Superstitions In Julius Caesar

As the holiday season approaches, the world around us is beginning to change. Christmas trees are set up in homes, town squares are adorned with lights, and cookies are left out all night. Many people continue to practice these rituals year after year without any thought. They work for hours stringing up lights, leaving food out to spoil, and lying to their children about mythical figures because of societal traditions and superstitions that has been instilled in them. This idea of tradition and superstitions is also found in the text Julius Caesar. Superstitions impact us today by causing us to spend money, avoiding certain days of the year, and negatively impacting our health. The first aspect of superstition impacting our lives we’ll explore is the idea of superstitions causing us to spend money. According to the financial firm Forbes, “Superstition is a billion dollar industry. Every year, Americans spend a substantial amount of their disposable income on superstitious items such as 4 leaf

In the play Julius Caesar, Caesar’s wife Calpurnia explains, “Caesar, you must not go to the senate today. It is the Ides of March! Please tell them you are sick and stay home on this most evil day” (Shakespeare). This quote shows Calpurnia’s adherence to superstition and tradition is so powerful that she tells her well respected husband to lie in order to not go out on the Ides of March. Her mental health is also greatly affected on this day because prior to this scene she begins having nightmares of Caesar’s death that prevent her from sleeping well. Her mental health really starts to decline around the Ides of March and one can draw similar comparisons to people in our own society that call in sick on Friday the 13th. Superstition can greatly affect mental health and one has to be cognizant of falling into a mental health negative feedback loops when observing