Spirits In Julius Caesar

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Cory Hutchinson
Ms.Smith
English II HP Period 6
10 June 2014
Brutus’ Ghosts: A Comparative Psychoanalysis
In William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, the cosmological and political ideals are constantly compared, analyzed, and argued because of the broad spectrum of opinions on
Shakespeare’s thought process in writing. Myron Taylor, associated with George Washington
University and published by Folger Shakespeare Library, and Stephen M. Buhler, associated with University of Nebraska­Lincoln and published in English Literary Renaissance, dually contemplate the existence of Caesar’s ghost after the assassination, whether he was just a figment of Brutus’s guilt or a spectral embodiment of Caesar seeking revenge.
Even though Taylor and Buhler outline their reasoning as to why Shakespeare included
an apparition of Caesar in this play with psychological or supernatural possibilities, countless reasons for the idea of ghosts being real in order to develop a counterargument with a spiritual view should be considered.
The Academy for Spiritual and Consciousness Studies, composed of numerous scholars with doctorates and a team of mediums, offer the reality and eliminate cliches related to the existence of spirits and show why popular belief indicates spirits don’t exist and then tries to help grief patients connect with the spirit they’re looking for through a series of binaural beats that relax the mind and create a path to a state of consciousness. This experience helps the mind stretch beyond a physical aspect and connect with the desired spirit through memories and familiar feelings. As the study of binaural beats and electromagnetic measures to

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determine the presence of a spirit become more apparent, the doctors of this academy use the advantage of science to provide a psychotherapeutic experiment, so in turn providing the proof that ghosts have a place among the living and the idea that Caesar’s ghost really existed in
Shakespeare’s intention. Regardless of modern technology, Shakespeare lived in a time of
belief in the impossible and sought the initiative to create multiple views on the afterlife and if Caesar really was connected to Brutus in the way he imagined.

Although Taylor and Buhler don’t use psychotherapeutic studies or the time frame explaining Shakespeare’s possible beliefs to discuss the topic of Caesar’s ghost. Myron Taylor depicts this spiritual aspect by stating, “They have killed Caesar’s body, but they have not destroyed his spirit.
The ghost returns to emphasize the futility of the assassination” (Taylor
306). In this quote, it shows that Taylor believes in the realness of what Brutus saw and gives an emotional stance as to why Caesar has returned. A portion of Buhler’s research agrees with
Taylor when he analyzes Caesar’s ghost and says, “the phantom that appeared to Brutus showed that the murder of Caesar was not pleasing to the gods” (Buhler 63). The two beliefs given by the scholars indicates that there is a view in understanding Shakespeare’s writing that addresses the supernatural plane of existence. Also, the scholars can gather that Shakespeare used these phenomena to encourage both a sense of pathos to make the reader feel sadness for the death of
Caesar or anger for the Brutus’ actions along with ethos to show the reader that killing Caesar could be both ethical and against ethics depending on how the reader interprets the presence of the spirits. From the extensive supernatural events that occur in the play, such as the spirits roaming the streets, Shakespeare used Caesar’s rage from the betrayal of the assassination and focused it into the vengeful spirit of Caesar to install fear in the
conspirators.

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Although there are numerous recurring supernatural phenomena involving the revolting mood of Caesar’s spirit and omens in general, a good scholar must delve in to the logical aspects of the play. Taylor addresses Brutus’ skepticism in believing in Caesar’s ghost when he writes,
“Brutus, like Cassius, is an agnostic if not an atheist; the ghost for him remains ‘the weakness of mine eyes.’ But Brutus ought to take warning from the ghost, for Philippi is a disaster for his cause. Shakespeare’s predilection for supernaturalism is explicit” (Taylor 306). Although Brutus’ beliefs are acknowledged, Taylor still supports this fact with his belief in supernaturalism.
However, Buhler contradicts Taylor’s statement by looking in to Plutarch’s interpretation of
Julius Caesar and claims, “the image describes itself as Brutus ' own evil genius.Shakespeare follows this account ("Thy evil spirit") and suggests something of a physiological explanation by having Brutus share in the bad eyesight Plutarch assigns to Cassius” (Buhler 64). This explanation represents the psychological aspect for Brutus feeling guilty after murdering Caesar and counteracts the reasoning for Taylor’s claims as this offers a more realistic approach to the reappearance of Caesar. As most people would say Brutus’ actions would be reasonable for being haunted by Caesar, however, there is great diversity in the types of scholars, such as the spiritual scholar or the logical scholar. The controversy of Caesar’s spirit lies within the beliefs of the thinkers that evaluate this paranormal possibility, whether scientific or cosmological.
In reality, most thinkers would deny any trace of spirits as there seems to be no
“scientific” explanation, but it’s incredibly impossible for science to explain such a concept. The idea of the afterlife and its presence in the world is a spiritual aspect of life and can’t be defined by technical sciences. However, in a complex piece of literature like Julius Caesar, Shakespeare writes with an altered sense of reality to create the cosmological mood that lightly, yet

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effectively, laces through the lines and challenges the reader to search for alternate meanings in death, love, success, any sort of event in the life of the characters. The reality of the idea is that sometimes, a person can never do everything they desired in life, so that hope takes form after death and becomes a spectre of regret, protection, worry, etc., but even if ghosts were to be proven real, the psychology behind hauntings goes beyond the presence of spirits. It’s believed that hauntings and ghosts are very different and a haunting is more real because it’s connected to an event in the past that’s very vivid for someone who knows the legend. However, the existence of spirits, whether in real life or Julius Caesar, is part of life and life is unexplainably inescapable. Hutchinson 5

Works Cited Page Buhler, Stephen M. “No Spectre, No Sceptre: The Agon of Materialist Thought in
Shakespeare 's Julius Caesar," in English Literary Renaissance, Vol. 26, No. 2”
No Spectre, No Sceptre: The Agon of Materialist Thought in Shakespeare 's Julius Caesar.
University of Nebraska­Lincoln, 6 April 1996. Print. 18 August 2011.
Shakespeare, William. “The Tragedy of Julius Caesar.” The Tragedy of Julius Caesar with

Related Readings. Ed. Dom Saliani, Chris Ferguson, and Dr. Tim Scott. Toronto:
International Thomson Publishing, 1997.

Taylor, Myron. “Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar and the Irony of History, Shakespeare Quarterly,
Vol.24, No.3” Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar and the Irony of History, Shakespeare
Quarterly, Vol.24, No.3. Folger Shakespeare Library, 10 July 1973. Print. 18 November
2011.