Fate vs. Free Will in Julius Caesar

Unlike Cassius, Brutus is always doing what he feels is best for the Romans. In addition, Cassius feels inferior to Brutus. Brutus has much power from the people and is friends with the soon-to-be king, which is why Cassius is so desperate to have Brutus on his side. Once he persuades Brutus to join him, he shifts from being the leader of the conspirators to the subordinate of Brutus. For instance, Brutus gives Antony permission to speak at the funeral, even though this went against Cassius’ own will. Lastly, Cassius is quick to make decisions but Brutus analyzes things before coming to a final decision. It takes Brutus many days of agony to finally agree that joining Cassius was the right thing to do. In contrast, Cassius spends only a few seconds to decide on committing suicide. Directly after Pindarus says, “Now they are almost on him… And hark they shout for joy,” Cassius kills himself. (Act V Scene III Lines 31, 34) He is quick minded, not realizing that Brutus has actually not been captured.

In William Shakespeare’s play, Julius Caesar, two interesting forces, fate and free will, are shown competing for prominence over the other. Fate was exemplified in the many prophecies and omens the characters viewed throughout the play. Free will was the characters abilities to overcome and defeat their fate. Many characters have struggles with the power of their free will overcoming their fate, namely Caesar, Cassius, and Brutus. Although in the end all three of those characters succumb to their fate, Shakespeare shows that there is a delicate equilibrium between the two forces.

“And you shall speak/ in the same pulpit whereto I am going. / After my speech is ended” (945). This is a bad decision on his part because by allowing Antony to speak last, he has allowed Antony to use his words against him. As seen in the text, it is much easier to persuade when speaking last than when speaking first. After being chased out of Rome alongside Cassius, another misfortune is his fight with him over money problems. Brutus claims that Cassius has become greedy. He is furious that Cassius is not helping him even though they are allies. However, the money that Brutus wants is actually the money that Cassius is taking from the soldiers who buy their ranks. While he could just as easily do the same, he defines himself as too noble a person to do such a thing. “Let me tell you, Cassius, you yourself/ Are much condemned to have an itching palm” (966). Cassius is offended, and tells Brutus that he should be glad that they are allies. Brutus’ enlightenment occurs around the time he commits suicide. Right before his demise, with his final dying breath, he mentions Caesar to put him at ease. “Farewell, good Strato – Caesar, now be still; / I killed thee with half so good a will” (997).

Brutus was very naive and got influenced by Cassius very easily. Cassius was very smart and manipulated Brutus to make him agree with him. Cassius said, “If I were Brutus now, and he were Cassius, He should not humour me.” (Shakespeare, p.13). Brutus believed that his friend, Caesar had a negative impact on Rome decided to join the conspiracy to assassinate Caesar. Even though Caesar was his friend, Brutus always showed loyalty towards Rome. Brutus' tragic flaw is that he is not good at figuring out other’s intentions, and trusted Cassius. If Brutus never listened to Cassius in the first place, he would not have joined the conspiracy, and might not have had a tragic end.

He states that Brutus is just as noble and worthy as Caesar. (Act 1, scene ii). He says that Brutus cannot see what everyone else does and recognize his worthiness. Cassius and the other senators do not want Caesar to be king because they would lose all their power. Cassius is slowly luring Brutus in to do his dirty work. He builds Brutus’s confidence up to make him thing that killing Caesar is the right thing to do. Cassius is basically playing with Brutus’s head because he knows Brutus will listen. So, Brutus joins the conspirators in killing Caesar. Cassius tells Brutus that it is for the good of Rome, and that he is saving them from a dictatorship. Cassius is going for Brutus’s weakest point, his care and concern for Rome. He knows that if Brutus believes the people distrust Caesar, then he will be convinced that Caesar must be thwarted. Brutus knew that if Caesar was crowned, he would never have a chance, and he was power hungry. This is what ultimately leads to the tragedy of Julius Caesar. After Brutus kills Caesar off, he starts to feel guilty for killing his friend, thus creating an internal conflict. Brutus was so confident that the plan would go exactly as planned that he fell apart when they encountered problems. If Brutus and the other conspirators had taken more time to think things through, they probably would have been more prepared for the situation that was handed to them.

To begin with, Brutus is too trusting of those around him. Brutus’s friend Cassius recognizes that Brutus is driven by what is best for Rome. Because of this Cassius devises a plan to plant a fake petition from the people of Rome stating that Caesar needs to be executed. Brutus never even questions that the petition is real. After reading the petition Brutus’ response is:

This passage revealed how much of a conceited person Caesar is. The words that Shakespeare chose to make Caesar says showed how he had too much confidence in himself considering that his death is in the next scene. The words that Shakespeare used are intended to reach out to the reader and give them a better understanding of the kind of person that Caesar is. He was successful in carrying out the message. Overall, Shakespeare is known for each character a specific personality that suits them depending what plays they are

Cassius flatters Brutus by saying that “[he] know[s] that virtue to be in ... Brutus,/ As well as [he does] know [his] outward favor”(Act.I.ii.97-98). Brutus is so immensely honorable that you can literally see it. Cassius lays down this foundation knowing that Brutus would want to cling to this fact. Subconsciously, he won’t go against what he was praised for since it had a positive effect on him and accentuated his feelings about his honor and pride. This pours into guilt, showing that if Brutus doesn’t join this Conspiracy, then he will lose his dignity and

