“His imaginative vision has caught glimpses of the ways of destiny; he simply reveals his hero’s death as the inevitable outcome of primary universal law” (Charlton 8-9). Most of the bookworms can recognize William Shakespeare as one of the greatest writers in the themes of tragedy and fate and free will. One of the criticism authors, Francis Meres describes Shakespeare as, “As Plautus and Seneca are accounted the best for Comedy and Tragedy among the Latins, so Shakespeare among the English is the most excellent in both kinds for the stage…” (282). In the works of literature written by William Shakespeare, the readers may comprehend the well-founded interpretation on the theme of tragedy and fate and free will. Within the plays of Julius …show more content…
In the play, Brutus is known as an honorable man. However, according to the play, Brutus makes such a foolish free will choice which later brings poor result. The foolish choice is killing Caesar. Brutus and other conspirators are scared of Caesar becoming too powerful. So Brutus who is tempted by Cassius and Casca murders Caesar in the Senate in front of other people. After all these events have happened, Brutus finally realizes that he went against the fate. William Shakespeare explains the definition of fate through Caesar, “ What can be avoided Whose end is purposed by the mighty gods? (Fleming 11-14). Basically, Brutus is going against the purpose of mighty gods corresponds to what Caesar said. Nonetheless, it was not only Brutus who made a free choice over the fate. One of the protagonists in the play, Julius Caesar, makes profuse free will choice that ends his life. Free choices were made to go against the fate like omens and the prophets. The critical writing author, William H. Fleming, explains the situation of Caesar as follow, “Caesar is not the direct cause of his own death… Forces outside of himself bring the action to a Climax. Other forces, still outside of himself, carry the action forward to the Catastrophe. While he is the cause of the action” (15). The author tells that the forces that come from outside which is omens and the prophets eventually leads Caesar to …show more content…
In the play Julius Caesar, there is a lot of amount of omens and the prophets which are letters. Once again, Caesar hears someone shouting this phrase, “Beware the ides of March” (Shakespeare 4-5). After Caesar hears about the soothsayer’s prophet, Caesar does not truly acknowledge the meaning of the prophet. “She dreamt to-night she saw my statue, which like a fountain with a hundred spouts did run pure blood, and many lusty Romans came smiling and did bathe their hands in it” (Shakespeare 40). Later in the play, Caesar finally starts to acknowledge some of the omens and starts to think about the meaning of it. Caesar decides to stay one day at home instead of going to the Senate. The next day arises, and Caesar finally starts the trip to the Senate. On the way to the Senate, there is, again, another prophet that is waiting for Caesar. Repeated from the information above, Artemidorus hurries Caesar to read the letter. However, Caesar decides to read this letter later which is the free choice of Caesar. As the result of this freedom, Caesar faces the tragic death. Addition to Caesar, other characters like Brutus and Cassius face tragic death because they choose to go against their fate. Cassius was scared of Caesar becoming too powerful, so he decides to join the conspiracy. However, after Caesar is dead, Cassius, later on, stabs himself knowing that he should not be in the conspiracy to kill
Shakespeare’s complex play The Tragedy of Julius Caesar contains several tragic heroes; a tragic hero holds high political or social esteem yet possesses an obvious character flaw. This discernible hubris undoubtedly causes the character’s demise or a severe forfeiture, which forces the character to undergo an unfeigned moment of enlightenment and shear reconciliation. Brutus, one of these tragic heroes, is a devout friend of the great Julius Caesar, that is, until he makes many execrable decisions he will soon regret; he becomes involved in a plot to kill the omniscient ruler of Rome during 44 B.C. After committing the crime, Mark Antony, an avid, passionate follower of Caesar, is left alive under Brutus’s orders to take his revenge on the villains who killed his beloved Caesar. After Antony turns a rioting Rome on him and wages war against him and the conspirators, Brutus falls by his own hand, turning the very sword he slaughtered Caesar with against himself. Brutus is unquestionably the tragic hero in this play because he has an innumerable amount of character flaws, he falls because of these flaws, and then comes to grips with them as he bleeds on the planes of Philippi.
