Free Will In Julius Caesar

In William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, free will leads to the downfall of the main characters. The tragedy centers around a man named Brutus, and the power struggle between him and his fellow Romans. Julius Caesar, ends up murder by Brutus and other conspirators because of his poor judgment. Cassius, the leader of the conspiracy, dies because of the trouble his actions have caused. The tragic hero, Brutus, makes many poor choices, which ultimately lead to his demise. Fate has no part in the outcome of the play; rather free will is to blame. Julius Caesar makes many poor decisions that ultimately lead to his end. Caesar consistently ignores warning and foreshadowing of his death. The Soothsayer warns Caesar to “beware the Ides of March” (I ii 18) but Caesar believes “he is a dreamer” (I
Cassius begins the conspiracy, inciting the conflict with Mark Antony which escalates to war. During battle, Brutus hopes to “end that work the Ides of March begun” (V i 113), as all of the trouble has been caused by the plot to kill Caesar, which Cassius initiates. Cassius continues on the fights when he is “levying powers” (IV i 42), which means he is raising an army to fight Mark Antony. Cassius could have left Rome in Mark Antony’s hands and fled, saving his life in the process, but instead he chooses to rage war against him and Octavius. It is Cassius’ pride and ambition for the power over Rome that leads to his death. Finally, Cassius chooses to take his own life. He decides he is “fresh of spirit and resolv’d/ to meet all perils very constantly” (V i 90-91) before the battle has even begun, accepting his upcoming death. Cassius conspires to kill a man, then wages a war against the man’s avengers. He finally understands mistake by the end, calling out “Caesar, thou art reveng’d/ even with the sword that kill’d thee” (V iii 45-46). Cassius was the root of the dilemmas of the tragedy, and ended his life because of