We learn a lot about the ?evil, mischievous, deceptive? Cassius in one of his soliloquy. He reflects on the weakness of Brutus and how he is better than Brutus. He says that is he had been Brutus and Brutus him, he would not of joined the conspiracy. ?Well, Brutus, thou art noble; yet I see, / Thy honourable mettle may be wrought / ?If I were Brutus now, and he were Cassius, / he should not humour me.? (Act I Scene II, L. 308 ? 309, 314 ? 315). In the same soliloquy we learn that he is a very deceptive person. He decides that he will throw letters into Brutus?s house, chair that he as wrote. Brutus will think the letters are from citizens, who disagree with Caesar and the future of Rome. ?I will this night/ In several hands, in at his window throw, / As if they came from several citizens, / Writings, all tending the great opinion / That Rome holds of his name; wherein obscurely / Caesar?s ambition shall be glanced at:? (Act I, Scene II, L315 ? 320.) Deceptiveness is one of Cassius greatest strengths. A man who is as deceptive as Cassius is not fit to lead a battle, not to mention an Empire.

“It must be by his death; and for my part, I know no personal cause to spurn at him, But for the general. He would be crowned” (Act II, Scene i, Line 10-12). In this quote, Brutus has solidified part of his reason to join the conspiracy and kill Caesar. Throughout the first two acts of Julius Caesar, Brutus struggles with an extremely difficult decision. He can either join the conspiracy or allow Caesar to be crowned. During the first and second act, Brutus’s thoughts change periodically about the whole situation. By the end of Act II, he persuades himself to cross over to the group that will take Caesar out of power. Therefore, he is completely and utterly convinced that Caesar must die before rising to power.

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.

Shakespeare made this change most likely to highlight Caesar’s thirst for power to the point where he would view himself as a God. Similarly, Shakespeare also illustrates that Caesar is a sufferer of seizures and that the pressure from having to reject the crown was too much for him, resulting in a seizure which also further uncovers his lust for power. This arrogance is also illustrated by Caesar disregarding the premonition from the Soothsayer. Further, other characters that are transformed by Shakespeare include Brutus, who is actually the true main character in The Tragedy of Julius Caesar. “I do fear for the people. Choose Caesar for their king. Yet I love him as well” (Shakespeare scene 2, line 78-82). The Tragedy of Julius Caesar depicts mostly his inner conflict of choosing between his loyalty to Caesar or his own endearment towards the citizens and country of Rome. Based on Brutus’s love for the people and the troubles he is willing to endure for them reveals that he is a noble, yet easily manipulated character. Cassius, a character also introduced in Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, attempts to manipulate Brutus, who is lost and muddled in his inner conflict to murder Caesar. Cassius attempts can be evidenced as he

Brutus expresses honorable traits such as devotion to his companion Caesar as he emotionally expresses that “[he] [loves] him well” and he also “[loves] the name of honor more than [he] fears death” when speaking to Cassius regarding Caesar (1.2.89). Brutus illustrates the true extent of his intimate attachment for not only Caesar, but also for the people of Rome as he states a willingness to die in order to protect its democracy. As Brutus’s obsession with Caesar’s ever-growing power intensifies he confesses his fears to his friend, Cassius, who mirrors and supports his opinion. Instead of assuaging his fears, Cassius recklessly encourages Brutus to act. Nobody counters Cassius’s judgement, thus urging Brutus to take action. Brutus perfectly represents the unwritten code of mos maiorum of the early Roman Republic because, like his ancestors, he strives to preserve the democratic state. Although he loves Caesar, he realizes that his existence threatens Roman democracy. Cassius persistently manipulates Brutus however he refuses to budge unless it “aught toward the general good” for his beloved Rome (1.2.85). Rather than taking action for personal needs such as power the way Cassius performs, the selfless Brutus strictly operates for the general good of Rome, refusing to act for any other cause. Brutus reflects the Roman ideal leader since at this period most leaders act in selfishness. The reliable Brutus, now aware if Caesar’s impurities, only serves for good and keeps his honorable reputation of the general public. During act 2.1, the self-sacrificing Brutus convinces himself that action must occur to deliver the citizens’ freedom from Caesar’s threatening ambition which motivates him to conspire against and murder Caesar, consequentially making him a fugitive. Pushing

At the start of the timelessly classic play, Julius Caesar was in the final stages of parlaying his military prowess and growing cult of personality into enthronement as the long absent autocrat of Rome. His brother-in-arms, Marcus Brutus, after fighting at Caesar’s side for so long, was forced to weigh his loyalty to Caesar against his loyalty to Rome, setting the stage for the troubling events to come. As Caesar’s divine right to rule and infallibility were trumpeted throughout Rome, others were not so convinced of his purity and worthiness. Cassius, a dissident Senator, opened Brutus’ eyes to the circumstances unfolding before them and to what could be lost should Caesar take the throne. Cassius voiced his opposition strongly, saying:

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