CAESAR: He is a dreamer. Let us leave him. Pass.” (1.2.28-29) Othsayer appears to be the fortuneteller who tries to warn Caesar of an unknown danger in this situation but Caesar quickly dismisses the idea. Caesar demonstrates his control of his own life, that the predictions are merely dreams that can never turn into reality. Under such conditions, it cannot be the fate but rather the free will of Caesar himself to blame for his death for taking risks and facing life in his own way. Another instance of fate is Casca's observations of a dreadful night. He describes the setting as if there are burning slaves, crawling lion, and ghostly women on the street of the Capitol. (1.3.25-32) These omens are usually associated with fate, as that supernatural sights hints the happening of a tragedy soon, but they don't necessarily define the tragedy itself. They can refer to a series of other events and not the assassination of Caesar. Lastly, the night before the assassination, Calphurnia convinces her husband to stay home due to a nightmare, but Caesar responds with as if it is no big matter in "CAESAR: Nor heaven nor earth have been at peace tonight. Thrice hath Calphurnia in her sleep cried out "Help, ho, they murder Caesar!" (2.2.1-3) In her dream, Calpurnia claims to see the death of her husband whose blood flows all over Rome. Her fear toward
William Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar examines the theme fate vs free will. Shakespeare does this while asking his audience timeless questions. This is done through the portrayal of the tragic hero, Brutus, who struggles to participate in the conspiracy to kill Caesar.
Caesar’s lack of somewhat savage Machiavellian traits foreshadows his downfall a multitude of times. From the beginning, the soothsayer warns him to watch out for the Ides of March. There are also bad signs; men in fire walks up and down the streets, and a lioness gives birth on the streets. Likewise, before he heads to the Senate House to receive the crown, Calphurnia tells him that she has had a nightmare, and pleads him to stay home. However, he ignores all the premonitions and moves toward where the Senators are, with no one to protect him when he is in danger. This action of Caesar contradicts the teachings of Machiavelli, “Before all else, be armed” (The Prince). As a result of his carelessness, the conspirators see that he has no chance of circumventing, and assassinates him. Similarly, he is unsuccessful in recognizing the outrage of Cassius and a few others; he isn’t doubtful enough of their secretive deeds and eventually loses the reigns to eliminate the defiance. "The same thing occurs in affairs o...
Shakespeare clearly explores the themes ‘Fate and Free Will’, and ‘Ambition’ within this tragedy. Shakespeare weaves these themes around the character of Macbeth, showing us the depth of his insight into human society. Macbeth fell victim to his interpretation of supernatural prophecies and the influence from his wife. His impatience for the throne led to his crimes, subsequent guilt and acknowledgement of his sins. Shakespeare presents Macbeth’s life to his audience as a moral tale, warning them how men should be careful how they regard the ideas of fortune and fate and how in the end, evil intents and actions bring with them their own punishment.
The ability of an author to capture the interest of the audience has and will always be an important factor in the art of storytelling and even the expression of research or related material. When an author is able to seize the attention of any partaking of their work, curiosity will develop which will lead to the wonder of what the conclusion my bring about. Not only is it important to snatch the audience’s attention in the beginning, it is necessary to hold it prisoner throughout the tale. Authors do this by having an interesting plot development in which many unexpected details come into play and the course of the story is thrown from the norm and into the conflict. Shakespeare was a master of this art in the work he produced throughout his life and was able to create stories of humor and those of tragedy. For example, his play King Lear is a terrible tragedy in which many awful things take place and the story ends by disastrous means. While in the play Much Ado About Nothing, very little conflict is present and if it is, it is resolved quickly and the play concludes with the joyfulness of marriage nuptials. His ability to develop plot and story in a way in which the audience who love to devour, Shakespeare will in a way immortalize himself, “Shakespeare proved himself to be both the "soul of the age" his works reflected and adorned and the consummate symbol of the artist whose poetic visions transcend their local habitation and become, in some mysterious way, contemporaneous with ‘all time.’” (Andrews) As stated, Shakespeare went beyond his time and created traditions, symbols, sayings, and even stories that people today will remember forever. King Lear and Much Ado About Nothing are each examples of Shakespeare's detailed ...
