Julius Caesar And Romero Essay, Research Paper

In the play of Julius Caesar, we see a brief picture of Roman life during the

time of the First Triumvirate. In this snap shot, we see many unfortunate

things. Shakespeare gives us the idea that many people try to circumvent what

the future holds, such as unfortunate things, by being superstitious.

Superstition seems to play a role in the basic daily life of most Roman

citizens. For instance, the setting of the first scene is based upon

superstition, the Feast of Lupercal. This feast is in honor of the god Pan, the

queen of fertility. During this time, infertile females are supposed to be able

to procreate, and fertile ones are supposed to be able to bear more. It is also

a supposed time of sexual glorification and happiness. Other scenes depict how

throughout Rome, roaming the streets are mysterious sooth-sayers, who are

supposedly given the power to predict the future. Dictating what is to come

through terse tidbits, these people may also be looked upon as superstitious. In

the opening scene, one sooth-sayer, old in his years, warns Caesar to

"Beware the Ides of March," an admonition of Caesar’s impending death.

Although sooth-sayers are looked upon by many as insane out of touch lower

classmen, a good deal of them, obviously including the sayer Caesar encountered,

are indeed right on the mark. Since they lack any formal office or shop, and

they predict forthcomings without fee, one can see quite easily why citizens

would distrust their predictions. Superstition, in general elements such as the

Feast of Lupercal, as well as on a personal level such as with the sooth-sayers,

is an important factor in determining the events and the outcome of Julius

Caesar, a significant force throughout the entire course of the play. Before the

play fully unravels, we see a few of signs of Caesar’s tragic end. Aside from

the sooth-sayer’s warning, we also see another sign during Caesar’s visit with

the Augerers, the latter day "psychics". They find "No heart in

the beast", which they interpret as advice to Caesar that he should remain

at home. Ceasar brushes it off and thinks of it as a rebuke from the gods,

meaning that he is a coward if he does not go out, and so he dismisses the wise

advice as hearsay. However, the next morning, his wife Calphurnia wakes up

frightened due to a horrible nightmare. She tells Caesar of a battle breaking

out in the heart of Rome, "Which drizzled blood upon the Capitol,"

with Caesar painfully dying, such that "…The heavens themselves blaze

forth the death of princes." Although Caesar realizes Calphurnia is truly

concerned about his well-being, he seeks another interpretation, coming to the

conclusion that the person who imagines the dream may not be the wisest one to

interpret it’s meaning. Later Caesar tells his faithful companion Decius about

it, and he interprets it quite the contrary, "That it was a vision fair and

fortunate," and indeed, today is an ideal day to go out, since this is the

day "To give a crown to mighty Caesar." Perhaps Decius is implying

here that today is a day where much appreciation and appraisal will be given to

Caesar, surely not the endangerment of his well-being as Calphurnia interprets

it. Caesar predictably agrees with him, as most citizens enjoy believing the

more positive of two interpretations. After Caesar’s assasination at the hand of

Brutus, Cassius, and the rest of the conspirators, Brutus and Cassius are chased

into the country side, where we see a few superstitious signs of their

forthcoming painful death in battle. In a dream, Brutus sees Caesar’s

"ghost", interpreted as an omen of his defeat. He also looks upon the

ensign, and instead of the usual stock of eagles, ravens and kites replace them,

construed as another sign of their loss at Phillipi. Not surprisingly, Caesar’s

death is avenged in the end, with the two of the conspirators’ double suicide.

As superstition is inter-twined within the basis of the entire play, we can

reasonably conclude that it is because of this irrational belief of why certain

events occur and how to avoid them, that Caesar is retired and eventually

avenged. In the words of Caesar’s devoted follower and companion Mark Antony,

"His life was gentle, and the elements so mixed in him that Nature might

stand up and say to the world, ‘This was a man!’"

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