brutus vs antony
Discuss the attention paid (or not paid) to omens, nightmares, and other supernatural events. What do the various responses to these phenomena show about the struggle between fate and free will in Julius Caesar? Can the play’s tragedies be attributed to the characters’ failure to read the omens properly, or do the omens merely presage the inevitable?
The characters in Julius Caesar neglect nearly universally the play’s various omens (dead men walking, sacrificed animals who lack hearts), nightmares (Calpurnia’s vision of Caesar’s statue running with blood), warnings (the Soothsayer’s advice to Caesar to avoid the Ides of March, Artemidorus’s letter about the conspiracy), and supernatural events (Brutus’s visitation by the Ghost). Caesar believes that the omens in Rome could apply just as easily to Rome in general as to him personally, and he quickly comes to believe that Calpurnia has misinterpreted her dream. As the plot unfolds, it becomes clear that these omens warn of events that take place without exception. The hand of fate, or of the gods, appears to strike with undeniable omnipotence; and yet, it seems peculiar to provide omens without allowing individuals time to alter their behavior or choose among fates. In any case, the characters fail to heed the warnings in almost every instance. Tragically, the characters often believe that their refusal to heed these signs proves their strength, courage, and indomitable nature; thus, Caesar believes that he is displaying the force of his will by ignoring the warnings and attending the Senate, though, ironically, it is precisely this action that precipitates his fated death.
(spark
The characters in Julius Caesar neglect nearly universally the play’s various omens (dead men walking, sacrificed animals who lack hearts), nightmares (Calpurnia’s vision of Caesar’s statue running with blood), warnings (the Soothsayer’s advice to Caesar to avoid the Ides of March, Artemidorus’s letter about the conspiracy), and supernatural events (Brutus’s visitation by the Ghost). Caesar believes that the omens in Rome could apply just as easily to Rome in general as to him personally, and he quickly comes to believe that Calpurnia has misinterpreted her dream. As the plot unfolds, it becomes clear that these omens warn of events that take place without exception. The hand of fate, or of the gods, appears to strike with undeniable omnipotence; and yet, it seems peculiar to provide omens without allowing individuals time to alter their behavior or choose among fates. In any case, the characters fail to heed the warnings in almost every instance. Tragically, the characters often believe that their refusal to heed these signs proves their strength, courage, and indomitable nature; thus, Caesar believes that he is displaying the force of his will by ignoring the warnings and attending the Senate, though, ironically, it is precisely this action that precipitates his fated death.
(spark