar, now be still. I killed not thee with half so good a will.” (V.v.57-58) as he runs onto his good servant, Strato’s, sword. He is giving Caesar the credit for his and all the other suicides that happen during the battle. Caesar’s ghost is a negative omen in itself, as it is a supernatural occurrence that happens out of the ordinary. However, the ghost influences the plot by pushing both Cassius and Brutus over the edge, making them commit suicide. They feel as if suicide is the most honorable way to fall, considering the deeds they commit. Although, Cassius and Brutus are not the only victims of Caesar influenced suicide. Lucillius and young Cato also sacrifice themselves in the name of Caesar,
Calphurnia describes Caesar the horrific images and disturbing sightings that she heard around the city: “drizzled blood...dying men...and fierce fiery warriors” (Lines 6-11). She vividly describes these images to Caesar in hope that he will fear them as much as she did. Calphurnia cleverly combines these disturbing sights to signify that a violent revolution is bound to come if Caesar decides to go to the Senate House. Calphurnia didn't get the outcome she wanted, instead Caesar interpreted this as works of the gods and that he will be unaffected since the gods have many other things to manage. Decius uses a good strategy by interpreting the dream in a different way. Decius states that Caesars blood is “such reviving blood” (Line 50). Decius use of the word “reviving” is important because it signifies that Caesars rule will be a renewal for the people of rome. This idea of reviving Rome is tempting to Caesar, and in the end is very effective. Calphurnia’s and Decius’s choice of details and interpretations are significant factors in Caesars decision to go to the Senate
Another manipulation that actually happened by chance takes place in a scene shortly thereafter. Because of a storm that takes place the dawn before the Ides, Caesar and his wife, Calpurnia, lie awake in their bed. Caesar intends to go to the Capitol, but Calpurnia objects. She urges him to stay home because of many threatening omens, and she has him completely persuaded. Calpurnia easily manipulates her husband's decisions, and he agrees to stay home for her sake.
Julius Caesar was a very arrogant man. He thought very highly of himself. Although, everyone in Rome respected him. They didn 't care what he did. I ii 273 He claimed he was not scared of anything. Calpurnia had nightmares, they were thought as representations of signs of Caesar´s death. Caesar wanted to go to the capitol, Calpurnia told him it was not safe because of her nightmares. In her dreams, there were dead men walking, a statue running with blood like a fountain, while many smiling Romans bathed their hands in the blood. She also had a dream of ghosts wandering the city, a lioness giving
	Julius Caesar vacillates, or changes, his mind throughout the play and this downfall is shown to be one of Caesar’s hamartias. On the day Caesar is to go to the Capitol, he changes his decisions frequently. Caesar defies the warnings of Calpurnia and the priests and Caesar says that she, Caesar, shall go forth to the Capitol this day. "Caesar. Caesar shall forth. The things that threatened me Ne’er looked but on my back. When they shall see The face of Caesar, they are vanished." Through this quotation, it seems Caesar has made his mind to go forth to the Capitol. Calpurnia, though, is able to persuade him to stay home and send word that he is sick. Caesar replies, "Caesar. Mark Antony shall say I am not well, And for thy humour I will stay at home."(2,2,55-56) Decius then flatters Caesar and is able to persuade him that Calpurnia’s nightmare is misinterpreted and that he
Superstition is not something used to only foreshadow events, but it also has a key effect on the characters and the actions that they take. One of the most notable characters that have been affected by superstition was Brutus. Brutus was a man who was a friend of Caesar and as the play went along he joined Cassius in the scheme to murder their leader, Caesar. After Caesar’s death Brutus was drowned with subconscious guilt and was visited by Caesar’s ghost. The ghost was a manifestation of Brutus’ guilt and it told Brutus that they will meet in Philippi. Due to this superstition, Brutus believed that he was meant to die to meet Caesar’s ghost, so he committed suicide after the battle (5.5.55). This showcases the importance of superstition in changing the characters actions and affecting their lives. By creating the ghost of Caesar, Shakespeare not only shows the effect superstition has on Brutus but highlights Brutus’ beliefs and how he would commit suicide for his belief. This act by Brutus sets the tone for the play which is one of the main reasons why the play is considered a tragedy. Without Brutus, the play would not be a tragedy, because Brutus
Julius Caesar’s negligence and misinterpretation to the omens from the supernatural and prophecies result in his failure to prevent his death. Caesar’s choice to ignore the soothsayer’s warnings to “beware the Idles of March”(I.ii.18) represents his arrogance and misunderstanding of being invulnerable. Therefore, triggering the inability to heed omens from the soothsayer that refers to the exact date of Caesar’s assassination. He sees the soothsayer as “a dreamer”(I.ii.26) and fails to perceive the
“A Bad Omen is a warning. A sign to stop and reconsider. Proceed with caution. “(Kelly Armstrong). Individuals often interpret signs or omens in their own manner, yet their own interpretations may vastly differ from how they are intended to be interpreted. Omens are used to foreshadow future events and for warning individuals, but many choose to omit ones with messages that they do not want to hear. William Shakespeare establishes an omen motif in his tragedy, Julius Caesar. Throughout the play, there are plenty of mystifying omens present. Characters in Julius Caesar choose to ignore, misinterpret, or acknowledge given omens, which this typically leads to tragedy. This specific motif is employed as a means of showing readers that they must accept the truth as it is, rather than how they wish the outcome to be.