Calpurnia’s dream predicted Caesar’s death well, after being stabbed by all of his friends and bleeding to death, the men that killed him bathed in his blood happily thinking Rome will be safe. The omen of Caesar’s ghost visiting Brutus represented Brutus’s death. Caesar said “I will see you in Philippi,” meaning he will see Brutus at the place of the battle and watch him die, which he did. The Tragedy of Julius Caesar had the ongoing theme of Fate versus Free Will, but it seemed that fate was mostly shown.
First of all, Marcus Brutus has the character flaw of poor judge of character. He cannot discern a person’s character or true motivation. He, however, acts on his judgments, regardless of whether they are true or not. Brutus feels that Caesar is too ambitious for power, and that he, along with the other eight men plotting the demise of Caesar, must prevent it, “And therefore think him as a serpent’s egg— / Which, hatched, would as his kind grow mischievous— / And kill him in the shell” (911). Brutus decides that Caesar must die because he ambitious. Ambition is not necessarily an evil and virulent thing. Ambition causes men and women to strive towards reaching an attainment. Brutus assumes that Caesar will turn his back on his supporters due to this ambition. One of the most famous lines in Julius Caesar is the dying words of Caesar: “Et tu, Bruté?—Then fall, Caesar” (938). If Caesar had truly turned h...
When the soothsayer cries out “Beware the ides of march”(312; act1,sc2) he is truly laying the groundwork for the rest of the events leading up to Caesar’s assassination. Although Julius dismisses the soothsay with a simple “he is a dreamer, let us leave him. Pass.” (313; act1, sc2) the reader realizes that this date will prove important in the near future. To the audience, the prophecies are dramatic irony-when Caesar is warned about the ides of March, we already know what is going to happen to him. (Farrow) That one simple dialogue sets the stage for the rest of the plot to advance swiftly.
Shakespeare in The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet depicts the conflict between fate and free will through use of his characters’ actions and beliefs. Fate is the main driving force between the demise of the two main protagonists. Because of it, superstition, the actions of others, and the idea of chance are allowed a main role in the play building up to events that lead to a tragic end.
In conclusion, Brutus’ mistakes and flaws are overshadowed by his honorable intentions and genuine motives. In a society littered with dishonorable, deceitful people like Antony, Brutus, with his sense of honor and integrity, contrast them all. Brutus’ greatest weakness is his tendency to believe people who script words to purposely lie or misguide him. Due to his actions, he ends up dying an honorable death of a self-suicide. Having genuine compassion and sympathy towards others is not a bad thing. However, decisions should not be so heavily influenced by the opinions of others. The significance of planning things out before doing them is clearly illustrated, as it is a way to foresee possible complications or problems that may arise. Ironically, the conspirators’ cause is for naught as Antony becomes the tyrant that they fear Caesar would have become.
Through comedy and tragedy Shakespeare reveals the vast expanses and profound depths of the character of life. For him they are not separate worlds of drama and romance, but poles of a continuum. The distinction between tragedy and comedy is called in question when we turn to Shakespeare. Though the characters differ in stature and power, and the events vary in weight and significance, the movements of life in all Shakespeare's plays are governed by the same universal principles which move events in our own lives. Through myriad images Shakespeare portrays not only the character of man and society but the character of life itself.
For every sin committed there is an unavoidable consequence, as is the case when the conspirators try to harness the future. Even though Brutus’ actions are noble, no one can ever hope to control history, those who try suffer a terrible fate. “Caesar, Brutus, and Cassius are all guilty of arrogance in believing they can control history; as a consequence, Caesar precipitates his own death and the other two merit the retribution that overtakes them.
The play ends in a tragic way, as most of the main characters are assassinated or chose to die themselves. In conclusion, Caesar is a man without fear, he believes in himself which leads to his arrogance, which is shown when he ignores the omens. Brutus realizes the faults of his actions and decides that death is the only way to put himself out of his misery. Both men made crucial mistakes which ultimately led to their downfall
Shakespeare has created stories that are so powerful, emotional, comedic, tragic and romantic that they are still continuously remembered and studied in the modern era. Though the essence of his talents does not lie in the simple themes behind his plays, but more so in