Caesar says that cowards die many times before their death and death will come when it will come. Then Caesar asked a servant what the augurers say about the subject and they say they found no heart within the beast. This is a simple act of showing how superstitious Caesar is sends him in to a rage and he decides he will go to the capitol. Then Calpurnia (the voice of reason) says “your wisdom is consumed in confidence” and tells him to tell them it is her fear and not his own that keeps him from the capitol. And Caesar grudgingly agrees. Then Decius Brutus comes in and ruins the whole thing by telling Caesar that her dream was telling how great he is and Decius manages to flatter Caesar enough that he decides to go to the capitol and he tells Calpurnia how foolish her dreams seem now and he leaves. Calpurnia, as we know was right the whole time and Caesar gets assassinated at the capitol. This scene was important in foreshadowing Caesar’s death and showing how overconfident Caesar is, and although Calpurnia’s warning was only one of many she seems to be the only warning with real impact, that is until Decius Brutus comes in to play.
Calpurnia dreams that Caesar will be murdered and thinks it is foolish. It is a mistake by Caesar to think it is foolish because it foreshadowed his death that eventually happened. His personality got in his own way and ended up costing his life. Caesar ignoring the signs and foreshadows throughout the play ended up costing his own life as his personality got in his own way.
Calpurnia’s second argument begins with a metaphor, “[w]hen beggars die, there are no comets seen” With this device, she emphasizes the intensity of the events happening, she compares the importance of royalty to the powerless, to play to Caesar’s ego. Her next device is hyperbole as she argues against her husband. She claims that the “heavens themselves blaze forth the deaths of princes” to exaggerate how much the people and their gods care about Caesar and to compare her husband to a prince. She then equips herself with influential word choice to flatter Caesar and to place herself as less than him, so he feels that he still holds the power in their relationship. She addresses Caesar as “my lord” while begging him to stay home. Her following device is personification. She accuses his “wisdom [of being] consumed in confidence” to emphasize his clouded judgment to show the realism of what Calpurnia is saying. She next uses an understatement to ask him to “not go forth today.” She is desperate for him to stay, but the understatement highlights the urgency by making it seem negligible. She wants Caesar to “call it [her] fear”, as to why he is staying at home. This selection of detail is her using logos, a logical escape that avoids him seeming weak. With juxtaposition and the connotation of the word choice in each phrase, Calpurnia makes their own home appear safer than the Senate House Caesar wants to go to, telling him to blame her fear for keeping him “in the house and not [his] own. [They’ll] send Mark Antony to the Senate House.” Ending her argument with rich word choice, she tries to implement pathos to convince him that the omens are dangerous because of her own fear. She wants to “prevail” in trying to convince Caesar to
One of the major concerns presented by Shakespeare in Julius Caesar is the struggle between fate and free will. This struggle is evident throughout the play through Shakespeares continual presentation of the supernatural. The supernatural is present in many different forms in the text, for example through omens, nightmares and sacrifices. Shakespeare believed that life was a combination of fate and freewill, he presents this idea to the audience through different events that occur throughout the play, events such as the Feast at the Lupercal, the Soothsayers prophecy, the animal sacrifice, Calpurnias dream and the presence of animals and Caesars ghost. These events build dramatic tension throughout the play, illustrating the struggle of
Caesar’s ignorance shows itself most prominent when, after Calpurnia's nightmare, he holds a conversation with Decius about why he would be absent from the senate that day. Caesar informs Decius of his wife’s dream - believing him to be a trustworthy individual - unaware of the coup planned against himself. Caesar believes the outcome of Calpurnia's vision to be more than plausible, and conveys
In the play Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare there are two forces at work fate and freewill and throughout the play they are both fighting for control over man. Fate was shown in the many prophecies and omens that the characters viewed throughout the entire play. Free will as defined in the play is the ability to overcome fate. Although in the end all three of the characters succumbed to their fate, Shakespeare shows again that there is a delicate balance between fate and human free will.
The warnings against the Ides of March, first heard from the soothsayer, are specifically the most repeated omen throughout the play. It is repeated so much because it is predicts the impending doom upon Caesar. Caesar’s refusal to listen to the soothsayer, and the various other warnings against the Ides of March, shows that there is no difference between fate and free will. Caesar, who is completely cocky and confident in himself, such that he can put off fate, has the free will to ignore the warnings, to ignore the signs, and he does just so. Because of Caesar’s ignorance, his fate is sealed from then on. If Caesar had somehow read the warnings correctly, or even at all, his fate would be completely different; but his fate is not the only one which would be different. Whether or not Caesar would be king is arguable, but what is not, is the fact that if the warnings about the Ides of March would have been taken with more seriousness,
He believes that he as a general, can calculate everything about the upcoming battle and makes tons of minor mistakes that should have told him that his methods were untrustworthy. Had he of listened to his friend Cassius, who was a seasoned general. Brutus might have avoided the military disaster that was brought about or at least made the battle have less casualties. He also believes that by killing Caesar it will send Rome into a peaceful golden age, but in reality Rome is thrust into upheaval and civil war. In Julius Caesar, the conspirators do not wish that they could act without suffering ill effects, as experienced politicians, they know full well their